Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said today that Sleepy’s has failed to provide him answers to all his critical questions regarding the giant mattress retailer’s business practices.
Blumenthal, who in July began an investigation into the country’s largest mattress retailer, said in a Monday interview in his office that Sleepy’s “failed to respond” to key questions that his office posed to the company after receiving consumer complaints that Sleepy’s had sold them used mattresses as new. In one case, the Norwalk customer complained to the attorney general that his box spring was filled with bedbugs.
Blumenthal said he will give Sleepy’s one more opportunity to fully answer his questions before taking stronger legal action.
Attorneys for Sleepy’s Monday denied Blumenthal’s claim and threatened to sue me for libel:
“Dear Mr. Gombossy:
Your original allegations were false, as are the allegations below.Â
Be advised that any statement we consider to be false will be followed by a suit against you personally for libel.
Be guided accordingly.
Marialana M. Morvillo, Esq.
Associate General Counsel | Legal Department
My original column on the investigation into Sleepy’s led to The Courant firing me, effective Aug. 14.
My Watchdog column on the attorney general’s investigation was scheduled to be published Aug. 2. Instead, I was told on Aug. 3 that my position was being eliminated. I published the column on this site on Aug. 14.
Sleepy’s also wrote an email Monday to the Attorney General’s office:
Dear Attorney (Thomas) Saadi:
 I received the e-mail below from George Gombossy earlier this afternoon. If Mr. Gombossy’s assertions are true, we are quite surprised, since we answered these questions directly and clearly in our response to your office.
Please advise.
Thank you.
Marialana M. Morvillo, Esq.
Associate General Counsel | Legal Department
George, The truth shall set you free.
It seems to me the person that Attorney Morvillo should be suing is the Attorney General because he officially started all this mess. Why not sue the pesky customer(s) who made the original allegation(s)? That will teach them to keep their mouths shut.
As for Sleepy’s The truth will either set you free or result in a very large fine from the AG.
Bring on more truth.
John,
Thank you, after reading the article, I was thinking that same thing.
GO GEORGE! Guess Attorney Morvillo couldn’t accept the truth.
I wonder if Sleepy’s has heard of the Streisand effect? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Striesand_effect
Tom,
I agree with you 100%. It will back fire them.
I will never step foot in a Sleepy’s store. Not because of alleged faulty matresses but because Sleepy’s sounds arrogant with their hollow threat of a lawsuit. Keep up the good work, George. To quote the legendary “Bogey” who was looking out for the people, I’m in YOUR corner!
They should look at their bait and swith selling practices
A hidden camera would be an interesting story
They will tell consumers that a specific mattress is equivalent to a competitors using a lower level of quality/construction and lie in order to undercut competitors price and capture the sale
Very dishonest to the consumer
When caught they will tell you that sales person made a mistake
but it is their business practice and how sales are trained (but they wont put that in writing in the training manual)
Ask any legitimate competitor and they can give you many examples of the same. check it out
We nicknamed them Sleezy’s in our part of the country
Stand your ground, George. They must have something to hide or they wouldn’t be so adamant. I will NEVER set foot in a Sleepy’s EVER!!
Bedbugs v. Gombossy
It has a nice ring to it.
Libel has to be false, and if I understand the facts in this matter George G. published facts that were published by the Attorney General.
If they are false then the liability rests with the AG, not George as long as he had no reason to question their validity. So basically Sleepy’s has to be saying that the AG lied about the bed bug inquiry and lied about the lack of response from Sleepy’s and then George knew about all this nefarious conduct on the poor company and published it anyway. HA! Further, Connecticut statutes have a specific section that provides a victim of defamation to demand a retraction of a “false and defamatory” communication, (remember Libel is written defamation and Slander is verbal), it is interesting that Sleepy’s has not sent such a demand through their tough guy, high brow lawyers to either Mr. G. or the AG? (rhyme intended).
These people sound desperate, confused and dull, the smart thing to do would have been to get their act together and make sure that their selling practices are honest and clean. Not intimidation and stupefaction.
As I used to tell my kids; “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.” Sleepy’s needs some rest.
Meanwhile, we need a new mattress. Any suggestions? We’re not going to Sleepy’s, that’s for sure!
Hi Mike,
I bought an expensive orthopedic mattress at the Sears Outlet in Newington. Shopping for it was an adventure — the mattresses were displayed sort of helter skelter and wrapped in heavy plastic. I had to hunt down somebody to put some on the floor for me to lie down on. But ultimately I paid less than $500 for a mattress that was originally listed at more than $1,500 — and I’ve been very happy with it.
Jeanne
Mike – My husband and I use Better Bedding and have been extremely happy with their services and the quality of their product for over 20 years. I am also happy to report that Tom Wholley of Better Bedding, for the past year, has been very helpful in providing beds needed by people who request help from the East Hartford Interfaith Ministries. Many people have been helped through this service and we are very grateful for his kindness, especially in this economic downturn.
I’ll second the better bedding recommendation. We bought our mattress there in 2007 and were happy with the service and the delivery – and the mattress.. so far we love it. Sleepy’s gave us a hard sales pitch. Glad after all of this we didn’t go with them.
I bought a mattress from Bob’s. There was a defect in it and they promptly removed and replaced it within two days of my explaining it to them. This was about 8 months after purchase. They are reliable and their word is their bond, I would not hesitate to do any kind of business with Bob again.
I purchased a queen-size Kingsdown mattress and box spring approximately six months ago at Sleepy’s in Waterford, CT. Within a week, I noticed considerable sagging in the middle of the mattress. After several “inspections” by an independent contractor hired by Sleepys, I agreed to an exchange for a new box spring and mattress. [The inspection procedure to determine if the mattress is within warranty is, in itself, a sham. It is a static, no-load test, performed with a string and yardstick. To obtain an accurate and true measurement, mattress sag can only be determined with a load (i.e. body) resting on the surface of the bed.]
The exchange process took almost two months, and included lengthy telephone conversations and extensive hold times with so-called professionals. After receiving the new box spring and mattress, the same sagging problem was evident, and in fact, worse than the first bed set. I have asked Sleepys to pick up the defective merchandise and for a full refund.
They continue to stonewall my request by proposing more inspections and offering nothing more than excuses they deem as policy. This is a rip-off, pure and simple. What is presented in the showroom doesnt even closely resemble the product that is delivered. From my elementary investigation into Sleepys and Kingsdown, it is clear that this is normal practice for these companies.
I intend to follow through by contacting the State of Connecticuts Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal. He has an impressive history of consumer advocacy, aggressive law enforcement for consumer protection, and a record of recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for Connecticut taxpayers and consumers each year.
For those in the mattress market, be wary. Sleepys and Kingsdown are companies that operate in the deceitful zone.
Keith
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Originally posted October 2007 on:
U.S.A. http://www.ripoffreport.com/Bed-Bath/Sleepy-s-And-Kingsdo/sleepy-s-the-mattress-professi-957zc.htm
Updated September 2009: No resolution from Sleepy’s. They basically told me, “Too bad, so sad for you.”
My father’s claim to fame was that he exterminated all the bedbugs on the Isle of Safety.
I worked for Sleepy’s for two years and I was amazed that they were not closed down and or sued out of business long ago,I left because
I would not lie to each and every customer to enrich my commisions.
I just purchased a new bed as well. I didn’t even THINK of buying it at Sleepy’s. I went right to one of it’s competitor’s and bought a bed. What the Courant did to George after he was only doing his job by reporting the truth, is despicable. Sue the pants off him, bud!!! I’m behind you 100%!!