Customer Service!

When we set up the beds and furniture business AAA Bedz and Furniture many years ago we did so with the intention of offering a village shop type of service, but with the benefits of the digital age. While this has served us well, how far can you go with customer service?


It is true that the more of a service you offer, the more some people expect. Does there reach a point when you have to say no,? Or can you keep giving until you run yourself dry, or broke in this economic environment?!


So what is the answer? Do we do like many of our competitors and just not bother? Don't answer the phone or return messages and emails? Perhaps just be dam-right rude and unhelpful?


I for one can't do that, perhaps that's just my personality.


It is a sad fact nowadays, that few people bother to thank you for any efforts you do go to, often the only time you hear from people is when things go wrong. So why not set yourself a late new years resolution? If you get good service, if someone has gone that extra mile to try and help you, why not take a moment to thank them? How long does it take to write a quick email? A few seconds, even when you type as slow as me!


We recently had a customer who we did try hard with (hopefully she doesn't mind me using her name, especially as she is quite famous in many business circles), Shaa Wasmund, founder of Smarta.com the business advice and networking web-site. While we tried our usual best, she was so impressed with us that she not only bothered to thank us, but even started to push our name around her many contacts. While we are not all in the position to do as much as Shaa, we all know of someone, who needs something.


So let's all try and balance the equation, if it goes wrong, kick off, if it goes right, type! Everyone likes a bit of praise, and perhaps by offering a bit more to someone else, we may get that bit more back! Result, better service for us all, more business, and world peace and happiness!


Thanks for reading, no real mention of beds this week, except to say that prices are on the up, Original Bedstead Company's prices all go up by the end of the month, and others are following, if they have not already done so. So now is the time to buy.


Email me with your requirements if you haven't got the time to trawl, and I will do my best to help.


Pete

Quality or Price? - That is the question... whether it is nobler...

Bunk Beds…...no doubt kids love them, but as parents do you buy the best mattresses available, or something cheaper, or just cheap.
There is a wide range available, indeed we offer everything from a basic budget pack, to new luxury memory foam or pocket sprung ones. Budget limitations are often the leading restriction, and I can understand that (we are of course in a recession and we all have to watch the pennies), but with mattresses, unfortunately you do get what you pay for. Cheaper mattresses do not last as well, are not as supportive, and not as comfortable. Small light children can perhaps get away with a lighter mattress, but what when Grandma comes at Christmas?
Perhaps more importantly, I am amazed when I check the opposition’s listings of bunk beds, as to how many of them sell mattresses that are nothing short of dangerous. Most bunk beds will take a mattress about 7-8” before the height of the safety rails on the top bunks are compromised, and you increase the risk of the child falling. Some unscrupulous retailers sell mattresses that I know are so deep that there will only be an inch or so of safety rail left! I know the British Standard is quite conservative, and realistically and inch or so over the recommended depth would not pose a significant problem, but some take this beyond sensible.
So where is this rant going? Funnily enough, we have recently managed to persuade a supplier to make us a special mattress with a small length spring inside. This means we can get a pocket sprung mattress with loads of fillings and quilting to make a total depth of just 7”. So, we end up with a superior quality mattress, and still a safe as can be.
The same thing applies to memory foam mattresses. Most are sold way too deep for the top bunks, and I hope the retailers can sleep at night knowing Little Johnny might fall out of his bed tonight.
So, to view the range of bunk beds with the mattress especially manufactured especially for our bunk beds, to the highest standards, and still at a sensible price, follow the links.
Sleep safe!

Weak Pound, or just an excuse?

We have had a steady stream of new price lists coming through from our suppliers saying that because of the weak Pound, they are having to increase their prices. This has had the effect that we are having to increase ours. Shame, but that's the way it is.

Now I seem to recall that during the last run against the Pound the suppliers put up their prices then, but I don't seem to recall them bringing them down then! It seems that while the country tries to drag itself out of the recession, inflation and suppliers seem to be pulling it down again. What's the answer? Change of Government, probably not, but then I don't want to get political on this blog!

Anyway, all Original Bedstead Company prices will go up from 1st April, CPW Furniture's have just gone up, Joseph Beds will be going up soon, and many of our private label manufacturers are having to increase their prices, so even these good value products will be going up soon!

So the morel of this waffling.....better buy now before they all go through the roof!
Visit and buy now, if you're waiting you might regret it!

Prudence Pays!

While I don't profess to write as eloquently as Daniel (http://dannyelse93.blogspot.com/) I feel I should at least put something down in writing!

Predence is the title of this bit!

Prudence Pays!

Everyone knows that the last couple of years have been difficult times. Many of our competitors have gone by the wayside over this time, but through careful management AAA Bedz and Furniture have retained their excellent reputation with suppliers, which has resulted in some special arrangements, which we have been able to use to our customers advantage.

We have what we believe to be the best UK prices on a wide range of quality metal and brass beds from the Original Bedstead Company.

Which mattress to choose

Buying a mattress can be hard work. There is so much choice nowadays, memory foam, latex, pocket sprung, etc, etc….
I am often asked to advise on the best choice and tend to have a standard spiel which I almost recite automatically after many years of selling beds and mattresses. This is an attempt to put this on paper (well, your screen anyway) so you can make your own informed choices and, hopefully, get the right mattress for you.

Before I start, one thing is certain, with mattresses, you get what you pay for. Buy a cheap or low quality mattress and while initially it might be comfortable, it won’t last. Therefore, buy the best you can afford. The mattress may not be visible, and you may be tempted to buy a fancy bed frame or base but you sleep on the mattress, not the base!

Generally mattresses are in 3 categories (there are variations within these but let’s not get too complicated).

1) Open Coil. This is the traditional type, where the springs are wired together. The spring unit may or may not have an edge support wire, designed to keep the mattress in shape and help prevent people rolling off the edge. Generally, cheaper ones don’t have this edge wire.
Open coil mattresses are generally the cheapest sort, and some are very good. Fillings are then laid over the top of the springs, and the whole thing is then wrapped in the covering. These coverings vary, some have stitch bond cotton covers, and some have a smooth damask cover. Damask covers are generally more hardwearing as they are not prone to bobbling (like you’ll find on a jumper). The fillings are generally held in place by either stitches (often referred to as quilted) or buttons that go right through the mattress (often referred to as tufted or hand tufted).

The firmness of the mattress depends primarily on the gauge of the springs within. Thicker wire makes stiffer springs, which are less giving, making the mattress feel firmer.

2) Pocket Sprung. My personal favourite. With a pocket sprung mattress (otherwise called Pocket Spring) each spring is wrapped in its own individual cloth pocket, which means it is affected less by its neighbour. So where you lie will depress the springs, but the adjoining springs will not depress (or depress less). This produces a nice supportive feel because the springs keep supporting where needed and ‘give’ where your body presses more into the mattress. These springs are again covered in fillings and wrapped in the mattress covering (usually damask).

These mattresses usually have the edge support wire too, which helps keep the mattress in shape. As for open-coil mattresses, the firmness is altered by using stiffer springs, although with pocket sprung mattresses, the idea of having individual support with each spring should reduce the need to go to for too stiff a spring where extra support is required.
Pocket sprung mattresses are ideal when there is a significant difference between two people sleeping on the mattress, as they reduce the ‘roll-together’ associated with many open coil mattresses. To view a range of pocket sprung beds click here.

3) Foam mattresses - Foam mattresses vary significantly. They include reflex foam, memory foam and latex foam. I will briefly cover each below, but most foam mattresses (except some reflex foam) will be made of a combination of the primary foam and some other sleep system. This may be springs (both open coil and pocket sprung), or another type of foam.

• Reflex foam - Generally used where a firmer feel is needed, often used on electric beds, or when a thinner mattress is required. This is often used underneath other types of foam to give additional support (eg. Memory Foam).

• Memory foam - Often referred to as visco-elastic foam, this type of foam was initially developed by NASA for space exploration as it moulds itself to the body shape. Reacting to your weight as well as body heat, memory foam mattresses are very comfortable, but one word of warning – they are hot! I used to have one of these mattresses but had to get rid of it as I regularly woke smelling like a packet of salt and vinegar crisps!
  Memory foam mattresses do not dissipate your body heat like traditional mattresses, therefore, if you’re prone to being hot in bed (for want of a better phrase) then consider this problem. As is often the case with couples, one is often hot, and the other not, so reducing the tog rating of your duvet may lead to a new love of flannelette nighties!

  

There have been developments over recent years to reduce this problem. Coolmax® covers help. COOLMAX® fabric is the performance fabric that includes an effective fibre-based moisture management system. The system can move perspiration away from the body, and through the fabric, where it can evaporate quickly, allowing the wearer to feel cooler and more comfortable. I don’t quite understand the science behind it, but I am told it works quite well. To view some Coolmax® beds click here.

Memory foam mattresses are always made using some other system underneath it. This can be reflex foam, which makes the overall feel a bit stiffer (although memory foam mattresses will never feel as firm as sprung mattresses), open coil springs, or pocket sprung. Pocket sprung systems produce the best general support, but some people find this a little soft, click here for examples. One very popular combination is using a heavy gauge very stiff open coil spring under memory foam, which produces the perfect combination for back-ache sufferers.

• Latex Foam – One of the more recent developments in mattress technology, Latex is a natural material, which carries many of the benefits of memory foam without the heat problem mentioned above. Latex beds and mattresses give a more comfortable night’s sleep. Latex is a natural product with many unique properties. It has a resilient feel with excellent durability; it is hypo-allergenic and has microbial properties. It conforms to your body contours, is breathable so your body won’t overheat which is the case with memory foam.
  

  Latex mattresses are at the top end of mattresses for cost (I’m told because of the increased use of condoms, although this has not been proven to me!), but they are also, perhaps, the most comfortable. Click here for examples of latex mattresses and beds.