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Adjustable beds - Beware high pressure sales tactics
I’m not qualified to tell you whether you should buy an adjustable bed for its health benefits. The only sleep problem I suffer from is when my 9 month old wakes me at 3am!
The fact that the HM Revenue & Customs allows adjustable beds to be zero rated for VAT (for chronically sick or disabled people) suggests that they must have some benefit to some people.
But, before you pick up the phone and respond to an advert, you should be aware of the high pressure sales tactics that some companies use to sell you an overpriced adjustable bed (for as much as £5,000 , for a single bed, when a bed of similar quality can be had for less than £750).
From what I’ve read on the internet, high pressure sales tactics tend to occur when a company is trying to sell you the product in your home. Once they’ve got their foot through the front door, they slowly (and I mean slowly, there are reports of a sale taking 6 hours) wear you down until you place an order.
The salesman might not even tell you the price for a couple of hours, whilst they show you their demonstration unit. Then, when they finally disclose the price and you realise how expensive it is, it’s hard to get rid of them because they make you feel guilty about wasting their time. Of course, they could have put the price in the original advert but then you wouldn’t have called them!
My advice is to do some research on the internet before you contact anyone or visit a showroom.
Also, if you ever allow someone to sell to you in your home, don’t let them past the door if you haven’t got someone you trust with you in the house (who won’t be afraid to ask them to leave if things go wrong)
How much does an adjustable bed cost?
Single adjustable beds start at around £400 if bought online.
A single adjustable bed from a reputable brand like Silent Night costs around £750 online, with a King Size from Silent Night (two singles placed together) costing around £1,500.
Like any product, you can choose to spend more than this, but this gives you a starting point. If a company doesn’t publish their prices, personally, I wouldn’t bother with them.
Here is some reading material to help with your research...
A recent report by Which on high pressure sales, together with their buying advice
Visit the forums on MoneySavingExpert.com. Type "adjustable beds" into the search box (or the brand name you’re interested in) and see what others have to say
Here's an article from NHS Highland on companies using the NHS name to get their foot in the door.
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