SALLY SORTS IT: I can’t return my memory foam mattress; it no longer fits in the box

I bought a £269 boxed memory foam mattress from Dunelm in Greenford, West London, for our guest bed.

When I unpacked it at home, the mattress started to grow enormously.

Meanwhile, my wife inspected the mattress and realized that it would be of average firmness when we really needed a firm mattress for our guest room, so we decided to return it.

We tried to get it back in the box but there was no hope as it was still expanding.

I called the Greenford store but got no answer. I called another Dunelm store nearby.

No answer. I tried the only helpline number I could find on the website and was told ‘this helpline is closed’.

Still the mattress grew. I threw it and the box in the back of my car and drove 40 miles to Greenford, where an employee saw my obvious problem with not being able to put it back in the box, but said it was a management decision whether I should or should not do so. bring it back.

The manager saw my point but confirmed that he could not take it back as it was not in the original packaging.

I don’t have a professional mattress compressor at home, which I discovered seems to be the only way to pack it in a box, and when I asked if anyone could help me flatten it again, there were no takers. It’s an impossible task.

All the manager suggested was to file a complaint online. Can you help?

LW, Oxfordshire.

Sally Hamilton replies: To better visualize your problem, I asked you to send me a photo of the incredible mattress next to the box it came in.

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the image, which I wanted to share with readers.

I estimate that the mattress had inflated to at least six times the volume of the cardboard box.

Physics suggests you couldn’t possibly have put it back in without the box being torn to shreds.

An online search revealed that memory foam mattresses can typically take up to three days to unpack to their full unpacked size. So it wasn’t unusual to see it growing before your eyes.

I looked up Dunelm’s returns policy and it says items can be returned within 28 days as long as they are ‘unused and in their original condition (including all packaging and labels intact)’.

The photographic evidence showed that the mattress was still in its unopened plastic cover, so I would suggest that it was still in its original packaging, even if it was not in the box.

I thought Dunelm could have approached your dilemma more generously, so I asked it to reconsider. To further my argument, I have attached the photo of the swollen mattress.

I’m happy to say that Dunelm took action and quickly agreed to a full refund as long as you agreed to return the mattress to the store, which you happily did.

Buying a mattress is a difficult process, because buyers often only notice after a while that it is too firm or too soft.

However, returning it can be a minefield depending on the retailer and how you purchase it. If you buy one yourself, unless it is defective or damaged, it can only be returned for a refund if the retailer’s terms and conditions allow it.

Return policies vary from retailer to retailer, so it’s essential to check first. A credit note may be the only option offered if the mattress is not suitable.

Buyers have more rights when purchasing a mattress online. Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, someone who purchases goods online or by telephone can cancel the order and receive a full refund 14 days from the day of delivery.

This is an important right because shoppers have not had the opportunity to inspect their purchase in person.

They may have to pay return shipping costs and send it back in the original packaging. If the packaging is damaged, the retailer has the right to make a discount on the amount he will refund.

If a mattress is purchased from a retailer that offers a ‘sleep trial’, either online or in-store, buyers can usually return one without any hassle if it turns out to be unsuitable.

But check the details first, as trial periods and return policies vary.

Mattresses returned after a sleep trial are usually donated to charity.

Help us recover £3,300 in school fees

I am Chairman of the Trustees of Snarestone Church of England Primary School in Leicestershire.

We have had two bank accounts with the NatWest bank for years, a current account and a deposit account. Around 2018, the bank wrote to us to inform us that it was closing the deposit account due to inactivity.

There was approximately €3,300 in the account. Unfortunately, because we did not respond quickly enough, the account was closed and NatWest transferred the money to a holding account. We tried to get this money back by filling out various forms, but to no avail.

It seems he just doesn’t want to pay the money back.

Why can’t the bank just transfer the money to our checking account?

I asked our local MP to intervene, but got nothing. I don’t know what further action I can take and that is why I am seeking your help.

RC, Leicestershire.

Sally Hamilton replies: Your school’s deposit account has become inactive due to lack of usage. It is common for this to happen after a period of inactivity, with the shutters coming down depending from bank to bank (or building society).

This can be as short as two or as long as 15 years.

The institution should try to contact an account holder before the curtains close, which NatWest did. Once inactive, the account is no longer accessible to the customer and the bank can use the funds as it sees fit. However, the balance technically becomes a debt from the bank to the account holder, so you can request it at any time.

You tried this, but you didn’t succeed. You admit you didn’t act quickly enough when you received the notification that it was going inactive, but once you did, I found the customer service you received particularly lethargic, so I nudged NatWest on your behalf.

Within a few days the bank released the money, which has now been transferred to the school’s current account, along with £350 as an apology.

A spokesperson said: ‘We apologize for the difficulties this customer has encountered transferring money from a dormant deposit account. We have transferred the money to the customer’s business checking account and offered compensation in recognition of the inconvenience.”

NatWest says it has followed procedure and put the account on hold because there has been no activity on it for five years and nine months. The cause of the problem was that the deposit account had been given a different bank identification number (BIN) than the checking account more than 25 years ago.

The BIN is the first few digits on an account’s payment card that indicate which bank issued it. This meant that the two accounts were not linked. If they had received the same BIN, the deposit account would have remained active because the checking account was still in use and the balance would not have been frozen.

Hopefully you can now put the released money to good use, just as the new school year is starting.

• Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@dailymail.co.uk – include telephone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organization stating they are given permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send any original documents as we cannot take responsibility for this. The Daily Mail cannot accept any legal liability for any answers given.