Buying a bed? Don’t be caught napping, says Wendy Knowler

Do your homework - on the bed and the retailer - before you commit. Never has it been more important to do your research on a company before doing business with it. Check how they handle complaints on HelloPeter, on Twitter, if they have an account, and do a general Google search for complaints. Had Cookie done that before buying a bed from The Bed King in Chatsworth, she may well have decided to choose another bed retailer. If she’d Googled the store name she would have found a Public Service Announcement posted by The Bed King of Cape Town, warning: "If you are in KwaZulu-Natal and looking to find a Bed King in Durban, then please note that the following stores are not authorized Bed King Dealers & they are using our trademark name illegally: Bed King Springfield, Bed King Phoenix, Bed King Tongaat or Bed King Verulam, Bed King Pietermaritzburg, Bed King Chatsworth We’ve received messages from unhappy customers mistaking us for them. We’d just like to provide clarity to our customers that we are in no way associated with the above-mentioned stores. Please be aware that any items sold at any one of these unauthorized Bed King Durban and Bed King Pietermaritzburg stores are NOT covered by our product warranty or Bed King returns policy." Take a listen to that squeaky bed and find out what happened when Wendy tried to engage with the company, here.