Why I Returned The Sleep Number DualTemp Pads
5 min read
I am a Sleep Number fan. We bought our first Sleep Number King bed about 9 years ago and loved it. The only complaint with that one was the LCD remotes, that were hard wired to the pump, the displays crapped out a few years ago and we couldn’t replace them. So we had to feel our numbers if we ever changed it. This year it was time to upgrade and we waited until the right deal came along.
I wanted to write this post because I find more value from open, honest user reviews than any on a website or product page. Only from actual customers do you get the real insight to how things work. This is my experience with the Sleep Number DualTemp and why we returned them.
During Black November Sleep Number threw out a 50% off sale on a new bed. Time to pull the trigger. We upgraded to a King size iLE bed. In addition we added two DualTemp hot/cold temperature pads. I am very particular when it comes to my sleep. I am the kind of person that has a fan on me all year round and the DualTemp seemed like a good idea. They tested fine in the store as most items do but it’s when we got them delivered and installed the true functionality came through. You can see from other reviews on the official site I am not the only one that had these issues. I wish I did more research before I bought them.
I rarely return any item I purchase mainly because I do research before I make a purchase. This was no different but unfortunately we couldn’t deal with them and returned them for refund per Sleep Numbers try it out return policies. The bed itself is phenomenal and the SleepIQ features are slick.
To add in a side note prior to getting the DualTemp we have the BedJet. We were familiar with bed heating and cooling features before we bought theDualTemp pads. We were hoping the DualTemp would be better integrated into the bed. The difference between the DualTemp and the BedJet is the DualTemp heats from a pad below you, the BedJet blows hot and cool air between your sheets.
Functionality
One aspect of the DualTemp that they skimmed over in the store was the kind of mattress sheets you can use. Because the DualTemp pumps air from a pad you lay on you need to use cotton sheets with loose thread counts for efficiency. Living in Minnesota during the winter it’s state law you are to have flannel sheets on your bed. If you have the DualTemp you can have the top sheet flannel but a cotton cover over the pads to work right.
The cold function worked fine but the hot had issues. The hot part needed to be started a good 30 minutes before you goto bed to actually get warm enough to feel. The other part that would make a great feature addition is to have scheduled times throughout the night the warm/cool would turn on and off. Unfortunately you have one option and that is to have the pad on for a set number of hours then it’s off. That means you goto sleep warm and then get cold overnight when it turns off or you leave it on and wake up sweaty. No matter the strength level, this is the case.
The Remote Controls
Each DualTemp pad has its own pump box. Each box as a remote. We had two pads and therefore two remotes. I don’t know how the remotes communicated with the boxes but it isn’t bluetooth. The remote binding plainly sucked. I knew it was going to be a problem when the installers had problems setting them up. The remotes would randomly connect and control the other pad’s box. No reason, it’s just whatever box answered you were it. There were a few nights I’d wake up and want to turn on my pad’s heat but my remote would only pickup my wife’s pad. I check her remote and her’s saw hers. So I could never turn on my pad. Other nights it was reverse.
We had the DualTemp less than a month and both remotes had to have their batteries replaced because they drained. When you replace the battery it lost connection and I had to re connect and setup the remotes as they were new. I can control my bed from the app on my phone but the DualTemp pads are something different and it doesn’t work well at all. For $800 a pad you’d think the controls would work better.
Pad Design
The pads are made from a material that feels like a light vinyl. It’s not cotton. When you have a nice, soft top on the bed laying on the DualTemp pad turned out to not be very comfortable. Because you have to have a thin sheet on top to get the air flow you feel it more.
The pad has an air hose that runs from the box up to the bad. It is right in the middle of the pad. So when you get in and out of bed you generally pivot on your butt. Guess where the hose is? Right where you get in and out so you have to hit it every time. They said the hose used to be up at the shoulder but I am sure they moved it because at the shoulder I bet they had problems with the air not getting to the feet area. Either way it was annoying.
Decision To Return
After about a month we decided to ship them back and get a refund. For the price that they charge for these, $800 each, I expected far higher quality all around than what they are.
I cannot recommend them.
The return process is semi-painless so far. They sent shipping label, with a $40 fee taken out of the refund… and I had to find boxes big enough to pack up the DualTemp pads and stuff since the delivery guys took all the boxes with them. Then taken them to a UPS store to drop off. That sucked.
Or there was a $100 fee to get them picked up…
When we are talking about $1600 back it didn’t matter, I just want them gone and my money back.
We’ll see how painless it is to get a check back.
Summary
Ultimately the biggest complaint was the control features followed by the awkward feeling material. If the controls were tailored for an all around sleep cycle then we’d probably keep them. The remotes have to change and move to an app controlled system. Look to BedJet’s control app for motivation because they got it right and that’s what we put back on the bed.
End of line.
Binary Blogger has spent 20 years in the Information Security space currently providing security solutions and evangelism to clients. From early web application programming, system administration, senior management to enterprise consulting I provide practical security analysis and solutions to help companies and individuals figure out HOW to be secure every day.
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