How should this company have responded to my complaint?

[GreyHeron]

I ordered a mattress a month ago, paid £435 inc. shipping. Money left our account almost immediately. It was due to be delivered to us yesterday. Old mattress was collected yesterday morning via Freecycle. We wait in all day, it doesn't turn up - what a waste of Mother's Day! Can't contact anyone as it's the weekend so left messages. Delivery company was contracted by the mattress shop so nothing to do with us. We now have no bed, and don't even have a sofa big enough for one of us to sleep on because our house is tiny.

Spent most of today trying to sort this out, phone calls back and forth, no answer from the delivery company for several hours. Mattress shop also unable to contact them. Finally hear from them - they're very sorry, they just forgot! They can't deliver it now until Friday. That's the only day we definitely can't wait in. But we also don't want to wait that long as we have no bed! I also have a lot of back problems so this is not good.

So it's going to be sent back to the mattress shop and then sent to us via a different delivery company and Thursday is the earliest possible day. We have no choice but to agree. Mattress shop say they'll refund us the delivery costs - £29.50. I point out the considerable inconvenience we've been put to. Two wasted days and 4 nights without a mattress to sleep on, plus another wait in on Thursday hoping it will actually arrive. I felt that £29.50 was a bit stingy under the circumstances. He argued the toss for ages and then very reluctantly said he'd refund the £40 we'd spent on fabric protection treatment. I assumed he meant on top of the delivery refund and accepted gratefully. He was very off with me and put the phone down with a bang. When the refund arrived it was for £40 - it had been instead of, not on top of the delivery charge refund. I feel that it's his responsibility to get compensation from the delivery company that HE chose since they messed up so badly - I can't do that as I didn't contract them.

What do you think? Should I be grateful for a £40 refund? I was so looking forward to getting a new mattress after more than 14 years, we saved up for a long time for this and wanted to get a really good one that will hopefully last us at least another 12 years. But this has left me with a really bad taste in my mouth - he was so arsey with me and I absolutely wasn't being rude or grabby, I just wanted to be properly compensated for such a total balls-up!

I think getting rid of your mattress before the new one was delivered was unwise but that’s because we once sent our bed frame to the tip then spent a week on a mattress on the floor because the bed we ordered couldn’t fit up the stairs -lesson learned!

I think I would have been tempted to ask for a full refund then quickly ordered one with next day delivery in your circumstances. I hope you get it sorted soon but they may feel, as you have accepted their offer of £40, that it is settled. I would email the company ASAP

If you don't feel it's enough: You could try to negotiate a higher settlement. If you decide to do this, clearly state what you'd be prepared to settle for, and reiterate the reasons, costs and evidence you have to back these up

This is going to depend largely on your negotiating skills, but don't forget - it's never guaranteed the company will meet your counter-offer, and it may renege on its first offer

Info on claiming here-but not guaranteed
www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/delivery-rights/
Straight to the additional compensation info.
www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/delivery-rights/#additionalcomp

Thanks Everythingiswonderful

The thing is, it's a bespoke futon mattress and if I tried to get another one it could take weeks! Sorry, I actually thought I'd said it was a futon in the OP but I realise I didn't and of course that makes a difference. I think when we eventually get it that it will be a really good mattress (I bloody hope so anyway!) and will last us a long time. I know it was risky getting rid of the old one on the day, but we literally have no space anywhere to store the old one if it had turned up so we were a bit stuck.
Thank you for the links, I'll go and check them out. I was growing increasingly unsure as I was writing all that down whether I was being unreasonable not to be happy with £40. What do you think would have been a reasonable offer from them?