Trial periods vs statutory rights#
Your statutory rights (Consumer Rights Act 2015): For online purchases, you have a 14-day right to cancel and return for any reason. Once a mattress has been slept on it may be considered "used" and the statutory right can be limited, but most brands accept slept-on returns within their own trial policy regardless.
Brand trial periods (voluntary): Contractual commitments made by brands that exceed statutory rights. A 200-night trial is enforceable as a contract term, the brand has committed to it. These are genuine consumer protections, not just marketing.
Conditions to check before buying#
- Minimum sleep-in period: Most brands require 28–60 nights before accepting a return. You can't return on night one.
- Stain exclusions: A stained mattress may be refused, use a protector from night one.
- One return per household: Standard policy across major brands. You can't sequentially trial multiple mattresses.
- Collection cost: Confirm collection is free. Most online brands collect for free and donate returned mattresses to charity.
Trial period comparison#
| Brand | Trial period | Min. sleep-in |
|---|---|---|
| Nectar | 365 nights | 30 nights |
| Saatva | 365 nights | 30 nights |
| Emma | 200 nights | 28 nights |
| Simba | 200 nights | 30 nights |
| Origin | 120 nights | 30 nights |
| OTTY | 100 nights | 30 nights |
| Casper | 100 nights | 30 nights |
| Eve | 100 nights | 30 nights |
What happens to returned mattresses?#
Most UK online brands partner with charities or furniture reuse organisations to donate returned mattresses in acceptable condition. Emma, Simba and Nectar all have charity donation partnerships, returned mattresses aren't wasted. This makes exercising a genuine trial return significantly easier to justify.
Use our comparison tool to filter by trial period length and find the brand that gives you the most confidence for your purchase.
