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Buying a bed in France


Alcazar
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I wasn't sure exactly where to post this, so it's in here, sorry if it's in the wrong forum.

We ordered a new bed for our property in the Limousin in February. It had arrived by Easter but the store had rejected it due to damage , so we had to wait until last week to have it delivered.

When it finally arrived, and we had got it upstairs, I started to put it together, only to find that there was nothing for the mattress to rest on, just a bedhead, bed foot, and two sides. It cost €1200 plus including mattress, so not exactly cheap.

I rang the store to be told that I should have ordered a sommier at the same time, but they just happened to have one in stock in our size, and could deliver it that afternoon if I was willing to pay an extra €349.

We had little option, so paid up, but my wife is now a bit suspicious. When we ordered the bed we were told that 5 foot beds were NOT stock items, and had to be ordered in. So how come they had a 5 foot sommier on stock and the covering EXACTLY matches our mattress? Is what they told us correct, or have we been victims of a scam?

Thanks to any responses, ( except any telling me I'm stupid, thick overly suspicious, not a good citizen etc etc..........as you can see, I've posted on here before! )

Alcazar

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Hi,

As I'm sure you know already, it's normal to buy mattress and bed base separately. In your particular case, I think it's a little odd that you should buy mattress, bedhead and feet without the base, I'd have expected to buy the bedhead etc with the base and the mattress separately. In fact, you're quite lucky to have feet! The first time we ordered a bed (we DID have to make a point of ordering base and mattress separately) it came without feet or bedheads etc

I don't think you've been scammed thought I think someone, somewhere made a booboo in ordering the matching base in the shop, without a corresponding order from you!

Your best bet is to get something like the La Redoute catalogue and see how THEY sell beds. Then you'll have something "neutral" by which to judge.

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Sorry alcazar, but this is normal. Unless you find something where everything is included then the sommier is a separate purchase. All sounds very costly, I hope that it is a good bed.

If you had say bought a divan, the base and  the mattrass would be a separate purchases, and the base may not even have legs on it and they would have to be bought separately.

 

I used to find it hard to get to grips with was was 'inclus' and what was 'sans'. I can't blame you for being suspicious when they had one in stock though.

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Thanks for those replies, our French neighbour was a little shocked at it, but then gave the usual Gallic shrug, and said it's the store's way of apparently keeping prices low, everything is now an option!

Having said that, car manufacturers have been getting away with it for years!

Alcazar

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I can only confirm that it is normal to buy the sommier separately. When we bought our bed in France four years ago we were lucky to use a local furniture shop and the owner gave us very good advice and carefully selected all the parts. I had no idea what a "sommier" was (probably thought it was a wine waiter) and he had to explain how it was the base, below the mattress, that fits inside the main frame.

Your prices seem high but your bed is probably of very high quality. My only complaint is that the mattress is too hard!

The bed is luxurious, being longer and wider than our UK king-size. Make sure you select bed linen to match the size.

 

Happy sleeping,   Alistair

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  • 1 year later...
[quote user="napoleon"]

I can only confirm that it is normal to buy the sommier separately. When we bought our bed in France four years ago we were lucky to use a local furniture shop and the owner gave us very good advice and carefully selected all the parts. I had no idea what a "sommier" was (probably thought it was a wine waiter) and he had to explain how it was the base, below the mattress, that fits inside the main frame.

Your prices seem high but your bed is probably of very high quality. My only complaint is that the mattress is too hard!

The bed is luxurious, being longer and wider than our UK king-size. Make sure you select bed linen to match the size.

 

Happy sleeping,   Alistair

[/quote]

.....longer... ???  Now that is interesting. I thought all french beds were like UK ones - ie. too damn short. Up until now we've gone for IKEA beds for the extra length. All I've ever seen here in the native French shops (as it were!) have been 180cms (I think: might have been 190. Anyway Ikea's are a generous 2m). We have an English mattress on a vile French box bed frame (panelled head and foot boards, sides) and I end up sleeping on the diagonal, and I'm only 5' 9" !

p

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"All I've ever seen here in the native French shops (as it were!) have been 180cms (I think: might have been 190"

 

We have a large bed from BUT and that is 2 metres long. I bought a day bed from Ikea in Bordeaux this year and they were very helpful, telling me exactly which bits I needed to order, frame, mattress, sommier et al.

As others have said, this is the way it is done in France and yes, do be careful with the measurements when you buy the bed linen.

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