Dear Sirs,
I am filing a formal complaint against IKEA Portugal regarding the unjust rejection of a warranty claim for a HÖVÅG pocket spring mattress (article 102.445.16), purchased online for click-and-collect approximately 5 years ago, for €259.
The mattress is a Firm model and is within its 10-year warranty period. It has developed significant structural sagging in the central area, rendering it unable to provide adequate support. Both myself and my partner have suffered persistent back pain as a direct result.
IKEA has rejected my claim on the grounds of visible staining on the mattress cover, citing their warranty exclusion for hygiene-related issues. I dispute this rejection on the following grounds:
1. SAGGING IS THE DEFECT — My claim relates exclusively to structural sagging, which IKEA's own warranty explicitly covers. The staining is irrelevant to the structural failure of the pocket springs.
2. STAINS ARE ON THE COVER, NOT THE MATTRESS — The staining is on the non-removable, non-washable outer cover — a separate component from the mattress itself. IKEA's own care instructions confirm the cover cannot be removed or machine washed.
3. WATERPROOF PROTECTOR WAS USED — The mattress has been used throughout with an IKEA GÖKVART waterproof mattress protector, specifically designed to prevent liquid from reaching the mattress. This protector is clearly visible in the photographs submitted to IKEA. Despite this, none of IKEA's six agents acknowledged its presence.
4. NORMAL USE ONLY — Any marks on the cover are consistent solely with normal perspiration over 5 years of use — an inevitable biological reality that cannot reasonably constitute misuse.
5. WARRANTY CONDITION NOT DISCLOSED — At no point during the online purchase process was I informed that the use of a mattress protector was a condition of the warranty. This requirement, if it exists, was not prominently disclosed at the point of sale.
6. INCONSISTENT HANDLING — This claim has been handled by six different IKEA customer service agents over the course of this complaint, with the rationale for rejection shifting on multiple occasions — from staining, to concerns about bed slats, the IKEA DUNVIK divan bed is pocket spring, not slats, to a theory of liquid penetration into the springs.
7. PRODUCT FITNESS — Under Lei n.º 24/96 (Portuguese Consumer Protection Law), goods must be fit for their intended purpose. A Firm mattress that sags and no longer provides support after only 5 years of a 10-year warranty period is not fit for purpose.
I am requesting either a replacement mattress of equivalent specification or appropriate financial compensation.
Supporting documentation available: proof of purchase, full email correspondence with IKEA (6 agents), and photographs of the mattress and IKEA GÖKVART protector.
Note: The original purchase was made using a UK IKEA Family card, the number of which appears on the attached receipt. I have since transferred to a Portuguese IKEA Family card. 6275980233234334111
