Sunday, June 3, 2012

The Haunted Artist's Adjustable Bed


I'm sure you've seen the advertisements for an adjustable bed. You can raise the head up to a sitting position and the foot part goes up as well. Ever since I’d seen the first advertisement, I wanted one of these beds. They have the most luxurious memory foam mattresses that one sinks down into like sleeping on a cloud.

After opening up our change bank and counting out all the coins putting them in the bank’s coin sleeves, which incidentally took hours, Roger and I cashed in for real money, the folding kind, and took off for the bed store. A few days later are adjustable beds arrived? We decided to get two separate beds which could be adjusted to each of our requirements, but would still be able to share bed linens, space, and the electrical outlet.

The first night, it was just like the ads had promised.  We popped some popcorn, open our cans of diet coke, and adjusted the beds to watch the latest pay-per-view movie. It was fun. I forgot to mention, that the beds also have a vibrating feature to massage one's back and legs. It costs quite a bit extra for this feature.

It was sometime around 3 AM, when my bed started vibrating waking us both up. I searched my light stand for the remote control, and it was lit up like I had just turned on the vibration feature.  Irritated at being awakened, I quickly shut off the vibration, the end table light, and went back to sleep. In the morning, I checked the alarm feature and timer, and both were in the off position.

The following night, we turned in late, so I put the bed down in a comfortable sleeping position and drifted right off to sleep.  Around 3 AM, the head started to rise up and the foot followed suit. I jumped out of bed before it made me into a human pretzel, and grabbed the remote control. The remote control was once again lit up like the night before when the bed started vibrating by itself.

This strange scenario happened again and again. All the time, Rogers’s bed was just fine, and didn't act up. After one week of tolerating my misbehaving bed, I called the store.  The manager apologized for the inconvenience and sent a technician out to check on the bed that evening. I must say the bed store had excellent customer service. The technician came out that night around 5 PM and took the entire bed apart. He checked the remote controls, the motor, and all the parts seemed to be working perfectly. He gave me a new remote control and told me to call him if there were any more problems.

I continue to have problems with the bed, so the store delivered a brand-new bed to me once again apologizing for the inconvenience and explaining to me that they have never had a problem like this before with one of their new beds. That night, I went to sleep with new confidence that my bed would behave.

I was wrong.

Around 3 AM, the bed started rising. It hummed away as the head rose up to put me into a sitting position, then my knees started rising up to meet my chin. Of course, I jumped out of bed before that could happen. The next morning I called the store very frustrated. Once again they sent out a technician to check out the bed. There was nothing wrong with any part of the bed.

We went through this same scenario three or four times (I can't remember exactly if it was three or four times).  The store delivered three beds to me during this time even trying a new manufacturer and model. The same thing happened with each bed. 

I'd like to say the problem was resolved, but it was not. I still have the last bed they delivered, and decided to just unplug it from the wall. Knowing that would finally solve my problem because there was no electric connected to it; I lay down to take a nap. About an hour into my nap, the bed started vibrating. I jumped out of the bed and grab the end of the electrical cord. It was still unplugged. I reached over and touched the bed. Everything was quiet no vibration, so I cautiously lay back down on the bed.  After a few minutes, I felt the vibration again. This time, I didn't panic and get up. I just laid there thinking about what was happening. The vibration was different. It was more like the vibration I've felt at my drafting table while I'm trying to paint. It was the kind of vibration my daughter described when she was sitting at her desk trying to do her homework. It was more like an electrical current going through the bed than a mechanical vibration.

I never called the bed store back. They stopped taking my calls. I wonder why. Roger has never had a problem with his bed, to date.  I never told the bed store about the way the covers on my bed rose in the air a foot off the surface and undulated in waves.  That would have just complicated matters.

This morning while I was enjoying my coffee sitting in my Lay-Z-Boy chair… incidentally, that’s now where I sleep most of the time…the bed started to rise up. It scared the crap out of the cat! I grabbed the remote control, adjusted it back down to flat, and apologized to kitty.

And this is why I recommend to anyone who lives in a haunted house don't waste your money on an adjustable bed.

Caterina