The complaint is against the industry?s largest maker, Select Comfort, based right here in the Twin Cities. It alleges, in part, that Select Comfort beds contain a defect that makes some of them unusable, that Select Comfort knew that, and concealed it from its customers.
It might be the first lawsuit accusing Select Comfort of misrepresenting its beds, not telling customers the beds may develop mold, and require monthly maintenance.
lt calls the mattress's impermeable air chamber - uniquely susceptible to mold formation. It quotes a Select Comfort spokesperson acknowledging, "Mold can develop."
The plaintiff says he was never told that before buying.
The suit quotes Select Comfort's CEO Bill McLaughlin saying, "all beds have a risk of mold," but also references the research director of the nation's largest spring mattress maker Sealy saying publicly that's "inaccurate," adding "I've torn apart thousands of mattresses" made by Sealy and our competitors, including "many we've examined after years of in-home use and I have "never seen any evidence of mold."
The plaintiff intends to ask the court for class action status.
Select Comfort tells five eyewitness news it wants the suit dismissed calling it "unwarranted and without merit," saying its based on the experience of one customer who never attempted to contact our customer service department to report a problem.
A Five Eyewitness News exclusive first showed you people who reported discovering mold in their air chamber mattresses this summer.
"It is infuriating," said Cindy Crumold.
We told you after some discovered mold and were told to scrub the bed every month with bleach and water. They said they were never told that when they bought the bed.
"Who wants to pay that kind of money for a mattress and have to do maintenance on it," said Sue Grote.
No hearing has been scheduled on the plaintiff?s effort to certify this case as a class action suit. We will continue to follow this case.
So I check ours....yep...has the mold....
I called "select comfort" just 2 mins ago...they are sending me new "treated" air chambers..(funny they claimed they didn't know?? and not common?? then why treated??)
anyways sending out free and no charge.....
I've never had any issues with this great minnesota company.... (yet!)
That is sad. Pantera was no more anyway. But he was in Damage Plan who were just here a couple of weeks ago. R.I.P. DD (Rock In Paradise) http://www.damageplan.net/
Sup Scribble? Is it the new year already? How'd your prison presentation go?
Follow Up: Select Comfort Shares Drop on Mold Woes (Forbes - Aug 13, 2004)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mattress retailer Select Comfort Corp. saw its shares sink to a new 52-week low on heavy volume Friday after a brokerage firm downgraded the stock on worries that fallout from complaints about mold growing in the company's mattresses could be greater than expected.
Select Comfort said mold-related warranty claims typically affect less than 1 percent of its customers at a cost of less than $200,000 each year. Adams Harkness Inc. analyst Mark Rupe estimates the total cost of the situation at $100,000, and said while incidents have been limited mainly to the Minneapolis region, the problem could become more widespread.
Â
**I wonder why the incidents are only in the minneapolis region?? ummm because our news channel is the only one that is informing anybody?
Less then 1%...hmmm....because nobody opens it up and looks inside of the bed????
Had the interview at Carmichael Lynch today no job yet but they love my portfolio I got the name of an Artist representative, and they suggested I go to this publisher and see about illustrating book covers. Also they are showing some samples of my work to there art buyer so maybe I will get some free lance work out of the deal. And tomorrow have the interview at Capitol Beverage.
I worked at Select Comfort doing customer service between March and October including when the mold thing first hit. Here's what I can tell you (from the presepctive of someone who no longer works there and didn't part on the best of terms).
The human body gives off a certain amount of water vapor at night through a process called transpiration. It's not sweat, but more closely resembles the moisture in your breath. But being in a gaseous form it can travel through things like fabric and foam, but if it gets to a solid surface, it may collect there. If moisture builds up over time, things like mildew and mold can indeed start to grow.
Select Comfort does use antimicrobial materials in their foam and on the air chambers, but it's effectiveness isn't 100%. If mold does start to grow on the air chambers, you can clean them with bleach and water, but this is not something you would have to do every month. What they do recommend you do once a month is open up the bed and let it air out, especially if you do notice any dampness on the air chambers.
This problem definitely does not affect all Select Comfort beds. I talked to many customers who had had their beds quite a while who did not have it. I talked to many people who had it on one of their beds, but not another, or even one side of the bed and not the other.Â
While it's true that only 1% of Select Comfort's customers have reported a problem with mold, it's likely the percentage of people affected is somewhat higher as most people don't open up their beds to look. Still, even once the story came out on KSTP (and Minneapolis is naturally Select Comfort's biggest market by far), the number of complaints we got wasn't really that high. It spiked, but wasn't a flood of calls.Â
So the truth is it could happen to you, but I wouldn't say it will happen. It's true that the bed benefits from some monthly maintenance and I would also say it's true most people are not really told about the risk of mold when they buy the bed.
It's also true though that other beds have the same problem. Tempurpedic have been known to develop mold on their particular foam. Innerspring beds can develop mold as well, though the frequency of this seems to be much disputed as there are few impartial sources of information on the subject.
What I would say regarding the Select Comfort bed is that if you know about the risk of mold and you're willing to accept the task of airing it out periodically, then in many ways you're actually better off with it because it's one of the few beds you actually can open up to look at, and even replace parts if need be without having to trash the whole thing. Innerspring beds may be less likely to have mold, but if they did, how would you ever know?
Its  basically just "Pantera" with a different lead singer.... kinda like how Velvet Revolver is really just Guns N Roses, with the old STP frontman... or like how Audioslave is really just Rage Against The Machine with a different frontman... or like how Alterbridge is really just Creed without scary ass Scott Stapp... etc.. etc..etc..
Yeah, I'm kinda bummed out too WN. WTF?!? I taped the tribute tonight. It rocked big time. I'm glad their tunes could see some massive air play for at least one night anyway. There must not be that much money in certain metal like Slayer, Pantera and Anthrax etc, even though the following is bigger than ever. I'm glad they play the shit on Saturday late night radio anyway. Take what we can get I say.Â
Anyway, here's a few pix from a Pantera show in '01 and some stubs to help show tribute. For those of you who don't have any idea who Dimebag is, you can figure he's like the death equivalent to Kurt Cobain. I really didn't care that Kurt killed himself but grew to know the influence he had on the music industry.
Darrell had the same influence on the metal world. RIP Duuuuude
Not the greatest picture but you can see DB on the right
It was pretty crazy! The whole place broke out into a slam dance on the 1st note! Suddenly there was no air anywhere! It was about 98 degrees that day in the afternoon in that huge crowd in the sun. They were spraying everone with water hoses from both sides of the stage. I was in about the 3rd row.
see now, the american way is to take that law and force the city to enforce it on everyholiday display. the ordinance would be repealed so fast it'd make the grinches' heads spin.
Family Owned Rottweiler needs to find a loving family
Pet Type Dog Age 7
Pet Breed Rottweiler Color Black
Neutered Yes Pet Sex Male
Description Chili is a 7 yr old male Rottweiler that we are surrending. Chili has been a great dog and apart of our family. I trust Chili to eat food out of my babies hands. He is a house dog & has never been in a Kennel. Need to provide a loving home to care for Chili during his remaining years and back yard for him to lie in the sun.
Contact Information
Name Katherine Bensen  Work Phone 800-747-4487 Home Phone 651-647-9531
Sorry TC we already have 3 dog's 1 cat and 1 baby house is beyond full. I think the interview with Capitol Beverage went well today I should hear ether way next week.
Aww.... thats sad, man.... i wish I had my own place, and no dog.... either that, or the dog we have wouldnt care... i'd scoop him up with the quickness.... its sad when you hear about that kinda stuff... our current dog, came from a shelter, as did the one before, him.... I volunteere'd at the como shelter back when I was in junior high.... its sad, really how many of the pets that come through there, that deserve good homes and cant find them....
People should not have pets if they won't take care of them their whole life! I agree with THX. How can you all of a sudden not have room for
a family member of 7 years???
We got our current dog the same way. A family was moving to another house and "didn't have room" for him any more. It was us or he was going to the shelter. And he's one of the nicest dogs ever. But, he's over 70 pounds, and that's our limit for dogs here. No mas.
With the baby we have little room for us and the dog's so we are going to move to a bigger place. I don't think Dawg or I could just get rid of one of our dogs even though in the middle of the night when I am tripping over them to get to the bathroom I think about taking one or more of them out back and shooting them (just kidding)=O
I just thought I would thank everyone who came out for the scavenger hunt last night. We had Ares and Treasure Chest, Mukluk, TMK, Me2, and a couple from my Yahoo group. Unfortunately we ended up with a couple of little errors, but people seemed to have fun with it anyway and did pretty well. The winning team, with 22 out of 26 answers was Me2 and Mukluk who each won $25.
If anyone wants to try it themselves, here were the clues (with corrections made)
This is the time of day that Superman always has an eye on. (2)
This big O won’t make your head spin, but it may lead to this kind of revolution. (2)
What is the only store to lie between two sets of escalators? (3)
The largest ball displayed in front of America’s Original Sports Bar (in real life sizes). (6)
Being only me and you, this store is just for girls. (5)
On a wall of fame, he’s the only man whose handprints are signed with only a last name (3)
The kiddy ride in Camp Snoopy that’s closest to home. (5)
Look through the wall of water and you will see this restaurant. (4)
Take a trip to where you’ll find the handprint on the wall. (5)
You might say this is what follows J in Jewelers. (2)
Get in line for this roaring ride and you might be eaten by a roaring T-Rex (6)
To get hidden information in this store, it helps to go on a rampage. (2)
Is Darth Vader having a good time here? (3)
This is where you’ll find Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Betty Boop dancing their days and nights away. (8)
The restaurant that's somewhere over the rainbow. (5)
What group is playing a tuba on the way to see a movie? (3)
This is the kind of bird that sits above the tallest Christmas tree in Camp Snoopy. (1)
This clue will be in the bag if you kick back next to where west meets south. (2)
What timely store does the Mall of America Snoopy stand in front of? (5)
Who keeps their car parked inside the Mall in silicone? (1)
Go to, the store. This is what they sell. (4)
This is where you will find the Board Rider's Club (11)
Where you would go if you wanted to be a P.I.G. (3)
Find the inscription on a clock that has thousands of pieces. (2)
What food court restaurant has the most expensive item on their listed menu? (1)
The biggest state (in area) to have a parking level named after it. (2)
hardwire it.
OMG...its my dream job....well kinda....
Your dream job would be taste tester lol
I'm just going to replace the fuses with some short lengths of 4 gauge copper wire. That'll fix it.
thats what I meant
Perfect. Come on baby, light my fire!
Speaking of, it was Jim Morrison's birthday yesterday. 61 years young. 33 years dead.
The Big Dream job interview in 2 hours and 15 mn. =D
GL ESD
Good luck man!
Thanks, I will post later and let every one know how it went.
GL ESD
It is true you know!
R.I.P. Dime Bag Darrel.
Pantera will never be the same.
Shot down in his glory.
Â
The complaint is against the industry?s largest maker, Select Comfort, based right here in the Twin Cities. It alleges, in part, that Select Comfort beds contain a defect that makes some of them unusable, that Select Comfort knew that, and concealed it from its customers.
It might be the first lawsuit accusing Select Comfort of misrepresenting its beds, not telling customers the beds may develop mold, and require monthly maintenance.
lt calls the mattress's impermeable air chamber - uniquely susceptible to mold formation. It quotes a Select Comfort spokesperson acknowledging, "Mold can develop."
The plaintiff says he was never told that before buying.
The suit quotes Select Comfort's CEO Bill McLaughlin saying, "all beds have a risk of mold," but also references the research director of the nation's largest spring mattress maker Sealy saying publicly that's "inaccurate," adding "I've torn apart thousands of mattresses" made by Sealy and our competitors, including "many we've examined after years of in-home use and I have "never seen any evidence of mold."
The plaintiff intends to ask the court for class action status.
Select Comfort tells five eyewitness news it wants the suit dismissed calling it "unwarranted and without merit," saying its based on the experience of one customer who never attempted to contact our customer service department to report a problem.
A Five Eyewitness News exclusive first showed you people who reported discovering mold in their air chamber mattresses this summer.
"It is infuriating," said Cindy Crumold.
We told you after some discovered mold and were told to scrub the bed every month with bleach and water. They said they were never told that when they bought the bed.
"Who wants to pay that kind of money for a mattress and have to do maintenance on it," said Sue Grote.
No hearing has been scheduled on the plaintiff?s effort to certify this case as a class action suit. We will continue to follow this case.
So I check ours....yep...has the mold....
I called "select comfort" just 2 mins ago...they are sending me new "treated" air chambers..(funny they claimed they didn't know?? and not common?? then why treated??)
anyways sending out free and no charge.....
I've never had any issues with this great minnesota company.... (yet!)
eww! A moldy bed? Yuck!!
ya...I know....kinda ticked me off.....
Is this where we check in?
HERE!
Hey, whats for dinner?
R.I.P. Dime Bag Darrel.
Pantera will never be the same.
That is sad. Pantera was no more anyway. But he was in Damage Plan who were just here a couple of weeks ago. R.I.P. DD (Rock In Paradise) http://www.damageplan.net/
Sup Scribble? Is it the new year already? How'd your prison presentation go?
Man, we just got a new Select Comfort bed this summer. Our air chambers aren't see-through. Where did you see mold, Kitch?
form on the convuluted foam topper and on the air mattresses
Â
so basically...open it up....look under the "egg shell foam" ..look for black spots on that and on the air chambers.
Â
Follow Up: Select Comfort Shares Drop on Mold Woes (Forbes - Aug 13, 2004)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Select Comfort said mold-related warranty claims typically affect less than 1 percent of its customers at a cost of less than $200,000 each year. Adams Harkness Inc. analyst Mark Rupe estimates the total cost of the situation at $100,000, and said while incidents have been limited mainly to the Minneapolis region, the problem could become more widespread.
Â
**I wonder why the incidents are only in the minneapolis region?? ummm because our news channel is the only one that is informing anybody?
Less then 1%...hmmm....because nobody opens it up and looks inside of the bed????
Â
SCRIBE! Bout' time ;)
I know I haven't opened mine up since we got it.
Congrats...Ali on the new bike
;-)
My wife works with a mom who's son won one from the Mr. Movies in Eagan too.
http://www.93x.com/Article.asp?id=57298
Thanks for the link WN
no prob... that just f*cked up... man...
their gonna have a tribute for him, on 93X at 10:30 tonight... i'll be bumpin that over here...
atleast the shithead that did it, got what he deserved though...
Nathan Gale, age 25.... im sure some people are going to find out where that guy's gonna be buried, sooner or later
So, ya think Phil knew Nate?
Probably a good guess.
Never heard of em, but that's just F'd up.
Sup.
Hey didn't this guy end up shooting five other people as well? ...or was that before I had my coffee?
Killed 4 seriously wounded 2
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/09/nightclub.shooting/index.html
Scribbel what up girl.
Had the interview at Carmichael Lynch today no job yet but they love my portfolio I got the name of an Artist representative, and they suggested I go to this publisher and see about illustrating book covers. Also they are showing some samples of my work to there art buyer so maybe I will get some free lance work out of the deal. And tomorrow have the interview at Capitol Beverage.
I worked at Select Comfort doing customer service between March and October including when the mold thing first hit. Here's what I can tell you (from the presepctive of someone who no longer works there and didn't part on the best of terms).
The human body gives off a certain amount of water vapor at night through a process called transpiration. It's not sweat, but more closely resembles the moisture in your breath. But being in a gaseous form it can travel through things like fabric and foam, but if it gets to a solid surface, it may collect there. If moisture builds up over time, things like mildew and mold can indeed start to grow.
Select Comfort does use antimicrobial materials in their foam and on the air chambers, but it's effectiveness isn't 100%. If mold does start to grow on the air chambers, you can clean them with bleach and water, but this is not something you would have to do every month. What they do recommend you do once a month is open up the bed and let it air out, especially if you do notice any dampness on the air chambers.
This problem definitely does not affect all Select Comfort beds. I talked to many customers who had had their beds quite a while who did not have it. I talked to many people who had it on one of their beds, but not another, or even one side of the bed and not the other.Â
While it's true that only 1% of Select Comfort's customers have reported a problem with mold, it's likely the percentage of people affected is somewhat higher as most people don't open up their beds to look. Still, even once the story came out on KSTP (and Minneapolis is naturally Select Comfort's biggest market by far), the number of complaints we got wasn't really that high. It spiked, but wasn't a flood of calls.Â
So the truth is it could happen to you, but I wouldn't say it will happen. It's true that the bed benefits from some monthly maintenance and I would also say it's true most people are not really told about the risk of mold when they buy the bed.
It's also true though that other beds have the same problem. Tempurpedic have been known to develop mold on their particular foam. Innerspring beds can develop mold as well, though the frequency of this seems to be much disputed as there are few impartial sources of information on the subject.
What I would say regarding the Select Comfort bed is that if you know about the risk of mold and you're willing to accept the task of airing it out periodically, then in many ways you're actually better off with it because it's one of the few beds you actually can open up to look at, and even replace parts if need be without having to trash the whole thing. Innerspring beds may be less likely to have mold, but if they did, how would you ever know?
Damageplan
Never heard of em, but that's just F'd up.
ItsÂ
Â
basically just "Pantera" with a different lead singer.... kinda like how Velvet Revolver is really just Guns N Roses, with the old STP frontman... or like how Audioslave is really just Rage Against The Machine with a different frontman... or like how Alterbridge is really just Creed without scary ass Scott Stapp... etc.. etc..etc..
Yeah, I'm kinda bummed out too WN. WTF?!? I taped the tribute tonight. It rocked big time. I'm glad their tunes could see some massive air play for at least one night anyway. There must not be that much money in certain metal like Slayer, Pantera and Anthrax etc, even though the following is bigger than ever. I'm glad they play the shit on Saturday late night radio anyway. Take what we can get I say.Â
Anyway, here's a few pix from a Pantera show in '01 and some stubs to help show tribute. For those of you who don't have any idea who Dimebag is, you can figure he's like the death equivalent to Kurt Cobain. I really didn't care that Kurt killed himself but grew to know the influence he had on the music industry.
Darrell had the same influence on the metal world. RIP Duuuuude
Not the greatest picture but you can see DB on the right
Â
Fire
Fire!!
Just a few of the many stubs from their awesome shows. They were great to their fans.
Â
http://launch.yahoo.com/artist/videos.asp?artistID=1020524Â Â - Video
I saw them at ozzfest 2000 in Somerset, Wi.
It was pretty crazy! The whole place broke out into a slam dance on the 1st note! Suddenly there was no air anywhere! It was about 98 degrees that day in the afternoon in that huge crowd in the sun. They were spraying everone with water hoses from both sides of the stage. I was in about the 3rd row.
I told my wife my plans for next year.......I got shut down on the bigshow!!!
http://www.detnews.com/2004/nation/0411/27/nation-17130.htm
Â
see now, the american way is to take that law and force the city to enforce it on everyholiday display. the ordinance would be repealed so fast it'd make the grinches' heads spin.
Family Owned Rottweiler needs to find a loving family
Pet Type
Dog Age
7
Pet Breed
Rottweiler Color
Black
Neutered
Yes Pet Sex
Male
Description
Chili is a 7 yr old male Rottweiler that we are surrending. Chili has been a great dog and apart of our family. I trust Chili to eat food out of my babies hands. He is a house dog & has never been in a Kennel. Need to provide a loving home to care for Chili during his remaining years and back yard for him to lie in the sun.
Contact Information
Name
Katherine Bensen
 Work Phone
800-747-4487 Home Phone
651-647-9531
Add has a picture of the big guy: http://buyit.twincities.com/findit/search/details.jsp?catId=krd_stpaulpioneerpress3c962&query=rottweiler&nodeId=3280e&itemId=O28e1a5&id=O29304a
the city council voted to require a permit for any exhibit lasting longer than three days
Can anyone say Burgermeister Meisterburger?
Â
Anyone know of anyone looking for a Christmas Rottweiler?
Not at the moment but I do know someone looking for a Hanukkah Pit Bull
Sorry Chesty - I couldn't resist. I'm sure he's just great. It's just that I don't think I've ever heard those words together before. ;-)
I'm sorry, but how do you just "Have no room" for your pet of seven years?
Sorry TC we already have 3 dog's 1 cat and 1 baby house is beyond full.
I think the interview with Capitol Beverage went well today I should hear ether way next week.
Aww.... thats sad, man.... i wish I had my own place, and no dog.... either that, or the dog we have wouldnt care... i'd scoop him up with the quickness.... its sad when you hear about that kinda stuff... our current dog, came from a shelter, as did the one before, him.... I volunteere'd at the como shelter back when I was in junior high.... its sad, really how many of the pets that come through there, that deserve good homes and cant find them....
People should not have pets if they won't take care of them their whole life! I agree with THX. How can you all of a sudden not have room for
a family member of 7 years???
We got our current dog the same way. A family was moving to another house and "didn't have room" for him any more. It was us or he was going to the shelter. And he's one of the nicest dogs ever. But, he's over 70 pounds, and that's our limit for dogs here. No mas.
With the baby we have little room for us and the dog's so we are going to move to a bigger place. I don't think Dawg or I could just get rid of one of our dogs even though in the middle of the night when I am tripping over them to get to the bathroom I think about taking one or more of them out back and shooting them (just kidding)=O
I just thought I would thank everyone who came out for the scavenger hunt last night. We had Ares and Treasure Chest, Mukluk, TMK, Me2, and a couple from my Yahoo group. Unfortunately we ended up with a couple of little errors, but people seemed to have fun with it anyway and did pretty well. The winning team, with 22 out of 26 answers was Me2 and Mukluk who each won $25.
If anyone wants to try it themselves, here were the clues (with corrections made)
This is the time of day that Superman always has an eye on. (2)
What is the only store to lie between two sets of escalators? (3)
The largest ball displayed in front of America’s Original Sports Bar (in real life sizes). (6)
On a wall of fame, he’s the only man whose handprints are signed with only a last name (3)
Look through the wall of water and you will see this restaurant. (4)
Take a trip to where you’ll find the handprint on the wall. (5)
You might say this is what follows J in Jewelers. (2)
Get in line for this roaring ride and you might be eaten by a roaring T-Rex (6)
To get hidden information in this store, it helps to go on a rampage. (2)
Is Darth Vader having a good time here? (3)
This is where you’ll find Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Betty Boop dancing their days and nights away. (8)
The restaurant that's somewhere over the rainbow. (5)
What group is playing a tuba on the way to see a movie? (3)
This is the kind of bird that sits above the tallest Christmas tree in Camp Snoopy. (1)
This clue will be in the bag if you kick back next to where west meets south. (2)
What timely store does the Mall of America Snoopy stand in front of? (5)
Who keeps their car parked inside the Mall in silicone? (1)
Go to, the store. This is what they sell. (4)
This is where you will find the Board Rider's Club (11)
Where you would go if you wanted to be a P.I.G. (3)
Find the inscription on a clock that has thousands of pieces. (2)
What food court restaurant has the most expensive item on their listed menu? (1)
The biggest state (in area) to have a parking level named after it. (2)
Pagination