Residents warned over scammers “selling mattresses from the back of vans” in Wrexham

Residents are being warned of a scam doing the rounds in Wrexham involving people selling mattresses from the back of vans.

Wrexham Council say there have been reports across the area and are reminding residents that if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

That’s because these mattresses aren’t what they appear to be. Sometimes the mattress you’re being offered was made from used spring units and dirty fillings, even if it looks fine on the outside.

Or the mattress was made for less than £50 from a very basic spring unit with a polyester fibre pad or a layer of cheap foam over it, and covered in a cheap material. Almost certainly the mattress hasn’t undergone testing to see whether it meets the UK mattress flammability regulations.

Roger Mapleson, Trading Standards and Licensing Lead, said: “If someone turns up at your doorstep offering to sell you a mattress, it’ll almost certainly be a low-quality, substandard product that won’t have been tested against UK mattress flammability regulations.

“The mattress was probably put together for a fraction of the ‘cheap’ or ‘bargain’ price you’re being offered it for, so it’s really important to be aware of this type of scam so you don’t fall victim to it.”

The people selling these can be extremely convincing too – they have company names very similar to well-known brands, with professional looking logos blazoned on their vans and polo shirts – but their products are far from what they seem.

If they sense you’re not sure, they’ll tell you how it’s all legit and it’s just excess stock from a store that was closing down, or perhaps from a cancelled order.

The mattresses might be wrapped up in plastic to look nice and shiny with labels showing their supposed recommended retail prices, but it’s not what it appears to be.

Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.