A couple of days ago I referred to an experience my fiancee’s mother had with a bed company here. This got me to thinking about the company’s approach and others’ experience with Dreams, the bed company, and how it may or may not have been a common occurrence, their approach, the role of the internet and what the Net Promoter Score approach can teach us.

As a bit of background, Dreams sells mattresses, divan sets, children’s beds, bed frames, and bedding through more than 200 stores across the UK as well as online. Mattresses are manufactured at Dreams’ own production facilities. The company also offers recycling service for used bedding. The company was founded in 1985 by Mike Clare in Uxbridge. He sold Dreams to London-based Exponent Private Equity in 2008 and remains as Non-Executive President.

According to Nick Worthington, CEO of Dreams Plc on the company’s website:

Our success is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our unique ‘Dream Team’. The secret’s simple, we love what we do and we understand the importance of Customer Service; we’re continually trying to think of new ways to delight our customers.

….

At Dreams we like to go on the extra mile.

……

It’s this kind of dedication and passion that has made us Britain’s leading Bed Specialist. But don’t take my word for it, lay down, ask around and judge for yourself.
Sleep well… Sleep Dreams

They also have customer testimonials on their website here, but what is important to note here is that there are no dates on these comments.

Having seen what the company says, I did a bit of research on Dreams and what reviewers were saying around the web. Here’s what I found…

From the Review Centre, there are 36 reviews of customers’ experience with Dreams. Click on the image to take you to the reviews of Dreams.

Their customers and reviews are mostly negative and they give them a score of 0.7 out of 5.

At, Blagger.com there are more reviews. Click on the image to take you to the reviews of Dreams.

This site gives them an average of 4 thumbs down.

At Dooyoo.com (again click on the image to take you to the reviews of Dreams).

Reviewers of Dreams gave the company 2 stars out of a possible 5.

Finally, here’s some reviews from Gumtree (once again click on the image to take you to the reviews of Dreams).

Another 8 reviews here mostly vehement and negative

From my brief search, there is clear evidence that the situation that my fiancee’s mother experienced was not a one-off in contrast to the company claims about customer service on its website. Now, I understand that there will always be complaints and unhappy customers….this reminds me of the words of poet John Lydgate, which were later adapted and adopted by former US President Lincoln:

“You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.

This might be true but, surely, we should try, especially in an economy that is increasingly driven by recommendation and peer reviews, to try and please all of the people ALL of the time. Yes?

If not, the internet allows your detractors (angry or annoyed customers) a huge echo chamber of a voice and is proof that the detractor dynamics that the Net Promoter Score (NPS) approach alludes to is at work in the real world.

Big question for me for Dreams is: Are you aware of all of these comments? If so, what are you doing about it?

Overall, this was just a research exercise but here are the lessons for business, I think:

• The internet and social media tools mean that both complaints and testimonials get heard by more people than ever before
• The internet and social media tools give consumers a very long memory
• We live in a world that is increasingly driven by reviews and recommendations and not just from our friends
• Not paying attention to what consumers are saying about you can have a negative impact on your brand
• In Net Promoter Score terms, detractors (complaints) speak very loudly and often repeatedly
• If you are not paying attention then someone else will be

Can you think of anymore?

What do you think Dreams should do? What advice would you give to them in the face of the above and what they have written on their website

Finally, I intend on sharing this article with Dreams’ Press Office to get their reaction. I’ll let you know the outcome.

Thanks to Fuyoh! for the image