I'm very happy with my new rug. I'd read that it was a bad idea to order rugs online because you couldn't really tell the color or thickness of the rug. I found it's best to look at the customer review photos as they are much more accurate than the manufacturer's photos. Most of the review complaints were because the customer didn't read the description or understand the nature of the product. Yes the rug is not particularly soft, but that is the nature of wool. I used a pad and it is very cushy. Similar wool rugs in the stores were at least two to three hundred dollars more.