Smarter t
map-marker New York, New York

IKEA - Direct contact details and allegations of racism and corruption(?)

IKEA has affordable products, but their Customer Service sucks. If their product is chipped, good luck sending it back. Since it's impossible to get anything resolved in your favor, reach Senior Management by the following email - --- First name(dot)last name @***.ikea.com ---- Below are a couple of links that I found on the company culture - shocking! ALSO SEE - http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2009/11/14/former-senior-ikea-executive-the-truth-about-ikea/ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/business/global/16ikea.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/152****/Ikea-executives-given-top-class-furniture-in-kickbacks-scandal.html
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1 comment
Guest

Your issue has nothing to do with racism. If you don't agree with the company's leadership, don't buy their products.

Jose E C
map-marker Miami, Florida

IKEA

I am very familiar buying at Ikea for I was around when their first store opened in the Northeast in Elizabeth, NJ. At that time, all their furniture was made in Sweden and everything was in measured in metric. That was about 20 years ago too! I have been purchasing from them that long too. I will admit their items were of much much better quality then than now. Based on my current experiences with Ikea, Ikea is best now for buying home accessories/wares NOT furniture/kitchens for the long run. Ikea is great to "get ideas" for rooms then buying the furniture somewhere else. I have noticed that their "furniture" has dropped their quality significantly to even lower levels since they are having everything "made in China" as opposed to Sweden to keep their prices low. Also I noticed the hardware(their propriety screws, etc) are of cheap brittle or soft metals to build the furniture as opposed to the steel used before. In addition, their notorious "particle board" is of even cheaper quality! My motto with Ikea now is "if it doesn't fit in the trunk of you car - don't buy it!" Also if you buy furniture from them now have an electric screwdriver, various size screw drivers and an electric drill for I have found too many items either have holes missing or the holes are too small for the hardware. Also WOOD GLUE for all the major parts and corners. Ikea is not what it used to be and with the furniture business being so competitive you can find nice furniture delivered to you home - correctly -somewhere else. OK folks, this my 2 cents!
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1 comment
Guest

Hi! I also remember the good old days at ikea.

I have a black Poang leather chair purchased in 1989(Montreal, Canada). Made in sweden I remember. Still in one piece! Too bad lot of the ikea stuff is poor quality.

You can still find "good" quality at ikea but you really need to check it closely, feel it...etc before buying it.

The other day I purchased a MALM dresser. When I went to pick it up, some boxes are made in canada and others made in sweden! I have the malm collection and all made in canada but decided to take the Swedish box.

All good! but yes, the good old days of Ikea are gone...

Anonymous
map-marker Toronto, Ontario

Could not return defective furniture

I bought a buffet or as IKEA named it "side board" which I liked, and it worked for 5 years. Last few months the cabinet buckled under its own weight and it became worped at the bottom. I tried to return it and of course they told me that the furniture has no such long warranty. But should anyone spend $400-500 for furniture that colapses under its own weight? They answered that under no circumstances I would not get a refund from them. IKEA is not backing its own product. IKEA HAS BAD QUALITY ITEMS AND I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE A CHANCE TO BUY ANYTHING AT IKEA AGAIN.
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4 comments
Guest

uh, yeah, i agree........ i work in retail and i have NEVER EVER heard of a company that will let you return something after 5 years.

almost anything can break after 5 years, thats just ridiculous. most places offer 30-90days AT BEST.

if you think that Ikea was in the wrong over this then i have to tell you that i doubt any company is going to satisfy your unrealistic expectations of customer service.... not to mention that Ikea specializes in modular/cheap/build it yourself furniture...not high end lifelong purchases

Guest

Limit yourself to bed coverings, rugs, curtains, kitchen ware and so on and you won't have to worry about things falling apart. It's really easy for me to see when I visit Ikea, to limit myself to the above, NEVER buy the furniture and beds, etc.

Why would anyone expect an Ikea couch for instance, to stay together for 10 years? No way. Even a couch I bought from a known retailer (expensive) fell apart after ten years. Stuff isn't made to last that long anymore.

It's called 'planned obsolesence'. Google it.

Guest

Your request makes no sense whatsoever.

Guest

You seriously expected to return furniture after five years? A sideboard isn't going to be just fine for five years and then "suddenly" buckle and collapse, and you certainly cannot blame them for not refunding your money after that amount of time.

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Glenn K Zmf
map-marker Paterson, New Jersey

Another Dissatisfied Customer w IKEA's deceptive pricing practices

I recently purchased 30 SLOM bottles w stoppers at the IKEA store in Elizabeth, NJ at a price of $3.99. The problem is that the online website advertised the price at $2.99; the website also mentioned that this item is not available online. When I got to the store, I expected to pay somewhere around the advertised price, not 33% higher per bottle. If I had known about the pricing, I would have shopped elsewhere but after investing the time to get to Elizabeth, I ended up forking over another $30 and I feel ripped off. While there is a subtle disclaimer at the bottom of the web page that states that "pricing may be different", 33% seems inordinately large. Not only did the cashier mention that these sorts of pricing problems occur frequently, but the pricing issue stalled the line of about 10 customers behind me, and then, the online IKEA chat-person (w whom I spoke earlier today) mentioned that the online presence is not affiliated with any of their stores. The chat-person was no help other that to regurgitate the company line. WTF? Maybe this is how the founder of IKEA is getting rich. Is this a common business practice in Sweden? That is not how I expect to do business and I expect better from any business, foreign owned or American. All I can say is that it will be quite some time before I go back to another IKEA.
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1 comment
Guest

Like it or not, this is pretty much standard practice. Have you ever checked prices on websites versus stores anywhere else? You'll find a similar situation with Wal-Mart, Staples, JC Penney, etc...

IKEASUCKS W
map-marker Dallas, Texas

DISAPPOINTED WITH IKEA

I bought the new BIRKELAND QUEEN BED FRAME in IKEA and I HATE IT. I AM DISAPPOINTED with this purchase I get purple spots on my legs almost everyday thanks to the corner legs frame.

Ikea queen size bed is bigger than regular queen size bed. The quality is very poor. It was a waste of time and money. PLEASE DO NOT BUY FURNITURES IN IKEA, DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID.

Ikea has extremely poor customer service.

It is quite simply deplorable. Ikea buys their products from the cheapest suppliers on the PLANET, and whatever country will give them the cheapest price that is where they buy it from.

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Loss:
$400
7 comments
Guest

What do you expect for cheap *** made in China? :x

Guest

I'm pretty sure every store buys their product at the lowest price possible...

but apparently Ikea buys from all over the world.

Although IKEA household products and furniture are designed in Sweden, they are largely manufactured in developing countries to keep costs down. With suppliers in 50 countries, roughly 2/3 of purchasing is from Europe with about 1/3 from Asia. A small amount of products are produced in North America. Comparatively little production actually takes place in Sweden, though it still remains the fourth-largest supplier country (behind China, Poland and Italy).

Which is also what allows the furniture to be so cheap.

"Ikea lowered its prices by an of average 2 to 3%" :?

Guest

As I said to "WTF?" YOU ARE A GENTLEMAN AND REALLY SMART PERSON. Thanks for your comment.

"IKEA Employee" and "Another IKEA Employee" Burn in *** Ikea and you suck suck suck. It is that clear??? :(

Guest

Perhaps 'Ikea Sucks' should not have purchased a bed that is clearly too large for their space if they keep injuring themselves on it.

Ikea Queen sized beds are standard size, fyi.

Guest

To WTF? YOU ARE A GENTLEMAN AND REALLY SMART PERSON. Thanks for your comment :zzz

Guest

To IKEA Employee,

That is how you reply to a customers concerns/problems by berating them? You must be uneducated and that is why you work for the company you do.

It is only common sense that helping customers with their problems and concerns, and actually trying to fix those problems that arise, keeps customers coming back or recommending your company, which would lead to increased revenue. I foresee that when your store closes due to bankruptcy, lay-offs and such you will be asking me if I want fries with that!

Guest

How the *** did you get purple spots from the corners of the bed? Are you a *** or something?

Are you not sleeping on a mattress and just the slats or boxspring? Are you drunk?

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steamed i
map-marker San Diego, California

Avoid Ikea - Low Prices Equal no customer service

Ordered from local store $1,000+ worth of product for closet organization. Before writing this, we have contacted Ikea customer service which was a waste of time. Items delivered and half way through install by my husband we found an integral and large piece was crushed. Delivery men put broken box under other boxes but box was crushed and repaired at Ikea. Called store ASAP and was told that we would get a callback w/in 48 hours and probably have damaged unit picked up and new one delivered within 2 weeks. We took two days off work, emptied and rearranged entire bedroom and delivery took up entire patio. Customer Service just said "Sorry" we cant help you. You get what you pay for which in this case ZERO. PS Product nice in store but junky particle board inside when you get it out of the box. JUNK!
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1 comment
Guest

Same here in NYC. Telling me, a week after delivery that its too late for them to come pick it up and exchange. But it is broken, oversized, and glass...and we live in NYC, and it wouldn't fit in a car and its too heavy for me to get it into a van myself if I had one.

Bye bye Ikea.

kcdcvan C
map-marker Vancouver, British Columbia

Ikea Managers are imposible to deal with

I ordered a granite counter top from the Coquitlam store. When the guy came to measure for the counter top he said this sink is too long, (48" Ikea sells one at least that long but we had an old one we wanted to reuse) they may have to brace it wish a piece of metal. He said that is what they do sometimes. Someone from the granite company called the next day to say they couldn't install the granite counter top so the order was cancelled and he informed me that I would have to pay for someone coming to measure. I told him that didn't seem right to me. I went to Ikea with my husband the next day (Saturday) for the refund and they said they would have to check with the granite company and since it was the long weekend, they would get back to me on Tuesday and reverse the billing over the phone. On Tuesday afternoon there was a message to call them back. The phone number was wrong, the extension numbers she gave me were both wrong, and she didn't leave a name. I was getting the impression they really would rather not hear from me. When I finally did get to talk to someone (on Thursday) she told me everything I already knew and then she asked me where I bought the sink. (What does this have to do with anything?) I was getting that bad feeling again. I told them that there should be a warning that the granite company won't install a counter top under sinks spanning a certain distance after all they are in the business and have been for a long time, they should have known. She told me that they had already paid this company $150 for their service call so I had to pay Ikea. It was no use arguing with her. I called the Coquitlam store and asked to talk to the Store Manager and of course was told he wasn't available, I would have to take my chances and come down to the store to talk to him apparently he doesn't take calls or messages. I feel like they are treating their customers with a certain amount of contempt. I don't think it would be hard for them to make a note in their 'designing program' you have to use before you order their kitchens, and save their customers time and money.
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Loss:
$1
rk Lwb
map-marker Tacoma, Washington

IKEA refuses to correct employee error or provide refund or do exchange

Went to the local IKEA to purchase storage cabinets. The employee on the floor helped me figure out what pieces I needed and input the info into their computer system and sent me out to the warehouse where they pulled the items and put them into my truck. When I got home, I put together all the cabinets but one. Everything was fine. When I went to install the lone wall-mounted unit some months later, after the remodeling was complete, I discovered that they had given me the wrong color. IKEA refused to exchange the item because the end of the box had been opened! (How could I have known it was the wrong color without looking at the actual item?) Since I had not pulled the box off their shelf myself, I had no way of knowing the error, especially give that the other dozen or so boxes were the correct items in the correct color. Their customer service will horrendous, even to the point of implying that the error was my fault. The remodel of this room without cannot be completed without the matching cabinet, which IKEA now says is no longer available (so I can't even BUY it again). After literally spending thousands of dollars at IKEA, I will never shop there again.
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2 comments
Guest

The boxes did NOT have the color listed on them. There is nothing but a number, which, by the way, matched the other boxes.

Guest

So...does the box NOT have the color on the label located on the outside of the box? Sorry this happened to you, but you should have checked all boxes sooner.

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Anonymous
map-marker Stockton, California

IKEA - Palo Alto - cashier with back to me shoves receipt in my face for two minutes

IKEA - Palo Alto - cashier waves receipt in my face for about one minute. He has his back turned to me through out the checkout process. He's talking to the other cashier the whole time. After I pay, he pulls the receipt, and just flings his arm back waving the receipt in the air. Stunned by his apparent disdain for the customer, I stood disgusted and refused to grab it, forcing him to turn around - the *** didn't even get my glare. All in all a very irritating trip: spending 15 minutes trying to find someone to load shelves onto cart, finding out the only lights that worked on the bookshelves I bought were sold out, had to get clarification that benno and billy are in fact same height according to rep but not website or store packaging, etc... However, the trip to your store will not be a total loss. This will be a nice story for my students in our User Experience class this week. WOW Ikea you have inspired me so much. I will now be starting my class with a 5 minute game of "So How Do They Stay In Business".
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Loss:
$300
Jose E C
map-marker Miami, Florida

Foreword about buying at Ikea

I am very familiar buying at Ikea for I was around when their first store opened in the Northeast in Elizabeth, NJ. At that time, all their furniture was made in Sweden and everything was in measured in metric. That was about 20 years ago too! I have been purchasing from them that long too. I will admit their items were of much much better quality then than now. Based on my current experiences with Ikea, Ikea is best now for buying home accessories/wares NOT furniture/kitchens for the long run. Ikea is great to "get ideas" for rooms then buying the furniture somewhere else. I have noticed that their "furniture" has dropped their quality significantly to even lower levels since they are having everything "made in China" as opposed to Sweden to keep their prices low. Also I noticed the hardware(their propriety screws, etc) are of cheap brittle or soft metals to build the furniture as opposed to the steel used before. In addition, their notorious "particle board" is of even cheaper quality! My motto with Ikea now is "if it doesn't fit in the trunk of you car - don't buy it!" Also if you buy furniture from them now have an electric screwdriver, various size screw drivers and an electric drill for I have found too many items either have holes missing or the holes are too small for the hardware. Also WOOD GLUE for all the major parts and corners. Ikea is not what it used to be and with the furniture business being so competitive you can find nice furniture delivered to you home - correctly -somewhere else. OK folks, this my 2 cents!
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1 comment
Guest

I agree with these comments and Ikea is what it is - a cheap place to buy cheap things and as the saying goes "you get what you paid for"

Anonymous
map-marker Vancouver, British Columbia

Purchasing kitchen cabinets at the Coq. store

We went to the coq. store to make a couple of changes to our cabinets and then pay for them we figured we required approx. 15 mins. of time from them, we waited from 7:00 pm until 8:45 pm with no service the chinese guy kept saying only 2 ahead of you the whole night, we saw people arrive after us and receive service, this guy is a joke, the service at this store is the worst we have ever experienced in our last 40 yrs. we have purchased several kitchen cabinets for homes but have never seen anything this pathetic, will look elsewhere and leave this sad joke of a store to the swedes
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Anonymous
map-marker Iowa City, Iowa

IKEA - No hardware to assemble table

I purchased a table and hardware was missing. Ikea will not provide hardware because I do not have a receipt. Not trying to replace table just want what was not in the box in the first place, hardware to put the thing together! 7 employees had the opportunity to correct this simple problem but all refused stating that I needed a receipt. None of them had the common sense to realize that I was only asking for 12 special screws, a wrench and 4 pieces of foam to protect glass that can only be used for that table, something that should have been in the box to beg in with. Total incompetence. Now I have a table that can't be put together. If you think this is unbelievable as I do your right! Done with Ikea.
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3 comments
Guest

There's no ikea in Iowa city...

Guest

I have the same problem with a dining room table. The hardware was not in the box and I don't have the receipt. Not my fault someone in Sweden was sleeping on the job.

Guest

:(.

I had the same experience with hardware for a desk. So frustrating!!

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Anonymous
map-marker New Brunswick, New Jersey

1000 Center Dr, Elizabeth, NJ

ikea.com (908) 289-**** - 1000 Center Dr, Elizabeth, NJ I'm writing to relate my recent experience at IKEA East at 1000 Center Dr, Elizabeth, NJ. On 05/15/2010, I purchased $681.90 worth of items. I was redoing my living room and needed a TV stand. I also bought a center table at the "as is section" which I was not aware I was not able to return or exchange the item. When I returned to the store three days later, on 05/18.2010, on rainy day after work, the customer service area was empty and the representative quickly called me over and I gave her "Natasha" my recite and started to explain to her that the quality of the stand was poor and it did not look the way I wanted, I also had two bookshelves that I did not even attempt to assemble (thank god) at this point she sees a guy standing behind me and interrupts me to ask him what he needs. It seemed Natasha felt that now he can wait so she can tell me the I could not return "as is items" I quickly ask if I could speak to a manager because I spent so much and maybe the can issue me credit. I had to ask Natasha 5 times for a manager because she was too busy telling the other customer about my business about my return. She commented that they "IKEA employee cant even return "as is items" and made some facial remarks as she called the manager "Virginia" she reiterated what she told me and said "I told her she cant return it!" Finally, the manger comes over as I am standing there soaked and embarrassed by the clerk "Natasha" and her major attitude! (Horrible attitude the worse). Virginia approached Natasha and she tells her there she is, I was very cordial with Virginia and say hello I said to her I came three days ago and I bought these items I did not k now the "as is" items are not returnable then she cuts me off and says "oh" really its on the walls and did you read the return policy which I did and did not notice that. As I am still keeping my cool Virginia simply walks away as I am talking to her. I called her out on it! I was so upset!! I understand that IKEA's return policy and all store policies but that is not an excuse for POOR customer service at this point I was cold, wet, embarrassed, stock with over $200. of merchandize I did not want and the least IKEA could have done was listen to me instead of walking away, I work extremely hard for my money. I am a hard worker and I would never treat people the way I was treated there!!! I am writing this with the hope that someone in cooperate takes the time and runs an undercover "surprise shopper" as I am sure this is a common practice of the IKEA customer service. I don't know if me being a (female, small Hispanic) had anything to do with it, but I know I was in a suit, respectful and had a recite. All I can say is I don't plan on going back anytime soon.
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1 comment
Guest

IKEA does do mystery shops. So that fact that you bring up your gender and race = fail.

Get with the program. It's the 21st century.

Anonymous
map-marker Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest

Not for big people

Seriously, i'm not fat, and neither is my wife, but yesterday the legs of our 2 month old seat broke. Ikea told us it was a case of excessive strain. Not recommended !
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3 comments
Linda Owe

I shop at Ikea a lot but I only recommend buying things that don't require assembly such as housewares, linens, rugs, etc. Spend a little more money and buy your furniture elsewhere!

Guest

I have furniture from IKEA that is 10+ plus years old with no problems BUT from what I have seen lately, IKEA's quality has worsened over the years and they are using poorer and poorer quality materials and low grade particle board - I am not surprised their furniture is breaking all over the place (just read reviews here and elsewhere).

Guest

I've purchased a many items from Ikea, including chairs, tables, entertainment centers, couches, etc. In fact I do most if not all my furniture shopping at Ikea!

Well I am not overweight, but several members of my family are overweight and one is very much so.

We have never had any issues with our chairs despite a lot of use and misuse (kids and animals!). I don't know what happened with your furniture but I've bought Ikea furniture for years and have never had a problem.

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ex c Ynm
map-marker Los Angeles, California

Ikea has the WORST consumer relations

Recently took advantage of Ikea's kitchen promotion that included free delivery. When I had to reschedule the delivery date I called the phone # they provided but could not reach a human being. I asked for confirmation and never got a response. As a result, Ikea denied phone calls I know perfectly well I did make and their "free" delivery cost me $120. $120 after a $5K sale. And the Ikea people who managed to call me after the fact were accusatory and infuriating. Their merchandise is cheap and shabby. Their retail stores are built for trained rats. Their customer relations is non-existant. Whatever you save is NOT worth it!
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1 comment
Guest

Ikea is the worst in the uk,it's shame.

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