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Next time you get together with a group of friends or coworkers, say the
word "IKEA" and wait...yep there it is...the groaning and moaning that
inevitably comes with the word. And at least one person in the group, and
usually more, will have a horror story about dealing with the store. "I had
to go back 6 times for different parts because the ones they gave me were
defective"..."They wouldn't give me money back when I tried to return my
item, even though it was in the original packaging and unused as the receipt
stated it had to be"...."Easy to assemble???? Are they insane?"
Comments like the above are all too common when talking to people about
IKEA. The company claims to sell easy to assemble products, made with
Earth-Friendly materials, in a no-hassle environment. Really?
Recently I purchased an item from an IKEA store in California. The item came
in two boxes and weighed about 214 pounds. We had a hard time finding anyone
in the store willing to help us to load it onto a cart and had a harder time
finding a register open that would take cash.
I paid a $49 home delivery fee and was told the item would be delivered the
following day. I arranged for a handyman to come over and assemble the item.
When he arrived, he found that 2 of the boards didn't have the required
holes drilled into them and he was unable to assemble the item. I called the
store and was told to bring the item in and they would replace the pieces.
After explaining to them that I was unable to bring in the whole item, they
suggested that I bring in just the two pieces that needed to be exchanged. I
wrestled the two big boards out into my car and took them to the return
department, which was packed. I would find out later this was normal. After
waiting 30 minutes, I finally got up to the exchange register. I explained
the situation to the representative and after pointing out to him twice
which holes were not drilled, he finally brought me two new boards. At which
point he felt the need to point out to me that since I had the item
delivered in the first place, they could have brought me the replacement
boards out to my home. Which was extremely helpful information after I had
already brought them to the store!
A few days later, the handyman came back out to again assemble the item.
This time, one of the shelves was the wrong size. I phoned the Burbank store
to try to get someone familiar with the item on the phone and there was no
one at the store who knew anything about their products. Huh? I spoke with
IKEA Customer Service on the phone and was told that they would open a claim
about my item and have the After Service Manager from the store call me back
within 24-48 hours. They gave me a claim number and the phone reps were
quite helpful.
3 days later, the Customer Service Manager phoned back and left me a message
stating that I should call her back to arrange for Home Delivery to bring me
another item. I was able to find a friend who has a truck and was willing to
take the item back with me so on Sunday, we wrestled it into the truck and
took it back to the IKEA store. Again, there were about 50 people waiting to
return items. A guy standing next to us was telling us that they had
purchased an item and decided to return it, and were told on the phone that
they would only give them 50% of the price they paid. He was really upset
and had already called 2 of our local TV stations that do investigations
into companies who take advantage of customers. He told me to expect that
they probably wouldn't give me my money back either. I wasn't too worried
since I had been dealing with IKEA Customer Service on the phone and was
patiently waiting my turn. When I got up to the register, I gave the
employee my claim number and receipt and he told me that his supervisor had
to look over the item and it would take a few minutes. When the supervisor
came out, he told me that he would not be giving me my full refund. I told
him that I had been dealing with Customer Service at IKEA Corporate and
relayed to him what they told me. He said that he didn't care what they had
told me. He now had to put together the item and sell it As-Is and would
only refund me 65% of my purchase price. I pointed out that the receipt says
that if you were unsatisfied with your purchase within 90 days you could
return it as long as it was unused and unassembled. His answer was that you
had to "read the whole thing". O-Kay....Let me just share with you verbatim
what the receipt says:
From the front of the IKEA receipt: If you are not entirely satisfied with
your purchase, simply return the unused and unassembled item in it's
original packaging within 90 days for an exchange or refund. Make sure you
have your sales receipt. Sorry, we cannot accept returns on cut fabric, used
bedding (mattresses, pillows, etc.) products from the as-is department or
custom orders.
From the back of the IKEA receipt: SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! At IKEA, we
strive to sell quality merchandise. All of our products carry a guarantee
for material quality and workmanship. If, after proper assembly and care you
find a defect with an item, please bring it back to us for repair or
replacement. If you're not satisfied with your purchase, return the unused
item within 45 days for either an exchange or refund. Just make sure you
have your receipt and please bring the item back in it's original packaging.
Sorry, we can't accept returns on cut fabric, custom orders, used bedding
and products from the as-is department. A fee of 30% of the purchase price
will be charged for cancellation of custom upholstery.
Now, after having read the above, why would I be charged a 35% fee to return
my item? It was unassembled (because the parts were incorrect) and it was
unused (because it couldn't be assembled).
Both times I have been in the returns department of the IKEA store, I have
noticed something. They hardly ever return all of people's money. Much like
an insurance company their policy seems to be deny, deny, deny. I have seen
numerous people bring in items and be refunded 65 - 50% of their purchase
price after much discussion with the Customer Service Manager. The managers
are rude, belligerent and I actually saw one manager walk away from a
customer because she didn't want to deal with her.
Where has customer service gone? Not only does IKEA now charge for shopping
bags (you can purchase an item here but if you want a bag you have to pay
extra), they are giving out defective items and not honoring their return
policy. It would be an interesting experiment to buy an item and before even
leaving the store to try to return it to see what excuse they would give you
for not giving you back all of your money. The store employees are obnoxious
and completely unhelpful. So my question is, why are people shopping there?
Actually, while there were a lot of people returning items, there were only
a handful of people buying anything the last 3 times I have been there, so
maybe people are catching on.
It's a sad statement that a huge company like IKEA feels like it can treat
customers badly and expect that they will still shop there. If you find
another store where you can find products that you like and good customer
service, stick with them. In the end it is worth paying a bit more to get
quality products and helpful customer service.
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