IKEA STORES
Read Consumer Comments Here

Hi i work in the Dearne Valley call centre in Rotherham for Ikea. I answer the phones to stock enquires and complaints. In my role i do nothing to help customers who phone. I cannot tell them where their delivery is, i cannot sort anything out. My role is to take details and pass them to store. We are the useless call centre. Ikea work on a call back system where often the stores dont bother calling the customer back.

Sometimes it feels like we dont work for the same company. Some stores do nothing for customer service. We do as much as we can to help the customers if this service was followed up in store ikea would be a better place.

My advice for anyone buying a kitchen is do not buy between May and December. This is IKeas peak time and call back times are really high or non existent. THis means it take ages for your complaint to be acknowleged let alone be sorted out. Last year was really bad for kitchen and sofa orders. most of the deliverys were late or something was missing.

At the moment it is really quiet so complaints or issues are sorted straight away by the stores or call centres. Leeds, Notingham and Gateshead are brilliant and will always follow up complaints. Buy your kitchen from one of these stores avoid the london and bristol stores like the plague.

Always write in to complain and always ask for compensation. At the very least you can claim out of pocket expenses like petrol. Write to watchdog and seek legal advice. Sue Ikea for breach of contract. Tnt who deliver for thurrock are really crap, dont bother, hire a van. Ikea isnt usually too bad but in the summer it is really busy and the stores and call centre get inundated with complaints. If you shop at ikea check you have to everything before you leave and never pick a damaged box. The inside will be marked and the fittings will be missing.

Shopping at Ikea is like a lottery i wouldnt shop there good luck to any future customers and maybe ill speak to you in the future when you call to complain.

Ill always try and help but the IKea system means i cant do anything. We are based 1 hour from the nearest store and i have only ever been to ikea twice. I have worked there over a year. the customers often know more than me. now thats customer service for you.

Please when you call dont shout at us. Its not our fault shout at the store if they call you back anyway good luck to all customers past, present and future.
Anon (but email address supplied to clik2complaints) 10 May 2003
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Thanks, I was on my way to look at their website in order to buy a kithcen. It's funny I bought my bed from them 4 years ago and it was a nightmare, I had simply forgotten how useless their home delivery was and therefor am very grateful for your reminder befor I enter such a big business as buying a kitchen. thank you all. S -Griffiths ... 6 June 2003
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Thanks all of you. The nearest IKEA is a 2 hour drive for me but I've shopped there before despite the occasional frustration of lack of stock. I'm in the middle of designing a new kitchen and IKEA WAS on the list.... not now!
Brian Greer ... 17 AUgust 2003
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All rings a very loud bell. I feel sorry for the operatives in the call center suffereing under such an organisation. I have had a nightmare with a sofa - I wont go into details but its been 6 months and still no sofa or my money back despite countless promises of action.

The system is to blame not the staff. Its management tosserati that decided to disenfranchise the people you talk to with any degree of control or authority. Since the directors never buy or experience their own products they have no need to be bothered. So long as their balance sheets look godd thats fine - well thats very easy when the economy is booming and you are flavour of the decade.

Its my sincerest hope they go the way of MFI (who are probably far better organised) a relic of their era. Several people warned me against ordering from Ikea, I learned the hard way - trust me its not pleasent. I have also cancelled by 30k a year business account - which they almost laughed off. I wonder how much longer this company can sustain an appalling disregard for its customers. The few at the top ruin it for all the talented people beneath them GO TO HABITAT GO TO JOHN LEWIS GO ABROAD GO BESPOKE (its cheaper than you think) Ambrose ... 1 December 2003
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Oh my Goodness - poor Francesco! I have great sympathy (although I would have the same even if he were NOT a managing director or whatever!)
Paul Wrighton ... 17 December 2003

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I see I am not the only one to have had problems with IKEA kitchens. They obviously do not care. Go for them! I wish I had.
Joanne in Croydon...25 September 2002
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I hate Ikea and I hate Exel. simn roberts..2 October 2002
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UPDATE!!
Ikea has replied offering me 200 GBP. I am going to turn down their offer. As soon as I have a second over I will write them yet another letter and post it here. (They still have not figured out I am a Mr and not a Ms even if it has previously been pointed out)
FC...5 October 2002
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You are not alone. I hate IKEA. I hate Hayes. I hate EXEL. I hate Hammonds. Over twenty phone calls on my part. Two letters. And still no delivery. Good job they haven't got £1000 of my money or I'd be losing interest on that too... D'oh!
Angry, London... 8 October 2002
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Absolutely! I've made at least twenty calls myself to find out where my kitchen is. Nobody seems to be able to help me despite being willing. The delivery was scheduled for today when I forked over the 1200 quid in July but the kitchen isn't here and apparently delivery date doesn't really mean that, it just means that's the day that the distribution company pick up the stuff.

Then it's up to them what they do with it and when. I must be SO naive. I really thought my kitchen would turn up as planned. That's why I asked the builders to come on 14 October. I guess I won't make that mistake again, huh?
Andrew Penman...14 October 2002
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Large companies like Ikea are going to make mistakes and have problems meeting their commitment to customers. When will Ikea realise this, and start to make the necessary moves towards providing satisfactory customer care?

We too have attempted to order an Ikea kitchen. We're only at the beginning of the process, and already days have been wasted and grey hairs accelarated. It is impossible to speak to anyone who can help you on the telephone ( unless, you are reduced to tears, and have managed to find one of the few opperatives prepared to stick their neck out!)

Even if you're prepared to make repeated trips into the store, their computer systems are so often not working, that they're unable to perform the simplest of tasks.

The main problem seems to be that they're just so successful (and let's face it --cheap) that they relly do feel that they can give an appauling service to quite a large proportion of their customers, and they'll still come back., and lots of us do, even if we're swearing under our breath as we go!
Rachel... 14 October 2002
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I have always seen Ikea adverts on TV and recently decided to visit the croydon store to do up my flat. Not only do the staff omit to tell you that delivery is by a different company (Exel), they also forget to advise you about the 48 hour structure - which can play havoc if that falls on a day not suitable for you.

For my first taster of using Ikea and Exel in particular - I ended up with an angry neighbour, rude delivery blokes, damaged glasses, missing cutlery and a member of the telephone customer service that wouldn't note down my complaint. If they think they will catch me in the store soon ....... I doubt it
Daniel Brown in Abbeywood London...21 October 2002
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Unbelievable !
Ikea & Hammonds are absolutely useless
Rebecca...23 October 2002
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Agree totally with everyone, If a delivery date could be achieved then they might be acceptable.
Ive had enough, London...28 October 2002
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Ops! When looking to buy an Ikea Kitchen I came across this page. Thank you for warning others. I will now be getting my one somewhere else.
Claudia... 28 October 2002
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The IKEA Call centre is completely useless. The staff take no responsibility, never initiate calls t otheir customers, do not seem to understand their own business and seem only to be able to respond to a complaint by 'sending an email'. they make a bad situation worse.

I've been waiting for delivery of worktops to complete a Kitchen and to date have not been able to extract a delivery date from IKEA. If I don't hear soon I will instigate legal action against them.
Malcolm in Glasgow ... 31 October 2002
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Hah! So there are more people out there who HATE IKEA!

I had a small problem that could have been solved in seconds and for a few pounds had anyone in IKEA had the wit to even understand what customer care is. But no, they do their best to make your life a misery and redefine the meaning of poor customer relations. Compared to IKEA, BT is a shining beacon of customer service!

So instead of having a happy customer, the IKEA customer dissatisfaction rep (for that is what this guy does for a living) and the Manager of the Wembley store, who would have trouble challenging a gnat for intellectual ability, turned me into a virulent hater of IKEA.

So do what I do. NEVER SHOP AT IKEA... and TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS NOT TO SHOP AT IKEA. Gary... 4 November 2002
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IKEA sucks because the selection of sofa beds is appauling (unless you actually want a bad back). There service is like wise an embarassment to Suedes (potatoes do better). Good luck Francesco!
Anna... 4 November 2002
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I really thought Ikea were the brand to go for if you wanted to be sure not to have any problems. I'm obviously mistaken. Thanks for the warning and let us know how it goes. Cyrlle Alertiere ... 5 November 2002
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Thanks for the warning!
A potential U.S. customer no more.
Jeannie...... 10 November 2002
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IKEA in the USA is no better. Everytime I go to their store, what I want is always out of stock, and they have no clue as to when it will again be available. One of the managers admitted that this is an ongoing problem. She said that when they open a new store, that store gets priority when stock is allocated. The obvious is that they should spend more time fixing their supply problems instead of opening more stores to fight over their dwindling stock! Disgusted in USA...24 November 2002
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We will never shop at IKEA again! Having ordered kitchen in October we were told it would be delivered 26/10. It was then delayed until 26/11/02 while they found our taps! Then we were informed that the delivery would be made in 4 seperate stages and would not be completed until next year! Then we were told the worktop we had ordered was discontinued. We said we would rather cancel the entire order. They said the manager would call us. No call as yet but we arrived home last night to find they had tried to deliver the worktop while we were out - no prior notification of this and it was the worktop which was supposedly discontinued! They don't seem to know what's going on within their own company,and we get calls from them giving contradictory information. IKEA is a store you visit to your cost - literally. Craig, Birmingham...3 December 2002
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I know it does not help some of you guys butI have used Ikea and the delivery company in Thurrock for over 3 years and they have never failed on one occasion.

I am really shocked about the complaints in here. I am about to buy a Kitchen from them , this will not change my mind I will advise others to bring this to the attention of the store managers before handing your money over and make sure there is an agreement and failure to carry out their obligation will lead to a breach of contract (simple as that) I do find that you get stuff done when you insist and I will be the first person to say that I have walked into the Thurrock store and asked for something on the very top self and they did bring out the truck to get it for me.

My questions are ...Has anyone had a problem with the Thurrock branch? does Ikea know about this site or the list of problems featured here? Sorry I am a bit naive but there are numerous mention of the Croydon branch in here.

I will like to bring this to the attention of my local branch to actually gauge their response and see if I still want to get my kitchen from them. Take care all and merry xmas. Temple...10 December 2002
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IKEA USA is evil! I fought with them over a sofa for nearly a year. It was defective and falling apart after 3 months of owning it. They tried every excuse and tried to blame it on me or my dog. I had a log 8 pages long of phone calls back and forth with over 10 different IKEA employees. They kept pawning me off on someone else. Finally, I told them I would sue and I did. Someone actually came from over 70 miles away to try and explain themselves. The judge heard the story for 5 minutes and ruled for me. I finally beat IKEA!!!!!!!!!! The check came 2 weeks later. You want results, you're gonna have to sue them. They force you to. Stick it to them, I say.
Courtney Consumer... 18 January 2003
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I wish someone told me this before but anyone reading this,has already made the mistake.Ikea will not be interested at all with your complaint.I was told your just another satistic!


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