Claiming on Ikea guarantee - advice please.

Slinky_Malinky

Hi all,

I have three Ikea Godmorgon mirror bathroom cabinets, they are just over one year old and came with a ten year guarantee.

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90147644

Last night I was awoken by a crash and found that a mirror door had fallen off onto my toilet. Obviously the door is smashed, so is my toilet seat and cistern (still usable but big chunk missing on top corner) If anyone had been sat on the loo at the time the possible injuries don`t bear thinking about....frankly it would have been at the very least a serious head injury or maybe even death.

On examination, it seems that the door hinge was only attached to the very heavy mirror door by a blob of glue.The top hinge had come apart from the door, so as the door fell it actually ripped out the bottom hinge from the cabinet.

I would assume the ten year guarantee would entitle me to a replacement door and/or cabinet, but I am not happy with the possibility of this happening again. In fact I would now like to remove all of the cabinets for peace of mind, but I cannot afford to just write off the £500 they cost me.

I know the Sale Of Goods Act say goods must be fit for purpose, etc. but these are my questions regarding my rights...

1. Can I insist on a refund rather than replacement for the broken cabinet?
2. Can I have a refund on the other cabinets which have not yet broken? In my opinion, the construction makes them unfit for purpose if the hinge cannot support the weight of the door.
3. Can I expect any contribution to the cost of a new toilet?

I haven`t approached Ikea yet as I wanted to be armed with the advice of the wise folk here first. I probably paid with my Visa card so could involve them if need be.

Thanks for reading,
Slinky

ETA -they were assembled and hung by my ex-dh, a carpenter with 25 years experience who is very fussy and does things properly so this is not due to poor fitting.

Clive_Woody

1. Can I insist on a refund rather than replacement for the broken cabinet? - Yes (argue design flaw)
2. Can I have a refund on the other cabinets which have not yet broken? In my opinion, the construction makes them unfit for purpose if the hinge cannot support the weight of the door. - No (nothing gone wrong with them to date)
3. Can I expect any contribution to the cost of a new toilet? - Yes (damage caused by their faulty product)



Would be my best guesses.

Slinky_Malinky

Cheers Clive. Your reply was pretty much as I had expected - if Ikea refuse to refund the other cabinets then the best I can do is eventually try to get new doors made to fit that can be attached safely. I suppose for now I will have to use the cabinets without doors.

Slinky

lindos90

When we had a problem with a leather settee, they were very helpful, I think CS has improved in recent years.

Could you not refit the hinges on the other cabinets better, or put better hinges on them to make sure they dont do the same thing?

Ive had a quick google, but havent seen anyone having the same problem.

Usually things come flatpacked though, were these hinges already glued on?

Pitty I didnt see this before, I was in Ikea yesterday, I could have had a good look at the disply one for you.

lindos90

Found this..

http://www.ikeafans.com/forums/modifications/41485-godmorgon-wall-cabinet-hinges-alternative.html

So perhaps theres been some issue with the hinges before and they have modified the manufacture?


Edit...and keep everything, take photos of the glue/hinges and damage to the toilet before you replace it!!

Slinky_Malinky

Thanks both - it is good to know their cs has improved.

The hinges must have been glued on in the flat pack - I know ex would never have glued them like that. I`ll ask him to take a look tonight to see if he can use any other sort of hinge. Not sure about screwing into the door very deeply though because of the mirror front. Considering these doors are nearly a metre tall they really are poorly designed.

Have got all the various bits and will photograph them and keep them until this is resolved.

I`m really annoyed at being stuck with the two other cabinets - they look lovely but I cannot risk the chance that they could also fall like this.

Slinky_Malinky

Small update - looked at the door again and it is just made up of two mirrors glued together, hence the reason the hinge is glued rather than screwed. So no option of fitting different hinges sadly. Tried to call Ikea but was 7th in the queue so will try again later - or may put it all in writing instead.

I am going to be mightily miffed if this ends up as £500 down the drain :mad:

lindos90

Actually writing may be a good idea, or email, then you can attach the photos, and they will see you mean business. Phonecalls fel more personal, but there is no proof of the conversation, or any agreements made.

Slinky_Malinky

Yes, the more I think about it, the more I think I will put it all in writing. I really want to try and get a refund for the other cabinets too - as much as I hate the compensation culture of today, I do not want to be in the position of my family having to sue them because either myself or my child has been killed by a falling door....and judging the way it seems to have broken I think it came down sideways on like a guillotine. Not being a drama queen about this, these doors are certainly heavy enough to kill if they land on your head. A small blob of glue is clearly not enough to hold these doors onto the hinges.

BatCat

Thanks for posting this, I was seriously considering buying one of these cabinets but will think again.

chong168

Another one here who was tempted to buy this mirror cabinet. Had another look at it tonight in ikea, one end of the hinge is screwed to the inside of the cabinet but the other end of the hinge is still glued to the door, so no updates to the design there. Just out of interest what is the size of your cabinet as i'm thinking the larger it is, the bigger the mirror doors, and hence the additional weight.