Faulty Ikea Wardrobe - need advice

enginestar

We bought an Ikea wardrobe 18 months ago.
The door has fallen off.
It wasn't a cheap model - it costs £250.

I called Ikea. They said: go stuff yourself, the item comes with a 12 month guarantee only.

I said: doesn't matter, things should last a reasonable amount of time - as said on the consumers protection act. If you don't resolve the problem, I'll have no choice but to go to the small claims court.

They said: go ahead, we don't care.

First, I spoke to someone on the phone. They gave me the rejection verbally. I asked to be put through to a manager. None was available. They took my details and promised I would get a call back. No call back received.

Second, I spoke to them on chat. Email communication NOT possible. They rejected me on chat as well. On a few occasions, the person on the chat went away and got advice on their response. I clearly told them my next step would be to take them to a small claims court to resolve if they didn't fix or replace the problem. I showed them pictures of the faulty item.

I have the chat saved in a PDF. This has date and time and all spoken contained.

To be fair, the customer service were kind and polite - I appreciate they were reading from a bible that they couldn't change the rules of. I in turn was the most polite person you could imagine.

I want to take them to the small claims court.
Can anyone give me advice? Do I have a case?
Has anyone taken Ikea to the small claims court before?

The door JUST fell off.
It wasn't exactly opened and closed a million times.
I would have expected it to last many many years more.

The wardrobe weighs TON! But... it's made of hollow wood.

What should I do?
I've read Martin's guide, as far as I can see, my next step is small claims court?

Thanks.

elsien

After 6 months, the onus is on you to prove that that fault was there when you bought it and the wardrobe was inherently faulty - what evidence do you have to uphold your claim? Independent report, for example?

Might help if you were a bit more specific - when you say the door's fallen off, have the hinges broken, the wood split? What exactly is the problem?

enginestar

I don't have such report.

I would say that the build of the item was poor.
Hollow wood, a few mm thick, expected to hold up a heavy door - doesn't sound good to me.
To get concrete proof, I would need to cut open and get an expert opinion on.

I am not claiming that the fault was there originally.
More rather I am saying, the fault just developed because of poor materials used in the making of the wardrobe.

I was surprised the wardrobe didn't come with a 10 or 20 year warranty - many Ikea wardrobes come with this.

I'm angry and frustrated. I want to fight my case.
But, don't want to waste my time and effort if I have no claim to make.

QUESTIONS:

- Will my credit card company help me?
Do they help if a purchase was made more than 12 months ago?

- Where would I get an 'expert' from?

- Surely all cases of Small Claim Court don't need an independent report?
(I ask because I don't know. Would be interested to know.)

Thanks.

hollydays

No one has said all cases need an independant report .
Yours does.
The wood is a few millimetres thick?Doyou mean chipboard?
Which wardrobe is this

elsien

You still haven't said what the fault is though.

You don't have to have an independent report. But for the first 6 months the burden of proof is on the retailer, whereas after 6 months it's down to you to prove the fault is with the wardrobe and not to how you have been using it. If it's possible that the issue has been caused by you/your family being heavy handed, how will you show that that isn't the case? That's why I was asking specifically what the fault is.

And even if you do win, you wouldn't get a full refund, because you have still had 18 months use already.

enginestar

YES! Chipboard.

This is an image of the fault.
snipboard.io/JMOmdv.jpg

Fosterdog

enginestar wrote: »

YES! Chipboard.

This is an image of the fault.
snipboard.io/JMOmdv.jpg

That still doesn't really show the problem in relation to the wardrobe. Is that the door? Or the side panel of the wardrobe? Where are the hinges? It could be overtightening of screws that has caused it, or being on an uneven floor causing undue wear and tear with additional weight and pressure in the hinges, it could have been slammed shut regularly. Plus £250 is very cheap for a wardrobe and certainly not a price I'd expect 10-20 years from, 5 years tops at that price range. The ones they offer longer warranties on are higher priced lines and higher quality lines.

photome

Its a cheap wardrobe and how come it weighs a TON if its hollow wood and or chipboard.


I think you are fighting a losing battle as there are so many factors that could cause it to fail

onwards&upwards

IKEA wardrobes usually last forever if you put them together properly and don’t mess with them or move them around. Are you sure it’s an issue with how you assembled it?

davidmcn

I think it would be easier just to repair it rather than pursue a small claim.

maisie_cat

The chipboard has blown because something has pulled at the hinge fitting. I have seen this where children swing on doors.
It is not a manufacturing fault and is a problem of misuse of cheap wardrobes, kitchen cabinets etc.
It can be repaired by removing the blown section and filling with epoxy wood filler. Once cured the holes for the fittings can be drilled and the hinge replaced..
Next time buy solid wood, it's much easier to repair, and can be recycled, this type of furniture is the equivalent of single use plastic