Ikea - as **** as ever

greenwich

This will not be a long rant...

We are 'lucky' enough to live near an Ikea. We swore years ago never to set foot in there owing to their diabolical customer service. Yesterday evening we relented, as our son had picked out some bedroom furniture from an Ikea catalogue that came thru the door.

While I was queuing up to get someone to look up the warehouse locations of the things we had chosen in the showroom I witnessed an incident. A woman with her 3 children was going thru her order with an Ikea guy. One of his mates came along and the two of them started talking. Then both these Ikea guys just went away without as much as an 'excuse me' to the woman and her children. When he came back a few minutes later she told him he should apologise to her. At this point he became aggressive and told her to go somewhere else as he was not going to serve her. She asked him to call the manager but he refused and said she could just go and find him herself.

I was angry on her behalf and I asked the girl who was helping me to get the manager. She said she was new and didn't have a phone and I should do it myself. Obviously I wasn't going to do that and lose my place in the queue.

To cut it short, she was very nice but just hadn't been trained and didn't know how to find our stuff on the computer. At this point, we remembered what we had let ourselves in for. Even if she found our stuff on the computer, we'd have to find the stuff in the warehouse shelves and load it in a trolley, then queue for checkout, then join a longer queue to take the stuff off the trolley and give it back to Ikea so they could deliver it. Then they'd not deliver on the right day, bits would be missing etc. etc.

So we just walked out. Normally I'd be furious when something like this happens but this time I was quite content because we had done the right thing. If consumers don't vote with their feet, shops would have no motive to improve.

Unfortunately, Ikea is in a class of its own. It is mind-bogglingly popular. When a new Ikea opened in London recently, there were fights among customers for the best bargains. Our local store opens till midnight on weekdays and till 11pm on Saturdays. So Ikea know they already have more customers than they know what to do with. Why should they spend money on improving service when they are already making money at full capacity?

If people had a bit more self-respect and refused to put up with their service, they'd have to improve. But go to an Ikea on a Sunday afternoon and you will see just how little self-respect people have...

jockettuk

dont like the stuff so dont use them...

Mr_Skint_2

Hang on you say you are lucky to live near an Ikea, are you bonkers

The only thing big and blue I wanna live near is a huge pile of Five pound notes.

jockettuk

Mr_Skint wrote:

Hang on you say you are lucky to live near an Ikea, are you bonkers

The only thing big and blue I wanna live near is a huge pile of Five pound notes.

count yourself lucky as in peterborough we have a HUGGGEEEEE ikea warehouse taking up a lot of area and the nearest store is 40 miles away so we get all the traffic for all the other stores..

Davidboy

I too hate Ikea, we had a problem a while back. Found this computer desk my daughter wanted, got it through checkout...eventually!! Then as you say have to hand it back to them to deliver it, (was far too big for car). Delivery was £27, for a 10 mile journey. They said they would deliver it on this day, but I said not convenient could you deliver the next day, certainly they said that will cost you £10 storage. Oh boy did I let rip, wife and kids did a scarper, too embarrassed to stay by me.

They would not relent, either I took delivery when they said or I paid storage. My wife had to take the day off work to be at home when THEY wanted to deliver it. Trouble is, you have been through check out, it won't fit in the car what are you supposed to do? You have no choice but to bow down to them...hate...hate....hate......


D

CrazyChemist_2

Personally I've promised myself I'll never go there, neither will any of my family or friends for that matter. Precisely because of their Customer Service and crap store layout.

Mr_Skint_2

I live near the Ikea store In easton Bristol, did you know that the local council Never made a compulsory purchase on houses Nr the new store, Basically walk to your front gate and touch the stores cladding, and the peoples houses are in permanent blue light, The Council must take backhanders off Ikea for such a dumb placed store.

greenwich

There was something in the Sunday Times today about Ikea flat-pack homes. I didn't read it and it's not on their website but I think it must be the same story as this: http://www.myfinances.co.uk/property/housing-market/housing-overall-supply/ikea-targets-first-time-buyers-with-flat-pack-homes-$7718285.htm The punchline is at the end where it says that people will have to buy these homes in an Ikea store. You couldn't make it up. :rotfl:

zodiac

greenwich wrote:

It is mind-bogglingly popular. When a new Ikea opened in London recently, there were fights among customers for the best bargains

The battle of Ikea :rotfl: As it is known localy

A friend of mine went for the opening and was lucky (!?) enought to be one of the only few people alowed in. The girl in front of her got caught up in the rush and had her arm broken!

They charge £1 for parking to go visit the new London store. £1! The car park is enormous and the only thing that next to it is a Tesco which has free parking around it, so theres no point to the charge.

Becles

I went to Ikea once. I'd just decorated my bedroom and was struggling to find a slim full length mirror with a frame to match the decor. I was happy when an Ikea catalogue dropped through the door with exactly what I wanted advertised.

I went off to the local store with my children to pick it up. My boys saw the play area and asked if they could go in there. A lady said they were allowed in for half an hour, which I thought was ample time to pick up a mirror, so away they went.

I entered the store and was quite surprised I couldn't go direct to the mirror department. There's a path through the store and everyone has to shuffle round it. I shuffled through bedrooms, kitchens, dining rooms and living rooms before I found the mirrors.

I collected the mirror and started my shuffle through bathrooms when a lady tannoyed "Miss Becles, please collect your children from the playarea". I didn't know how to get back to the play area, so shuffled on through studies looking for the exit. The tanoy lady came back "Miss Becles, please pick up your children immediately!!!". I saw a man and explained what the problem was. He said I couldn't go back to the store entrance with the mirror as I'd miss the tills. He offered to store the mirror in a corner for me, and showed me a secret staff only passage. This led me back to the play area.

I collected the children but by this time, the man had gone and the door marked "staff only" was closed. There were no other staff members around, so we had to start the room shuffle again. Got back to studies and collected the mirror, then shuffled on through childrens rooms, kitchen utensils, plants, lighting, textiles, and a big warehouse.

Finally found the till and paid for the mirror, then struggled back across the car park with it, as I'd had to park miles away.

It took over an hour just to buy 1 mirror and I came away stressed and fed up with shuffling round things I didn't want to look at.

Never ever again!!!

sooz

has anyone ever tried to buy one of their very large mirrors. we did, and then went to have it delivered, with a whole load of mirrored wardrobes. delivery people would take the wardrobes, but not the mirrors, coz they might break it. did point out the wardrobes had mirrors too, but they were ok. some glass good - other glass bad [both packed up in boxes]

why did it not say in the shop, you will be forced to walk home with this, as it doesn't fit into any normal car, and our delivery staff are too scared to deliver it. so we called a cab, and for less than ikea's delivery charge, we had a large mpv with seats taken out follow us home with everything.

ignore their delivery 'service' and call a cab, it's soooo much cheaper. [that store used to have a cab desk in it too]