Ikea Canada: WTF?
A few months ago, we needed more desks for our office, so I figured I’d order them from the Ikea website. Easy to do, except that the Ikea.ca store doesn’t work with US credit cards, and our corporate card is a US card. So I bite my tongue about the craziness of e-commerce in Canada, knowing it’s not just an Ikea problem, and I use my personal card, and will deal with expensing it internally. Annoying, but oh well.
Then I’m blown away because delivery takes eons, because the desks have to come from the “online distribution center” in Quebec (“it’s Canada, so it’s got to be close, right?”), and not from either of the two warehouses within 20 miles of the delivery address (who do have the items in stock!). But I’m busy, so I live w/ the delay. Environmentally criminal, but oh well.
This month, we need more desks, and I’ve learned my lesson, so I know to take time out of my weekend to go to Ikea, order the desks and chairs. After about 45 minutes in the store, it looks like we’ll have delivery on Tuesday morning. A few high-end desks and what seems like their most expensive chairs, but I have a soft spot for Ikea, and their furniture is working out fine for us.
Turns out the chairs aren’t in stock, so they have to be scheduled for delivery a few weeks out and delivery has to be charged separately. Annoying, and a bit more expensive, but oh well.
Monday, they call and say that we hadn’t talked about delivery times (we had), and we reschedule it for the same day/time. Seems disorganized, but oh well.
Tuesday, they come and call my cell to let us know they’re downstairs, but I’m on the phone on an important call, and I thought it was someone else, so I figure I’ll get the message when I’m done with my call. By the time I get off the phone, I’m told they went on with their route, and I need to reschedule another delivery, which will cost me $75. Frustrating, but I blame it on the olympics and how it’s messing with deliveries everywhere, and blame myself for not taking the call, but oh well.
I call back to reschedule, and I’m told that I need to go back to the store to reschedule, because I need to pay for another delivery. WTF? After a bit of back and forth with the CSR, I ask to talk to a manager, and I’m told to do that I need to go to the store. WTF? I then ask about canceling the order, and I’m told that, you guessed it, I need to go back to the store.
Oh, if I want to lodge a complaint, I can do it on their website. I’ll definitely be sending them a link to this page.
I guess I know what I’m doing this weekend. What I’m not sure of is where I’ll get the next batch of furniture from. What a totally horrible customer experience, just because they don’t have a system for paying over the phone (or, hey, the internet?!?!) for silly delivery fees.
I had a similar problem with Ikea. I ordered a TV stand but some of the parts weren’t in stock so I went home with half a unit. I came back the next week and asked them for the rest of the parts. They had all but one (The bracket to hold the TV on the wall unit). They filled out the forms to order it.
The order never showed up. I had to re-order it from the same Montreal warehouse 3 times before it showed up (~6 weeks in total – in the meantime my TV was on the floor). Before reordering it the third time I decided to look up if any Ikea’s near by had the part. The Burlington store I ordered from was out. But numerous stores in the Toronto area had the parts. North York had 27 of the brackets. Get on the phone, ask them to send it from the North York Ikea and they refused. It has to come from Montreal.
The lesson I learned – If Ikea doesn’t have it in the store, they don’t have it. Go elsewhere.
IKEA is completely unreliable for business / office uses. We ended up getting a great deal on 20+ matching desks from a used place in town (can’t find the link right now).
Staples does next day delivery, and you can get chairs for around $100.
Moral of the story: delivery from IKEA doesn’t work, ordering there will never save you time, and you have to end up biting the bullet and paying more for furniture elsewhere.
Oh man.. I live in Manitoba and they are in early process of building a new store in south-western side of Winnipeg along with many other projects in area. The Ikea store will be 350,000-square-foot or 32,516 m²andIt will be the largest in Canada so far. It will be interesting to see what Ikea is like in person when it is finally open.
http://www.ikeafans.com/home/groundbreaking-at-future-ikea-winnipeg-site/
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/greening-of-lot-a-good-ikea-70604147.html
Yes Winterpeg er.. Winnipeg actually did not have snow as of November 20 lol.
Don’t you guys have doorbells? Or why else would the delivery guys phone you on arrival?
Wow,so much energy in writing and complaining. No real brain work in conflict resolution methodology.Devil in the details. oh well.
Ordered tonnes from ikea yes issues, as with all retailers. Between ..here it comes, ready…..”us” worked out a solution and all went well. Once once we are really ready to be grown ups, then we will stop asking others; companies, customer service reps. et al. to hold our hands…
You were fortunate to get delivery to your door. Good Friend ordered 2 Dining room chairs on-line, paid for delivery… they sent it by Canada post to the post office where he must pick up. This is an 87 year old man with no vehicle. Is this the Customer service they boast about?Needless to say, he won’t be completing his set with IKEA. I and anyone he/I come in contact with will certainly hear how we feel about IKEA. Customer Service (even on personal purchases)seems to be lacking at that Company BIG TIME.
Please note, whether you’re in North America or Europe et.,
If you’re not able to obtain all, eg: complete sets of what you’re
looking for @ any Ikea store jus’ go elsewhere.
I, personally swear by Ikea stores/products hey, I paid to ship my furniture, most from Ikea to Nth America and I don’t regret it for a moment but alas their customer service/returns depts need a complete overhaul their line-ups are just as long as the purchasing check-outs,
which I find confusing and a total waste of time…but be thankful u guys that you don’t have jump in your cars go down some obscure part motorway to get to the pick-up/collections dept as we have to do in the most popular store in a certain part of the U.K.,