Never, in the whole of my life, have I researched so many products, visited so many showrooms, talked to so many salespeople, ordered so many things & spent so much money. Apart from the actual building materials, everything in my house has been sourced by me. I know more about every product & building process than I ever thought possible. I also know more about the things that can go wrong on a build like this than I could have anticipated.
Each step forward has been matched by problems. One of the main issues is delivery. Some companies are excellent. They communicate well, they are flexible, they respond positively to the clients difficulties. When a house is uninhabited & the builders are generally only there between 8 - 4 on weekdays, receiving goods can be a nightmare.
Mobile phones are a godsend. Delivery companies should be able to phone, text or email the customer giving notice about delivery slots. Preferably 24 hours in advance & then perhaps 30 minutes before arriving. Taking a photo of the goods at the premises proves delivery. Also taking photos of damaged goods & packaging provides proof for the customer.
Sometimes this all goes completely wrong. Ikea has been a nightmare to deal with. I ordered a lot of Pax wardrobe frames & fittings for 2 bedrooms in December. The products I ordered showed available on the website. So I ordered, paid & got delivery dates. That to me is a contract. Then, often close to delivery, I got emails saying that some products were unavailable & I had been refunded. There is no reliable system for the customer to be notified when these products become available. You just have to keep checking on the website. Your order isn't given any priority & you are in competition with everyone else who might want to buy those items. In fact you might order & pay & go through the whole loop again.
Ikea don't give you information about the time slot until a 6am text on the morning of delivery. My mobile is normally switched off overnight. There may be very little time between the text & arrival. This doesn't work if a house is unoccupied. You can't contact anyone at Ikea. Their whole communication system is not customer friendly or fit for purpose.
I was given the first delivery date after Christmas. In fact they tried to deliver, very early in the morning, just before Christmas day, on a date I hadn't been notified about. So then on the date I did know, half of the stuff went to my house & half went to Bristol! Why wasn't everything on one van? They told my builders it would arrive the next day. It never arrived. It was all supposed to arrive yesterday. No contact & no delivery!
I found the email of the CEO Europe & complained. He put someone in charge of sorting this mess out. I am still without all of the wardrobe frames & most of the shelves & some fittings. 3 of the shelves I have got are broken. I've had to pay for delivery more than once. I don't want money. I want everything I ordered & paid for. Ikea seems completely unable to do that. Their system & communication is useless.
I can't cancel the order. It's too late. I'm committed because I have some items & ordered sliding doors from another company. I move into the house in just over 3 weeks.
A big international company like Ikea should have better systems in place than this. I'm a fan of the furniture. It's well made. The customer service is abysmal. I understand all of the supply chain problems, but Ikea have had plenty of time to respond to Brexit & Covid & ensure that their website is up to date & communication & delivery is effective.
Ikea says
"finding solutions to “impossible” challenges is what made us successful". I haven't seen any evidence of that.
"We want to challenge conventions and drive positive changes in our industry and sometimes even in the world. We are restless doers, driven by curiosity, enthusiasm and a desire to create a better world". My dealings with Ikea have wasted huge amounts of time & caused me huge stress & frustration.
"Our vision (is) to create a better everyday life for the many people". Sadly, not for me. It's been a journey of incompetence.
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