Disclaimer: my order was placed online, and not in the store.
I recently swapped out my desk at home for a new desk. My old desk had drawers, but the new one is more "modern" does not. So, after some recommendations online and researching other options, I decided to purchase two Alex drawer units from IKEA on 11/03. This is my first ever IKEA purchase, and it has left a bad taste in my mouth.
As somebody who buys a large portion of my goods online from several other retailers, I felt the online experience left a lot to be desired. Mostly, I was astounded at the cost to have the furniture delivered. Delivery for the two units cost nearly as much as one of the units. Still, the nearest store is 3 hours away, and similar alternative products that I could get at nearby stores had shallower drawers, and smaller dimensions that made me suck it up and pay the fee.
The delivery of the two units arrived on Friday the 11/08. Slower than Amazon prime, but I've dealt with longer delivery windows. I opened the first box to assemble it, and when all was said and done, I wasn't overly impressed, but it was what I expected: a reasonably cheap piece of ready-to-assemble furniture, not much better than an equivalent product from another store.
The second box had a visible tear on the side a few inches long that I could tell went through the box. I had concerns, but hoped it would be alright. As I suspected, the outside of one of the side panels was damaged with a gouge equal in length to the one of the box. I measured it at about 3 inches long.
I contacted IKEA by phone and waited approximately 25 minutes for a customer service representative to come online. I explained that I had received damage merchandise, and he assured me that they would take care of it. He scheduled a new order and pickup of the damaged unit. Things happen, so I tried to be patient and wait for the new unit to be delivered.
The second unit was delivered on 11/19 and they took the damaged unit, still unassembled, in its original box with them. I promptly took the box to my office and began assembling it. I nearly finish the assembly, and while screwing in the cam screws into the top panel, the wood starts to disintegrate two turns of the screwdriver. The hole is so damaged that the cam screw would no longer stay in place. There are three drilled holes on each side of the top panel, so I thought perhaps that I could make it work with just the other two screws. The others do the same thing. I realize later that the holes are not drilled to the same depth as the other side (which should be identical).
So, I called IKEA again. This time the wait was much more reasonable, only about 5 minutes or so. Since the unit is mostly assembled, I asked for them to send only the part, given that two units had problems, I did not want to give up the parts that were not damaged. They checked the size, and said they could ship me the part. They said it could be 5-7 days, but I would have the part.
I was impressed on 11/21, because after only two days, the part had already arrived. I removed the packaging it was shipped in (this time FedEx). It was bubble wrapped inside. I pull it out and one of the corners is damaged. Closer evaluation of the part realized its not the correct part. I thought they sent the bottom panel, but after reviewing the manual, realized its not even a part for the correct item.
I called again, and now have a new case number, they have promised to expedite the request, and hopefully will have the correct part soon.
For my first IKEA experience, this has not left a positive impression. Damaged merchandise happens frequently in shipping, and I can accept that. However, taking four attempts to get the correct part, undamaged, for merchandise that was purchased new is not reassuring. Based on this experience, I do not plan on making another IKEA purchase. This will be the last opportunity for IKEA to make things right before I cancel the entire order and ask for a full refund.
UPDATE: I gave an additional star back The new replacement part has arrived and this time, is the correct part. I have installed the top, and now have the second Alex drawer unit assembled and ready to store. It was a less than stellar experience, but I now have all the items I ordered in a usable fashion. (albeit 25 days after the original order). read more