I love IKEA, I hate IKEA.

[Rayne]

So I've had my eyes on this leather sofa at IKEA for months now. My girlfriend and I moved into a small house on Mt. Washington overlooking the city of Pittsburgh and we had little-to-no furniture, and piece by piece, we've been bringing it together, but the one piece missing was "The" couch.

So I spotted this one, with the ottoman:

I wanted it in black, as that's my favorite color and I wanted to go "modern" in my living room.

So I bought an HDTV & surround sound system from my work (Best Buy) a few months back and tracked down my favorite ever home entertainment furniture that IKEA ever made via craigslist and BAM, I was almost set. We were just missing the couch.

Tonight after work, my brother asked me to run to IKEA with him, as he just moved into a place with his girlfriend and needed a coffee table. My girlfriend happened to meet us and we went to good old IKEA. Low and behold, on the way out, there sat MY COUCH in the as-is section. There was a large dent in the rear of the couch from an obviously failed delivery, and I thought, no way will I buy this. Then I saw the price. The normally $900 couch was $475. My girlfriend looked at me and said, "Where do we sign up for that credit card?"

To make short this already long story, we bought the couch and the matching ottoman, which was also nearly 50% off and had just a few scratches on the metal legs.

What's my gripe? How ridiculously bad IKEA's customer service was. I've worked in retail for 3 years, and this was just awful. I've come to deliver and expect quality assistance, especially when I'm making a substantial purchase, and nearly everyone we talked to to help us either couldn't, wouldn't, or acted like we were wearing turbans or swastikas.

I guess I didn't have much of a point to post, other than to rant about how bittersweet the monster named IKEA is. I guess I feel a little bit better now that I've shared my happiness over saving $600+ on my leather set of furniture and my disgruntlement over the service I received. I'm calling their customer feedback to let them know about both.

Anyone else here have any good/bad IKEA stories?

 

[Movies205]

Dude I thought you were chick, I feel so let down but at least htis allows me the experience of finding out my date has bigger... (Fill in the blank) than me!

 

[Mr Sparkle]

their furniture is cheap, yet flimsy.

it's a love hate thing I have with them.
back in college I loved them!!!!! but now, I look for sturdier stuff though it might prove a bit costlier

 

[Rayne]

their furniture is cheap, yet flimsy.

it's a love hate thing I have with them.
back in college I loved them!!!!! but now, I look for sturdier stuff though it might prove a bit costlier

I always felt the same way. I quit shopping there for years after an early college spree left me with a bunch of junk, but have been going back lately. And like I said, I work at Best Buy, and I make "okay" money...but like I said, I work at Best Buy, lol.

 

[Slipknot]

We recently just got an IKEA around here, it's like an hour or so away and yet everyone seems to go all the way out there just to shop. I have never been there and I hope I won't be going anytime soon... but it seems people get addicted to the place.

 

[Mr Sparkle]

it's the free use of umlauts, it's hypnotic!

 

[Rayne]

Dude I thought you were chick, I feel so let down but at least htis allows me the experience of finding out my date has bigger... (Fill in the blank) than me!

I don't know what your post is even trying to mean.


Just remember, you're 18. In 5 years, you'll begin doing what I'm now doing, thinking about buying a house, having nice things, preparing for the future. As you ripen you begin to value these things.

Unless, of course, you're one of the one's that never grows out of needles, Nintendo's, or mom's basement. But whatever makes you happy. Buying nice **** makes me happy, and I don't give a good goddamn how superficial that makes me!

 

[twylight]

I've never had a problem with IKEA.

Their furniture is flimsy, but I've never kept any of it 'as-is' I've always altered it in someway be it structurally or colorwise.

 

[Phaser]

My room : IKEA catalog pg-147...yeah, all of it.

 

[twylight]

*runs to get IKEA Book*

 

[Mr Sparkle]

Twy's avatar is Hypnotizing me!!!!! arghhhhhhhhh!

 

[bored]

I've never shopped at IKEA.

 

[jaguarr]

I really dislike IKEA's products. Very cheaply made and not built to last in my experience.

jag

 

[Exploding Boy]

"And I wasn't the only slave to my nesting instinct. The people I know who used to sit in the bathroom with pornography, now they sit in the bathroom with their IKEA furniture catalogue. ~Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, Chapter 5"

"You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you're satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you've got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you. ~Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, Chapter 5"

 

[Batty for Bats!]

Considering its suppose to be modern, I guess they design it in a way to be flimsy. But if you are happy with it, good. I do like the slick design tho. Looks pleasing

 

[Carter]

Everything I buy from Ikea has problems.
The cheap balsa wood they sell you always splinters and the hard goddamn edges on all their stuff is great for banging your shins into

 

[Batty for Bats!]

Everything I buy from Ikea has problems.
The cheap balsa wood they sell you always splinters and the hard goddamn edges on all their stuff is great for banging your shins into

Stop buying from Ikea then?

 

[redmarvel]

We've bought a bit of our shelving from Ikea. We buy it as we need it.

Biggest problem, the colour we like one year isn't carried the next, so nothing matches. We have a set of shelves that look almost like oak, but they stopped carrying them. So when we next wanted shelves we thought the cherrywood looked nice. The next time around, that was gone too and we had to settle for "dark brown".

Our other problem, we wanted to get the glass doors for the front, but they don't make them to fit all the sizes of shelves they have. So... no glass doors for the CD storage cases or the corner units.

 

[kane9321]

hate ikea..my girl however just loves the crap they sell...its flimsy and doesnt last long

 

[sinewave]

So, you're saying you weren't wearing your swastika that day?



I keed, I keed!

 

[chamber-music]

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

I find IKEA to be the most overrated junk ever. Don't get why everyone loves it so. About 10 years, I got a bookcase from them. About 3 months after assembling it, the shelves began to sag in the middle and it just got worse over the next year, eventually giving them all a U-shaped appearance. Had to throw it away. Also got a bed-frame from them, which was of course like all IKEA furniture, a pain in the ass to assemble and it started to seperate at the seams after six months. And before anyone says its my craftsmanship, different friends helped on the two pieces and we followed the directions to a T. Never getting IKEA stuff again.

 

[Lily Adler]

It's cheap furniture that lasts until you get new ones. It's for your first apartment until you get a girlfriend and decide to get 'antique' furniture to develop an 'eclectic' style.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

But that's the thing. It's not THAT cheap anymore.

Honestly, despite its somewhat shady reputation, people are better off getting second-hand furniture off of craigslist if they're hurting for cash.

(just careful of the murderers)

 

[Lily Adler]

Amen. I saw the episode of SVU where the girl is killed with a stiletto heel.