Here's our story:
After years of hearing people rave about their furniture we decided to spend some money and buy a new coffee table. We thought we had found the greatest table when we decided on the Lamborn Coffee Table from IKEA. It is a multifunction table where half of the table top can be lifted out, turned around, re-inserted into it's leg holes and thus turned into a work/eating table. See below:
After three months the table top that is removable broke! The arm that pulls out and then gets reinserted when the table top is reversed, as is in the second picture, pulled out of the wood top; anchors and all. (See below.) One would think that this would be built in such a way that this stress point could and should withstand more than three months of use.
Now I am being told that because it is past the 45 day warranty period they have no responsibility to me or their merchandise. Imagine that; the biggest furniture company in the world will not stand behind their furniture for more than 45 days. How absurd is that!
Worse is the service I have received over the phone with regards to this. First I was told that there was a one year warranty on the materials. Then I was cut off while being transferred to the claims department. Then upon phoning back I was transferred to a person whose accent was so heavy I couldn't understand a word they were saying. After they slowed down and started annunciating in English I was able to convey my message to him upon which I was transferred again, but this time not before being told that I was out of luck. When protesting that decision to the next person I was told that it was my fault and had the customer service 'manager' (more on that later) yell at me about how he didn't know how I was using the table. All the while admitting that this should not have happened.
Sensing that I would get nowhere with this person I asked to talk to his superior. At this point I was told that I could not and a case number would be given to me and I would be added to a Supervisor Call Back list. I would hear from someone within 24 to 48 hours. I was not happy about this but what else could I do? So I waited, and waited and waited some more until 5 days later I called them back! When I got the customer service rep on the phone I immediately asked for his manager. He replied that he was the manager. After speaking with him for a moment and explaining the situation I quickly came to the realization that they all consider themselves "Customer Service Managers" and I will get nowhere with this fellow. In any event he puts me on hold for over 10 minutes while he retrieves the case file, only to have him tell me that I am out of luck and will not receive any assistance what-so-ever from IKEA, all the while insisting that they do indeed stand behind their products. I find this a very bizarre way of standing behind ones products. So yet again I insist on talking to his 'superior,' a term that I figure he may actually understand. He insists that I will get the same answer from whomever I talk to and again tells me that I can't talk to anyone right now and I can if I want go back on the call back list and wait at least 5 more days for a call.
So here I am, waiting for a call from someone who is supposedly a supervisor or manager or whatever the hell they call the next person up the chain. Still not at all satisfied with what's going on here and still sitting with a 3 month old broken table. Grrrrrrr.
Have any similar experiences with IKEA? Want to share that experience? Something tells me I'm not the only one going through this. If you want to share your experience please send me a comment and I will either post your story here for you or get you to do it. Don't let the biggest furniture company in the world get away with this!
TAGS: ikea sucks! | ikea | IKEA | furniture
