Ikea

08/03/07

Avoid this place

by ctmitten at Citysearch

I own Innovative Flooring, a local contractor to Seattle. So i have used, installed and lived on more IKEA than just about anyone. They are incredibly unorganized and understocked regularly. Their customer service is terrible due to undertraining. The materials are mediocre at best. Returning stuff can be a serious pain, especially if you write a check. The flooring is a joke. DO NOT BUY THEIR FLOORING. Transitions are from a third party and dont match, if they are in stock. I ordered 700 feet of laminate, tried to find transitions, and they had none. I asked when they would get some, they didnt know. I alsked to talk to a manager and found that it was the manager that knew nothing about how it worked. I am still waiting on one pice of hallarum base for cabinets i did in October of 2006. Apparently it was a health hazard? But will one day come back. Cabinets are easy to install, but tricky to keep from damaging. The flooring seminar they have to teach you how to install is halarious. They actually instruct you to use a handsaw? IKEA is a basement bargain company that keeps its overhead as low as possible despite growing profits every year.

You even have to pay for plastic bags. How much worse can it get? You know anywhere else that charges for plastic bags?

I dont suggest Home Depot or Lowes for cabinetry either. They tell you one price and the quote typically ends up MUCH higher. They are a dishonest corporation. You must watch that on all the quotes of any kind you get. They sell fairly good products if you are choosey. Installers are also mediocre at best due to a low quality requirement by the company. Shop around, get at LEAST three quotes and pick the one in the middle. For materials, shop around prices, and then scour the internet and you can usually find huge discounts.

You get what you pay for. That will never change. You want cheap, you will get cheap. You want high end, you will spend for high end. Be realistic.

11/08/06

Huge selection!

by jags999 at Citysearch

This place is enormous!!! Plan to stay awhile so you can check out a bunch of stuff that's worth checking out. They have a great selection of affordable furniture. If you like the Scandinavian style, you'll like this place!

07/25/06

Internet Order / Online Service Stink

by eka216 at Citysearch

One would think that for such a big, international company, it would be well organized, right? Not the case! I tried to order two chairs online since there isn't a store nearby. The website and my confirmation email clearly state that I'll have my chairs within 5-10 business days. When I called to check on the status (notice you have to CALL- you can't check online!), the service rep tells me it always takes at least three weeks. I explain my confusion and she says something to the effect of "I don't know why they tell you 5-10 days. It's almost always three weeks." It wouldn't be so bad except I paid 30% of the cost of each chair in shipping. Ouch. Also, there is not a form to email with questions or concerns online. They do have good products, but their online service stinks!

• Pros: cool furniture
• Cons: crappy service