Ikea SUCKS!

Hofo,

I do think that Ikea could be difficult to deal with if you don't have experience with them. I would also use a contractor that has installed Ikea as well. I would not let me client go at it alone. We just ask them to pick out the style of cabinet, then give them a drawing to approve. We then go to Ikea order the cabinets, if in stock we take the cabinets with us and deliver that day. it is actually a pretty east process

I have only had great experience with IKEA cabinets and their staff.

Much of what you say, and the tone with which you say it, makes me wonder if the problem isn't you.

Item 1 makes me think you got testy with the person helping you.

Item 2 is certainly fishy. Did whoever signed for your order cross-check with your receipt? Did they inspect for damge, as one would with any delivery? Did you order drawers with your base cabinets? Were they shown on the receipt? Was your brain turned on when you placed your order? Was anyone's brain turned on when the delivery came?

Item 3 is simply wrong. Ikea backs their products 100%. In the few instances where a delivery has had hidden damage or even where i have broken a part myself, Ikea has always bent over backwards to accomodate me.

Perhaps you're not cut out for a project where you spec out and order product? Maybe you should just use a designer who handles all for you?

For the most part, Primer and yikes are correct.

I ordered kitchen cabinets once through a certified Ikea installer, and it was a breeze. Another time through the national phone center, helped by a very knowledgable kitchen specialist. The only downside to the latter was that the standard order is a little shelf-heavy. Not a big deal.

The ordering process is difficult because what seems like one item to the consumer is actually a whole bunch of separate items slammed together to form, say, a 30" base cabinet with double doors; or a 30-inch base cabinet with drawer units. The individual items are what actually need to be ordered. Down to each individual shelf. So there's a lot of room for error, and everybody (Ikea, contractor, consumer) needs to triple-check carefully at every stage.

The Hicksville store is unusual in that it is (I've been told) a franchised location owned by the former manager of that store, not corporate owned. Otherwise, Ikea would have closed it because the space is too small and set up poorly for the chain's purpose. Some policies differ, and it's possible they don't have the same inventory system as the chain.

Let's not blame the victim, it's simply that what Alan said about the Hicksville store is true. It has been a nightmare for many. In any case, buying Ikea cabinets is not an easy DIY experience. Navigating through the cabinet catalogue can make you dizzy. You're better off with a contractor who has Ikea experience and will do exactly what Primer does. OP, I sympathize.

renovated my kitchen about 4 years ago, purchased everything at Paramus, N.J. store. Ordered, assembled and installed everything by myself. Very straight forward process...

Renovated my kitchen a few years ago, purchased everything at Paramus IKEA. as i recall it was pretty seamless transaction. As long as you do you homework it shouldn't be that difficult to purchase and install IKEA kitchen...

Primer05,

What's your contact info? We're thinking of redoing our kitchen in Ikea cabinets.

I agree that Ikea can be a hassle but there stuff is stylish and cheap so I put up with the headaches. You can order stuff online and have it delivered and once they did not give me everything in my order so Ikea shipped the missing item to me at no charge. I don't think they regularly do that

ordered my kitchen from Ikea Elizabeth.
had to wait 3 wks for delivery (not in stock).
was notified that the delivery came in.
schedule a time to pick up.
arrive to pick it up and go through the inventory list. find 1/4 of the items missing.
they call the store and find out the items are in stock.
go to the store with only 2 people in front of me.
45 minutes later the guy sends the order back to be compiled.
1 1/2 hr later the times are bought out after i called for the manager.
this was a very cold winter weekday with almost no customers.

brought the cabinets home to find that the bottom of the sink cabinet had a small scratch. while installing the sink and faucet, had a little water drip. the crappy MDF bubbled. now you have a new kitchen with granite on top and you're sink cabinet f$&%ed.
sold the apartment and will never buy an Ikea kitchen again.

kitchens should be made of plywood not MDF/particle board.

i have 4 other friends that did their kitchens with Ikea (2004-2008) and all of them had missing parts, damaged parts, incorrect doors, etc. buy chinese, it's made better.

When you call 917-440-7749, mention you read there is a free 42 inch built in subzero awarded just for the first 1000 quote/estimate customers.
coupon code: Marion Bass

JWL2672

You can reach me by email primerenovations@mac.com or call 646-436-3942

To view my work: www.primerenovationsnyc.com.

Look at the blog to see some Ikea kitchens

when did streeteasy become a red light district for contractor-types?

I also once got shipped the wrong door for a cabinet.

All things considered, I don't think Ikea is worth it given the quality and the hassle.... especially with lots of choices like CB2, room and board, etc.

Hell, go to gothic cabinet craft for cheap solid wood.

But I don't think spending a little more on something that lasts actually costs you money, I think it saves you...

wha??? gothinc cabinet is shayt and about 3x more than ikea. also, other options are better quality but at much higher prices. you want quality that will last you certainly don't go to cb2 or room and board or ikea.

I've had Bo Concept stuff fall apart. CB2 and West Elm have been the most consistent.

Gothic cabinet craft is solid wood, ikea is the opposite. I have a desk/table I bought 15 years ago, still going strong. and it certainly wasn't 3x more than ikea. I also have one of their dressers.

nothing fancy, but Ikea doesn't last one move.... West Elm lasted one move, and went bust on the second (its the fabricated wood stuff). I had a unit where me twisting the screw broke the screw! fairly cheap chinese stuff.

as of late, i've been buying ethan allen. pottery barn and C&B... turns out they have a lot of ply too. EA is the most solid of the stuff I've seen.... and not much more expensive.

btw, at gothic, make sure it is their own solid wood stuff... they occasionally do slip in a 3rd party thing. I'm talking about the solid wood bookcases/tables/dressers, etc.

agree! don’t install IKEA kitchens if you are planning on using it :)

I have installed over 40 Ikea kitchens I have never heard of any problems at all. As far as CB2 and West Elm, I like them both. My console table is from West Elm (which I now have to replace after 3 years as the stain is peeling off and not worth restaining it. My white lacquer kitchen table cost $499.00 from CB2 and I need a new one after 3 years. For the prices I paid I do not have a problem with that. These stores also do not make kitchen cabinets. They are not hi priced items and I do not expect them to last. I think for the money Ikea's hardware is excellent and so is the finish.

As a contractor that has a millshop I would have no problem installing an Ikea kitchen in my own home.

For everyone that says Ikea is not good I would like to hear what happened that makes you feel that way

top end ikea cabs are great--they even have shock absorbing hinges these days

i can detect no diff btwn ikea and brokhaven (have installed both--and even after conning brokkhaven into selling direct to me wholesale, based on my invention that i was an architect using in my office--they were more than double the cost of comp ikea

suggestion for all this flat pack self-assembeld stuff--use a bead of monster glue on seams and fittings and in screw holes (use latex gloves, monster glue is scary on the skin)--shit's rock solid if assembled this way

oh and obviously use a cordless drill wherever possible

i used Adel beech/beech veneer doors. after cleaning them 3 times, lines started appearing on the door insets. had to align doors every 6 months because they keep getting out of alignment. there's sometimes a slight variation in size of the doors that is noticeable once they are put on cabinets.

primer keeps saying that his clients are happy. i was somewhat happy when then were installed, i hated them 3 yrs later. that included the cabinet particle board garbage and the doors. if you like high gloss, you can get their doors. i would avoid their cabinets like the plague.

First, disclaimer: I don't think I have even seen an Ikea kitchen, and I have no opinions about it. So, I obviously can't comment on their delivery/order accuracy.

With this said, if one of the biggest criticisms people have about Ikea cabinets is that they aren't made of wook and they, instead, are made of composite, then I must point out that my $35,000 Allmilmo cabinets aren't made of wood, either. I do believe they are made of composite--yet they are considered among the best, no?

I should also add that it took them over 4 months to deliver a set of cabinets--wrong cabinets...which delayed the reno process tremendously.

Also, before deciding on Allmilmo, I did look at Poggenpohl cabinets--and I thought they, too, were made of composite (and some aluminum)... Maybe the composite/resin used for Ikea cabinets are inferior to that used for Allmilmo/Poggenpohl?

On a side note, at both showrooms, the salespeeps said composite cabinets were far superior to wood cabinets because wood cabinets expand and contract depending on the temperature and humidity; in addition, different parts of the cabinet would expand/contract at different rates. As a result, any paint or finish will inevitably crack over time.

Clinton Buyer,

Very well said. The same goes for most hi-end cabinets you find in stores like Poggenpohl. In our Millshop we use plywood and I still, at least in Manhattan use Ikea kitchen cabinets and spend on other items like appliances, higher end sink and faucet, etc

I found that IKEA was one of the worst run businesses I had ever seen.

with the composite cab boxes, if there are built with glue, they are bomb proof

The biggest issue with IKEA is that they give you one shot to review everything that was delivered. When I did my apartment two years ago we did an IKEA kitchen and also had other pieces delivered. It was a full 3 palates in the truck and took up half of what would become my daughters room. There is no way that anyone could inspect every single box and know that everything arrived correctly.

it turned out later on that there were multiple issues that had I not owned an SUV I would have been able to resolve easily. One box that was supposed to be a white base cabinet was birch. It turns out instead of taking returned inventory out of stock as they were supposed to, they let it be given to me. The box said white and had the right number, so who was to know. I also had multiple doors that had imperfections. Once again there is no way to know until they are taken out to be put on.

I found the return and exchange process to be pretty easy. We mostly used the paramus store, however we did go to elizabeth and brooklyn store also.

I find complaints about IKEA to be troublesome in the sense that all the information is out there on what you are buying and what the process will be like.

Also in reading through the original post my one question is if she went to the store to purchase then she should have been aware of what was there and what was not, damage aside. I checked my whole order prior to it going to delivery company and except for the pieces in the wrong box order was correct. I actually found some errors on what they had pulled and they fixed it on the spot.

A lot comes down to peoples expectations.

we bought from brooklyn heights, loved the price, 4 out of 5 for the buying experience.

i'd do it again but only because it was so cheap.

photos here - http://www.collins.net.pr/Photo/USA/New%20York/135%20Henry%20St%2C%20Brooklyn/3.%20Final%20Outcome/slides/2009_09290095.htm

Nice!

the composite issue is minimal, the cover of the composite is the problem. the highend cabinet makers put on a thick layer of formica or melamine inside the cabinets so that they can withstand day to day use. ikea puts on a layer that you can scratch off with a finger nail.

Ab,

Its not a matter of formic or melamine. In our shop we use a melamine plywood where as most store bought cabinets are made with presswood. It is not so much the cover as it is the composite. We don't use a thicker melamine. That being said I still would not have a problem putting Ikea in my own kitchen. I have installed so many Ikea kitchens I have lost count but I have yet to receive one call complaining about them. Keep in mind I make much more money using my millshop and have nothing to gain by recommending Ikea

I have IKEA cabinets and had some of the ordering issues mentioned, but am very happy. My contractor had used IKEA only once or twice before but had no trouble with it ... I bought some extra shelves and he built me a custom unit for the end of the kitchen island -- all going strong 4 years later.

I also have had built custom bookcases by Little Wolf on the East Side and they're for the ages. Old fashioned quality matching moldings in my West End Ave prewar. They built the pieces in the shop and assembled it onsite. Long time ago -- don't remember the price but considered it reasonable at the time.

agreed re IKEA---and also Little Wolf---i have used them a few time, always with great results/prices and a quick,easy process---havent used in a while, so not sure of current prices, but they have been in business for a loooong time, and woiuld have jacked prices long ago if that was their intention

Little Wolf is great, I recommend them to many clients if budget is a concern and if you don't mind the finish not being a sprayed lacquer. Little Wolf will give you a great piece but it then has to either be painted onsite or brought somewhere else and then sprayed.