IKEA

Do not shop here. We spent around $2,000 which included delivery of a few shelving units and a large wardrobe (delivery, assembly, and mounting to the wall itself cost around $500). But if I could go back in time, I would have never done it.



The first crew came 5 hours late (they were supposed to come at 2pm, they came at 7pm). Third of the items were broken. The crew didn't even want to take them back, when I called the delivery company (arranged by IKEA), they hung up on me and told me either they take everything back or nothing. IKEA was unreachable (we waited for an hour on the phone). We took the risk and told the crew to take the broken items back, and fix whatever was OK. They were complete amateurs, most of the time half of the guys were resting, they came unprepared and it took them hours to even bring the items (it's as if they never moved a heavy box). They assembled some of the pieces wrong (top on the bottom, nails next to the boards (not through them), and the mounting to the wall took them hours (I would have done a better job). They took until 10pm, and that was about half of the job that they were supposed to do. They even broke our blind cover.



After complaining to IKEA, we had to wait for 24 hours for them to "investigate" the case. They got back to us, and arranged delivery and assembly of the remaining items in a week. The crew came, but they said they were not paid to assemble the entire wardrobe, only the parts that they brought. They said they were also not paid to mount the wardrobe to the wall (we paid for that, but apparently IKEA and DYNAMEX (delivery/assembly company) did not care). We spent 3 hours on the phone either waiting for IKEA representative or being transfered. We got hung up on us twice. After hours they at least mounted the wardrobe to the wall, but the job was left unfinished. We were also told that the first crew actually broke one drawer, which we didn't notice (they dropped a bunch of boxes as they were carrying them up). IKEA didn't want to replace the item unless we would bring it back, and when I said I paid for the delivery, they hung up on me again (so I had to come to IKEA in person and wait for an hour to arrange a replacement, and then for another 30 minutes to get the actual replacement).



Now we are waiting for the third crew to come tomorrow, and finish the job. We really hope that after 14+ hours of our time that we had to spend waiting for the crew or assisting them or on the phone to make sure we get what we paid for, tomorrow's 2 hour visit will actually finish it up. Lesson: Do not buy at this store. We are going to file a formal complaint with the company HQ, file a complaint with BBB, and request a formal apology. I hope this review saves your time and trouble.



PS: Both of us really loved IKEA before, but apparently the store is very different in Europe and Asia than here. Waste of time and money.

Love IKEA and its business model. But the East Palo Alto store is ok, it feels small and tight inside this location by the 101 FWY. Parking feels very tight there. I appreciate that its on the lower peninsula. But if you can head out to the Emeryville - you should try that branch, its feels more spacious and has more parking. Overall, there are some great buys at IKEA. definitely checkout their website or catalog before going, it helps to know what you want and be prepared to bring ur digital camera to so you can track which items you like.

I find the displays, and prices excellent. Would like to see a few more clerks around to answer questions, but on the whole I enjoy coming to Ikeal