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The saga of the terrace furniture......

JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
edited April 2021 in The potting shed
Well I thought I would share my latest comedy of errors with you all. Feel free to give a rye laugh followed by a lot of “you should know betters”🙄

almost two months ago we decided it was time to replace the tired plastic table and chairs on the terrace with something new.... much discussion about needs, size, style, etc...

ordered a nice one from Ikea on line, with matching bench and coffee table (wanted to try out two different models of chairs so decided to get thiose after the shop re opened). Easy order, easy pay (taking the money is every websites easies step!). Picked a delivery date, all is well.....

Delivery day get a nice call, can they deliver earlier as they are “in the area” sure, great.

delivery is being bundled into the lift when hubby notices something strange.... that’s a chest of drawers , not a table.... oh yeh and the other boxes are kitchen units..... got the reply, but it’s the right number of boxes! Oh no no way I’m taking reception of the wrong order. Off he goes grumbling that it’s not his fault, must be ikea warehouse, he’s just a sub contracted delivery guy.....

Phone call later saying we have to accept the items and do a claim from Ikea... where the .... am I going to store someone else’s order, no chance. Get email from ikea confirming my delivery has been made...not ...... likely, on phone to customer service..... oh awfully sorry will cancel order and send out again in 15 days.

Don’t like the wait but ok. 15 days pass and no delivery, call customer service.....oh your order is on hold as the original stuff has never been found, you can’t have anything until it’s sorted out. Of course no apology for not telling us, us blocking a day for non existent delivery etc.... best they can do is order a new set and give us another delivery date. Promise it will work this time.. ok give them another chance.

Today should be the day, nice mail this morning conforming the delivery date and time....hurray..... just got a mail... table is now out of stock all over France so they have cancelled the entire order and will refund me in around 15 days! Did not even bother to call me to apologize, just an email.
😬

Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
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  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Name and shame online if they have an FB account, Instagram and the rest.  Have you looked at GammVert and Ma Campagne and the like?

    Have to say I have ordered stuff online form IKEA as Nantes is an hour's trek away and that shop irritates the pants off me anyway and it's all been OK.   Touch wood.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • D0rdogne_DamselD0rdogne_Damsel Posts: 4,184
    I share your pain @Jacquimcmahon, been there, done that, several times over with IKEA, such a shame because their stuff is usually good and a reasonable price. 

    Last time was the day before I opened the tearoom after the last lockdown, after we'd built the new terrace, delivery delayed was 15 tables to go on it, they promised and promised the order was coming, my nerves were seriously strained. They did arrive though, but talk about 11th hour. 🙄😱
    • “Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
  • WildFlower_UKWildFlower_UK Posts: 236
    I love IKEA and will never stop buying from there. But I will always choose to buy in store than risk delivery. Too many nightmare stories heard to even contemplate it! Sorry you've been through such a headache. It's easy for people (like me!) to say 'don't order from x' but the onus is really on these terrible companies making our lives so difficult. I hope you find alternative furniture soon!
    "If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need"
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    @Jacquimcmahon,  what a nightmare story. Commiserations and of course garden furniture is said to be out of stock everywhere and supposedly on the Suez blocked container ship.

    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    @Lizzie27 that will affect UK supplies.  @Jacquimcmahon is near Paris and I haven't heard of garden anything shortages in France.

    I have recently had delivered 4 sets of IKEA metal shelving with a plastic cover which I have installed in the polytunnel to hold seed trays.  I won't need the plastic covers (which make them usable as mini greenhouses) till late autumn when they'll protect any cuttings and divisions from raids by chooks who get to use the polytunnel for dust bathing and rainy days.

    The only problem I've had with delivery is when they posted a glass ceiling light fixture with no extra packaging rather than sending it in the lorry with the bed and mattress.   Had to take that back to the shop to swap and, of course, they didn't have the same model in stock.   Not a serious problem as it was just for the downstairs loo but if it had been a fancy fitting I'd have been cross.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    To be honest the worst thing was the lack of communication. From everything I’ve read on line the sub contracted delivery company and the ikea warehouse don’t talk to each other and the warehouse don’t feed back to customer services. 

    Like you said Wildflower I usually love ikea, I will just never trust the delivery again, unfortunately with the shop currently closed we just don’t have another choice.
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    I've never understood the appeal of Ikea.  Queues form before opening time even on normal non-sales days, and they seem to have only one route through.  It's like being forced to walk through a maze - and I hate mazes.
    Because we were going to be driving past one en-route to somewhere else, my wife said we would pick up some gift vouchers for one of her friends.  We arrived at opening time only to be faced by said long queue.  Once inside it really was my worst nightmare as I hate being hemmed in.  Thankfully one of the staff took us through a storage area and direct to the till to get the vouchers.  My wife is now very clear on the fact that if she ever wants to go to an Ikea store it will be without me.
  • FlyDragonFlyDragon Posts: 834
    KT53 said:
    I've never understood the appeal of Ikea.  Queues form before opening time even on normal non-sales days, and they seem to have only one route through.  It's like being forced to walk through a maze - and I hate mazes.
    Because we were going to be driving past one en-route to somewhere else, my wife said we would pick up some gift vouchers for one of her friends.  We arrived at opening time only to be faced by said long queue.  Once inside it really was my worst nightmare as I hate being hemmed in.  Thankfully one of the staff took us through a storage area and direct to the till to get the vouchers.  My wife is now very clear on the fact that if she ever wants to go to an Ikea store it will be without me.
    If you know what you want, go in the exit and straight to the 'pick up' areas.  ;)
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    There's odd @Jacquimcmahon.  Within minutes of completing the order for my metal shelving I had confirmation of packing no, number of parcels and the delivery firm was also emailing me about delivery.  I then received updates when it was shipped, again on its way and then confirmation of delivery slot.  It turned up as expected.

    On the other hand, when I tried to order 15,000€ wort of kitchen at Nantes I couldn't get anyone to take and finalise the order and walked out.   Email IKEA headquarters and received an apology but I will never shop in their Nantes store again.   Online only for me from now on and definitely no more furniture. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    From what I am now reading each shop has a different “local” delivery sub contractor, could just be that the one used around the Paris region is rubbish. Like most Parisian shops customer service is non existent. I always found service standards to be bad here. 30 years this year and it’s one of the things I still appreciate when I go into stores outside of this region. In Paris no one smiles or says bonjour or merci….. and if you ask why you are likely to get a shrug, or grunt, or worse” I’m not paid for that”!
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
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