I grew up with Ikea back home in the early 80’s. I found them innovative, they used nicely finished materials and were worth the price.
30 years later,I still buy their stuff, but damn - is it only me whom is simply unlucky as over a span of 9 months and approximately 20 items bought, - 60-70% of the DIY kits’ were either damaged upon arrival , not well prep’ed and/ or pieces are missing or wrong.
Of course, some Blue Truck boys might have worked in a meat factory before and not knowing the meaning of “fragile” but things seem also to go wrong @ pre-assembly (which is mostly in China for duplex / MDF stuff as seen on the packing material)
Broken bathroom sink & mirror, damaged corners of bed skeleton, plied metal bars, scratched tables upon unpacking, bolded cabinets, wrong and missing stews.
If only Hola or Homy could offer any decent alternative one day, I’d be happy to change - though impossible.
With a net income of 2.3 Billion USD last year - why can’t they hire literate workers whom are able to count till 20 or recognize a vise from a screw? …or is the Vision from the founder / farmer Kamprad simply turned into benefit without further concern about consumer satisfaction?
I built my whole kitchen with IKEA products in LA 5 years ago. They have a simple 3-D design software on their website which I used. Once my design was done, I printed out all the parts needed to IKEA. Their kitchen specialists helped me with the parts location and pricing.
I did it piece meal. It took me a good 2 years on and off to get it all completely all by myself. My wife helped when I needed a second hand to lift some heavy cabinets. The local IKEA store from my house is a good 30 minute free way driving. I saved all receipts in a 3 ring binder, and I see that I made more than 20 trips. The kitchen is still looking nice and sturdy.
I would say, out of the hundreds (or maybe thousands) of individual parts, I do not remember any misplaced screws, simple tools, etc. I did miss-drill few holes, or assembled in wrong orders so damaged few boards. But, that was purely my own fault. So, I am pretty satisfied with their product and service.
The reason for this quality loss is probably that 30 years ago they still had most of their stuff manufactured in the cheaper European countries, now most is moved to Asia, South America and Africa … :eh:
You certainly do not know what you talk about calling Ikea “Cheap”. The production price of an ordinary triplex pliewood cabinet is 7 USD which is sold 119 USD .
They are too expensive for what they offer, but a wise nose like you can certainly help me finding an alternative yes?
So, in Taiwan, find me a cabinet manufacturer which can be 2 times more expensive than IKEA, offering 3 colors and 25 different sizes / combinations and deemed “better quality”.
I’m NOW listening to a new radio documentary made by the BBC…
It mentions that IKEA Cafe/Restaurant in Shanghai has become an ‘elderly persons singles club’ where old people (usually widowed) can find a girlfriend/boyfriend… IKEA Shanghai have now officially embraced the idea and created ‘the IKEA singles club’ for the old people. Sweet…
ceevee69 : what is ‘Homy’… Is this a store in Taiwan? I know Hola and B&Q…
I also remember buying stuff from IKEA as early as 1984.
Back then, the quality was decent and the price was fair.
These days, other furniture manufacturers have found ways to lower their costs and match IKEA quality.
Don’t get me wrong, most of IKEA’s stuff are still pretty nice, but the rest are junk.(to put it politely)
Prices are no longer competitive.
Off the top of my head, I can think of these IKEA products that I purchased in the last 10 to 15 years.
All are what I’d consider to be junk after just a year or two of normal use.
Mattress & box spring set
Fabric sofa
Leather sofa
Entertainment center
Table lamps
Drawers
Office desk
Fake plastic plants
Filing cabinet
