I know this is going to sound like an ad, so here goes.

If you need furniture, go to/order from IKEA. In the past, I have had nothing but pleasant experiences with them and their prices are low enough that you don't need to get a gift card for groceries.

Also, their adult Legos are very fun. =)

@Nick1693: Yes, Ikea is great, but aside from being off the topic, not everyone lives near an Ikea and I've found their shipping fees to be outrageous....

Anyway, kudos to Ashley furniture for honoring the promotion. Kind of a crazy complicated promotion to start with, but hey, apparently it was popular with a lot of customers.

so if i spend $500 dollars on furniture and show reciepts that i spent over $100 on groceries then i get a $25.00 gift card?

that is a really, really, really, dumb way to get $25.00 for free.

couldn't you go to your local fountain and dig out the change?

@Nick1693: What furniture from IKEA is priced low? My dad loves them for some stupid reason but their closets/drawers are pieces of shit. They do not move well at all. I have had two pieces of furniture not be able to hold together when moving to a new apartment. I had to buy some wood screws and hold them together to use through college. Those fasteners do not work well at all.

The only thing we have gotten there that has stood the test of time and wear is our leather couch we got from their "Scratch & Dent" area [the only low priced area in the store] and even it has needed some repair after a few years with tears and rips. It was a nice 3 piece "L" sofa marked down to >$500from some outrageous $2k+ number.

Sorry but IKEA is bullshit. You are better off spending that $60 on 3/4 plywood, a gallon of stain and building something yourself than the crappy particle board and fasteners most of their furniture is made out of.

The upshot here is the furniture store dumped BBZ. If enough places do this, it will kill BBZ's bottom line.

@B1663R: The local fountain didn't make a contract with these customers, though. Ashley and/or BBZ did.

I'm not sure why Ashley's off the hook in a case like this, and I'm intrigued by how put out they seem because their customers are calling them about the screwing by their subcontractors.

@Coles_Law: it doesn't look like BBZ even HAS a bottom line that involves expenses. No one answers phones, they don't pay out when they're supposed to, and as long as they remain the lowest cost "provider" they'll keep turning over clients.

@B1663R:

Yes it sounds dumb - IF you didn't read the accompanying article. Which you didn't.

After you bought the furniture, the promotion was for 20 months. If you spent $100 a month on groceries at the grocery store, you'd get a $25 gift card - EACH MONTH. That's $500 worth of gift cards. If you shop there already, and normally spend over $100 per month there, then I'd say that was a pretty good dea.

@outinthedark: To each their own. Obviously, the quality at Ikea is all over the map. Particle board furniture is always particle board furniture, no matter where you buy it, Ikea or Target or elsewhere. And the "Swedish plastic" look may be durable, but not necessarily to everyone's tastes.

That said, it's cheaper than most places, it often comes disassembled (useful for apartments), it's easy to put together, doesn't take up a lot of space, and some pieces *do* last forever. I've got an Ikea bed and dresser that I've had for eight years, I've got a loveseat that still looks and feels great after six, and last year I bought an outstanding leather sectional for a very competitive price.

Plus, they're customer service is efficient (I've had no trouble returning faulty products or getting replacement parts), and best of all, there's nobody pestering you for their commission.

They're not perfect-- no store is-- but they fill a niche. Not everyone can buy Ethan Allen.

@Nick1693: yeah the closest ikea is 6 hours from me.

Shame on Ashley furniture for not doing research on a company they are staking their reputation in

Google shows widespread problems with this company, for similar promotions such as $25 gas cards, etc. If I was the AZ AG I would open a fraud investigation on this outfit.

@Megalomania: Good point-sigh. I guess half of zero is still zero. One can hope though, right?

@outinthedark:

I thought it was common knowledge that ikea products are disposable, one-house use. In fact, I would be pressed to say that their products are designed to break or self-destruct if disassembly is attempted. My bed is proof of that (and is currently being held up by an APC power supply that never got unboxed)

@Nick1693: There is no Ikea in St. Louis. Closest one is in Chicago

@Nick1693: IKEA has one style only and doesn't last for all that long. No offense but most people who have moved past living in an apartment with roomies prefer to actually have something with a style outside of minimalist.

@B1663R: These sort of promotions are pretty common. The one I'm most familiar with is the "Free Shopping Spree" one where you get $XXX.XX worth of credit for some website where they sell various items and the "Shipping and processing" is more than the items would cost you at Wal-Mart.

I avoid these "promotions" like the plague. If you want my business, sell things I want to buy at a competitive price.

I bought an armoire for $500 last month, I received $500 in free groceries via the same AZ company under a different name. My armoire came broken (twice) so they also gave me $500 in free gas w/ the company. I was excited that I was going to make money off of the armoire after 20 months, but it looks like I got a great deal and that's it. Can't wait to see how this plays out.

@Stephen Carey: i'm still confused as to how ashley furniture was able to set up the promotion in the first place if BBZ doesn't return calls

@outinthedark: "What furniture from IKEA is priced low?"

From my most recent trip to IKEA:
FLÄRKE (Bookcase) = $19.99
KULLEN (Chest with 5 drawers) = $59.99
STEFAN (Chair) = $19.99
TOLGA (Bed frame) = $40
TOLGA (Bedside table) = $20
ORGEL (Table lamp) = $9.99

I don't think there's any other place I can get an entire room for less than $200. (Total = $169.96)

@Nick1693: Good luck getting it home without the cheap, worthless particle board breaking into 20 million pieces. I've seen sturdier furniture made from papier mache.

@catastrophegirl - just add kittens: I'm sure if you want to GIVE them money, their phone lines are wideeeeeeee open.

@Radi0logy: Already had it for about two months. All was assembled without any trouble and nothing's broken.

@Nick1693: Yes there is ... Craigslist.

I bet these are the same people who are screwing me over too. We bought a flat screen TV at Grant's Audio and Appliances here in the Chicago area - same deal, $25 gift cards each month to add up to $500. I've been sending everything in but I haven't seen a single gift card come back yet. I don't have the name of the company but it is in Mesa Arizona.

@Nick1693: Didn't think it was an ad at first, now I do.

@Nick1693: Ok so I had to look up what you purchased...

FLARKE - 5' tall 2' wide...Holds 44lbs max...$20 I guess is ok. I know my book shelf was free. 6 cinder blocks and 4 2.5" h x 12"w x 7 or 8'l. A sturdy shelf I got free from an office remodeling and they were throwing out old furniture.

KULLEN - 3-4' tall 2.5' wide...looks nice...I had a similar one 3 drawers with probably the same shelf load. That back 1/8" sheet will be the first to go and probably if you weigh any of those drawers down with a bunch of shirts or something those screws will pull out the drawer sliders from that particle board. After mine broke I went out to Home Depot picked up a $10 sheet of 3/4" plywood had them cut it at the store for free to my dimensions and made a new cabinet to hold the drawers. Also got some decent wood screws to hold those sliders in place. Has yet to break on me.

STEFAN - I guess $20 is good for a typical dining chair? I have no idea. I bought my dining room table with 4 chairs from a Salvation Army store for $40. A little bit of sand paper and some white paint and I got them good as new.

TOLGA - That actually looks pretty sweet. I built mine again from 3/4" plywood for a sunk in look [mattress is as high as the frame] after my futon frame became a permanent couch and I probably spent $40 on mine as well. The original futon frame came out of my buddies apartment when a few wood pieces broke. Less than $10 in lumber and an hour or so routing/sanding and it was good as new. He asked for it back after he saw it in my apartment.

TOLGA - $20 for a nightstand...I guess it goes with the bed frame and can at least hold a book and your electronic chargeables along with that lamp?

ORGEL - I guess $10 for a lamp is ok...I bought my metal $15 floor lamp [w/ side spot light] at Home Depot. I cannot find it online anywhere so maybe I got it on sale and it's discontinued now or something.

I am more of a hands on guy especially when it comes to my furniture. Every piece has some unique characteristic and a story. I have photomasks as coasters. My coffee table is glass, etched with a blueprint of an Egyptian temple complex and has a layer of sand inside of it. I had a lamp once that was made entirely out of a saxophone someone threw away. I just have a hard time paying for something that anyone could have. I find Craigslist freebies all the time and I would rather pay a few bucks in sandpaper and stain than pay Target/Walmart/IKEA/Whomever for a generic piece.

Some of IKEA's designs are pretty cool...like that bed frame looks pretty sweet. To each his own I guess. I live under the mantra "One man's trash is another man's treasure". I do what I can on the cheap and unique!

Enjoy the furniture while it lasts and seriously do not weigh down those drawers! That was the first thing to screw up in mine. Nice bed frame...I'm a little jealous! :D

@B1663R: Digging change out of a fountain is usually against the policies of the locale that the fountain is located, (IE mall, or landmark) and could very well be against the law.

Interesting Youtube vid... with Mr. Justin Elenburg , President (via [www.bbb.org] )

No Sales System...

Wanna bet the office suite at the registered business address is either a p.o. box with forwarding or is vacant?

@outinthedark: What's funny to me is that you go on and on about how you'd rather DIY than spend money for generic things at Target and Ikea...but you buy a lamp from Home Depot.

Lovely!

I applaud your DIY efforts...but that's clearly not what other people enjoy, have time for, or need. Most of my furniture is higher end pieces given to me from family. Good condition, well maintained - everything else is from Target (an end table) and Craig's List. I have a few bookcases from Ikea that have lasted through three moves.

To me, unique is great but it's not always in the cards. I love using Craig's List - but there's a point in which Ikea suffices. And in fact, for a future DIY project it seems that Ikea is one of the only retailers to think of a solution to the problem I had!

And while I really enjoy unique furniture, I also really enjoy a certain aesthetic - it doesn't really make the unique lifestyle any better than my aesthetic, which I like for to be visually interesting and affordable, but still actually match.

There's a fine line between putting together pieces that are interesting and unique, but still work and looking like you went dumpster diving. I'm not saying you're the latter, it's just a very fine line for some.

@outinthedark: I needed an entire apartment's worth of furniture quickly and went with Ikea as a fast and inexpensive solution. That was about 4.5 years ago. I haven't replaced it because every time I've gone to "real" furniture stores, I've never found anything that I like even half as much for less than an absolute fortune.

I've moved three times since then and it's all just fine.

The stuff shouldn't need to hold together during the move because a lot of it ought to be taken apart for the move. I disassemble virtually everything, taking pictures of where the fasteners go and bagging each set with its tools. Then I use movers' wrap on each veneered piece and wrap the hell out of the desk that I can no longer replace.

At the other end, be sure to re-tighten all of the fasteners about two weeks after your move. That tip is from the friend who has Ikea furniture that he bought in Austria, had shipped to Canada in 2000, then to California, and has moved four times here.

@undefined: @pecan 3.14159265: Maybe you missed the part where my lamp is made from an old sax..? I'm not going to mess with electric wiring more than taking apart a fixture. I guess I failed to mention that. $15 served my purpose for two sockets at the wattage I needed. Harder to find that used from CL or somewhere else since I was looking for something very specific.

The people who spend $500 on furniture from Ashley, Haynes, or wherever may have the cheaper alternative with places like IKEA but I have never had one piece of decent furniture from that place. Nothing has held together well except the old hardwood pieces we got way way way back in the day when I was just a kid. Since then most everything they come out with is cheap particle board and while it may look great it's not the same build quality as hardwood and will never stand the test of time.

It's the only beef I got with IKEA. That and I'm still pissed a $60 set of drawers breaks during one move.

I understand we all have different tastes but suggesting particle board furniture just irks me.

@Syrenia: I know what you mean. I cannot walk into a "real" furniture store and find anything suiting my needs or tastes. I browse the "designer" catalogs for ideas on what solutions I need in my apartment. Most of the time if it is not plastic I'd rather build something similar myself.

Will take your tips next time I have to move my IKEA furniture. I routinely had to tighten all the fasteners on my drawers until I just got fed up with it and replaced the whole cabinet.

I bought a couch back in January with a promotion like this. I haven't received one coupon yet. Maybe I'll stop by the store and tell them whats going on. See what their response will be. I e-mailed the company, and I did get a reply.Tthey told me to fax my receipts in again. After I did that they sent me another e-mail saying I could call. That number just say they only communicate though the website.

Here is text from the e-mail:

Dear Customer,

Sorry for the inconvenience as we are running behind. Has your question been
answered already? If not please call our customer service number at 480-455-5192.

Sincerely,
Your Friendly Claim Your Groceries Team

I got something like that on gas when I bought my furniture. It was like 500 in free gas but I had to spend over 100 a month on gas to get 25 in credit each month and send in hte reciepts. Gas was almost 4 a gallon at the time and I still didn't go over 60.
It wasn't a biggie though because I didn't buy the furniture to get the deal. Wasn't even aware of it until paying.

@outinthedark: I must admit that I have no dressers from Ikea, so I can't vouch for drawer quality. I don't like chests/dressers/bureaus at all and keep all clothing in the closet.

One other thought on Ikea preservation -- torque is the mortal enemy of Ikea furniture.

Also, on the hardwood front, a friend has really pretty hardwood furniture. We kept hearing cracking noises. Turned out that his new table was developing huge cracks everywhere on the top. He eventually got the manufacturer to replace it, but it wasn't pleasant.

@Bgeezy: I saw that deal too and the process would have been more of a pain in the ass than it was worth although at 4 a gallon I could have conceivably done 100 in a month.

@Nick1693: I would love to shop at Ikea!

Unfortunately there are NO Ikeas ANYWHERE in Missouri. Depending what part of the state you're in, the closest locations are in Chicago, Texas, or Ohio. And shipping is prohibitively expensive.

I signed up for the program in Dec 2008. I should have received some gas vouchers by now but have not. The timeline on their website suggests that I should have received my first voucher in April. I filled out a form on their website and sent in my complaint in that manner. I never got a response from them. I found several folks online complaining on various sites about this program, and found a customer service number 480-455-5192. I called it and spoke to Karely and she claimed that I would get Visa gift cards in the mail within 7-10 business days. That time period has passed and I still haven't received anything. When I went to call the above number to complain again, it is now just a recording, stating that they handle all customer service online. I guess it's easier for them to ignore the complaints this way rather than dealing with irate callers. I saw a rumor that they laid off their entire company, so I drove down to their Mesa office to check it out. It actually does exist, in response to an earlier post suggesting it was just a P.O. Box or something. Their doors were still open, but when I went inside, I didn’t see a SINGLE employee in the entire building! So how are they going to fulfill their obligations when they claim they are falling behind due to unanticipated volume, yet they don’t have any employees left?

It’s also interesting that this program has been under several different names, addresses, and phone numbers in the recent past. What does that tell you?

BBB gives them a F rating:

http://central-northern-western-arizona.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=30&bbb=1126&firm=1000001718

Three articles in the St Pete Times about BBZ/Incentive Intl and another similar company they took the business plan from that was ALSO investigated for fraud and has shut down:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/corporate/article1013129.ece
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/article1011542.ece
http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article981586.ece
It seems that Sr VP Troy Warren is a very busy man scamming people from coast to coast for well over a decade. President Justin Elenburg also has his shady associations, from SearchBigDaddy to GoNoSalesSystem, associating with another known master of fraud Ewen Chia. The more you dig, the more layers of fraud you uncover. It’s truly sickening.

I got both Mr Warren’s and Mr Elenburg’s business cards at their office and have tried calling them, but neither have returned my calls.