We like IKEA on a personal level. Sadly, IKEA has a serious problem with their delivery system. We’ve written about it before and now it’s found its way into Forbes of all places:

I had originally asked the IKEA in Paramus, N.J., to deliver my kitchen cabinets on a Saturday. I later found out that my Manhattan co-op building prohibited large deliveries on the weekend, so when the truck arrived on the designated day, the crew couldn’t unload their cargo. IKEA billed me for the delivery. Totally fair–I goofed.

That’s when I slipped off IKEA’s radar. After checking with my contractor’s schedule, I called the store and asked them to deliver my cabinets about a week later, on a Tuesday. No problem, they said.

Tuesday came and went. No delivery was made.

Louis, the reporter, eventually waited 10 days and two missed delivery dates for his new kitchen cabinets.

This is our favorite part of his story:

A customer-service representative said she’d check and put me on hold.

After 10 minutes, I hung up and tried to reach another customer service rep. This time I demanded to be transferred to the home delivery department. The rep refused, insisting that, “I’m trained to assist you with your problem.” The unintentional hilarity of her comment eased the tension, so I took a deep breath and explained my situation to her. But she, too, put me on hold.

Another several minutes went by before I hung up and gave it another shot. This time I managed to snag a customer-service supervisor. Through gritted teeth, I recounted my delivery woes yet again. She looked up my order and found no record of the Monday delivery request. I choked the handset.

“I choked the handset,” too late for Consumerist T-Shirt entries?

The IKEA representative said that IKEA is “always looking at our systems to see what’s working and what’s not working,” Liss says. “If it’s not working, it’s certainly our responsibility to make it work. It’s our goal to not only meet but exceed our customers’ expectations.” She asked consumers to call 1-800-434-IKEA and tell them how they’re doing. —MEGHANN MARCO

Waiting (And Waiting) For IKEA [Forbes]

(Photo: Ben Popken)

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