Source: Radio New Zealand
The store opened its doors at the beginning of the month. Marika Khabazi / RNZ
A customer who had his IKEA order refunded on Christmas Eve says there are problems with the way the retailer is handling orders.
The man, who did not want to be identified, ordered furniture items including a loft bed and desk.
He was told the bed would be delivered in two boxes.
“One box supplied was for a different bunk bed set and was incompatible. IKEA could not locate the correct box and advised there was no further stock available, with no timeframe provided for restock.
“Although I clearly stated that I did not want to cancel and was prepared to wait, IKEA proceeded to cancel the order unilaterally and arrange collection.”
The legs of the desk were delivered, he said, but the top was not.
He was also charged a $79 delivery fee.
He said the bed had been the main reason for his purchase.
“Its unavailability forced a cancellation outcome that I did not choose. From a consumer perspective, this resembles a bait-and-switch dynamic: a high-value, well-priced core item attracts the purchase decision, but when that item cannot be supplied, the customer is left with incomplete alternatives, delivery costs, or pressure to substitute or upsell. I did not agree to any substitution, nor was a viable timeframe provided.
“Availability was described as indeterminate, potentially several months, which is not a viable option for my son, who requires a bed immediately.”
IKEA has experienced a number of delays since it opened its first New Zealand shop, in Auckland. RNZ reported last week that it shut its customer support centre to focus on rebooking customer orders and resolving outstanding cases.
An IKEA spokesperson aid it had made significant progress in delivering outstanding orders.
“Over the past week, our teams have worked intensively to move through the early volume of orders. All truck deliveries were successfully rebooked by Saturday, and parcel orders are on track to be sent by early next week.
“To support ongoing momentum, additional delivery slots for both parcel and truck orders will be released each week throughout the new year, following a staggered approach to help manage volume and provide customers with greater flexibility and certainty. Click and collect slots are now reopened for kitchen orders, and further slots for other product ranges will be released progressively in the new year.”
The spokesperson said demand had been beyond expectations.
“We are committed to fully resolving all orders to consistently deliver the reliable experience customers expect from IKEA – now and into the year ahead.
“As New Zealanders head into the holiday season, we encourage all customers to visit us in-store to enjoy the full IKEA experience.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand