A cautionary tale about buying a kitchen from IKEA
In the last two years we have had a significant amount of work done in the house.
The last lap, the very last job on the list was the kitchen.
We shopped around (as you do) and eventually we decided on a particular kitchen from IKEA.
Similar, but not exactly identical to this one:
The IKEA planner came to the house, took various measurements, and advised us what units and cupboards we could have, and where we could have them.
It was a done deal.
We booked.
The fitters would take one week, we were told.
On Monday 12th June the kitchen fitters rocked up, as planned, and began work.
By Wednesday evening, the old kitchen was piled up outside the garage (completely blocking the car-width doorway, but hey ho, it was only temporary, right?).
The kitchen fitters (a company called Lakers, sub-contracted to do the job for IKEA) told us that they wouldn’t be in tomorrow.
Or Friday.
They had to go on a course.
So we were going to have to endure not having a kitchen for nine days, instead of five?
Yes, that’s right.
Hey ho, it’s only temporary, right?
The kitchen fitters returned on Monday and, by 4pm Tuesday 20th June they had finished.
At 8am the next day (Wednesday 21st June) we discovered water.
The fitted mixer tap was defective, and leaking.
We called the kitchen fitters who turned up that day.
They said we needed a new tap and not to use the old one.
It’s a kitchen tap!
A mixer tap.
In the kitchen!
We are not to use either the hot or cold water tap in the kitchen?
Yes that’s right. Until the new one is fitted.
Hey ho, it’s only temporary, right?
On Thursday afternoon we got an email from IKEA to tell us that the new tap will be delivered to us at home, and that delivery could take up to 10 days.
TEN DAYS.
Really?
So the kitchen that was started to be fitted on Monday 12th June is not likely to be completed until after Friday 7th July?
That’s a total of 26 days, from start to finish.
TWENTY SIX DAYS.
Twenty six days without hot and cold water in our beautifully expensive IKEA kitchen?
The same kitchen we had paid thousands of pounds for?
Yes.
So next time you see a stylish IKEA advert on the television, just remember how your shopping experience could end up.
Funnily enough, we had an issue with the tap when we had our kitchen done a few years back. Luckily, because we had fitted it ourselves, we had none of the palaver that you have had to suffer. I just took it straight back to Screwfix and changed it. Sorted in an afternoon.
But, ten days without water in the kitchen? That can’t have been easy.