No more Ikea
On Saturday, I went to Ikea and bought some furniture. Specifically, I got a oak butcher-block-topped sideboard item with drawers and a trestle shelf for my kitchen ~ and a bed. A very inexpensive Ikea bed, a minimalist platform.
The items were delivered around noon today. I spent nearly 4 hours putting the sideboard together. Many of the predrilled holes were not big enough. My shoulder started aching, my palm bloomed with stigmata. But I got it together, and it's fine, except for a small ding on the rear left-hand corner (which I can't say was incurred before or after I received the package).
Despite my aching everything, I decided to proceed with the bed. I got the frame's four sides screwed together, and then commenced to attach the plates on the bottom corners into which the bed legs screw. Immediately, I notice a challenge. No holes. So, I figure, holes are under the verneer. I position the plates and commence to drive the screws. Except it's extremely hard going. I wonder whether it's just this corner. I position the other three plates and commence to drive those screws. Same problem.
After an hour of major physical effort, I finally give up in frustration. I call Ikea. I will spare you the details of my conversations with these people. You may be grateful now. I go up and up the supervisory chain.
Long story short: they are sending someone here tomorrow afternoon to assess the situation and either a) use powertools to finish the assembly or b) remove the detritus and ensure I get my money back. In the meantime, my bedroom is filled with half-constructed bedframe, and this evening I'll be sleeping on a mattress on the floor crammed into the remaining floorspace by the door. Until I upped the supervisory ante twice, they expected me to put up with that situation for at least TWO MORE NIGHTS.
NOT a happy camper.
In future, the only 'requires assembly' items I will ever purchase from Ikea are bookshelves. I'm waaay to old for this shit. Given the amount of time I've wasted on this already, it would have been well worth my while to buy regular furniture at twice the price and call it a day.
[Update: Two nice young men showed up the next day with powertools and finished putting the bed together in about ten minutes. Both agreed vehemently with me that the design was appallingly bad, that normal humans without mechanical assistance would not be able to complete the task, and that the instruction booklet for this particular bed was especially inscrutable in a couple of places.
I now have a comfortable bed, raised off the floor (!) for the first time in a decade and a half, and only some very stiff muscles and a gouge on on my left index finger to show for my troubles.
Verdict: Ikea product, not so great. Ikea employees, rock. I feel a letter coming on.]
The items were delivered around noon today. I spent nearly 4 hours putting the sideboard together. Many of the predrilled holes were not big enough. My shoulder started aching, my palm bloomed with stigmata. But I got it together, and it's fine, except for a small ding on the rear left-hand corner (which I can't say was incurred before or after I received the package).
Despite my aching everything, I decided to proceed with the bed. I got the frame's four sides screwed together, and then commenced to attach the plates on the bottom corners into which the bed legs screw. Immediately, I notice a challenge. No holes. So, I figure, holes are under the verneer. I position the plates and commence to drive the screws. Except it's extremely hard going. I wonder whether it's just this corner. I position the other three plates and commence to drive those screws. Same problem.
After an hour of major physical effort, I finally give up in frustration. I call Ikea. I will spare you the details of my conversations with these people. You may be grateful now. I go up and up the supervisory chain.
Long story short: they are sending someone here tomorrow afternoon to assess the situation and either a) use powertools to finish the assembly or b) remove the detritus and ensure I get my money back. In the meantime, my bedroom is filled with half-constructed bedframe, and this evening I'll be sleeping on a mattress on the floor crammed into the remaining floorspace by the door. Until I upped the supervisory ante twice, they expected me to put up with that situation for at least TWO MORE NIGHTS.
NOT a happy camper.
In future, the only 'requires assembly' items I will ever purchase from Ikea are bookshelves. I'm waaay to old for this shit. Given the amount of time I've wasted on this already, it would have been well worth my while to buy regular furniture at twice the price and call it a day.
[Update: Two nice young men showed up the next day with powertools and finished putting the bed together in about ten minutes. Both agreed vehemently with me that the design was appallingly bad, that normal humans without mechanical assistance would not be able to complete the task, and that the instruction booklet for this particular bed was especially inscrutable in a couple of places.
I now have a comfortable bed, raised off the floor (!) for the first time in a decade and a half, and only some very stiff muscles and a gouge on on my left index finger to show for my troubles.
Verdict: Ikea product, not so great. Ikea employees, rock. I feel a letter coming on.]
Labels: rant
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