ᐅ IKEA Replacement Parts for a Family-Friendly Children's Bed

Hello everyone,

I’m new to this forum. I have been an IKEA customer for 20 years and have already spent several thousand euros there...

Last year, shortly before our son was born, my wife decided to buy a baby crib. She had chosen the Gonnat model with mattress. So, in February 2015, we went to the IKEA store in Duisburg and bought the crib after a brief inspection in the showroom.

We got the last package from the warehouse and took it home. Assembly was no problem since I have assembled many IKEA furniture items before and, during my studies, I occasionally worked for an installation company.

So far, the crib has held up well, although in my opinion it is too expensive and bulky – my wife thinks it’s great...

Now our little one is 1 1/2 years old, and my wife wants to have the slatted sides removed.

I looked up the assembly instructions again and found that the manufacturer recommends:

completely removing the sides. Instead, a board is to be installed at the bottom edge where the slatted base sits.

I really cannot understand what the flaw in this design is. You are a) not informed about this when buying, and b) it’s not clearly stated in the assembly instructions!

Since I generally don’t throw away wood and would have remembered seeing this kind of board when disposing of the old cardboard packaging, I now assume that the board needed was not included in the delivery.

So today I went to Duisburg and explained the situation. The employees and their manager basically just gave me rude comments like, “...several others have had the same problem...” or “...that’s not our problem...”

I explained that I’m not stupid and understand what they are saying. I only want that one wooden board with the appropriate drilled holes, in the right color; I don’t mind waiting two weeks and am willing to pay for it. I don’t have the receipt anymore, but I do have a witness – my wife!

Their reply was roughly: “...we can send you screws and such, but not something like that. For that, we would have to open a new package. And without a receipt, absolutely not. You could have bought the crib on eBay...”

I then said they could check my purchase on the Family card – this was immediately rejected with the comment: privacy policy – we are not allowed to...

When I asked what I should do with the crib now, I was told: that’s not our problem – sell it on eBay...

Apart from the fact that IKEA has noticeably cut quality in the last 20 years, I find that the social skills of the employees have also become increasingly disappointing.

I think from now on I will only have items delivered and, by now, I actually recommend that everyone avoid IKEA – especially since I have had similar experiences in recent years.

At the end of the assembly instructions, it’s quite clear how to do it, isn’t it? I can’t see any design flaws either. But anyway… you had the chance to test the bed at home and check the conversion options.
Now, 1.5 years later, you come without a receipt and want to make a complaint…
Ikea is well known for its goodwill, especially regarding returns (still!), but it does have its limits.
Do you seriously think you would get better results at Poco, Roller, or any other discount furniture stores in a case like this?

Sorry, but I have little understanding for customers who want to pay less and less for their furniture while expecting top quality and comprehensive service.
Especially service costs a lot of money and is where savings are often made. However, I notice this much more clearly in other sectors/products than at Ikea.

You say you want to shop elsewhere in the future. If you find another furniture store where quality, price, and service are better balanced, I would be very interested to know!

If the trim was missing, that’s unfortunate, but after such a long time, I wouldn’t expect a replacement anymore. There are so many people who just claim something was missing or already broken, even though they lost or damaged it themselves. Haven’t you heard from someone you know to simply say it was already like that, even if it was your own fault?

It’s regrettable that it’s not possible to reorder individual parts of products that are still in production. Of course, this wouldn’t be free, but it would be feasible if the logistics were set up for it. Well-known furniture manufacturers offer this, but it’s easier when there are only a few production sites. If you buy products from a furniture store’s warehouse market that are produced all around the world, you won’t have any success either.

Have a piece of trim cut to size at the hardware store and paint it blue. Kids tend to prefer colorful things anyway.