ᐅ Loss of a Long-Term IKEA Customer

I actually didn’t want to reply....

But please buy a new dishwasher somewhere else. IKEA doesn’t need customers like you. My dishwasher broke about 2 years ago, and I waited 14 days for a technician. The appliance was not from IKEA, and the repair cost was €180.00, because I only had a 2-year warranty, not the 5 years IKEA offers.

So what’s a week in comparison?

You should soak your delicate hands a lot in dish soap to keep them soft, or hire a cleaning person.

Grow up. Thanks.

Maverick, you can’t use Pril for that, you need to use Palmolive. That’s what Tilly demonstrated.

Wonderful, I laughed out loud when I read that from Drazilo.

Oh man...

I should mention that I know how to repair household appliances, what it costs, and where the scammers hang out.

I would never buy such whirlpool junk from Ikea, help. And customer service usually goes through different channels anyway.

When someone called us with a broken appliance, we were there within 0-2 days, and waiting times only happened if a spare part was out of stock, which usually took just 24 hours. Refrigerators always took priority (immediate).

Fourteen days is a joke! Just like 180 euros for dishwasher repairs. Um, just buy a new one? We never recommended repairs that cost more than 150 euros, but it always depended on the defect. Some repairs (electronics, for example) don’t make sense because the part (the replacement circuit board) costs as much as a new appliance. And repairing Ikea junk for 180 euros? Ouch... (But that wasn’t from Ikea, right?)

One week without a dishwasher, oh my god!

I bet the customer will be at “Ich-bin-doch-nicht-blöd” tomorrow... That’s where they’ll be well taken care of.

Oh man...

180 euros? We charged about 35 euros flat rate regardless of how long it took (no hourly rate for the first visit). Spare parts cost extra, but they weren’t that expensive. 180 euros... I think I know what was broken — salt mixed with detergent or the salt compartment not closed properly? grin... Yeah, small mistake, big damage (This usually happens in offices where everyone messes with the machine, plus the Russian cleaning staff at night who don’t understand German and therefore miss the device instructions about what to watch out for... But you can just write off such repairs... Help...)

(If something else was really broken, you got ripped off! 180 euros is not acceptable! Or someone charged two hours of a total amateur’s labor at the price of a master technician. Although I must admit that dishwasher repairs can really be nerve-wracking. Twice spent two hours with a colleague at a customer’s place at 10 PM — damn thing...)

I would never buy such whirlpool junk at Ikea, help. And customer service goes through other channels anyway.

Really??? I have, because no manufacturer offers me a 5-year warranty.

When someone called us with a defective appliance, we were there within 0–2 days, and waiting times only occurred if a replacement part was not in stock, which usually took just 24 hours. Refrigerators always took priority. (immediately)

Of course... You already knew what was wrong before the customer called and were almost there. Especially with a flat fee of 35€ regardless of whether 1 or 2 technicians showed up at 10 p.m. The company is bankrupt, right???

14 days is a joke! Just like 180 euros for dishwasher repair. Um, just buy a new one? We never recommended repairs costing over 150 euros, but it also depends on the defect. Some repairs (electronics, for example) aren’t worth it because the part (replacement circuit board) costs as much as a new appliance. And paying to repair Ikea junk for 180 euros? Ouch... (But it wasn’t from Ikea anyway, right)

I don’t know what cheap appliances you buy, but our dishwasher costs a bit more than 180.00 €. Our appliance is a few years old and still sells used for more than 180.00 €. Besides, you should actually read Ikea’s warranty terms before complaining.

I think the customer will be at "I’m-not-stupid" tomorrow... That’s also a good place for them.

Please don’t insult anyone here...

I think I know what was defective—salt mixed with detergent or the salt compartment not properly closed? grin... Yeah, small mistake, big damage

I didn’t know you keep laundry detergent in your kitchen?! Mine is stored in the basement, near the washing machine. And in my office there is no washing machine with salt or dishwasher with powder.
I’m not denying that this sometimes happens in some businesses. But not with me, unfortunately.

But you can just write off such a repair... Help...)

What’s wrong with that? I don’t understand...

(If something else was defective, you got ripped off! 180 euros is unacceptable!)

No, the price is justified and cheaper than a new dishwasher. Or do you have no idea about brand-name appliances? Then just check the prices of decent branded machines. And I don’t mean Hanseatic or similar.

After the machine stopped pumping properly after only 8 months of use,

Hello!

Has anyone ever thought to check if the pump is simply clogged? A glass shard, a toothpick, leftover bits of a satay skewer, or other bulky items don’t always pass through the pump and can block it.

This isn’t a warranty issue, and with a bit of initiative you can save a lot of money. Because in such cases, the service technician will just remove the foreign object but will definitely charge for travel and labor time.

Just give it a try and let us know.

fotokatze

PS: Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a user manual on IKEA’s website, and even Blondie couldn’t help. Otherwise, I would have pointed you to the relevant page in the PDF. Just have a look at the printed version. You can do it! Then your machine will work again right away.

Oh man, Maverick.

Five-year warranty on a whirlpool. Nice, but I don’t need it. The appliance is and remains junk. Unfortunately, that’s how it is with Ikea. Otherwise, I love Ikea, although I also know people who prefer to spend thousands of euros on furniture from expensive stores. So I’m not allowed to show up with Ikea furniture for them.

Of course... You already knew what was wrong before the customer even called and were almost there. Especially for a flat fee of €35, whether 1 or 2 technicians showed up at 10:00 PM. That company is bankrupt, right???

You’re pretty cheeky. The company I was last talking about still exists and is doing very well! I just no longer work there for personal and health reasons.

The other one was our family business. A professional life (and human life itself) eventually comes to an end.

An hourly wage of 50 euros (net), fairly billed by the quarter hour, is “normal.” Some want even more or bill half or full hours.

The mentioned €30–40 offer (depending on travel distance) applies to first visits. After that, there is usually a repair, which means that in addition to the inspection, further hourly labor (but no second travel fee) is charged. Plus the spare part with a small profit margin.

And yes, many defects can already be “diagnosed” over the phone, but of course not always. You don’t tell the customer over the phone exactly what is broken, because they might hang up and try to fix it themselves, since many repairs are really simple (motor brushes, a pump replacement, etc.). Many customers only come by for spare parts, which are then sold to them without complaint. Ultimately, we sell a part, and if the customer can’t manage the repair, they might come back as a client.

When you speak to a company’s 0180 hotline (e.g., Ikea appliance customer service), you shouldn’t expect anyone knowledgeable on the phone, but rather call center agents who can at best look up manuals or error codes in the system but have no practical experience — that’s what the technicians do.

But if you have the master technician on the phone who’s been doing this for decades, it’s a completely different story.

If someone calls or writes to me about PC issues, I usually know what might be wrong. Household appliances are MUCH SIMPLER, because PCs are more complex. Of course, there are stupid errors sometimes that require the device to be taken in and tested over hours in the workshop. But that’s rare.

So if a machine doesn’t drain, you take a pump just in case, but first check on-site whether there’s a clog. This is just a simple example of what you can already suspect over the phone. But even complex issues can often be “guessed” with decades of experience. This depends heavily on the symptoms and how well the customer describes them.

This is everyday work: a customer calls, explains the problem, we assess urgency, and at the latest the next day or the day after we are at the customer’s place.

Aside from that, handling 8–10 jobs a day solely for municipal clients makes it worthwhile to offer private customers decent initial visit prices like the mentioned €30–40. Depending on how many technicians are employed, you multiply that per technician, which gets quite stressful. The 10 PM example was on a 12-customer day, solo or with one partner. We promised them that and then this happened. Otherwise, the company closes at 5 or 6 PM.

There’s no cheap rip-off behind this. It’s called customer retention and, unfortunately, also competition. A first visit really can’t get any cheaper than that. Otherwise, it would be obvious fraud.

I don’t know what cheap appliances you buy, but our dishwasher cost a bit more than €180. Our appliance is a few years old and still costs more than €180 used. Also, you should actually read Ikea’s warranties before just complaining.

- First travel: €35 gross
- Electronics e.g. €150 net
- Shipping e.g. €6 gross
- Labor hour (about 1h): €50 net

= €279 gross

The residual value of a 5-year-old Bosch dishwasher from, say, €599 new, should at most (if at all) correspond to this value. (Usually much less!)

And the device still has other wear parts that will likely fail soon. You have to factor all this in. Labor hours come on top each time.

And that’s assuming it only takes one hour, because dishwashers can be really badly installed. Starting with tiles added after the kitchen was installed, which lowers the floor level. Or the kitchen builder placed the appliance with an Aquastop (the big block on the inlet hose) and then only built the kitchen around it. So: the kitchen must be partially dismantled in a tight space, cut, and so on.

And all this for a repair of a roughly 5-year-old dishwasher.

If it’s “only” the water tank or an Aquastop (which is already expensive), that’s still manageable, but eventually, such an old machine is simply a write-off. Offering to repair it to a customer borders on rip-off. Dishwashers always require more labor time. Freestanding washing machines can be fixed quickly.

Regarding your comment on cheap appliances: I’m talking about Miele, BSH (Bosch/Siemens/Constructa, etc.) and that as an authorized company with ongoing training provided by Miele itself.

Please don’t insult anyone here...

I haven’t insulted anyone. I just said that certain customers prefer those “I’m not stupid” stores (that’s how the ads call them) and compare apples with oranges or buy washing machines there for €179...

The above user complained about a one-week wait at an overloaded customer service that travels far instead of asking a local specialist what an inspection would cost.

Warranty work must be done by the authorized customer service — that must be clear to every customer. Those who don’t want to use it are their own fault.

If this were a refrigerator or freezer, that’s different, but it was a dishwasher! Nothing less important in a private household, at least you can bridge the downtime. (No matter the family size.)

I didn’t know you have washing powder in your kitchen?! Mine is stored in the basement by the washing machine.

Yeah, right. You know exactly what I meant. And I don’t have a dishwasher, no space. But detergent is stored by the washing machine in the kitchen. So your nitpicking is off.

And in my office, there’s neither a washing machine with salt nor a dishwasher with powder.

I’ve been in hundreds of offices where dishwashers stand, which tend to break down a lot because nobody really feels responsible (“it’s not mine...”).

Customers have also reported cardboard packaging of a cleaner and a salt product from the same manufacturer with nearly identical packaging. This then damaged the ion exchanger! Such things happen, not even that rarely.

(Cleaning staff without German knowledge working at night in otherwise empty tea kitchens often ruin an expensive dishwasher quickly just because they can’t read the packaging or instructions or fail to properly close the salt container.)

This is about detergent (again, I mean cleaning agents), which destroys the ion exchanger if it gets inside, either because salt was confused with detergent or the salt compartment wasn’t closed properly or salt was never refilled, as the all-in-one tabs supposedly handle everything automatically...

And €180 is just harsh.

Maverick, if you want to spend that much or more on a repair, go ahead. It’s a Miele, 2.4 years old, which probably cost €1000 or more, so that’s certainly worth it.

It only pays off for certain appliance classes and individual situations.

So wear and technical age. As a family business, we once had a customer who washed three times per day with a €450 BSH device (Bosch). We had to replace motor brushes twice a year. We didn’t mind, but the customer thought we sold or installed junk. And that comes back at you because she told the neighbors! EVERY DAY 3x WASHED! (365x3 = OVER A THOUSAND TIMES PER YEAR)

If someone needs a commercial device, they should buy one, preferably a Hobart… (Referring to the customer’s shock when they see the price.)

No, the price is justified and cheaper than a new dishwasher. Or you have no idea about brand appliances? Just look up the prices for proper brand appliances. I don’t mean Hanseatic or similar.

Sure, does an authorized Miele customer service sell Hanseatic or AMICA?

Stores (even bigger ones) around here were even warned by Miele and had all their stock taken back and business relationships ended because they advertised Miele products (with pictures!) but sold Amica instead. Accordingly, many disclaimers were hidden in the ads.

Spare parts are of course available for order and installation by professional service technicians for any device, but brand-new machines from low-cost manufacturers are absolutely taboo in a real specialist service shop.

You wouldn’t believe how many customers have cheap junk at home.

It’s not worth repairing the electronics.

But let’s leave it at that; we’re just going in circles anyway.

PS:
There was also a 12-month warranty on every repair. Even if already after the first visit (which is not rare) the problem could be fixed with just the flat travel fee. For example, if it was just a simple fix like a stuck hose. But if it’s, for example, the motor brushes of a washing machine, we always have those with us, so then the repair can be done right away. (Labor is charged separately since the €30–40 cover travel and cost estimate, the actual time-consuming manual repair is billed normally.)

Proper invoice and 12-month warranty. If the defect occurs again, it is repaired for free.

None of those €5 flyer guys do this, if they’re even capable of anything except cheating. Just the claims “we repair everything” or “only €5 travel fee throughout the region.” Yeah, sure...

And if someone wants €80–100 just for a cost estimate on the first visit, sorry, that won’t fly either.

In this business, there is a reasonable average of repair costs that are acceptable. It depends on 1. the customer, 2. the device, and 3. the technical age of the appliance. If the customer has lots of money and the device is still top-notch and expensive, sometimes repairs for €230 are done on request.

But that’s the absolute exception!