Feedback on the Ikea kitchen

I just had a close encounter of the third kind with this company.. I was always convinced of Ikea, but what they are pulling here is outrageous.

I bought new cupboards for 1200€ through the Faktum re-purchase shop. Unfortunately, a few parts arrived defective (chipped corners and edges). We only noticed this after the freight company had left.

And now? Called the hotline, the annoying automated system drives you crazy, it's almost impossible to get a consultant on the line. After 15 minutes on a Sunday, I finally got the guy to tell me that I was calling outside business hours. Also, that complaints are the responsibility of the furniture store. But the furniture store doesn’t feel responsible for Faktum re-purchases. Great, the trip was wasted. So I filled out an online form. Note: "Minimum processing time 14 days!!!!!".

Now I’ve been on the hotline for 30 minutes listening to stupid music, just to finally get a human on the line. I’m about to lose it here!!

Oh yes, we had that recently with an online order and the associated complaint as well: The online form states that a minimum processing time of 14 days is required. In urgent cases, one is supposed to call. But no one answers the hotline (I gave up after 35 minutes). After almost a week, however, we received feedback that the faulty item would be sent to us again and that we may keep the defective item.

Somehow reminds me of the Bauherrenhotline Magenta

For such reasons, we got the kitchen from the local furniture store.

The freezer section of the fridge froze up every two days. After two weeks, we were fed up.
One call and a day later, the Siemens technician was at the door.

The extractor hood rattled like tin. One call and the Siemens technician fixed the problem again the next day.

Cost of the kitchen with professional planning and installation: 3,000.00 euros via IKEA
Service and contact person on site: Priceless!

The last IKEA cabinet is going out in January. Two doors are missing, which broke during the move. There are no replacements anymore due to product range changes. On the invoice: 30 years warranty and even 10 years! repurchase guarantee. Age of the cabinet: 5 years!
IKEA's solution: shrugging shoulders and a voucher equal to the value of the two doors. Apparently, there’s nothing left nationwide for this Pax.
Ergo: IKEA is quite nice for junk and the blue zippered bags. With a bit more investment, I can get solid furniture elsewhere including assembly.

: I wish you much success and good nerves!

Well, I don't find the quality of the Faktum cabinets that bad. IMO, many furniture store kitchens feel cheaper.

For us, it was the price and sales policy of the classic kitchen studios. I like it when I know what A costs and what B and C cost.. and not having to plan everything first, then calculate an astronomical price, then get 123% discount at first, and then still have to negotiate.
We had identical kitchens planned with Nolte and IKEA, just the cabinets, without appliances, without assembly.
=> IKEA: €4,200, furniture store €11,000.
Since the house was just rented.. and now after 2 1/2 years we didn’t want to throw away the kitchen and can adapt it very well in the new (own) house. Also, with a new kitchen I would want a stone countertop etc., so about the €25,000 category, which is currently not possible because of the construction. Therefore, the cheap version with add-on for €1,200 and a new countertop.

By the way, after 35 minutes I got through to someone at the hotline. And yes, it was similar at Telekom.. I’ve had fun there too. Kabel D is better!

So - we have received two more drawings:

[Nobilia] for 11k € (he more or less did it by accident)

Nolte for 10k € (preferred by us - not real wood, but Chalet oak)


We have now commissioned the following changes for the Nolte:

[*]Sink side: plan cabinets parallel to the trash: so a 45cm drawer above (at the sink, then probably a strongly shortened one (?); a panel at the dishwasher) and a 30cm drawer below.
[*]Splashback in worktop color - all around
[*]under oven and in tall cabinet (30cm, 30cm, 15cm - analogous to the other base cabinets)

He promised to revise it again tomorrow and on Saturday we will go there again.
We are curious.

I like it. Personally, it would be too much wood for me if the countertop, fronts of the tall cabinets AND the splashback are done that way. I would prefer the Nobilia version with white tall cabinet fronts. Side panels - okay, but the fronts are too much. The kink in the line guidance at the tall cabinets is also unattractive - that can surely be solved differently! I find the faucet from Nolte impractical. I would put it at the back :P