IKEA Gonnat replacement parts for family-friendly children's bed

Hello everyone,

I am new here in the forum, I have been a customer at Ikea for 20 years and have already spent several thousand euros there...

Last year, shortly before the birth of our son, my wife thought of buying a crib. She chose the Gonnat model with mattress. So in February 2015, we went to Ikea Duisburg and, after a short inspection in the showroom, bought the crib.

Caught the last package in the warehouse and off home. Assembly was no problem, as I have already assembled many Ikea furniture pieces and also occasionally worked for an assembly company during my studies.

So far, the crib has proven itself, although in my opinion it is too expensive and too bulky - my wife thinks it’s great...

Now the little one is 1 1/2 years old and my wife would like to have the bars removed.

I dug out the assembly instructions again and had to find out that the manufacturer provides the following:

the entire railing is to be removed. Instead, a board is mounted at the bottom edge to the slatted frame.

What this design flaw is supposed to mean is really a mystery to me. This is not a) explained when you buy it and b) not clearly evident from the assembly instructions!

Since I basically never throw away wood at first and would have remembered the whereabouts of such a board at the latest when disposing of the old box, I assume today that the now required board was not included in the delivery.

So today I went to Duisburg and explained the situation. In response, I only got stupid remarks from the employee and her supervisor, such as "...several others have already come to us for this..." or "...that’s not our problem..."

I explained to them that I am not stupid and understand what they are saying. I just want this one wooden slat with the appropriate drillings in the right color, I can wait two weeks for it if necessary and am willing to pay for it. I no longer have the receipt, but I have a witness – namely my wife!

The reply I got was basically this: "...we can send you screws and so on, but not something like that. For that, we have to open a new package. And definitely not without a receipt. You might have bought the crib on Ebay..."

I then explained that they can check on the Family card – but this was immediately brushed off again with the comment: data protection – we are not allowed...

When I asked what I should do with the crib now, I got the answer: that’s not our problem – sell it on Ebay...

Apart from the fact that Ikea has noticeably saved on quality in the last 20 years, I find that the social skills of the employees are increasingly leaving much to be desired.

I think that in the future I will only have deliveries and actually now advise everyone against Ikea – especially since I have experienced partly similar stories in recent years.

At the end of the assembly instructions, it is quite clear how it works, right? I also cannot see any design flaw. But whatever... you had the opportunity to test the bed at home and examine the conversion options. Now you come 1.5 years later without a receipt and want to make a complaint... Ikea is especially known for its goodwill regarding returns (still!). But there are limits to that. Do you seriously think you would achieve more at Poco or Roller or any other discount stores in such a case?

Sorry, but I have little understanding that many customers are increasingly unwilling to pay for their furniture, while at the same time expecting maximum quality and comprehensive service. Especially service costs a lot of money and is being cut back. However, I notice this much more clearly in other areas/products than at Ikea.

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

If the strip was missing, that's annoying, but after such a long time I don't expect a replacement anymore. There are so many people who simply claim that something was missing or was already broken, even though they lost or damaged it themselves. Haven't you yet heard from your acquaintances the recommendation to claim that it was already like that even if it was your own fault?
It is regrettable that it is not possible to reorder individual parts of products that are still being produced. Of course, this wouldn't be free, but it would be doable if the logistics were set up for it. Known furniture manufacturers do this, but that is easier with only a few production sites. If you buy products in a furniture store's self-service market that are produced around the world, you won't succeed either.
Have a strip cut to size at the hardware store and paint it blue. Children prefer it colorful anyway.