What happens when you make a major purchase from IKEA and absolutely everything goes wrong?
What I’m about to tell you is the true story of how IKEA turned something as simple as buying a sofa into a months-long odyssey of mistakes, phone calls, frustration, mental exhaustion, and logistics worthy of a Marx Brothers movie.
Spoiler alert: the sofa ended up being free. But that doesn’t make up for anything.
Tricky order: the sofa you couldn’t use
On April 30, 2025, we placed an order at IKEA: a KIBIK three-seater sofa with chaise longue, in a beautiful dark green. So far, so good. But when we completed the purchase, we saw that IKEA would deliver it in two parts: first the sofa frame, and then (five weeks later) the cover.
We thought it was absurd, but we decided to go ahead anyway, as we knew that IKEA is not usually known for its punctuality (we already had previous traumatic experiences in Portugal).
The logical thing would have been for them to wait until they had the whole set and send it all at once. What’s the point of receiving the sofa frame if I can’t use it?
This violates the first consumer right: according to Article 66 bis of the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users, if you buy online, you have the right to receive the complete product within a maximum of 30 calendar days, unless otherwise agreed. This was not the case for us.
Sitting on a chair, surrounded by boxes
On May 12, 2025, the sofa frame arrived, and there they remained, the giant boxes blocking half the living room while I sat on a chair, because I had given away the old sofa when I moved. IKEA left me without a sofa for weeks.
In theory, the cover would arrive on June 9. We had already resigned ourselves to waiting a month to have something as basic as a sofa at home. All because of a company incapable of coordinating a reasonable delivery.
The promotional points scam
As if that weren’t enough, IKEA had a promotion running at the time: if you made a purchase, you would receive points that you could use on future purchases.
We were told that these points would be credited to our account 48 hours after the sofa was delivered; that is, after the sofa frame was delivered, as it was the largest part of the order. Another lie.
48 hours passed, and there were no points. We spent two weeks calling and making complaints until they finally told us that the points would only be available after the cover was delivered.
Two months without buying essential furniture while waiting for those points: a desk, a coffee table, a TV stand. In the end, we ended up buying everything on Amazon, much cheaper and of better quality.
The lost cover and the phantom order
June 9 arrived, and the cover did not appear.
We called. IKEA had no idea where it was, since once they placed the order for the cover, they had no idea of its whereabouts until it actually arrived at the customer’s home.
They couldn’t track the package, they couldn’t contact the carrier, they couldn’t give us any information. How is it possible that a multinational company doesn’t know where its own order is?
They told us to wait another 48 hours. We did. We called again. Excuses. More waiting.
Finally, on Friday, June 14, we decided to ask for a refund because we didn’t want the sofa anymore. They had already wasted too much of our time.
They told us they would pick up the sofa and that the refund would be made once it returned to the warehouse. But another surprise: the refund was made earlier, on June 18, even though the sofa was still in our house.
The phantom delivery and the imaginary baker
As for the cover, we had specified to customer service that we were going to Iceland from June 18 to July 1, so they should block delivery of the product. They told us they couldn’t cancel the delivery, but that it would be returned to the warehouse as soon as they couldn’t deliver it and the money would be automatically refunded.
While in Iceland, we received a notification that the cover had been delivered. I contacted IKEA via Instagram and reminded them of the law: “A delivery is not valid if it is not received by the consumer or someone authorized” (art. 66 bis LGDCU). Nor can they “leave it somewhere” and consider that they have fulfilled their obligation.
Fortunately, the social media team was the only competent party in this whole process, and the refund for the cover was made effective on June 21.
The sofa was worth so little that they didn’t even come to pick it up.
We scheduled the sofa pickup for July 7, right after we got back from Iceland. Of course, IKEA makes you stay home from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. because they don’t know what time the carrier will arrive.
That day we had to change our plans, so we couldn’t be at home. I figured they would call to reschedule the pickup.
The most shocking thing is that they didn’t come to pick up the sofa and didn’t even bother to let us know they weren’t coming, which is completely disrespectful to the customer.
The sofa we no longer wanted was free
Just when we thought the episode was over, the most unexpected thing happened. While we were thinking about what to do with the sofa boxes, someone showed up with the sofa cover because it had been delivered to another house.
We already had the sofa, we already had the cover, we had already received the refund. So, we decided to assemble it and keep it, since we had been without a sofa for months and didn’t want the boxes cluttering up the living room.
Even so, the fact that the sofa ended up being free doesn’t make up for the psychological strain and wasted time.
Shopping at IKEA may seem easy, cheap, and convenient. Until something goes wrong. And when it goes wrong, you realize you’re on your own.
Rights violated by IKEA:
- Incomplete and late delivery (Art. 66 bis LGDCU)
- Misleading advertising in promotions (Art. 20 LCGC, Art. 61 LGDCU)
- Lack of traceability (Art. 60 LGDCU)
- Invalid delivery (unauthorized, outside the home, without signature)
- Failure to collect the product after accepted refund
- Damages for breach of contract (Art. 1101 Civil Code)