We picked a kitchen from Ikea, had their contractor Modus come to our house and design it, and rip out our old one. Sadly things did not go to plan.
We specifically chose a wood coated countertop (Karlby) and then were told at the point of installation that it wouldn't work for our island as it wasn't finished all the way around. They then said it was our fault because we ordered the parts (from their list) from Ikea and that we chose that one (in the presence of the designer). After disputing having to pay extra for new countertops, they refused to install new ones for us saying "we wouldn't be happy" so my husband learned some quick woodworking skills to do it himself as we were left with a half finished kitchen. The only compensation we got was the cost of one of the countertops that we couldn't return as they had cut it already.
The contractors then wouldn't accept responsibility for denting our 9 day old brand new fridge, so they again said because we might have done it (it is at the exact height of the dishwasher they moved against it to install so it wasn't us) they would only pay for half of a new door. So we refused, on the grounds that by doing so would be accepting some sort of liability ourselves. We wanted them to pay for the damage they had done. We later discovered that the island wasn't even straight because they used the wall which wasn't plumb. They also didn't include one of the tall panels we needed to finish the job in the design and therefore it wasn't ordered until after installation.
In full transparency, Modus did offer to take our countertops back to Ikea for us, when the extra part we needed was back in stock. No date was set however and we needed the money to buy new countertops from Lowes. By this point we were fed up so we hired a U-Haul van and went to Ikea to return the countertops ourselves.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $3,700.00
- Company Response
Dear Kerry F.
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are sorry to hear that you had a poor experience with our Calgary team. As your kitchen project has now been completed, and our further efforts to work with you towards a more positive outcome have been refused, allow me to lay out the chronological installation process to clarify why the situation turned out the way it did.
Countertop:
Our IKEA Planning specialist met with you as scheduled to assist with planning your kitchen at your home in April. The service that you booked was a flat fee service to help you lay out the IKEA kitchen cabinets at $250 for 4 hours of in-home consultation. As you were made aware from pre- appointment communication, as per the outlines of your selected service our Planner does not pick the countertop material for you and all material-selection decisions are required to be made prior to the appointment. When it was indicated during your appointment that you preferred a 15” deep island our planner reminded you that you would be required to select a countertop at your leisure either at IKEA or through a different supplier, and would be able to confirm selection/pricing at that point . A technical detail stating that the 15” deep countertop does not exist as a pre-cut material at IKEA was provided to you at that time, along with paperwork noting: “Customer to finalize countertop selection”. Unfortunately, the material that was purchased in store was not suitable for the surface it was intended to cover. This incorrect material then arrived to the job site where our installers brought this to your attention. At that time it was then made clear to our team that you would instead like it to be cut for another portion of the kitchen (not the area in question), and our installers proceeded as per your work order. Later in the day you stated your final decision not to use the piece after all, but as the material was already opened and cut it was deemed unable to be returned to the supplier. In good faith, and to alleviate the frustration that you were experiencing, our office offered to cover the cost on your behalf.Panel material:
At the conclusion of your original kitchen planning appointment, our IKEA specialist provided you with a final confirmed and completed layout saved into your personal online IKEA account, along with the appropriate paperwork.. However, at some point between the conclusion of your planning appointment and the day of purchasing materials at IKEA, your original completed layout was logged in to and changed from our Planner’s recommended final state. This resulted in the original material list compiled by our planner to now be inaccurate, as we were not aware of the design changes which now required an additional panel to reflect the changes made. Of course, there was no way for us to know that revisions had been made, and our installation team was faced with an incomplete order for installation. We immediately proceeded to order it and deliver it from IKEA in your behalf, however it was unfortunately not in stock at your local IKEA store on that day.Fridge:
In instances like this there is unfortunately no way to know how or when the dent occurred, so instead of pointing fingers we decided to offer you compensation for half of the amount of the fridge dent fix/ new door cost.Other:
It was clearly stated that you refused to pay our installation team for their full day of work if they would not provide free removal of all materials packaging. In an effort to make the best of a stressful situation, our office agreed to provide this service complimentary, although it is usually offered at the time of booking as a separate fee/service.We understand well how complex a kitchen renovation is, and this is why we make such an effort to provide clearly outlined and detailed instructions in all our verbal and written communication prior to booking services. This has been put in place to ensure a smooth workflow, but unfortunately this documentation is sometimes ignored and/or labeled redundant, and this is often when challenges/issues surface and sometime cause the scheduled work from proceeding as planned. Unfortunately, instructions were not followed in this case, our cabinet layout was changed without letting us know and our installation team was faced with a surprising new layout and improper material on-site.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to present the facts related to this job.
Please enjoy your IKEA kitchen, as it is an amazing product and will serve you well for decades to come.