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- matt of bicester's review
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Picture courtesy of Ulrika.
| Quality of service | 2/10   |
|---|---|
| Layout of shop | 3.9/10 |
| Value for Money | 5.4/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 2.8/10 |
| Overall Rating | 2.8/10 |
By matt of bicester
on 15th Aug 2007
| Goods purchased & cost | Bookcases, Filing Cabinet, Shelving, Desk Tidy... |
|---|---|
| Quality of service | 2/10 |
| Layout of shop | 7/10 |
| Value for money | 8/10 |
| Overall value | 6/10 |
 matt of bicester's recommendation | |
Surprisingly good quality and sturdy furniture
Good price
Poorly informed and uninspired staff
Stock availability
Ikea can be both impressive and frustrating at the same time. The first time I went, my girlfriend was telling me how wonderful it was. But, to be honest, when we'd finished I couldn't see what the fuss was all about. Over time though, it's grown on me, and we now have a fair amount of furniture from there.
My mental image of Ikea had been of wobbly furniture supplied with missing pieces. To my pleasant surprise, I have found all the furniture to be very sturdy, easy to assemble and well thought-out in terms of design. There is minimal material wastage, and all slots, pegs and screws etc. match up very neatly. The appearance of the furniture is also very solid and professional looking.
What Ikea is good at is supplying decent products at a very good price, and their prices are generally very competitive. This is particularly useful if you're trying to furnish a new house.
Unfortunately, they seem to have saved money by abandoning anything resembling a staff training policy. The staff are uninformed about the products they're selling when you ask anything technical. They also don't really know where things are kept in their own store. Last time we were there we were told a particular product was downstairs in the collection area, then when we got downstairs, we were told it was upstairs in the market area. In the end we gave up! One member of staff was particularly unhelpful when we asked about a product we'd seen on their website. He was completely unwilling to search for it on his computer when we said we didn't have a product code.
And finally, they don't have a clue about tracking their stock. We went to our local store looking for four main products. We came away with one, even though their website stock tracker and their in-store information said that all the products were in stock. Naturally, the staff weren't very helpful. Ultimately, we went to a branch in London while were visiting family, and thankfully we got what we were after.
Overall, Ikea provides an excellent range of products at affordable prices, it's just a shame you have to either go through the experience of visiting the store or pay a fortune for things to be delivered from the website.
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