Spent literally 10 days to order online, while being fooled with click-collect, standard delivery, FedEx delivery and finally express delivery options (I should have used those man hours to complete an online course, which would then help me get a promotion or raise). Finally placed an order for over 20 items.
Express Delivery came on 5/23. One item was composed of 2 packages but received only 1. Called NAL Group. They said I had to call IKEA for replacement item. Tried to reach IKEA for 5 days. No response. Then I checked IKEA's Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, only to realize the large-scale tragedy they are facing: No one is getting anything for months! And no customer support.
Ok, I will set my anger and disappointment aside and try to help those, who might still order things online. First, understand the 4 main options:
1. Click& Collect: It does not work. I have not seen anyone who claimed it worked. Even if you place your order, chances are you will go to the store only to find out that your order is not ready and will not be ready.
2. FedEx: Technically, you will not see such an option, but it is what you get if you shop for small items. By small, I am not sure how they determine what the small is; because I tried it with 2 Fjallbo TV units and and it was still shipping FedEx. Anyways, if it ships FedEx,
a. It is dispatch from a main warehouse
b. It will cost you something between $10-$30
c. It says it will arrive sometime in July.
3. Delivery: If your cart includes heavier furniture items, your whole order will be delivered via truck, including the smaller items in your cart.
a. It is dispatch from a main warehouse (I'll talk about it and explain why this matters)
b. It will cost you $49 (or more based on your postal code. Mine was for First Hill)
c. It says it will arrive sometime in July.
d. It will probably not come. Either the order will get cancelled or on the day of delivery, you will see nobody. This is how the story goes with thousands of complaints in Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
4. Express Delivery: This is what worked for me and I will explain why it worked. Express delivery is offered in select locations and Renton is one of them.
a. It is dispatch from your LOCAL store, which is RENTON for us.
b. It will cost you $49 (or more based on your postal code. Mine was for First Hill)
c. It will be scheduled for 1 or 2 days after the order placement. You cannot select date or postpone the date.
Now, what is the deal with dispatching items from local store and why Expedited shipping might be the key to ordering?
As far as I understand from the comments, main warehouses are cramped and they do not keep an accurate inventory. When they find out that an item is low in their stock or nonexistent at all, they cancel your order altogether and do not bother to call you while you are waiting at home, expecting your delivery that day.
When you order through Expedited Delivery, though, it is processed by the local IKEA. There is lower chance of ending up with a low stock item because the system does not event grant you the expedited delivery option if the stock is low (see next paragraph). Since the delivery is promised within 2 days, even if something is screwed, you will know sooner (here we are being the Pollyanna).
How to order Expedited Delivery?
For the expedited delivery, all your items, ALL THE ITEMS, should be in stock in the local store. All green. Mid stock doesn't work. Low stock? Doesn't work.
- Check every single item by adding them to a shopping list and selecting Renton. Check the stocked quantities. They should reflect good numbers.
- If a certain item is mid or low in stock, check the other color, other type, other size. This is especially important if you have an item which is composed of multiple parts such as an office chair or a dresser where you can "customize" the item. For example, the low back office chair was low on stock in my case, so I went for the higher back chair.
- If they are in stock in Renton, you can checkout for Expedited delivery. You will be given a day. You will be asked to choose a time slot, which will not be met (expected otherwise?)
- They load all the things to a dolly and leave everything in front of your door. In our case. In our case, they unload the items in front of the elevator inside our apartment building.
- Take your time and check ALL the items. DON'T LET THEM LEAVE before you count every single item. Pay attention to the products which come in multiple packages.
- If things still mess up, do not limit yourself to IKEA USA or IKEAUSAHELP in Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Write to other countries' accounts too, because why not read more