IKEA

We bought a new bed frame for our son. When we went to get it delivered, and possibly assembled, the man behind the counter gave me a quote based on my total bill, not the item itself, which is incorrect based on their own rules. The assembly charge was too rich for my blood at $159, so I declined. When I got home and glanced at my receipt, I realized that I had been misinformed by the IKEA rep and that the charge should have been $89. That may not sound like a big difference, but it's the difference between reasonable and gouging in my opinion. I tried to get the change made via phone, but got caught on IKEA's typical customer service hamster wheel and after about an hour on the phone was told the change could only be made in-store. Since we had just gotten home from IKEA, live about 20 miles away from IKEA, and I had just seriously injured my hand trying to move one of IKEA's giant boxes, I balked at having to make all the effort for something that was NOT MY FAULT BUT ENTIRELY IKEA'S. Eventually got the frame assembled for $75 by a nice guy not affiliated with IKEA -- a fair price that demonstrates how overpriced IKEA's services are. Their customer service, too, is sorely lacking. Face it, they don't need we consumers satisfied, as they pretty much have a stranglehold on their little market niche. Nevertheless, I'll never shop there again unless I happen to be in the market for fairly cheap furniture that requires a Swedish Ph.D. to assemble and lasts about two years.