IKEA Kitchen Installers

Are you thinking about using IKEA’s approved kitchen installers to install your new kitchen?

We did, and really wish that we hadn’t.

Over 6 months later the job is still unfinished…

Outstanding problems

Despite regular complaints to IKEA and their approved installers PMH Installations Ltd, 6 months after our installation began the following items are still outstanding:

• Wrong size worktop was delivered and installed
  

  • We ordered a deeper worktop to align with our deeper cooker, which has a spacer at the wall to allow the hob lid to open properly. This requirement was confirmed by the inspector when he came to measure the kitchen before installation.
  • We discussed our deeper worktop with the fitter on his first day and he noticed that a standard depth worktop had been delivered instead.
  • We asked for a deeper worktop to be ordered and, after taking his own measurements, the fitter assured us that the shorter worktop would be OK and the cooker would be flush with the worktop. It appears that he took his own measurements without allowing for the spacer, which he had removed himself earlier that day.
  • When the kitchen fitting was completed the cooker was left in place without the spacer, in a position where everything appeared to align nicely.
  • During the tiling the spacer was added and our cooker now protrudes from the worktop – something we had tried our best to prevent throughout the entire process.
  • The fitters blame IKEA for ordering and delivering the wrong worktop. IKEA blames the fitters for installing it.
• No sealant between tiling and worktops
  

  • At the post-installation inspection, the inspector highlighted that no sealant has been applied between the worktops and the wall tiles.
  • We were told that this was needed to prevent water damage to the tiles and worktop, and that the installers would add this for us.
  • Over 4 months after the post-installation inspection (6 months after the initial installation), we still have no sealant.
• Dishwasher is misaligned so it opens out into neighbouring door
  • The dishwasher has been installed at such an angle that it opens out into the neighbouring drawers.
• Door bar hasn’t been installed
  

  • We paid for a door bar to be installed, and it has still not been installed for us.
  • As a result, the tiles near the door are at risk of chipping/cracking, as they have been for 6 months since the original installation.
• Kitchen unit legs aren’t straight, causing plinth to be misaligned
  

  • One of our plinths doesn’t look very pretty. When we removed the plinth to see why, we noticed that all of the kitchen unit legs (which the plinth clips to) are at wonky angles, preventing it from being clipped on properly.
  • A second plinth – under the dishwasher – isn’t secured to anything at all.
• Damage caused to cooker, washing machine & drawer door
  

  • There was an accident during the installation when the fitter knocked a tin of wood oil over in the kitchen. After the installation, we noticed the wood oil stains – including one on our cooker hood which has damage exacly the same shape and size as the base of a wood oil tin!
  • After the installation, we also noticed there was scuffs on the washing machine knob.
• Drawer door is not installed straight
  

  • The drawer front to the slim drawer isn’t installed straight. When this was highlighted during the inspection, we were told that this is “common”, and it may not be able to be corrected.
  • We expected a professional finish with the alignment of all the drawer and cupboard doors. Sadly, this doesn’t look like a professional did the job.
  • This is the same unit that has the wonky legs.
• Kitchen tap doesn’t have enough pressure
  • We were told that IKEA’s RINGSKÄR tap is supposed to work with low pressure systems, but it’s little more than a dribble when running the hot water.
  • At the post-installation inspection, the inspector advised that if we purchased a non-IKEA tap then we would be refunded for the IKEA tap, and the new one would be installed for us.
  • This still hasn’t happened, so we regularly need to run the tap for around 1 minute before we get any hot water.
• Only half of our cupboard hinges are soft-close
  • We ordered soft close hinges for all of our cabinet doors.
  • During the installation we noticed that half of the cabinet doors were opening out into walls or the cooker hood so, over the phone, we ordered 90° hinges from IKEA.
  • After the installation, we noticed ourselves that the new 90° hinges weren’t soft-close.
  • We then found out that IKEA don’t sell 90° soft close hinges so we’ve found some from Blum instead. These still haven’t been installed for us.

Our experience of…

…IKEA’s customer support

…the in-store planning

• The in-store planner was very helpful, taking us round the showroom so we could see all the different options.

…the pre-installation inspection

• The pre-installation inspection of our kitchen went really well.
• We followed the installer’s recommendation of having wall tiles instead of splashbacks.
• The inspector recommended that we place everything that needs plumbing in the same area, which meant moving the washing machine to the other side of the room. This seemed like a sensible idea, and when we asked if the washing machine would “stick out” we were assured that it wouldn't. Unfortunately, it now does stick out.
• The deeper worktop was discussed and agreed, with the installer saying that the fitter could use the off-cuts to make us a window sill (which we never got) and some chopping boards.

Other complaints

Not directly related to ordered items, but annoying nonetheless:

• Fridge has been left in our living room
  • As the door bar has not yet been installed despite us having paid for its installation, we risk cracking the tiles if we move the fridge over the threshold ourselves.
  • As a result, for over 6 months we’ve been living with a fridge in the living room of a 1-bed flat, taking up valuable space and making fridge noises.
• Painting & decorating is held up
  • We did ask for (and expect) the installers to paint and decorate the kitchen, as it was clearly stated by IKEA that they would be able to do so.
  • During the pre-installation inspection, we were told that the fitters didn’t offer painting and decorating, but they knew someone who did. We decided to find our own.
  • We can’t begin the painting and decorating until the kitchen has been finished, so for over 6 months we’ve been living with wrapping over the cabinets, holes in the walls, no window sill and no skirting board.
• After tiling, the washing machine sticks out 10cm more than before tiling
  

  • Before the tiling the washing machine fit nicely under the worktop. Now, it protrudes by 10cm. Although we’ve tried to move it back under the worktop we cannot move it any further.
  • The inspector advised that this would be corrected. We are still waiting.
• UTRUSTA lighting isn’t worth it
  • When we ordered the under-cabinet UTRUSTA lighting, we expected it to sit flush to the wall as shown in the catalogue and showroom.
  • However, there is an unsightly gap between the lighting and the back wall. We’ve been told that they couldn’t install the lighting closer to the wall, as our room isn’t “showroom conditions”.
  • The reality is that the unsightly gap could have been prevented, or reduced considerably, with a more precise install.
  • After the electrics were completed, we also discovered that some kitchen cupboards need a large mains switch box inside them to power the lights. This was not explained to us by IKEA, or the installer, until the switch boxes were put in place.
  • If we knew originally that the lights would not be flush with the wall and the switch boxes would take up valuable cupboard space, we would have ordered different LED lighting.

Comments