I’m honestly still trying to process how this whole IKEA delivery situation unfolded, especially considering I’m currently in Japan, where I expected things like this to be… well, handled properly.
So here’s what happened.
I had a curbside delivery scheduled for 7/4. To make it work, I rearranged my work schedule (which is not something you casually do here), made sure I was physically present the entire time, and even sent detailed delivery instructions in Japanese beforehand which were acknowledged. On top of that, I had already received another IKEA delivery earlier the same day under identical conditions without any issue. So access, instructions, everything clearly not a problem.
Then, about 30 minutes before the end of the delivery window, a truck shows up in front of my building (there was completely different name on the truck from SG moving, and didn't look like delivery truck). I’m there, watching. And… nothing. No one gets out. No phone call. No intercom. No attempt to deliver. The truck just sits there for around 20 minutes and then leaves.
Shortly after, I get an email saying the delivery was unsuccessful, that intercom was not available etc.
I genuinely thought it was some kind of mistake at first. But no, it was logged as a failed delivery.
The frustrating part is that I actually have timestamped photos by accident of when the truck arrived and when it left. There was simply no attempt made.
Now comes the second part of this whole experience.
I tried contacting customer service. It took me more than 1 hour and 45 minutes to finally get through. When I did, I spoke to a very polite and helpful lady who called me back and offered to reschedule the delivery… 7 days later. She did say she would try to make it sooner, which I appreciated.
Then I received an email from a no-reply address offering that same date, which I was supposed to confirm, but of course, you can’t reply to it.
So the next day, I called again. This time, I was offered a delivery 9 days later. I explained that this is simply too late, considering I already rearranged my work once and would now have to do it all over again.
At that point, I was told that an English-speaking representative would contact me to resolve the situation.
That was two days ago.
No one has called.
What bothers me the most isn’t just the failed delivery, it’s the complete lack of ownership afterward. I did everything right on my end: I was present, I communicated clearly, I even adapted, or tried to, to the language barrier. And yet I’m the one losing time, adjusting my work schedule multiple times, and chasing support.
I’m genuinely surprised this is happening here. I had very high expectations for service standards in Japan, and this experience falls far below that.
At this point, I’m still waiting to be contacted, still without a confirmed reasonable delivery date, and honestly just trying to understand how something like this is handled so poorly.
Has anyone else had similar experiences with IKEA delivery, especially in Japan? More important, any advices on what to do and how to deal with it?
by jagos89