[Birkie]

I live about 5 hours away from IKEA and brought home most of my kitchen home last week. We checked each flat pack off our invoice and everything is there but the four pieces they had to CDO since they were out stock

So now I am going to make the (overnight) trip to get the last four pieces. But I hear about missing pieces etc. Do I need to open each flat pack? Is there anyway to determine what is missing at this point? The assembly and installation is still 3-4 weeks in the future.

Thanks for any advice that could save me heartache when we finally start the assembly!

[erikakn]

birkie--Since you're making an overnight trip, I urge you to open every flatpack. It can only benefit you--if everything's okay, you can drive home knowing that you've done your job.

As you know, each flatpack comes with documentation.

Although I didn't have any missing parts in closed packages, I did have some damaged panels and one damaged cabinet.

So, it's worth checking. It's only four items, right?

Erika

[Emmie9999]

I agree with Erika. They have room at the store for you to open the flat packs, check everything, and re-pack it. (At least they do at my IKEA, so I think they have them everywhere.)

Double check your boxes at home as well, so you can deal with returns or picking up any missing parts while you are there. The Returns desk often has spare hinges, for example.

With regards to missing parts, your draft order should have a list of each cabinet, and what pieces belong to each. So, you can use it to reference all the pieces and make sure they are all there. You can total things up and count the smaller parts. If you should have 56 legs, make sure you have 56.

Bring a copy of your order with you, so you can double check everything. You don't want to be three hours into that drive home and suddenly remember the lazy Susan!

Good luck to you, let us know how it goes!

[Birkie]

Thank you, this is exactly what I needed. I will unpack the flat packs in my garage and look for damage or missing parts. Then I can group each cabinet's flat packs together which will help when it comes time to assemble each unit.

The Twin Cities IKEA pulled everything on my list and didn't miss any items, but it is good to know that I should check inside the flat packs too.

[madp67]

Birkie, I'm going to throw something different at you. Is it totally necessary for you to go to IKEA now? Being it's a 5 hour drive for you, it might make more sense to save that last trip until you've assembled what you have at home. You may have some damaged goods at home or doors that do not correspond to the box they're in. Additionally, you want to purchase interior fittings once you start using/organizing your kitchen. So, that's just a thought.......

[Birkie]

Turns out, there is a big soccer game in the Cities, so we kind of wanted an excuse to make the trip! But, I am still a little worried about how to handle missing pieces, or any other surprises we discover during assembly.

In hindsight, I would have ordered from IKEA Direct. I understand that then they would have replaced damaged/missing pieces as part of that service, plus no state tax (in WI) and delivery right into your home. I was reluctant to spend a couple hours reading the order over the phone, but I maybe could have faxed it in. (However, getting the order printed out and checked over was a valuable service the store offered.) Using IKEA DIrect could have saved me time, gas and hotel expenses.

Good lesson learned.