Returning goods to IKEA
The company has developed a profitable system for returning goods of good quality for customers.
Unlike the standard 14 days within which you can cancel a purchase, in IKEA stores this
period is 365 days .
You can return products if they do not fit in size, color, shape or other parameters or you simply don’t like them. It is not necessary to explain the reasons for the return, but it is important to comply with the conditions established by the seller.
Conditions
Products can be returned within a year under the following conditions :
- The purchase was made no later than 365 days ago.
- Have a receipt or other document confirming the purchase.
- The product has no traces of use and has retained its presentation.
- Products may be assembled (if self-delivered).
- No packaging required.
Procedure
If the return conditions are not violated, the buyer needs to:
- Deliver goods . In retail facilities there are restrictions on accepting goods of various sizes. Therefore, in order to find out exactly where to bring products, you need to call the store or use the feedback form on the website. The buyer can submit a request for delivery by the seller. In this case, shipping costs will be deducted from the refund amount and will be processed within 5 days. The product must be disassembled.
- Contact a store employee to fill out an application and check the product.
- Present documents.
If all actions are completed and the conditions are met, the seller accepts the goods and undertakes to return the money within 10 calendar days.
Required documents
In order to terminate the purchase and sale agreement at IKEA, you must present an identification document, a purchase receipt, and an application for return or exchange.
Return deadlines
You can return a product of good quality , which means one that has not been used and has retained its appearance, but for some reason did not suit the buyer, within 365 days, not counting the day of purchase.
Expert opinion
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Items of inadequate quality , that is, which were found to be defective, defective or other defects during use, are accepted for return during the warranty period.
Possible problems
Returns and exchanges do not always go quickly and without the slightest difficulty. In some cases, problems arise, and there are many reasons for this.
For example, an IKEA return and exchange center may have questions regarding a customer's eligibility for one of these services.
An examination will help you find out exactly whether the item has been used. The client is required to pay maximum attention to the returned purchase, since even a small trace of use is already a likely reason for refusal. Here, even Russian legislation and the completely loyal policy of the IKEA retail chain will not come to the rescue.
How many items cannot be exchanged:
- plants;
- batteries that the buyer has already removed from the packaging;
- printed publications;
- goods purchased on sale or sold at a discount;
- cosmetic products, perfumes;
- fabrics and other materials already tailored to the requirements of a specific client.
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The buyer who comes to exchange these items will not even be accepted.
Special IKEA return cases
Let's take a closer look at the features of returning products at retail outlets.
Returning goods without packaging
The company accepts returns of items without original packaging, all without exception. This does not depend on the reason for delivery of the goods and the deadline. In addition, products may be assembled when returned.
Return without receipt
It will not be possible to return goods without any document confirming the purchase, so it is better to keep receipts for the entire warranty period.
If you lose a receipt, you can try to find it in the buyer’s Personal Account or contact the customer service department. In the second case, you will have to wait some time while the employee searches.
If you cannot find a cash receipt, then you are allowed to present other documents: a bank statement, confirmation of a reservation or order, a sheet for self-dialing, an overview of the order, a sketch from the planner program.
Return under warranty
The warranty for products in the IKEA store ranges from 1 year to 25 years , depending on the type of product. This is another difference from other companies that is beneficial for the client.
The warranty is valid only for domestic use of the goods.
Does not apply to: wear and tear due to use, mechanical damage, non-compliance with storage, delivery and operation requirements.
Return after 1 year
You can return goods of good quality only within 365 days, not counting the day of purchase. After one year, products are accepted for return only under warranty .
The necessary conditions
Items purchased from IKEA and included in almost any of the categories presented here can be returned within twelve months.
This is the standard period for this company. You can return a purchase if the buyer has a passport (or other document that can be used to confirm a person’s identity) and a sales receipt. Returning without a receipt is also possible, but the procedure itself will be more complicated. The store has the right to refuse to return the money paid.
Exchange of an unsuitable product for a similar one from IKEA is carried out within the same time frame and upon provision of exactly the same documentation. Return conditions:
- It is allowed to return products to IKEA without packaging, in the original configuration, or to perform an exchange (if the product has not been used after purchase);
- the buyer can change the purchase at any of the IKEA stores according to its opening hours.
The money is returned either in cash or to the card, depending on how the purchase was originally paid for.
If we talk about the possibility of exchanging goods at IKEA, this procedure is similar to that described above. Exchange of products is carried out absolutely free of charge when manufacturing defects are identified, defects that arise during the delivery process, or if the wrong item was delivered that was chosen and purchased by the buyer.
In practice, if all the described conditions are met, and the buyer was able to return the product to IKEA with a sales receipt, the exchange process will go quickly and without difficulty. The client does not have to choose a product at the same price - he can choose a more expensive analogue and then make an additional payment. It also happens that the buyer, on the contrary, wants to exchange an unsuitable item for something that costs less. Here the additional payment is made by IKEA.
The return conditions within the time limits established by the company apply only to goods that have not been used or used.
There is a 14-day return policy for pillows and a 90-day return policy for mattresses.
For other groups of goods subject to return, a 365-day period has been established. The main requirement for a return is the presence of a receipt and a passport or other identification document.
If you have a cash receipt, the goods will be returned as soon as possible, usually on the day of your request.
No packaging. Missing or damaged packaging in most cases cannot be a reason for refusing a return. Difficulties can only arise when returning goods such as bed linen.
Furniture, as well as other types of goods returned assembled, are subject to return according to IKEA rules. At the same time, the IKEA-Service department does not recommend disassembling the furniture back, so as not to spoil the presentation.
Most of the administrators on duty who accept returned goods are quite loyal to the buyer, even if he does not have a cash receipt.
According to Article 25 of the Russian Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”, a check can be replaced with witness testimony, but in this case the return procedure may take longer.
Refunds are made in the same way the product was purchased. If the buyer paid in cash, the cash will be returned; when paying by bank transfer, the buyer must take a bank card with him to transfer funds to it.
The exchange procedure in the IKEA store chain is almost identical to the return procedure and occurs in accordance with the current legislation of the Russian Federation or internal rules in force in the company.
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If there is a manufacturing defect or defects received during transportation, the purchased product is exchanged for a similar one immediately in accordance with the Russian Federation Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”. The cost of delivery and return in this case is compensated to the buyer.
What is needed in this case? In this case, you need to know that the law is often on the buyer’s side. And if suddenly you were refused a refund for a defective item, demanded packaging, or withheld part of the money, you can contact Rospotrebnadzor and other regulatory organizations. But the seller will be right if you lost the receipt.
A receipt is necessary in any case; without it, no one will return your purchase to you and they will be absolutely right. But it’s best to double-check everything on the spot, inspect it carefully and meticulously, even if the purchase doesn’t hit your budget too hard. Who wants to go back, write a statement and wait for the money to be returned?
Methods of circulation
In order to return items of proper quality, you need to come to one of the retail facilities. For convenience, the store offers the service of making an appointment to return goods on a convenient date and time (only in Moscow locations).
To return or exchange products under warranty, you need to contact the nearest IKEA retail outlet, taking with you your passport, receipt and photographs of the defect.
Another option is to fill out the feedback form on the store’s website, indicate the reasons for your request and attach photos.
You can also submit a request for repair of household appliances through the store’s website or by phone.
Reasons for refusing to purchase
The following reasons may serve as grounds for returning a product to IKEA:
- Inappropriate style.
- Design inconsistency.
- Color mismatch.
- Size mismatch.
- The buyer changed his mind.
- Presence of product defects.
- Poor quality.
The buyer may refuse the purchased item without giving reasons no more than seven days after receiving it when it was purchased online. Features of returning goods are set out in the topic: “Return Processing”.
List of non-returnable goods
There is a list of non-food products that cannot be returned, which is approved by a decree of the Russian government. Products included in this list cannot be returned if they are of proper quality.
IKEA provides its customers with the opportunity to return all goods of good quality, without exception, including those on the list.
In addition, the store offers special conditions for returning pillows, blankets and mattresses, different from other stores. He allows you to check how well you sleep on new products and return them or exchange them if you are not satisfied with something. Pillows and blankets are returned within 14 days, mattresses within 90 days.
Discounted items are also accepted for return.
In what cases is an examination required?
When the “buyer” has already made a demand to the “seller” for the exchange of a product that does not meet the proper quality, the “seller” inspects it. If, after inspection, he finds damage or establishes that the product has been used, he will return the money minus wear and tear or, in general, refuse to return it.
The “seller” is not obliged to return money for the goods if the defect arose through the fault of the buyer. The decision to return the amount for a low-quality product is made after its inspection by the “seller”.
Key points when assigning a commodity examination:
- When the “buyer” has doubts about the expert organization, he has the legal right to attend the examination. If, based on the results of the examination, the “buyer” does not agree with the results, he can challenge it in court.
- When the examination establishes that the defects in the goods did not arise through the fault of the “seller,” the “buyer” is obliged to reimburse the latter for the costs of the expert opinion, as well as other expenses (delivery, storage).
- The “buyer” can conduct another examination in an organization that does not cooperate with the “seller”. When the expert establishes the fact that the product is deficient through no fault of the “buyer,” the “seller” will have to compensate for all expenses.
- Each party can challenge the result of any examination in court, and it does not matter who conducted it.
Not every “seller” accepts the return of a low-quality product.
The legislation (Article 18 of the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”) establishes that in the event of a dispute about the occurrence of defects in a product, the “seller” is obliged to send it for examination at his own expense.
Refund
Reimbursement of funds upon termination of the transaction is carried out :
Cash
If the purchase was paid in cash, you can return the funds at any store.
By transfer to a bank card or current account
If the payment was made by credit card, you can return the money at the nearest store.
For customers who made a purchase in the online store, the refund amount is transferred to the bank card from which the payment was made within 10 days from the date of delivery of the goods back to the store.
In case of purchasing products through the corporate department, funds are returned within up to 30 days to the bank account or client number.
IKEA voucher
Regardless of how the purchase was paid for, the company can transfer the money to a voucher, which is used to pay for subsequent purchases at IKEA retail outlets. The exception is an online store.
The voucher can be issued remotely or during a personal visit. Validity period: 5 years. Activated within 24 hours upon electronic registration and immediately upon visiting the store.
Store opening hours
The IKEA store opens at 10:00 am and closes late at night:
- From 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- From 10:00 am to 02:00 am (some cities of the Russian Federation).
The exact opening hours for a store at a specific address are indicated on the company’s website.
In addition, the online store is open 24 hours a day, where you can order goods online and have them delivered at a time convenient for the “buyer.” Ikea product returns opening hours remain unchanged.
