[Somewhat edited from the original letter I sent on 7/21/2012. Thankfully, I can walk again, but this is inexcusable all the same.]
Dear IKEA,
I went shopping in the Bloomington, MN location on 7/20/2012 and had a less than stellar experience. I have dance-related stress injuries that have left me unable to walk long-distances or stand for long periods of time. Even with frequent rest stops walking for long periods is extremely deleterious to my health. Because I had been uninsured since age 26, and suffer nerve damage, my injuries have not properly treated or healed. Now that I finally have insurance, I have to wait four months until my pre-existing conditions are fully covered. Needless to say, the situation I am about to describe was absolutely awful.
We rarely go to the Minneapolis area since we live two hours away, and had three appointments in addition to our IKEA trip. My husband and I were looking forward to a free lunch and picking up a bookcase combo that he had been saving up for the last seven months. Instead, we ended up navigating the store for two and a half hours in the showrooms, even though we specifically and directly asked five different staff members how to get to the checkout area as soon as possible. We thought that this was a fairly simple request, and honestly I dislike disclosing my disability for something as minor as a short walk to a check out area. Each employee failed to tell us about the direct access route to this section via (unlabeled) stairs that my husband accidentally found, after he realized that we needed twine when putting the bookshelves in the truck, while I was sitting in the car during 90 degree weather in extreme pain. We were only told about the elevator after we finished shopping and needed to take the stuff to the car. Nowhere in the store did we see any signage for electric carts, elevators or to remind us that IKEA even has handicap accessibility services. Because of this stress on my body, I was currently bed-ridden and completely unable to walk. I am hoping that this condition will pass because of the four month pre-existing condition wait. My husband and I were also late to our appointments, because of the unexpected two hours of runaround that we got. This was a very disappointing experience that has left us with a negative impression of IKEA.
To add insult to my rather literal injury, my husband and I did not get the free lunch with the $100.00 purchase that we were promised. Due to a miscommunication with one of the IKEA greeters at the beginning of our visit when we asked both about the free meal and how to go directly to the check out area, we ended up shopping first. My husband and I discussed what we had heard her say and came to the same conclusion. When we were done shopping, I noticed that we did not get a coupon with our receipt as both my husband and I were led to understand by the staff member. When I asked one of the IKEA employees why this was, she said, “You should’ve done this at the beginning of the trip. Now you’ll have to go to the returns area after you get your lunch.” Not wanting to walk more than necessary I asked for her to help us correct the situation. Instead of helping, she turned away from me while I was in mid-sentence and started helping another customer. We never did get our free lunch.
At my first appointment, to get fitted for a wedding dress, the bride-to-be, Lucinda, and her husband noticed that my walking was awkward and obviously strained. Lucinda who is also disabled in a way similar very similar to mine because of her involvement in atelier modeling and dance. She and I traded our experiences shopping at IKEA. She too had a similar experience where she got her shopping list online, expecting to have a short shopping trip with her boyfriend, and instead ended up running around the store for a full day. Since her injuries weren’t as extensive as mine, she fared better, but she too had a negative experience. She too had the same miscommunication with one of the IKEA greeters about the free lunch promotion (which was a few month earlier than the one we wanted to participate in.) However, unlike me, her issue was resolved simply by being told to eat at the downstairs eatery and got her meal for free without having to deal with the returns area. The employee she dealt with was infinitely more helpful and courteous than mine, and she didn’t even have to disclose her health condition to get her free meal.
The $250.00 my husband and I saved in with delivery fees outside the Twin Cities was not worth me being bed-ridden, in pain, unable to walk and uncertain as to how we can cover our medical costs. After this nightmare, we probably will never shop at IKEA again, or recommend the store to anyone. As a arts and lifestyle blogger, I probably won’t be writing a glowing article about my experience at IKEA either. Most everyone I know has very positive things to say about IKEA. Unfortunately, I can’t be counted among them.
I am not sure how to resolve similar situations in the future but here are some suggestions. Training employees to explain that the free meal needs to be obtained before shopping in no uncertain terms — not a vague, “bring your receipt (which of the two and to where) and you’ll get your meal reimbursed,” even if they hand out a flier. My husband and I thought that she had been clear, so we didn’t read it. That was obviously a mistake. This situation was clearly not an isolated incident, because my friend Lucinda had the exact same thing happen to her. However, I would like to see more employees react to such miscommunications more in the way that Lucinda experienced, than in mine. It’s just good customer service; especially since we spent over twice the amount required for the free meal. Also, please make it more obvious that there are handicap accessibility services in the store. Not all disabilities are obvious and not all disabled people are comfortable disclosing their conditions to every random employee they find.
Thank you for your time,
Vanesa L. Wojtanowicz
