5 things I learned about IKEA Mexico through an abysmal customer service experience

In general I think it's fair to say my disposition skews more toward cynical than hopeful. I don't consider myself naive. Less likely to be dissapointed if you have low expectatations going in. But every now and then I still find myself surprised when I encounter a situation like the one I'm going through now with IKEA Mexico. Perhaps my naivete is that I still believe companies will do the right thing for customers. Especially when it's easy to do. Not all companies, of course. For some, gauging and screwing the public is an integral part of the business plan. But others invest tens of millions of dollars in building a brand that is allegedly 'fun, quirky, and caring'.

And they post their values online, expressing who they are. What their brand promise is. The "compass that guides everything we do". This bit, in particular, is sadly ironic:

We are straightforward, innovative, creative and common-sense problem-solvers.

Unfortunately, that wasn't my experience. My interactions with IKEA Mexico has shown them to be sloppy, slow, and indifferent. And my problem (really theirs, honestly) has not been solved. So, I feel inspired to document and share a few things I have learned through my recent purchase via IKEA Mexico's online channel.

Here is the list, upon which I elaborate further below:
1. Their delivery network is unreliable
2. Their customer service channels are slow, and when they do respond, they are not empowered to deliver real solutions
3. Their online / offline channels are poorly integrated
4. Their website may not present a true picture of their actual inventory
5. Leadership at very high levels inside the company cannot be bothered about 1-4 above

1. Their delivery network is unreliable
I'm not talking about arriving late outside of an agreed upon delivery window. Or even having to reschedule a delivery. My order was not delivered in full. The delivery partner marked my order 'complete'. And then, according to the customer service rep I eventually got a hold of, the other pieces of my order were 'lost'. Now this matters as the 5 pieces I bought were meant to be a full set. Having 3 of the pieces does me no good. Need the 5.

2. Their customer service channels are slow, and when they do respond, they are not empowered to deliver real solutions
Their phone service is only available Monday - Friday, during work hours. Not super convenient. I realized my order was incomplete Saturday morning, when I was working to assemble the pieces that did arrive. Emailed them at 9am. By late Monday afternoon I had no response, so I tried again. I never received a response from them. Not even one of those automated 'we received your message' responses. Nothing. So Tuesday morning I tried dm'ing their Twitter account. 4 hours later I got a response. 3.5 days after my initial outreach via servicioclientesikea@ikano.mx
I will illustrate more below about the limitations of the 'service' that I did receive once in contact with them.

3. Their online / offline channels are poorly integrated
This was particularly surprising in 2025. I live in Mexico City. IKEA has a big ol' store in Mexico City. The pieces of my order that were 'lost' by their delivery partner are in stock in IKEA's store in Mexico City. IKEA Mexico's Twitter customer service tells me they have no way to get those pieces from their Mexico City store to my Mexico City home. ... This is where I'll revert back to the company's heritage and DNA as "... straightforward, innovative, creative and common-sense problem-solvers". ... Sounds wonderfully inspiring. Unless they find themselves faced with a true dilemna, like how to navigate the 12km between their store and my apartment. That is apparently beyond their capacity.

4. Their website may not present a true picture of their actual inventory
Another surprising one. Integrating logistics of your online operations and your bricks and mortar stores can be tricky. You'd think a world class retailer like IKEA might have a go at it. But at least they can manage their retail website, right? I mean, if the online channel inventory is totally separate from what can be sourced and delivered from the stores, then there's no issue with latency as real-time sales are processed and reflected online. Right? Nope. When I pointed out to my IKEA Mexico Twitter contact that their own website showed one of my pieces as being available for delivery I was told that was an error.

5. Leadership at very high levels inside the company cannot be bothered about 1-4 above
This was also a bit surprising. But everything I experienced made a bit more sense after we tried an alternate path to maybe get some resolution. My wife is a casual acquaintance of someone whose partner is in a leadership position within IKEA Mexico. After going down this path via their customer service channels for a few days with no luck, thought we'd see if perhaps someone down the ladder on his team might intervene and offer some 'common sense problem solving'. I mean, it's the brand's DNA, right? Unfortunately we got a brush off response of, 'there are support protocols in place' yada yada. This could reflect both on their regard for us and their regard for customers in general. Hard to say. But (a) we didn't reach out the moment I opened the boxes and saw my order was incomplete. The support protocols had been failing for a few days before we mentioned the situation to you. And (b) the incident involves multiple problematic concerns. Not just an incorrect delivery. Incompetent delivery partners. Obvious disconnect between online / offline fulfillment channels. Slow customer service. Unreliable inventory information being published on your retail website. Hello? Get your shit together.

So, where is this netting out? They are refunding me for the pieces that were not delivered. I'm still paying the delivery fee, even though I got 60% of my order and suggested perhaps they might shift that cost over to the delivery partner who f*cked up the delivery. But no, that's not possible. (Customer-centric. Caring.) And if I want the other two pieces it's on me to head to IKEA store and hope they are there. They won't hold them for me there. I asked. Also just not possible. Beyond their capacity. (Customer-centric. Caring. Common sense problem solvers.) So I need to invest 3+ hours in a round trip that may or may not result in me getting what should have already been delivered to me.

Below are screenshots of the entire thread with my Twitter customer service contact (en español).