It was pre-COVID, 2018, but the worst consumer experience I ever had was an online order for delivery of some Ikea bookcases. The estimate was 4-6 weeks, and I

It was pre-COVID, 2018, but the worst consumer experience I ever had was an online order for delivery of some Ikea bookcases. The estimate was 4-6 weeks, and I started inquiring after 8 weeks. The official third-party shipper blamed it on Ikea, and Ikea blamed it on the third-party shipper when I finally reached them on the phone. We gave it another 4 weeks and then cancelled the order. After 4 more weeks they still hadn't refunded my credit card, so I had to contact my credit card issuer to fight the charge. With that said, my wife and I still love Ikea, and we've done some pretty extreme things to buy their stuff in-person. This includes driving many hours for weekend getaways to the nearest city with an Ikea to do a bunch of things (zoo, aquarium, etc.) but primarily to get something from the Ikea, and dealing with some very sketchy unofficial third-party services that help buy Ikea goods (at a 2x markup) in places where you couldn't otherwise get them (Hawaii and Korea). Even with a 2x markup, there are some great deals.