45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Expectations and reality don’t always line up. And that applies to more than just the weather.

Take IKEA, for example. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great place. I bought my bed there, along with the mattress and some kitchen utensils, and they’ve all served me well. But the idea of simply popping into the store, bringing everything home, and setting it up in less time than it takes to finish a drink… that’s not how it goes.

So, to show you what you might actually be in for if you take on IKEA, we collected a list of hilariously unfortunate moments that prove the results don’t necessarily match the instruction pictures, even when you follow them!

#1 Same Name, Same Product Number. Not The Same Chair

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: mauracunningham82

#2 My New IKEA Gloves

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: DanceHallWhiteGirl

#3 Ordered A Loveseat From IKEA. Apparently Someone Pulled Up The Parts List And Sent Me One Of Each

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: stinkysteward

#4 I Bought IKEA Furniture Online To Be Delivered… And One Bowl

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: ski309

#5 Saw These Girls At IKEA. What Were They Thinking?

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: NeeNee9

#6 Last Screw When Assembling An IKEA Play Kitchen Before Christmas

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: snjall

#7 Taped A Desktop Top To My Hand To Get It From IKEA To My Home

8km ride, it was a sunny day, so I went by bike. Saw this desktop top that I could use in the free-to-take basket.
Hurt like hell, regretted that we didn’t go by car.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: JosNNl

#8 IKEA Shipped My Order In 2 Boxes. This Was The Second Box

It’s just weird because the other box had ample space for these hooks.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: hellowerlt

#9 Glass Wall Of IKEA Display Cabinet Exploded

I have two of these IKEA Detolf display cabinets, and today, one of the glass walls just exploded out of nowhere. I’ve had it for over 4 years, and there was nothing too heavy inside or on top of it. Wondering what caused it, and now I’m afraid the rest of them are going to go as well.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: _Silence_91

#10 The Chance Of Injury Is Unreal Now

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: LateNightLuna

#11 Sometimes, You Just Can’t Make It Work

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: lucyglover

#12 I Ordered A Terracotta Pot From IKEA

“Just toss it all in a big box and hope for the best.”

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: ItsLiterallyPK

#13 Washed An IKEA Pillow And This Happened

An IKEA pillow burst open whilst washing.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: hideouslywrinkled

#14 Just When I Was Putting The Last Door For My IKEA Closet, I Slipped On A Piece Of Cardboard And Stepped On The Glass

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: Jelpo_901

#15 Guy At IKEA Who I Bought The Christmas Tree From Told Me It Didn’t Shed

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: matej86

#16 3/4 Of My IKEA Champagne Flutes Have Spontaneously Chipped In The Same Spot In The Same Way

We’ve had them for over a year. Then all at the same time, after recently using them (I got engaged!), they chipped in the same spot and the same way by themselves.

I used them. Hand-washed them. Left them out to dry and later found them with the chip and the matching piece of broken glass next to them.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: Old_Man_Bridge

#17 Roommate Left A Wet Towel On My IKEA Island And The Veneer Is Bubbled In The Corner

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: Neither-Most

#18 I Tried To Install What Seemed To Be An Elegant Ceiling Lamp From IKEA. I Don’t Know If I Should Continue Laughing Or Start Crying

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: ststro

#19 IKEA Added Very Hard-To-Remove Stickers At The End Of A Pan. Genuinely, Am I Supposed To Burn It Off While I’m Cooking?

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: ChappelIRoan

#20 Scanned The Barcode On New IKEA Tote Bag, Ended Up Paying A Bookshelf

I assumed the barcode was for the tote bag itself, which costs 2 CHF (~$2.2). Ended up paying 70 CHF (~$78) and didn’t notice until I checked the receipt at home.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: rbnrdt

#21 IKEA With Their Stickers

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: Captain_Daveman

#22 Task Failed Successfully

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: linusgsebastian

#23 These IKEA Cushions That Look Like They’re Mouldy

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: lucindainoz

#24 Dang You IKEA

There were 6, there was another blue set (blue fork, knife, and spoon), but I had put that set away into my camping kit when I noticed there was an extra blue knife and no yellow!

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: Mnellium

#25 I Ordered 4 Missing Screws From IKEA. I Got 3. There Is A Hole In The Package

Spare parts are actually free, including shipping.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: hun_nemethpeter

#26 IKEA 1, Bernadette 0. I Failed At Building A Step Ladder. I’ll Stick To Knitting I Think

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: dettsbitsandstitches

#27 My IKEA Jar Just Broke In Half When Trying To Remove The Cork Top, And Now My Sugar Has Glass

It’s been my sugar jar for almost two years! Just random, it broke in half like this.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: birdmedicine

#28 Sweet Dreams From IKEA’s Spider-Balloon Series. Your Kids Will Never Sleep Again

It was definitely a “two-for-one” surprise when we turned it on. My 5-year-old still hasn’t noticed it. I’m not gonna point it out.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: Ethiceze54

#29 Thrifted A Glass IKEA Desk

I picked up this cute glass Ikea desk from the thrift shop today. When I got home, I started pulling it out of the car, and the entire thing shattered.
So much glass in my car still.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: Potential-Lie-7270

#30 Been Drinking Water From My IKEA Water Dispenser Only To See This When I Took The Wooden Lid Off

This was the first time it happened. I always thought it was weird for the lid to be wood for this exact reason, but I assumed the designers knew better than I.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: Lucci_754

#31 Stupid IKEA Soft Closing Hinge Won’t Stay Attached

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: flippertyflip

#32 Got The Table Put Together. Just One More Chair Leg

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: babyjo1982

#33 When The Materials Used Are So Cheap, There’s Simply No Room For Error

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: lhalater

#34 Greatly Overestimating The Size Of Your Trunk

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: deleted

#35 This IKEA Colander Has A Lip That Curves Inward That Traps Pasta

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: jenjen5308

#36 Ordered A Storage Bin From IKEA, Received A Dozen Loosely Packed Wall Clocks Instead

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: mosskin-woast

#37 This IKEA Cutting Board Has A Gutter To Prevent Juices From Running Off It And Onto The Counter… And A Hole That Completely Negates The Gutter’s Function

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: slocki

#38 This Isn’t Beige. There Is Zero Way The Could Have Send The Wrong One Because I Ordered Two

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: I_am_thee_SockMan

#39 Assembling IKEA Furniture Be Like

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: discult

#40 Literally Built Herself Into A Tight Spot

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: emlmyrin

#41 Can’t Finish My IKEA Desk Because They Gave Me An Unthreaded Screw

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: mokabrown97

#42 I Swear I Followed The Instructions

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: k_twelfe

#43 Colored Pencils Where Tip Color Is Similar And Don’t Look Like The Actual Colors

SOLFÅGEL colored pencils from IKEA.

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: Funkymeleon

#44 These IKEA Measuring Spoons That Ruined My Muffins

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: tssop

#45 I Ordered A Couch At IKEA And They Lost Half The Couch In Delivery

So I ordered a couch at IKEA for my new apartment to be delivered today, since I had people taking a day off work to come and help. And they apparently lost or forgot to deliver the actual couch part and will now only be delivering it on the 10th…

45 People Who Thought IKEA Would Be Quick, Easy, And Cheap And Were Proven Very Wrong

Image source: amdrke