Refused IKEA Delivery | Is the Refund Automatic?

I’m sure there must be a lot of deliveries that go smoothly, but I’m familiar with many of the unfortunate IKEA delivery stories. Add refunds onto delivery, and it sounds like an interesting time ahead.

Whatever the reason, if a delivery is refused and you are after a refund, you should prepare for several phone calls and a trip or two to your local IKEA. You may get lucky, and everything will get done quickly and easily. If not, well, you are not alone in the struggle.

IKEA doesn’t reveal the process of a refused delivery. However, with IKEA’s refund reputation, it is unlikely to be automatic or without fuss. The refund payment can also take a number of days. It’s better to handle this in a store and, if possible, to accept and return an unsatisfactory order.

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Do You Have to Apply for the Refund?

I, personally, have never refused an IKEA order or had the delivery people refuse to make the delivery. So, unfortunately, I cannot offer you first-hand insight. However, I know a lot about IKEA and their delivery, return, and refund policies and processes.

IKEA doesn’t have a drop-down box for refused deliveries in their customer service FAQs list.

You will need to check on the status of the delivery from the manage and track order function on the website. You can follow the prompts on the site and from any email or text message communication you receive from IKEA following the refused delivery.

Depending on the reason for the refused delivery, re-delivery might be arranged, or IKEA will initiate cancelation of the delivery.

Should you wish to cancel the re-delivery, you will have to contact IKEA because, typically, you can’t cancel an order once it has been dispatched. You may end up having to accept the re-delivery and then proceed with a return.

Either way, you are unlikely to get the delivery fees back; just the money for the products.

If IKEA cancel the order on their side, then you will need to follow up with them for the refund if you want to get the money back as soon as possible. The issuing of the refund might be automatic, but the process can drag out if there is no one driving it.

I would actually recommend that you go into a store or at least ask the call center to put you through to your local IKEA. You will get better results.

How Long Until the Money Reflects?

IKEA claims that, as part of their return policy, your refund will be processed within 5-7 business days.

However, if you have ever experienced the IKEA returns and refunds process yourself or read some of the customer experiences available online, you’ll know it can take days or sometimes weeks. Getting IKEA to agree to the refund and actually getting the money are different issues.

I recommend going into a physical store and talking to the employees there instead of the call center operators whenever possible.

IKEA will refund you through your original payment method. Going into the store for refunds on cash or gift card purchases can get you near-instant results for cash and gift card purchases. However, card refunds frequently take longer as IKEA takes time to verify and process them.

Why IKEA Refuses Delivery?

For large orders, IKEA requires you or a representative to be present for the delivery. What you may not know is that the representative, in most regions, must be over 18 years old. The team may refuse to complete the delivery if no one or no one old enough is present.

Woman holding a tablet in front of a delivery guy with a trolley full of packages

IKEA might refuse delivery if they cannot safely get the goods into your home. This means if the item won’t fit in the room or will be damaged in doing so for in-home delivery, the delivery people can refuse to make the delivery at all if you aren’t willing to let them leave it somewhere else.

I’ve also heard of some independent delivery companies refusing to deliver an order because the items were damaged. In this case, IKEA should replace the damaged items in the order and reschedule delivery. You will have to ask for the order to be canceled and refunded if you would prefer.

What if I Refuse the Delivery?

You can refuse the delivery if there are damaged, missing, or wrong items. You can even refuse to take delivery on principle if IKEA has put you through the trials of a bad delivery experience (long waits and little communication included).

However, I would always suggest accepting the delivery, making a note of any problems or issues, and then returning the items or the entire order.

There is a clear process for returning incomplete, incorrect, unsatisfactory, or damaged orders. Even if you just no longer want the items, it is always better to return them.

You can easily follow the prompts and information from the returns/exchange page. Download and fill in the return slip and either take the items back to the store or arrange for large items to be picked up for return.

Returns (even for online orders) are handled in-store, and the process can be relatively straightforward.