I am writing to express my feelings when recently putting together one of your wonderful products for our nursery: the Walnut Stamford Combo Changer. What an exciting product, and what a nice box. However, I had an unexpectedly swear-filled experience when putting this item together. I have a renewed appreciation for IKEA and the utter clarity of their visual-only assembly instructions, especially in comparison to the 22-part (plus hardware) 15-step process involved in putting together this rather simple, sleek piece of furniture. I was almost forced to call the IKEA 1-800 assembly hotline, and just talk to someone in Sweden who could calm me down. And at moments when the directions were clear, the pieces provided to me were not shaped correctly so as to lead to the creation of a proper Combo Changer. I should have listened to Huge from Swampscott, Mass., before trying to do this as a first-timer. I think Bee from Chicago had learned that lesson, unlike me.
Have no fear, Amy, I did manage to prevail after much banging, beating, shoving, and standing on parts to make them fit. In the time-honored Murawski fashion, I got this d#mn thing made, and it looks great. But I now understand why your product lines have become discontinued and you're "rethinking" things before releasing any new products. Take your time, Amy . . . seriously. And send Anna at IKEA a query to see if they can offer some helpful advice. The next time we get sucked into your stylish design trap (which we probably will, esp. since you are like 1 of maybe 3 companies creating decent-looking products for babies under $1000), I hope that you will not present such a challenge to my patience and my ability to independently reshape wood veneer.
Your valued customer/consumer in this recession, and dad-to-be with plenty of swear words to build basically anything,
-Mike Murawski
Awesome rant. I avoided this by inviting my family over and conveniently leaving for work when the time came to assemble the Amy Coe crib and changing table. But you are a doer, Mike, a git-r-done type, not a Tom Sawyer like myself ;)
ReplyDeleteDear Mike - Next time listen to your friends who have already been through this. Never buy any baby stuff you have to put together yourself, especially if it comes from Babies R Us.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure warnings were given :)
Luv ur friend,
Jen
Can't believe you find IKEA instructions intelligible. I invariably find myself expending hours and many swear words when confronted with their wordless diagrams and pieces that look identical but aren't, and wishing I just had the full kit of woodworking tools to bang together desks and tables and suchlike. (Not that I am highly skilled at woodworking, but I do possess basic skills--can hammer nails, drill things, use a saw.)
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