Ikea changes its return rights

Author: Mario Schmidtgen
Date: 20.07.2018

Product replacements just without defects

Ikea wants to further restrict its return rights in Germany. From September 01, 2019, customers may only exchange their goods for the purchase price if they are unused and new. At Ikea, it was common that the goods could be handed in regardless of their condition and the information about return reasons.

Head of Ikea Germany, Dennis Balslev comments: “By restricting the return rights to unused products, we also want to make sure that customers do not dispose the furniture after a short period of use, but rather notice the value of the product, in the sense of the required resources. Abuse should also be prevented: “We hear from the houses that year after year, always the same people show up and demand their money back, just before the end of the exchange period,” says Balslev.

Already in the fall of 2016, the unlimited right of return was lifted after two years. Since then customers had a year to complain about the goods without giving a return reasons. According to the company, this period of 365 days gives the customer a security against bad purchasing decisions. Due to the new return conditions, Ikea Germany is now adapted to the globally valid Group standard.