TORONTO — Not everyone’s cut out to do their own home renovations and installations. That’s why Swedish furniture giant IKEA offers to do all the work for you.
Meet Paulo Senra, a first-time homeowner who moved into his west Toronto condominium in late March. His first project was giving his kitchen a $3,300 upgrade from IKEA.
“I ended up purchasing a quartz counter top and two cabinets: one 36 inch and one 30 inch,” Senra said.
Senra says IKEA assured him the cost of installation would be $99 per cabinet, which he thought was fair especially with an additional IKEA promotion offering $200 credit.
PEG Corporation, based in Etobicoke, is the company to which IKEA sends customers for kitchen installations.
But when Senra called PEG to arrange to have the cabinets and countertop installed, he says he got a surprise.
Senra said a woman he spoke to from PEG warned him of a “$750 minimum fee just to walk in the door” for an installation. That minimum fee wasn’t noted anywhere on PEG’s website.
When Global News contacted PEG, a representative said no one was available to comment.
IKEA said consumers will not face such a steep minimum charge for installations in future.
“We can confirm that customers should not be charged a minimum fee for IKEA kitchen installations,” said a company spokesperson in an email.
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IKEA promised this would “not happen again to any other IKEA customers.”
Kitchen renovations can come with a high price tag, so it’s important to do your homework.
Dave Bounsall, director of marketing with the Toronto-based HomeStars review site, advises consumers to be careful when hiring a contractor.
“Don’t rely on a handshake and verbal agreements. It’s important to get a really detailed contract that’s agreed to by both parties and looked over by a lawyer, especially on larger jobs,” he said.
Senra cancelled his order with IKEA. He said after Global’s calls, the company offered to reopen his order, deliver and install the kitchen free of charge. He said, however, that he has found another installation company to do the work.
After his experience, Senra said he won’t be making a major purchase at IKEA ever again.
With files from Emma Iscaro
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