A couple has won a two-and-a-half year legal battle with Ikea after being unhappy with how their kitchen was installed.
Stewart and Bridget Wilsdon complained about their kitchen when it was fitted and Ikea initially agreed that it was not properly installed, but later changed its mind and refused to accept responsibility, reports GloucestershireLive.
The couple decided to take legal action and filed a claim with the county court, where they have now won damages and costs totalling £5,452.
The couple bought the new kitchen from Ikea and it was installed in 2018 but in late 2019 the problems began, with the units starting to collapse as a result of not being supported properly.
The court heard that Ikea initially agreed to pay for the problem to be fixed but later changed its mind and claimed that the problem was due to the installation of a heavy worktop by Hatherley Worktops.
Ikea’s representative, Korina Holmes, told the court: “Legally, we’re not liable for further issues that arise between Hatherley Worktops and Mr and Mrs Wilsdon.”
She added that the company that installed the kitchen for Ikea, the now-defunct Bristol-based BJC Contractors Ltd, should have informed the couple that the base units were not sufficient to support the worktop.
Ms Holmes said: “The fault is with the installers and not Ikea.”
But Mr Wilson, who represented himself, told the court that Hatherley Worktops had come back to the house to check on the situation and had confirmed that the problem was with the base units and not the worktop.
This view was backed up, he said, by an experienced independent fitter who he asked to examine the kitchen.
Deputy district judge Chappell ruled in favour of Mr and Mrs Wilsdon, saying that Ikea’s kitchen base units did not have enough legs to support the worktop.
She pointed out that the fitting of the kitchen came with a five-year workmanship guarantee and she said: “I’m satisfied that this applies to the fitting of the units.”
She ordered Ikea to pay a total of £5,452, including £4,355 in damages.
