Who should I hire to assemble my IKEA furniture?

Who should I hire to assemble my IKEA furniture?

There are a lot of fly by nights who claim to be professional furniture assembly services which upset me to the utmost degree because they are ruining this business for the honest, hard working, tax paying, companies who are licensed and insured! When I built this company I had little more than the basic tools, a dream, but I also had a license and insurance. And I can tell you that for many months I worked for the insurance company just to make my payments. If you see a piece or pieces of furniture from a retailer that sells furniture that requires assembly and you don't intend to do the assembly yourself, be sure to add 1/3 of the retail cost to the price for professional assembly. That is the national average rate for professional assembly services. If somebody is willing it to do it for less you can bet your behind their not insured, and if they get hurt or even claim to have been injured in your home they CAN SUE YOU!

I was recently contacted by a wonderful person who had purchased several pieces from IKEA and had just moved here from the U.K.. She contacted me on a Monday and asked me for a quote to assemble the furniture she had purchased which totaled about $2000.00. I explained that it would be about 1/3 of the total retail price, somewhere in the neighborhood of $600.00 plus tax. She was comfortable with that and felt it was fir after I explained that we were fully licensed & insured and all our work was guaranteed. Well, we went ahead and scheduled the assembly for the upcoming Saturday. However, in meantime one of her coworkers told her that 1/3 was too high and that he would find someone on Craigslist to do it for much less. On Tuesday she called our office and said she was sorry and explained that she found and there company to do it for half of what we wanted. My manager tried to explain to her that it was impossible for a professional company to do it for that price. I even called her back myself trying to save the job but save her as well. I told her to ask if they were licensed, insured and get references. Well that following Monday she called me and told me that they ruined her furniture and if I would come over and look at it. To make a long story short they scratched,broke, and incorrectly assembled every piece of furniture she had. The best part was they stuck a piece of lead in the light and blew the bulb so she couldn't see all the damages until she got another bulb or took one out of something else. By this time it was late and she said she was tired and just paid them and went to bed. When she awoke she couldn't believe what they had done to her furniture. She immediately called their number all morning only to have nobody answer. I explained that we could save a few pieces and maybe IKEA would return a few pieces but I have a feeling she might lose out because they will say it was ruined during assembly, which was true! To my surprise IKEA took everything back and later that week she re-bought everything and we had it delivered and assembled it for her. Everything was perfect and she loved it. Yesterday I received a call from her and she was going on about the furniture, but in her native tongue. I told her to slow down that if she has any problems I will send a technician back to repair any issues. No she explained, the guys that did the first job are suing her saying the one idiot hurt his back assembling her furniture. He found a shark lawyer who took the case and the worse part about this scam is he will win! He won't get a ton, but he will get something because by law she is responsible!


There are several great professional assembly services here in New York and around the United States. If you are in New York city you can visit us at www.ezfurnitureassembly.com, and if you are outside New York you can find a professional assembler at www.assemble4you.com. They have professional assembly services in every state. When hiring a assembly service we recommend you do the following:

1. Get a business card. No business card is a red flag!
2. Ask them what their website address is. No website is another red flag!
3. Ask if they are licensed and insured. If they say they are ask to see a copy of their information.
4. Ask for at least 6 references. Any professional company can call their office and provide you with this information on the spot.
5. Ask if they are certified by any manufacturer. If so, ask to see their certification.
6. Check Angie's List to see what other pat customers had to say about them. You can find a link to Angie's List on our website where you can check on every business from handyman to gutter cleaners.
7. Check and see if they are listed on the National Association of Professional Assemblers at www.assemble4you.com

Christopher Purnell
EZ Furniture Assembly & Interior Innovations, LLC
www.ezfurnitureassembly.com