It's a shame that so many people have left negative reviews, especially since they all seem to be geared towards assembly. My boyfriend and I ordered 4 stools, which were delivered within a few days, and only took him about an hour to assemble. I think people are tightening the legs too tight which is causing them issues, you can't fully tighten everything when you're still assembling it. I'm not sure if these came with any directions, but he didn't need any since it was fairly self-explanatory. If you're remotely handy you won't have any issues putting these together. We love the stools, and would definitely order again!