I read some of the earlier reviews for this product, and I am honestly not certain how others' had difficulty putting these racks together. I was able to sit alone and put two together in under ten minutes. It functions purely on tension -- no tools required. Maybe others' had the outside, upright pieces backward and had to struggle to get the brackets of the shelves to grab hold? I really don't know. Glad to have made this purchase!! I bought 2 in black. Immediate uplift to the unsightly pile of shoes by the door. The top shelf is smaller than the bottom three, and this is perfect for my Little One to have her shoes up top. The quality is about as expected - think about the covered wire racks in closet organizers; to that end, they are "easy" to bend or squish a bit. Maybe shelves that were not straight can be why others had some difficulty putting it together?