money
British woman waits months for €1,664 IKEA France refund
Order cancelled over an alleged €10 underpayment
MOST POPULAR
A Connexion reader has warned of the frustrations of dealing with IKEA customer service in France.
Amanda Mallender, a lawyer from Bristol, has a house in Lantilly (Côte-d’Or) with her husband James.
She placed an online order at IKEA on March 1, which cost €1,664.46.
She received three emails confirming her order and, when she logged on to her IKEA account, was informed that it was ready but had been split into two deliveries, on April 1 and 2. It never arrived.
Order cancelled over alleged €10 underpayment
Mrs Mallender says she sent numerous emails to IKEA France. On April 2, she was told that the order had been cancelled because she had underpaid by €10.
“No one ever contacted me to report an issue,” she said.
She decided to file a formal complaint, providing proof that she had made full payment.
“I requested a refund and was told my complaint would be reviewed and I would receive a response. I received no satisfactory response.”
She then sent a letter to the CEO and general counsel on May 20, which received no reply. She decided to have one last try, using the IKEA online chatbot on June 4, and finally got through to a person.
“They told me that my complaint had been closed, with no explanation why.
“They opened a new case number and told me they would investigate and get back to me. I heard nothing.”
Refund finally received in June
On June 16, a member of staff assured her a refund was authorised on June 4 but could take up to 14 days.
They said she should receive it within 48 hours. She finally received the refund on June 22.
“No apology, no interest, no email confirmation. The money just arrived, which is something I guess!”
IKEA France responds
Mrs Mallender is not the only person to experience unsatisfactory service from IKEA France. It has a score of 1.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
When contacted by The Connexion, IKEA France said:
“We regret the inconvenience, which does not reflect our usual standards. We have contacted our customer service department for further information. We encourage customers to use our official channels (phone, chat or online form) and to keep their case number for easier follow-up.”
