IKEA and me

Know how you leave something so long that it becomes impossible to address?

I bought a kitchen from IKEA some time ago, when I had more money than now. There was a delay in delivery, things came up, trips intervened, my plumber moved away and I developed ambivalence about the floorplan I wanted. The flatpacks were never delivered and IKEA didn't contact me, and I just let things slip and slip... for 3 years.

Today was the day when I faced up to the embarrassment of taking my 3-yr old receipt back to IKEA customer services to try to get either a refund or a credit note. Heather and R. came with me for back-up, and we made a rather eccentric bunch. The manager was incredulous, and looking at my scruffy clothes, commented that he couldn't believe that anyone could just let £1600 drift for so long. He asked me whether I'd ever considered coming back over the last three years, which opened the floodgates for me. It was probably then that he clocked that he was more probably dealing with a nutter than a scam artist. He has to launch an investigation of the paper trail to establish that I'm telling the truth and this kitchen was neither delivered nor refunded. Should have an answer in a week.

A past incident of two years of unopened mail (the Guilty bag) is a similar example of a mental block now licked. I even have a la-de-da filing system- how do you think I found the IKEA receipt? Now, if I can bring myself to apply for reimbursement conference expenses laid out almost one year ago, the priority financial backlog will be sorted and I a richer woman. Hoorah!