Still taking baby steps...

After making you hear about that IKEA desk for months, I still haven't shown a picture, have I? Sorry.

I haven't finished that side of the room, but I'm going to show it none the less because it is such an improvement over what was there before (and is still seen in my Flickr account!)

Isn't it lover-ly? I just have to mount my two inspiration boards on the wall. I think I lost my newspaper templates, so I have to go find them. I want the boards lower than they were before so I can really use them.

Here are pictures of others who are in love with these great adjustable desk legs, the VIKA ARTUR trestles:

Things to get done during or after the Cure

Goals:

• Test Glacial Tint and Himalayan Mist! pale blue samples from Behr and paint bedroom with the chosen color (Done 4/07)
• Assemble white IKEA Vika Amon/Vika Artur desk (Done 5/07)
• Mount empty brightly colored picture frames from to emulate this image from Wary Meyers (Done 7/07)
• Hang Inside a Black Apples' Mysterious Genevieve print (Done 7/07)
• Paint and patinate (yes, I looked it up) my gold mirror using pale yellow and blue paint (Done 3/07)
• Paint dining/craft table a very pale blue to contrast with the red chairs (probably use the leftover samples from Behr or extra Benjamin Moore sample pots) (Done 10/07)
• Special order a quart of the American Accents Leafy Green paint from Lowe's or Home Depot for the armoire (**I found out that Rust-Oleum no longer makes this color available in a brush-on latex paint, I would have to use the oil-based spray, which I don't want to use. Hmmm...)
• Take another try at tailoring the loveseat slip cover (still too loose) (Done 6/07)
• Make the bolster pillows (came up with new idea for the shape) (Done 5/07)
• Mount artwork on the walls, including my heavy Swingers poster and my Leia Bell prints (Done 5/07 & 10/07)
• Hang curtain dividing the kitchen from the living/dining area. The fabric I wanted was discontinued so I had to start again and I am now thinking about one of these below. They are from the same collection as the one I originally wanted.

Update: I bought over four yards of the green, yellow, and blue print.*
Bolded = Done
* = In progress

Can you guess what these are?

Go ahead...try.

Yes, the return address does say IKEA.

After missing the UPS guy for two days because of class I was rewarded today by the arrival of my desk. I will not even try to convey in writing how relieved I am to have this physically in my home after so many months of frustration.

Whew!

I am flabbergasted

I just got THE call!

Kathy from IKEA called me this morning to find out if I still wanted my desk on back order.

HELL yes!

I told her that I was certainly surprised to get her call and that I had first placed an order for this desk in September of 2006. She was surprised and said, "Really?" I told her that quite a few of my orders had mysteriously been dropped from the system.

Well, guess what Kathy said? She asked me if anyone had mentioned to me that all back orders that have been in the system for 60 days would be automatically purged from the system. She was truly surprised that when my back orders were placed no one had told me that. So was I. She says she also tells people that if they call near the 60-day cutoff, she can do something in the system that will extend that deadline.

This is the difference between GOOD customer service and BAD customer service.

From September 2006 to today, I have actually corresponded with or spoke to six people employed by IKEA; from their Home Shopping, Backorder, and After Sales departments, and only one person supplied this information. If just one of the others had mentioned this, my growing frustration with the organization would not have happened.

The desk is being sent UPS Ground and is expected to take 8 to 10 days for delivery. I will write about it when it arrives. Duh. Cross your fingers and wish me luck!

So WHERE is it?

I believe IKEA owes me a free desk now, what do you think?

Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2007 12:26:07 -0500 (EST)
From: sales_services@ushelp.ikea.com
To: ******* Subject: Re: Contact Us

--Hello ****,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We do
apologize for any inconvenience that you may have
experienced. We have researched your order and our
system shows 2 Internet orders both were cancelled
due to being out of stock. We have checked our
system and cannot find a backorder for you, we have
reissued a backorder the number is 159-8--------
once this is available our backorder department will
contact you to let you know its available and if you
are still interested in placing the order. If you
have any other questions please contact us back or
call (800) 434-4532.

Best Regards,
Dominique
After Sales

Again???!

Thank you for your recent order on IKEA.com

Unfortunately, as of 12/4/2006 the these items from your order
are out of stock:

VIKA ARTUR TRES W SHEL 70X71/93 WHI
VIKA AMON TBL TP 100X60 WHI

Since we are unable to complete you order as it was submitted,
your order has been canceled.  For information on how to place
a backorder, please contact Home Shopping directly at
800)434-4532. Our Sales Advisors will be happy to assist you.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and we thank you for
visiting IKEA online.
******

AAARRGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come and see my new desk..

What, you don't see it? Well, neither do I.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been having a problem getting a simple $80 IKEA desk delivered. They have now lost my order THREE times.

What kills me is I received a delivery date of Dec 1 and three separate order numbers and they have no record of them. Don't order numbers usually go in sequence? So where did mine go and why didn't anyone notice? And shouldn't orders just disappearing be a bigger worry to them?

I guess not, because it did not seem to worry the helpful associate who informed me that my order just wasn't there anymore. To make it even better, she actually said... get this...that putting in those three order numbers and finding nothing was all they could do. Then she asked me who I had spoken to when I made these orders. How would knowing that help me anymore than what information I had already given them? Those people might lose their holiday bonuses or their jobs but what could they do for ME without knowing their names? If I hadn't been so exhausted and I wasn't sitting at an open cubicle at work, I would have come out of this with some kind of great discount or free merch, but I just couldn't bother.

It's not like they don't owe me. I ordered this desk in September and my orders have been deleted from their system THREE TIMES! I mean, what is going on there?

Note: I still haven't given up on this though. I went and ordered the desk again through their website. Why? Because any order through their website comes with an emailed receipt. Let's see them talk themselves out of that!

After the Cure...maybe?

This is the desk that I have loved for years from IKEA.

Yes, IKEA (I am NOT ashamed)

I looked everywhere else but when you compare the prices and details of anything similar, it still comes up on top:

Ballard Designs at $499 

 

World Market/CostPlus $329

Pier 1 Kids Pier 1 has kids? $149

and even Target at $199 (now out of stock)

Whereas, the IKEA Vika Amon/Vika Artur is only $69 in the combination and table top size that I want. It is the only version that can be broken down to be moved and the only one that is also adjustable in height. The biggest plus is the fact that since it is unfinished wood I can paint it any color that I want!

I have already measured the shelves and both my CPU and printer will fit.

Now what I need to find is a side storage unit to house extra printer paper, disks, CD's, and my photo printer which is now perched on a little yellow foot stool.

So if you see something that you want and it's truly out of your budget, do a little research. If it's a cool design, you will probably be able to find the style offered at many different places for many different price points. And hopefully, one of them will fit within your budget.