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| Get this free card before you purchase a kitchen at Ikea. It's important. |
I got some good news last week.
An Ikea kitchen sale began on Friday, June 28 and because I had purchased my kitchen cabinets and quartz countertop there less than two weeks before, I was able to get a cash refund - $1,646.16 to be exact.
I feel very lucky and the refund makes a huge impact on my budget.
The ability to get a refund is an Ikea policy that's not widely advertised. And in all honesty, I had a bad experience with customer service when I went in for my refund - so bad that I wrote and sent this letter to the company:
A week ago I spent more than $8200 at the Portland store for a new kitchen. This week I was happy to learn that a 20-percent kitchen sale had started so I went in for a cash refund since it had been less than two weeks since my purchase.
There was a really nice young girl working the counter but she couldn't handle the transaction without approval from another worker named Myra who was not kind at all and turned the experience ugly.
I told Myra I had two receipts for kitchen cabinets and one receipt for countertops. She replied "hold your horses, we'll deal with one transaction at a time." Totally rude and disrespectful.
I just wanted to clarify what my purchases were.
She also assumed that I hadn't spent enough to get a cash refund without looking at the receipts and told me I would get 10 percent in store credit instead of a refund on my credit card. She just didn't have a good attitude and seemed to be irritated with me.
Then after she determined I had spent enough she said I still would get store credit.
I said "I have already checked with customer service and I was told I would get cash back if it had been less than two weeks since my purchase." Finally she agreed and said "oh yeah, that's the new policy."
I felt like I had to fight for my refund.
The young girl on the other hand was friendly and helped smooth things out. I like Ikea and have spent a great deal of money there. This is my second Ikea kitchen purchase and I am a blogger who is documenting my current Ikea kitchen project and until today felt very positive about the experience.
There is a young man named Josh who works in your kitchen department who is absolutely fantastic. He is smart, helpful, kind, patient and supportive of the customer and simply makes an overwhelming process manageable.
I don't know if Myra was having a bad day but she definitely shouldn't be working in customer service and I thought you should know.
Sincerely,
Heidi Rose
So here's what you need to know if you're in the market for an Ikea kitchen:
First off, don't even think of buying an Ikea kitchen without getting and using an Ikea Family Card. It's a free card and if you don't have your membership card scanned when you buy your kitchen, you can't get a refund. A Family Card also gets you unlimited free coffee and tea in the Ikea restaurant.
So if a kitchen sale starts within two weeks of your purchase and you used your Family Card, you can go in for a cash refund of 20-percent if you have spent $4,500 or more. If you spent $3,500 to $4,499, you get a 10-percent cash refund.
Now, if you don't fall within the two week window for a cash refund, don't fret because Ikea has its kitchen sales about three times a year and if a sale starts within 90 days of your purchase you can get 20-percent back in store credit if you spent $4,500 or more and 10-pecent back in store credit if you spent $3,500 to $4,499. The odds of a kitchen sale happening within 90 days are pretty great.
So in conclusion:
Try your best to buy an Ikea kitchen when there is a sale because that's the easiest way to save.
Get and scan your Ikea Family Card at checkout.
If you didn't catch a sale, still watch for upcoming sales so you can get a refund - cash back within two weeks and store credit within 90 days.
Don't be shy when returning for your refund. Remember, being able to get a refund is not a widely advertised policy. Stay strong and stay confident.
