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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

to please ask for help over IKEA tree?

33 replies

TryingToSaveChristmas · 23/12/2018 09:01

Its been sat in a bucket of water outside with a cut end for two weeks. Brought it inside and you touch it through the netting - there's an instant huge pile of needles. Good as dead already and is going to fall apart and be bare if I try to put lights and ornaments on it.on it.

Normally their trees barely drop even when they've died. Sad

I know a Xmas tree is a 1syt world problem but I've scrimped and saved all year to 'do' a basic Christmas and the tree's the one of the most important bits here. (disabled LP to autistic LO)

It's been outside because we've suffered a sewage flood and I was just left to rip out and clean as best I could and no repairs yet. I'm disabled and it's been very hard to do.

The £20 invested in the voucher was to buy 10 meters of cotton to sew and replace sewage damaged curtains.
I now need all my money back desperately, though even chucking the whole £25 I'm not sure where and if I'm going to be able to find a tree.

There's no access to email for IKEA Wembley unless you brought on line and then it's for on line purchases only.

I've found a contact center number that says 7am to 8pm inc Sunday but no one's answering. It rings around 20 times then cuts you off.

No direct number for the store.

I'm trying to avoid having to struggle back to Wembley in a wheelchair at my own expense with a dying 6 foot tree, hitting the queues and traffic, and having to argue it out with returns.

Any ideas please* and am I 'within my rights' ?

*please don't say go without or spray some twigs silver, I tried suggesting it last night and can't cope with the response.

OP posts:
Imaghosthowareyoooooo · 23/12/2018 09:07

Don't give up on it yet. We did the same. Cut the end and stuck it in a bucket of water for 2 weeks whilst we repainted the front room. It did initially drop lots of needles when we took the netting off (much more than last year's IKEA tree) and needles dropped as we decorated it but it has stopped and it's not bare.
I think the initial needle drop is very shocking.

Chimchar · 23/12/2018 09:09

We have a real tree from home bargains (£10!) and while I was cutting the netting off, the pines were falling my the hundred. I was a bit worried. Once it was opened though, it's just fine and is a lovely tree.

Might it be worth trying to put it up....it might be ok. If not, I would take some photos and maybe email Ikea rather than having to lug it back there?

I'm sorry that it's all going a bit wrong. Sad

I'm sure that most places will have fake trees in the sale, maybe even today.

I hope that it all works out for you. X

TryingToSaveChristmas · 23/12/2018 09:12

I haven't dared take the netting off yet, (once I do I won't be able to take it back if needed) and it's dropped approx a bucket full of needles just from moving it indoors. Does this sound around the same amount?

OP posts:
Imaghosthowareyoooooo · 23/12/2018 09:16

Yes, our tree felt very dry and I thought all the needles were going to drop it was that bad.

TryingToSaveChristmas · 23/12/2018 09:18

Chimchair - no email address other than on line purchases.

It was a choice between a real tree or presents. (they do have simple silly bits and bobs)
The real tree was the choice made. Sad

OP posts:
GreyGardens88 · 23/12/2018 09:19

Should have putted it up sooner instead of leaving til last minute

Imaghosthowareyoooooo · 23/12/2018 09:22

If you could just lend the OP your time machine then Grey gardens Grin

TryingToSaveChristmas · 23/12/2018 09:26

and no sewage flood to put it into the middle of as well please!

OP posts:
helpmedecidepleas · 23/12/2018 09:27

No advice on the tree side I'm afraid, but if you have Facebook then message Ikea for advice/to discuss a refund. I've messaged them before and they arranged to send out missing parts so I didn't have to drive back to the store

TryingToSaveChristmas · 23/12/2018 09:28

Imaghost, thank you. Going to drag it into place and take the netting off the top and pray this is just doing what yours did.

OP posts:
Livinglavidal0ca · 23/12/2018 09:29

Halfords near us have reduced all their real trees to £5 near me. Maybe try somewhere else if it's not salvageable, most places will be selling them cheaply by this point!

LilyMumsnet · 23/12/2018 13:38

Hello everyone

We had a number of reports from people concerned about this thread so we took it down whilst we had a look behind the scenes.

We're reinstating it now and as we usually do in these circs, we're putting our heads around the door with some important reminders.

Right now we can't see any evidence to indicate that the OP isn't above board – if we did, we'd remove the thread straight away. But the truth is that, sadly, we at MNHQ can't know with 100% certainty that any poster is genuine, no matter who they are or how long they have been here. As frustrating as it is, we're not able to vouch for anyone here.

So we always ask everyone to remember that not everyone on the internet is who they say they are – and remind folk not to give more to another poster, either financially (in cash or gifts) or emotionally (in time or care and support) than they'd be prepared to lose if things went wrong.

Sorry to hijack your thread briefly there, OP – we really hope you get it all sorted soon.

AGHHHH · 23/12/2018 13:44

I don't understand how a thread about an IKEA Christmas tree warranted reports? What?

Redcrayons · 23/12/2018 13:47

Confused about reporting a thread about Ikea Christmas tree.

Take the netting off and go from there. I've had ones that have been bare branches by Christmas Eve. Lights, bauables and tinsel and nobody really cares. Definitely don't buy another one.

IHopeThisIsAGoodIdea · 23/12/2018 13:49

We thought the trees at IKEA looked pretty scrawny compared to last year. Not worth the voucher even so we got a huge one for £12 elsewhere. I don't know who in IKEA's corporate offices decided to save a few more quid by bringing in second rate trees this year. Hmm

Cornettoninja · 23/12/2018 13:52

Just to echo a previous poster, you can get real Christmas trees for a fiver or so on Xmas eve from a lot of places Homebase/B&Q/ supermarkets etc. If you can stretch to that and have somewhere nearer.

NeedMoreSleepOrSugar · 23/12/2018 13:52

It'll probably be fine, but if you have a b&q near you, they were selling their trees of at £1 each (all sizes) yesterday. The store i was in had loads of them, and that was near closing time time

NeedMoreSleepOrSugar · 23/12/2018 13:53

That's real trees by the way, not artificial

TheBaltictriangle · 23/12/2018 13:58

Dump it and get another tree, my local B&Q and Homebase reduce their trees to a few quid at this time of the year.

gaggiagirl · 23/12/2018 14:00

Our home base was selling some trees for as little as £1 today.

Wasywasydoodah · 23/12/2018 14:01

Have a look at the tree. Might be ok, then you’ve saved hassle and worry.

BentNeckLady · 23/12/2018 14:04

I got a refund on an Ikea Christmas tree a couple of years ago by emailing [email protected] and pestering them. The tree I had was horrendous.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 23/12/2018 14:24

You could ask IKEA for a goodwill gesture but the tree has been outside for a lot longer than it should have been and being exposed to the elements won't have helped it. Most real trees should be bought inside within a day or two at the most these days; they don't need all the acclimatising and things that people think.

I appreciate you didn't leave it outside out of choice...

I'd take the netting off; cut a bit more off the bottom and use green tinsel to pad out anywhere that's awful. It'll probably be okay - needles always look worse collected up!

Good luck Thanks

YesIDidNameChangeForThis · 23/12/2018 14:27

I was always told that the bottom of the tree trunk tends to self seal..so you need to cut a slice off so that it can draw up water freely.

BentNeckLady · 23/12/2018 14:52

the tree has been outside for a lot longer than it should have been and being exposed to the elements

You do realise trees grow outside?