or were they being total 'jobsworth' meltdown in Ikea

[Ceci03]

So bit of a long one but... I applied for the ikea finance thingy, it's no interest so seemed good. Got the virtual card - its like a bank card, and on the website it said you had to show it at the till and then they would key in the numbers. So went on Fri eve, took about 3 hours to do all the shopping, mainly a bed, but you know what it's like there. Got to the till, and the guy said I had to have the app. What app? Ikea finance app, he said. So there I was trying to download this app at the till with people queueing behind me. When it finally downwloaded it said I couldnt use it as it needed 14+ update.

So then a 'manager' came over and said I could "do it" online. So she directed me to this website for the finance company. But I couldnt log in as it said I needed a family card number, but I don't have a family card.

She suggested I go over to the doors to get better reception on wifi. I said it wasnt the wifi that was the problem!

I then tried to login in the ikea finance website, but for some reason my phone kept doing the 'circle of doom'. - When I got home I tried it again, and it still did it, only conclusion is that my phone isn't new enough.

So I begged her, to let me use the card. She said no as she "didnt know it was me". So I had to just leave all the stuff and go home.

So back again on Saturday. I tried logging in on my laptop, which is how I applied for the loan and it worked perfectly. So I rang customer service, and said could I show my laptop at the till, no problem.

When I got there to be sure, I found a manager at the till, and explained the problem. I said I didnt want to do all my shopping and then get to the till and the same thing happened, so could I show her beforehand. OK she said. So I pulled out the laptop but couldnt login!!!!!!!!! I think it was the ikea wifi wasnt strong enough. So I went away and was able to connect using my mobile hotspot. Went back and tried to find her but she kept moving away and chatting to her colleagues and ignoring me. In the end after about 15 mins of me standing there trying to get her attention I went up and said 'excuse me' and tried explaining again. I showed her how I had logged in, and she could see the card etc. But... she said the rule was I had to show it at the till when I got there. I said but what if my laptop plays up and I cant get logged in, you've seen it now, cant you say that I can definitely use it? No, she said. I said that it didn't say anything about that on their website, and shouldnt it be a bit clearer. She said no, it was very clear, and nobody else had ever had a problem. It was getting a bit heated now, well I was getting upset. I asked her a few more times but she wouldnt budge. I jsut burst out crying, I was just at the end of my tether. I felt like screaming at the bloody mindedness of the whole thing. Eventually another manager came over, and he took me to a seat, and he phoned another manager, and then another manager, and eventually they said ok, they had seen me login, and "knew it was me", and if I did my shopping I would be able to use the card.

I'm still upset, stupid I know. I'm thinking as well is this just discrimination against people who don't have top of the range phones? I mean my phone works perfect for everything, just not this for some reason. It's a 12 update I think. So it's not ancient or anything. Surely they need to have some flexibility if the technology is not working?

Thanks for reading if you've gotten this far. I honestly don't know what I could have done different...?? I've tried to contact the bank they set up, Ikano , but impossible to get a response...

@Ceci03

Yeah I wish I had a spare 120 to get a dirt cheap phone - would get one tomorrow! this one is a refurbished 2nd hand one. It does everything I need it to, I havent had any problems until now.

And if you're a manager in a store, surely you're given that responsibility (and extra money?) so you don't have to just 'spout the rules', you can listen to the customer, and if it's reasonable, you can make a decision in individual cases? At least that's what I used to do in my job when I was a manager, not retail, but public-facing office. I mean given that IKEA's wifi is so crap, and there was no guarantee that I would be able to login again, they could have said 'ok' before I bawled crying?

They aren't able to change the rules on a financial services product. They shouldn't have given in when you blubbed either. It's not in a retail manager's remit, no.

We might be able to help if you promise not to bloody cry! Is there a smaller one?

@RightYesButNo Have you ever tried to set up a bank account for a relative? Perhaps an older person? Have you ever tried to pay a bill for an elderly 'demented' person, I'm just asking because I think you're in cloud cuckoo land. basically these things are a nightmare. they need so many documents. then you have to wait for them to post things out. then you need to phone them. my daughter got so confused she put me on the phone, but I got told off as you cannot speak for another person or tell them your password so we had to start all over again. I just think you're quite naieve. I have a lot of friends with elderly parents, and trying to sort out their bills, or bank accounts is a feckin nightmare. My 82 year old father cant remember passwords, or 'special characters' or what his mother's maiden name was. I was trying to help me with his banking online, and it was actually hilarious. He kept saying 'but why do they need to know that'. It is a 'thing'.

I'm pretty new to this area, and am surrounded with motorways, and IKeA is a complicated 1-hour trip across a very big city, so no it's not surprising I got lost twice. I planned out the trip, had it written out, and had google maps on. But there were a lot of road works, and then I ended up where I didn't know where I was.

@MeredithGreyishblue I wasn't asking them break the rules, I was just asking for a bit of common sense. You sound like a bit of a 'jobsworth' yourself actually.

Yes there's a smaller rug, but I'm never going to be clever enough to exchange it am I.

PS I did appeal to their 'better nature' and to their 'common sense' but the woman I was talking to just kept saying the same thing over and over. "You have to login to the app at the till". And I kept saying "but I cant get the app, I'm logged on now, on my laptop, is that acceptable".

The IKEA website is crap. And the app. So badly designed. I had a similar problem trying to find my IKEA card number online. Was told to stand by the doors. You weren’t in Sheffield were you?

[quote Ceci03]@MeredithGreyishblue I wasn't asking them break the rules, I was just asking for a bit of common sense. You sound like a bit of a 'jobsworth' yourself actually.

Yes there's a smaller rug, but I'm never going to be clever enough to exchange it am I.[/quote]
You were asking them to break the rules.

The financial service rule is that you have to be able to produce the card (in this case digitally) at the point of purchase. You were unable to do this therefore they could not accept it.

I work in a supermarket, we have to ID people for age restricted products. We can only accept the original - screenshots/photocopies/photos on a phone screen are not acceptable. If we were to accept one of those things and it was a test purchase by the police or Trading Standards, we would be subject to a prosecution.

the wifi is a nicety....they aren't obliged to provide it

and whats a managers pay grade got to do with it? they have to be careful with finance and keep to regulations, otherwise there own job could be at risk.....you were a pain in the backside by the sounds of it. not worth losing their job over

I can't believe it, I rocked up to IKEA today with a photocopy of my credit card and I couldn't use the contactless card payment.

@Ceci03 Um. Yes. I was raised by my grandparents, I helped them with all kinds of technical things, and my grandfather used his phone to text me until he died this year at age 92. The loss is still too painful to talk about. Yes, I had to set up an extremely complicated bank account online. I have to deal with quite a few of my bills online. And every year, I have to help a relative do American taxes, which I guess would be like your version of hell. I went through a period where I couldn’t deal with doing any of those things, where frustration hit me very quickly and so hard. I would have burst out crying in IKEA. And I was, appropriately, diagnosed with anxiety. If you want to pretend that you’re completely fine and that it’s the entire world that’s stupid and overly complex and lash out at me, that’s perfectly fine. When you decide to really think about whether I have a point, about why you were at the end of your tether, about why all these Mumsnet users are finding these things easier than you for some mysterious reason (and it’s NOT because you’re stupid; I don’t believe that about anyone - I’m sure you’re plenty clever), then maybe do consider what I’ve said about extreme stress and anxiety.

I tried to do the credit application while in IKEA to buy some furniture. All fine until I went downstairs to where the tills are. The queue was huge so I tried to log in while waiting so I was ready when it was my turn, but it just wouldn't work. I gave up in the end as it was so frustrating and just paid with my credit card. So it's not just you, and IKEA need to sort it out

How are people arguing that someone is too poor to buy cheap phone to run a finance app with a straight face. If someone can't get a cheap phone, should they really be getting ikea finance (or any). That's verging bit on irresponsible lending, doesn't it.

Were you trying to login to their free wifi?

If so I think I know the problem.

Next time click off your wifi and use your 4G.
This happens to me lot on my iPhone 11 (still running on iOS 14)
I cannot seem to login to any free wifi so have to click over to 4G and then I can login

Classic mumsnet eh - go and see your GP and get some counselling hahahahahahahahaha you have to laugh or else you'd....cry?!

@Clymene

Its got nothing to do with being a phone snob. Its rules set by the FCA.

I can imagine that if someone had taken a screenshot of the OP's app and gone and bought a load of stuff on her credit, she'd be absolutely furious (and rightly so).

Incidentally, my kid's cheap £120 phone will run the app fine.

Cheap £120 phone..................................................................... !!!!!!!!!!!!

@Clymene how would anyone be able to take a screenshot of an app I'm not able to download though?

So many clever people on MN today.

Could any of you advise how I could do an exchange. Bought the wrong size rug it is too big for the room. Probably need to see my GP eh....

@Ceci03

Classic mumsnet eh - go and see your GP and get some counselling hahahahahahahahaha you have to laugh or else you'd....cry?!

Someone’ll probably decide you should log it with the police soon

@plodalong12

You’ve had a lot of support and sympathies on this thread OP, I don’t think anybody is calling you thick. It’s never a good idea to buy an old phone late in the game at this point, because technology moves fast. It’s kind of like buying an annual season ticket for somewhere now, but it’s only valid until November - you can use it for a bit but you won’t get fully out of it what you paid for.

So how are poor people supposed to manage to get stuff done? Not everyone can afford to get a new phone every 3 or 4 years.

And people on low incomes are more likely than most to rely on phones for internet access rather than pay for that separately.

The phone is £120 new @callmeadoctor. £40 refurbished.

But this isn't about being able to buy an expensive phone or not. It's got nothing to do with how much money the OP has or doesn't have. It's got nothing to do with ikea's crappy wifi

It's about the OP not understanding that this is a credit agreement and that they need to see that she has the credit before they'll sell her the stuff. Showing a screenshot of being logged into the app on a laptop is not logging into the app at the checkout. It's really clear on their website.

Is it a stupid system? Yes. But did the people at the store do anything wrong? No. They were doing their jobs. And it pisses me off when people have a go at people who are doing not fabulously paid jobs to the best of their ability and get slated for it.

That's my position.

And @Ceci03. Just take it back to the store. You have to queue up and take a ticket. Returns is usually near the checkout. Get there early or super late. Evenings are usually pretty quiet.

But Clymene you've missed out the part where I did login and show the manager I was logged in?

Just imagine I had done all my shopping, for the 2nd time, and got to the til and for some reason couldnt' log in. Should I just 'suck it up' and go home and try again on day 3?

But do I not need to be logged into the App to do a return or exchange? As I paid with the finance loan card thingy.

another snowflake rambling on about discrimination, please read the small print

I'm bit old to be snowflake lol ;)

Yeah definitely won't be tempted by any more interest free credit offers or loans which I thought it was, or deals or anything. Will be shopping solely in charity shops or 2nd hand furniture stores, where I can pay cash!

@Ceci03

It is all a bit mad though isnt it? I mean they dont need to view your bank card, you can just tap it. How do they "know it's you" if you order online? Or for click and collect?

I for one will never be going to Ikea again. Not that they will care lol!!!!

Trying to put the bed together now. I think ikea is for young or fit people. I'm too old, too 'uncool', too 'un-with it' and basically too tired to do it all. It might be cheaper but the hassle :(

In my next life I'd like to order my furniture online, ready made, with a nice delivery man who will put it where I want it. And remove all the packaging. It's taken me nearly an hour to get the cardboard off it all.

I'm inclined to agree about it being for young people.

I bought a few things online earlier in the year, including a clothes rail. Two of the holes were drilled slightly out of alignment, and it took me bloody ages to get the bolts through.

I nearly threw the fucker out of the window in rage.

And don't get me started on the mattress topper that slides down the bed, and requires me to strip the mattress and drag it back into place every few days...

@lakielady yeah that would have driven me nuts too!!!!

I think 'at a certain age' women just get the brunt of all the boring shite in life DYKWIM. There used to be a great programme on tv years ago called 'grumpy old women'. I can relate to it now. There just seems to be an awful lot more shite to put up with now, than when I was younger.

Maybe @MeredithGreyishblue is right and I need to see my GP about it.