a little work on the wall and another email to ikea

the cutting blade for the oscillating tool was utterly worthless for metal. so I went to home depot and got metal cutting blades for the dremel/rotary tool.


I bought a 5 pack of them


dremel/rotary tool with the cutting blade on


I cut off the suspension rail already installed up on the wall. sparks went everywhere. THEN I remembered to put on my safety glasses. after a couple hot metal sparks landing on me. future note: do the cutting outside! and I'll probably want to clamp the suspension rail to hold it still when I cut the next section. (the location of the stud dictated where the next rail needed to anchor so I had to cut off the one we'd already put up)


the cut off piece of the rail


I used a chisel and tried to remove the hump in the plaster on the wall, at least for where the rail will go. its a lot better, but still got a bit of a hump. this worked much better than trying to sand it.


I decided that maybe the 20" tall cabinet over the stove isn't right. maybe I want a 30" tall cabinet over the stove instead. I asked dad, and their cabinet over their stove is 30" tall. but a different cabinet will require a trip to ikea. and according to today's website, they're out of that cabinet for another week or so.

dad wants to come up Saturday, but I don't want to go to ikea on a Saturday (I've heard horror stories of slow moving crowds and unsupervised kids.) plus the cabinet might not be in stock by then. their delivery dates for out of stock items seem to be best guess rather than reliable. but the website is reliable in telling you if its still not in stock yet. even though they said it should be delivered tomorrow and then tomorrow the website still says nope, not in stock yet.



I'm sick of waiting and hearing nothing from ikea about my missing parts. I sent another email, starting over with their generic 'resolutions' email rather than continuing to reply to the persons email who initially replied but since then has ignored all my further attempts at contact.

missing pieces from ikea order xxxxx
To: dl.Resolutions.212.us@ikea.com
Nov 29

I have been waiting two weeks now and I still haven't heard from anyone about what is happening with my missing 18 parts that the delivery company didn't deliver.

TWO WEEKS!

This order was placed back on October 30. It was delivered November 17, three weeks later (after the delivery company cancelled on me three times!!!). It is now November 29, 5 weeks since the order was placed. I STILL don't have these 18 parts, nor has anyone bothered to tell me whats going on.

Will someone PLEASE tell me how much longer you're going to make me wait to get these parts? This is getting ridiculous! I can't reach anyone by phone. Your phone always claims a 'higher than normal call volume' and then hangs up. and this Martha Quist person won't return my emails.

Do you really care so little for your customers whom you've ripped off? I want my missing parts. I paid for them. I paid for delivery of them. Why won't you help me or even respond to me?

-from me



i also sent another email to the lady who initially replied to my first email but who quit responding after that initial reply.


To: Martha Quist
Subject: Re: missing pieces from ikea order xxxx

sending you another reminder that:

I am still waiting to hear about when these missing items will be shipped to me. My order was missing 24 parts, ikea order xxxx. This order was placed back on October 30. it is now five weeks later. and I STILL don't have these 18 parts.

article no. 102.655.18 section se leg 4 1/2 " 4pk -- missing 4 of them
article no. 602.046.45 utrusta hinge 125 2pk -- missing 8 of these
article no. 402.418.23 utrusta dr dmpr hinge -- missing 4 of these
article no. 002.984.06 sektion sup brckt/ktchn island - missing 2 of these

---

these 6 items had to be reordered and paid for separately since you took it upon yourselves to cancel this part of the order without asking me if that was ok. order # xxx. this order of 6 parts has arrived and I have these parts now.
article no. 502.668.08 veddinge drwfr 30x10 -- missing 6 of these

-from me


this is what i finally got back:

From: Martha Quist
Subject: RE: missing pieces from ikea order xxx

Thank you for reporting these issues with your delivery. After doing a follow-up with the delivery company, I will contact you again to work on getting these items replaced for you.

Best regards,
Mason Quist
__________________________
Ikea Twin Cities Customer Resolutions Specialist
(952) 854-8212 x 1715 | martha.quist@ikea.com

ikea on the phone, fridge panel in

ikea never called me back about the letter they sent about the 6 drawer fronts they refunded me for. their website said they would. so I called ikea today about getting the store credit transferred to my credit card. I got transferred around until they told me the store didn't open until 10am so they didn't have any cashiers to answer the phone yet. they took my name and said they'd call back (it was about 7 minutes before they opened).

someone DID actually call me back!!! (this is call # 2 for today...) they took the card info, then their register blanked out and they couldn't get it back up and had to call me back. turned out when the register restarted, it voided the return card! so he had to go and talk to someone about what to do.

he called back (call # 3) and went to set me up with another card of the same amount, and it did the same thing again. so he had to go talk to someone and call me back again.

(call # 4) he's got the replacement return card set up with my money on it, and we started to process the transaction and get it put towards my credit card. he gets to where hes asking for my credit card number and something else went wrong so he has to call me back.

(call # 5) its finally all sorted, he gets my credit card, gets it successfully put thru, tells me his register # and transaction # and says with today's date they can look up the receipt if needed. and that he'll mail the receipt out to me.

after all that, I emailed the gal from the resolutions department about those 18 other missing parts that the delivery company failed to deliver, and i still havent heard anything about:

To: Martha Quist
RE: missing pieces from ikea order xxxxx

sending you another reminder that:

I am still waiting to hear about when these missing items will be shipped to me. My order was missing 24 parts, ikea order xxxxx. This order was placed back on October 30. it is now November 27. and I STILL don't have these 18 parts.

article no. 102.655.18 section se leg 4 1/2 " 4pk -- missing 4 of them
article no. 602.046.45 utrusta hinge 125 2pk -- missing 8 of these
article no. 402.418.23 utrusta dr dmpr hinge -- missing 4 of these
article no. 002.984.06 sektion sup brckt/ktchn island - missing 2 of these

these 6 items had to be reordered and paid for separately since you took it upon yourselves to cancel this part of the order without asking me. order # xxxxx. this order of 6 parts has arrived and I have these parts now.
article no. 502.668.08 veddinge drwfr 30x10 -- missing 6 of these


dad came up today. bringing up the table saw didnt work out, so he brought his skilsaw (circular saw) and we cut the fridge panel to fit and installed it. yay! he has a guide that clips on to the edge of the hand-held saw and allows him to cut a straight edge up to 6 inches away. (its impossibly hard to cut a straight edge with a handheld saw without a guide of some kind). but we needed nearly 12 inches off so it took two cuts.

looks can be deceiving in this photo. this panel is 8' tall/long. we had to cut an inch off the top to make it fit and be even with the tops of the upper cabinets that are hanging from the suspension rail. the whole thing is sitting on the cardboard it came wrapped in, with one six inch piece on top, and one to the side.


so that's in, and the over the fridge cabinet is in, and the second upper cabinet on the other side of the fridge panel is in. yay! theres still a small horizontal panel to go in just under the over-the-fridge cabinet to cover the gap between the fridge and the cabinet. but it came with no hardware so we have to figure out how to mount it. and maybe I dont want it. I always put the butter to soften for cookies up on top of the fridge because Puppy stole it when I put it on the counter. he stole the whole stick and ate it, wax wrapper and all. its not something i care to ever repeat. but I wont stop making cookies, so I need a safe place higher up than the counters to soften butter.




to keep the front of the over-the-fridge cabinet level with the fridge panel we had to shim the bottom of that cabinet out.


but I didnt have any shims! digging around in the garage for scrap wood i found a piece slim enough to work. the white plastic piece at the bottom of the cabinet that the shim goes behind is part of the cabinet, meant to shim it out even with the upper cabinet that sticks out from the wall because it hangs on the rail. we needed more shim because the fridge panel went from floor to ceiling. the screw in the pic is because dad said attach it to the wall and screws are where my brain went because we attached the suspension rail to the wall with screws... now after a little thought I've decided to remove that and buy wood shims and glue them in place instead. because while screwing this exact size little piece of scrap wood might work for the fridge cabinet, it wont work for any of the other cabinet undersides. proper shims are needed.


panel goes to the floor, fridge goes here.


the next cabinet to be installed will be the one over the stove with the vent hood exhaust vent pipe thru it so there will have to be lots of cutting of that cabinet before it can be installed.

the next project for me is leveling out the plaster/sheetrock hump in the wall. dad suggested my handheld electric sander. thats gonna make a big mess of dust. and the whole wall doesn't have to be leveled, just that spot where the suspension rail will hang. the hump is behind the cabinet between the bottom spacers and wont matter anywhere except for that rail.

after that, i get to try to use my oscillating tool to cut off the end of the suspension rail already installed. it sticks out too far for the next length of rail to attach to the stud.

i got the three doors installed on the two cabinets that are up. hinges in, door dampers on (prevent the door from slamming). did a little adjusting on the door hinges to get them to sit right. put one set of the shelves into the taller cabinet. now i'm done. cant think. pooped.


picture I did with mspaint of trouble spots and stud locations

hanging suspension rail and first cabinet

dad came out today and we hung the first suspension rail. I had marked out all the studs on the wall with my stud-finder before he arrived. its a VERY cheap little thing and doesn't always work right, so it takes me extra time to check and recheck and remark all the marks until its right. if I'd spent more money and gotten a better quality one things might go quicker... but I just now realized I bought this stud-finder about 20 years ago!

we had to drill one hole thru the metal rail because the studs didn't line up, but it went fine. hung the rail and leveled it and screwed it in.


the screw into the stud lined up directly behind the exhaust hood vent, and went in at a bit of an angle. but it worked fine.


last screw of the rail into the stud.


the screws we settled on using - 9 x 2 1/2" (gauge x length). and we drilled pilot holes thru the wall into the studs for these extra long screws.


we got the over-the-fridge cabinet hung and secured in place. first cabinet! we went to put up the large panel on the side of the fridge and it sticks out 36" from the wall, except the cabinet only sticks out 24"! so it needs to have 12" cut off, or maybe just like 11 1/4" if we allow for the thickness of the cabinet doors rather than to the cabinet front. dad is going to bring his table saw up here and we'll cut it next time.


we also fussed with the flooring and made what little bit of extra flooring pieces I had left in the garage from 8 years ago work to fill in the gaps without having to buy more flooring. its not perfect, but the imperfect places will all be underneath the cabinets so it wont matter. it was a LOT of fiddly work getting the floor in using what few extras I had. there really wasnt much, and most of what I had were cut off pieces that didnt 'connect' to each other the way it was designed to. we used my chop-saw (powered miter saw i think its called?) to cut them, but they were so deep i had to flip them over and then cut again to be able to cut all the way thru. my saw just wasnt deep enough front to back to handle the flooring boards.

the floor with its holes/gaps in it from the lower cabinets




not perfect, but all one level at least


close up of the gaps




next up I need to cut the next piece of suspension rail with a hacksaw so its ready to be screwed in place to finish hanging the upper cabinets after we get the fridge panel cut right and screwed in.

I need to vacuum everything. heidi (my dog) thinks sawdust tastes good. (she liked the sheetrock dust too, not everything is edible dammit!)

primered!

I painted primer over the newly taped and mudded sheetrock where the soffit was torn down. and while I was at it I painted over the yellow/orange paint that was behind the lower cabinetes, stove, countertops and tall cabinet.


now its barred off with chairs to keep the dogs tails (and noses) out of it.

questions and possible answers and links

I have a LOT of unanswered questions about installing the suspension rails. i'm trying to look all over the internet to find answers.


here's what I've learned so far:

-no screws are included to mount the suspension rail to the wall, nor does it say what kind of screws or what size of screws to use. but people online suggest drilling pilot holes in the studs for these screws since they all went with longer stronger screws.
-screws the internet people have used: 2" # 10 wood screws, or 1/4" x 3 1/4" lag screws
-one site suggested a specialized screw that's ideally suited for fastening kitchen cabinets to the wall goes by different names: cabinet screw, washer-head screw, washer-head cabinet screw, or button-head screw. Its large-diameter head bears down firmly on the cabinet's hanging rail, ensuring a solid installation. Attach the cabinets to the wall using No. 8 or No. 10 screws, approximately 3½ inches long.

-the only information it gives about how far down from the ceiling to hang the rail is a minimum of 6/8". (technically that's 3/4 not 6/8, cuz thats how fractions work, thank you elementary school.) it doesn't say if that's the right height for the upper trim pieces they offer. and poking around online shows that everyone hangs it at a different height. some try to get it as close to the ceiling as possible, with no trim. some hang much farther down. I've found no clear answer.

-all the internet sites say the holes on the suspension rail will NOT line up with all your studs. someone posited that perhaps the holes are metric rather than inches, and that's why they don't line up. so this makes screwing it to the wall more complicated. do you trust wall anchors to hold up the heavy weight of those cabinets and everything else that will be put inside them? or do you drill thru the metal rail into the stud? one website says ikea recommends a screw in the suspension rail every 12 inches but I can't find this anywhere in the instructions or on their website.

-I haven't found information on how to install the tall panel on the side of the fridge next to the over-the-fridge cabinet. what dimensions to I cut it to? how do I attach it to the cabinets?

-I don't know what size screws to attach the cabinets to each other after they're hung, or if these screws came with the cabinets (turns out those screws are included in the cabinet assembly hardware). people on the internet say you MUST pre-drill these holes in the cabinets or things will get ugly. some even recommend countersinking the holes as well. screw the cabinets together before putting the gray clips on by the suspension rail. if there is a gap and you can't get rid of it, there could be a hump in the wall. if necessary you can pop the white plastic pieces off the bottom back panel.

-how to cut the filler panels to size, and how to attach them to the cabinets? I'd like to know what kind of saw blade to use to prevent chipping. do I use a table saw or skill saw? one website says use precision blade. one says a finishing blade. and to tape the area you're cutting and around the ends to reduce splinters or blowout, with painters tape. suggestion to predrill holes for cover panel attaching. and using 2x2 screwed to the backside and screwed into the cabinet. make filler panel flush with cabinet? or flush with drawer fronts and doors? cut the filler panels good side down when using skill saw because it cuts on the up stroke.

-how to determine how wide the filler panels need to be at the inner corner of the peninsula. must clear drawer HANDLES as well, not just the drawers at that inner corner.

-I need to look up about how to install the undercabinet lighting, because multiple people say it needs to be installed when the upper cabinet is being installed because the wires need to run up the back side of the cabinet. but!! people have claimed they're not very good lights, they die quickly, and need replacing often. and that sometimes they buzz. so maybe I want to return them and get something from the home improvement stores?

-washers for suspension rail - horizontal or vertical? instruction pictures show horizontal, but pictures of everyone installing them show it vertical.

-install legs before or after hanging? use the 4 individual legs for each cabinet or use the 'sharing legs' under the edges where two cabinets meet? (before, but at shortest height so you can adjust them down to the proper height once in place on the rail)

-install drawer slides before or after base cabinets installed?

-screws in the hinges allow you to adjust drawers and door fronts up or down left or right.

-building platform for peninsula - will be the platform for BOTH those end cabinets since the one against the wall will be sideways out to the dining room rather than facing forward to hang on the rail.

-which means that upper end cabinet will also need the rail hangers removed and how to mount that if its going to face sideways to the dining room. or maybe just make it face forward.

-attaching the cover panel on the back of the peninsula cabinet - recommended to cut a sheet of 3/8" plywood to fill the gap between the cardboard back of the cabinet, and the actual back of the cabinet sides and bottom panels. then when you screw the cover panel in place you'll have something to screw to. will want to remove the railing hangers from those two cabinets! factory edge to the floor, cut edge up against the underside of the counters. 1 1/8" screws for cabinet side cover panels.

-countertop brackets add 1/8 inch, may need short little 1/8 inch spacers/clips to add to tops of cabinet sides to level off countertop. or 'fixa' brackets which go most of the depth of the side panels. may also want to use fixa brackets as cleat for support for the back of countertops.

-sink cabinet might have to change out the bar at the top front. (it comes with the different brackets to change to)


other tips:
-home depot charges $5 per cut to cut the suspension rails rather than hacksawing them.
-oscillating tool to cut holes in the cabinets for plumbing or exhaust vent, or dads jigsaw

-when drilling holes to install the drawer handles, don't drill *thru* the upper drawer front into the inner/hidden upper drawer front.

-easier to install door and drawer handles while flat/overhanging on a table before they're put in place in the cabinets.

-discusses making sure cabinets are square, or the doors wont line up right, which the ikea instructions dont mention at all. but there are adjustments you can make with the drawer fronts and door hinges.

-web says buy the ikea jig to install handles. 'handle measuring tool'. install handles before putting drawers in.

some helpful links:

pictures of the framework made to attach the peninsula/island to the floor
https://pinklittlenotebook.com/creating-an-ikea-kitchen-island/

installing the suspension rail
http://www.kellbot.com/ikea-sektion-cabinet-install-day-1/

showing how they attached the filler pieces with 2x2's
http://www.realtyhousewife.com/1439/ikea-install-parto-quatro-finishing-touches/

on putting crown molding up above
https://justagirlandherblog.com/how-to-install-kitchen-cabinet-crown-molding/

this series by kody Harvey is extremely detailed. this one has helpful info on cutting filler panels
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K_LE9LBKOQ

this one has info on adjusting drawer fronts and doors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWZlz_FTK5k

shows building a frame between the cabinet over the fridge and the wall, so that the cabinet comes out flush with the fridge rather than back against the wall
https://www.ikeahackers.net/2014/06/built-in-for-refrigerator.html

https://www.instructables.com/id/What-to-Expect-When-Youre-Expecting-IKEA/


kitchen hacks:

stacked spice organizer
https://www.ikeahackers.net/2018/02/spice-organizer-two-ikea-spice-racks.html

https://www.ikeahackers.net/2011/05/a-sleek-wall-mounted-spice-rack.html

backsplash alternatives
https://www.ikeahackers.net/2014/08/easy-stainless-steel-kitchen.html
https://www.ikeahackers.net/2015/04/kitchen-splashback-made-tanem-door.html
https://www.ikeahackers.net/2012/11/customized-glass-backsplash.html
https://www.ikeahackers.net/2011/10/ikea-placemat-backsplash.html
https://www.ikeahackers.net/2013/12/easy-backsplash.html
https://www.ikeahackers.net/2012/03/anders-abstrakt-splash-guard.html

appliance garage
https://www.ikeahackers.net/2014/11/the-mother-of-appliance-garages-2.html

repairing where the soffits used to be

yesterday (Monday) dad came up with some sheetrock and dad cut it to fit the areas up where the soffit used to be so it would all be flush. he cut away all the overblown expanded foam insulation that was in the way, and scraped at the edges of the sheetrock that was removed when the soffit was taken down. then he taped and mudded.

adding sheetrock to fill the gap in the ceiling


filling in sheetrock in the ceiling and the wall


taping


more mesh tape, its kind of hard to see


mudding


more mudding


my kitchen without cabinets, soffit removed and repaired


fridge and stove in the middle of the kitchen



ikea has not called me back about getting the store credit on the card transferred to my credit card. I tried calling the store today and was transferred by someone to their customer service, except that person didn't answer their phone and I was instructed to leave a voicemail, or call the store back at x 1780. I opted to leave a message. so I left my name and phone number and referenced the SAC number in the letter saying I wanted to get the store credit transferred to my credit card, and made it clear it was not the same card as used on the original order. we'll see if anyone calls me back.

the reorder of the missing drawer fronts has shipped. order # 316225xxx, fedex tracking # 961280458245824470xxxx. still waiting to hear about all the other missing parts being shipped.


today (tuesday) dad came up again to put on a second coat of mud/plaster.




after it dries i'm supposed to put on a coat of primer paint. then we can get to work hanging the suspension rail.

well they showed up, but they completely screwed up the order

the drivers REFUSED to let me verify all the pieces were delivered. they said they were in a hurry and had other orders to deliver even though I was told by ikea to verify all the pieces before they left. their paperwork said only 111 pieces. it was supposed to be 117 pieces!

and in the end, it was only 93 pieces of my 117 piece order.

plus two pieces with someone else's name and order number on them that were obviously not part of my order.

plus they dumped this HUGE plastic pallet that everything was packed into on me as well. it says 'return to ikea'. I'm pretty sure its longer than dads truck bed. its gotta be over 8 feet long.


I'm SO angry. I spent 20 minutes on hold and nobody answered so I hung up and sent this email.

from: laura s
To: dl.resolutions.212.us@ikea.com
re: missing pieces from ikea order 315xxxxxx-xxx-x
sent: 11-17-2018 at 2:27pm

Message body:

here is a list of all the missing pieces from my order.

article no. 502.668.08 veddinge drwfr 30x10 -- missing 6 of these
article no. 602.046.45 utrusta hinge 125 2pk -- missing 8 of these
article no. 402.418.23 utrusta dr dmpr hinge -- missing 4 of these
article no. 002.984.06 sektion sup brckt/ktchn island - missing 2 of these

for a total of 20 missing parts!

you also included two parts for someone else's order mixed in with my order.
Kristina Gxxxxxxx
order 315xxxxxx-xxx-x
article no. 102.653.92 and article no. 002.845.79.

MY name is Laura Sxxxxxxx
MY order is 315xxxxxx

--- then I found 4 more items they forgot ---

so i sent a second email at 2:47 pm:

I discovered another 4 items missing

article no 102.655.18 section se leg 4 1/2 " 4pk missing 4 of them

so only 93 items out of 117 were delivered, plus 2 extra items from someone elses order.

please let me know when you will be delivering all these missing items.

-Laura Sxxxxxxx



later in the day I looked up how many minutes I have left on my cell phone, and decided to try calling ikea back. this time they answered after 30 minutes. I reported all the missing items. and the two extra items.

they don't care about the two extra items i was sent belonging to someone else. they told me I could do whatever I wanted with them, including throw them away.

they're going to ship me the 12 missing hinge parts, the 4 missing leg 4-packs, and the two missing support brackets. for free. no problem. case/ref # 44826xxx.


I found out that the gift card thing they sent me is because they cancelled those 6 drawer fronts that were on backorder! just cancelled them. simply because they're not in stock. they tell me they won't ship them out for free. they wanted me to go to the store and reorder them. *rolls eyes*. I told her it's not convenient for me to get to the store. she said she could transfer me to their kitchen department and they could order it for me. I asked would I have to pay for shipping all over again even though I've paid for it already? yes. yes I would. so I said that wasn't very fair.

so she worked it out where even though the sale is over now, I still got the sale price/discount that we originally paid, and they waived shipping for me since we'd already paid for that as well. so she placed a separate order for those 6 drawer fronts. then I was supposed to be able to use the gift card to pay, except it turned out not to be a gift card but a store return card, which can't be used online, only in the store. so she says if I use my credit card to pay for this new order (of the same amount refunded on this return/gift card thing) then she will have someone call tomorrow and they can put the money from the return card onto my credit card instead. new order # 316225xxx.

that took another hour of my time waiting on hold, then on hold some more while she sorted the various stuff out for me. she was very polite and helpful and when she put me on hold she told me why each time. I should have gotten her name so I could say nice things about her to someone, but I don't want to contact ikea or their shipping company EVER ever again right now.

the gigantic plastic pallet


tipped over on its side


boxes stacked up so i could check off their item number on the order list


lots of boxes


so many boxes


some boxes not even for me!


tall panels


lots of panels (not doors, but end panels and stuff)

ikea cancelled part of my order

ikea sent me a letter with a gift card and a receipt returning 6 drawer fronts.

no explanation why.

I don't know if they've cancelled my order or why the hell they cancelled it. the letter doesn't say. I called the phone number referenced in the body of the letter, and when I make any selection it says 'sorry it didn't record my selection, try again'. and if I wait as directed for customer service, it says something about pressing pound, and hangs up on me, whether or not I press pound, I tried both ways. tried it all multiple times.

I finally gave up on that number and called the number on printed on the bottom of the stationery/letterhead and selected customer service, but it says 'sorry their call volume is too high and they cant take my call' and then hangs up on me.

I called back and selected to talk to someone about kitchens rather than customer service, and after 15 minutes on hold they tell me they cant help me.

they transfer me to a third number. after 50 minutes on hold at the third number, I gave up. I sent them a message thru their website. we'll see if they answer that. if I have to drive 40 minutes down to the store i'm going to be angry. This is something that should be able to be explained over the phone, not requiring a trip to the store. Technically, it should have been explained in the letter and not required a phone call at all!

they're supposed to deliver tomorrow between 1-5pm. we'll see if they show up. I have ZERO confidence. and if they do actually show up, I'm going to count every single box and make sure it's all there.

this kitchen dream is turning into a nightmare because of their ridiculous delivery company.

nightmare kitchen

I'm impatiently awaiting ikea delivery, scared they're going to last minute cancel again.
I hope they dont keep me waiting until the last minute and cancel.
I just want to sleep....


SURPRISE!!!
an hour after the start of their delivery window time, the delivery company called and postponed delivery AGAIN!

and then they transferred me around and back, and around and back again, each transfer leaving me on hold and in another queue (you are 6th in line).

and then transferred me to ikea whose pre-recorded message said their call volume was too high and sorry they could not take my call and HUNG UP!

after 40 minutes of trying to reschedule the delivery that they cancelled a second time, I ended up breaking down and crying in frustration. and the next lady who answered took pity on me and didn't transfer me all over. she got rescheduled me for Saturday. we'll see if they deliver then.

delivery frustrations

so an hour before they're supposed to show up to deliver the second half of my ikea kitchen cabinets, the delivery company callsl and says they're still missing 11 pieces and ikea wont let them deliver without the order being complete. they expect those pieces to be on a truck arriving there tonight.

so even though everything was scheduled for today, too bad so sad. they said they could reschedule for tomorrow, at either 11-3pm or 12-4pm. I picked 12-4 since I swim tomorrow morning. i'm mighty irritated at having gone to lengths to plan this delivery date, yet they just toss it all aside at the last possible moment.

then about 15 minutes later I get their pre-recorded delivery confirmation saying 11-3. so I press the button to reschedule. and get dumped in a queue to wait on hold. when someone answers, I tell him whats going on, and he says ok and transfers me. he doesn't tell me where I'm being transferred to or why, he just dumps me back into the queue to wait some more.

someone finally answers, and gets cut off midway thru saying hello, and I'm dumped back into the queue for a third time!

someone finally answers. I tell them whats going on AGAIN, and they transfer me AGAIN without telling me where or why they're transferring me. that's four transfers and waits on hold if your counting.

then some guy with a heavy accent answers and tries to tell me there is absolutely no way they'd have ever offered me the time slots. those don't get scheduled ahead of time. I argue with him that they did call me with the time and i'm trying to change it. but he refuses to believe me and tells me I'll have to wait til they call me with the time and I can change it then. at which point I point out to him the delivery is for TOMORROW. and when the original order was scheduled, they called me the day before with the time slot. today is the day before!!! so when exactly am I supposed to be calling to change the time slot if not today?!!?

*silence*. then he puts me on hold, without saying a word or telling me why. which of course pisses me off all over again because that's FIVE times now of being dumped on hold or transferred. he comes back and when I complain about getting so rudely dumped on hold again, he gets rude and says well he cant talk with the guy from routing without putting me on hold. yeah, but he could have told me he's going to talk to the routing department before just dumping me on hold without a word. *sigh*.

anyway, he was able to change the scheduled delivery time (despite him repeatedly telling me that it wasn't possible and that I was wrong). turns out I was right after all, not that he'd admit he was wrong. he hung up on me after telling me it was changed to the right time.

i'm so frustrated with them.

and part of me is screaming that they're going to do the same thing tomorrow.

removing the soffit and tall cabinet

dad came out today with his jigsaw and helped me cut away the soffit that was above the upper cabinets. he looked around up there thru the hole from the vent pipe and figured out the easiest way to cut it down. left to my own, I would have done it differently and made far more work out of it than it needed to be, and a MUCH bigger mess.


we made a bit of a mess with the insulation and sheetrock.




all down except two long 2x2 boards on the ceiling and a third on the back wall


we got the soffit completely out!


and getting that out of the way made it possible to tip the tall cabinet over and haul it out to the garage since its too tall for the basement. part of the tall cabinet was under the soffit so it couldnt be tipped out until the soffit was removed, and it couldnt be slid over because of the flooring built up all around it.

hot indoor air was being sucked up and out the exhaust hood vent so i covered it with cardboard and taped it closed.


how much of the vent pipe is exposed now that the soffit is removed


there was a phone wire attached along the inside of the cabinet, tacked into place and run up thru a hole between the top and bottom of the cabinet. there is no back to the tall cabinet, it just sits flush against the wall. the bottom end snapped off and pulled right out of the floor when we tipped the cabinet, the other end pulled out of the wall by the disconnected phone jack.

to keep the sheetrock dust from going everywhere, I closed the door to the turtle/computer room. I tacked a sheet up over the doorway to the living room since there is no door. and I threw a sheet over the toaster, microwave and sink on the other side of the kitchen.

I ended up shutting the dogs out in the porch because they kept trying to lick up sheetrock dust. they did surprisingly well with the noise of the jigsaw. when I shut the dogs in the porch, puppy barked his head off. but at least no sheetrock was eaten.

its been 6 days since I last worked on the kitchen. its really wiping me out. but even so, I'm enjoying the doing of it. just not the recovering of it.

I can only imagine how hard it was on dad, standing on the stepladder holding the jigsaw above his head cutting thru the various parts of the soffit. *I* have a very difficult time controlling a jigsaw. it bucks and jumps in my hands and I cant hardly even use one. we were both pretty tired by the time we were done. and covered in dust. but the soffit is down!!! the mess is now cleaned up, and not too much work will be required to patch where the soffit was. just some sheetrock patches rather than having to sheetrock the whole area. the wall behind the soffit could use a little work because one of the studs seems to stand out from the wall farther than others. it looks like they used whatever bits and pieces of sheetrock they had left and called it done without fully filling it in. dad suggests sealing it with a good primer too.