Lost my keys at Ikea

December 17, 2006 4:43 AM

I lost my keys at Ikea (Atlanta) of all places... What steps can I take to recover them or start a new set of keys?

First off, would anyone want to steal keys?

My girlfriend and I were shopping through the Marketplace and then all of a sudden I had realized I didn't have my keys... It could've been anywhere in the showroom and the previous sections of the marketplace.

We searched the place several times (and Ikea's big) retraced our steps several times, looked pretty thoroughly in all the places we thought we were, notified their loss prevention, placed a description, the works. Needless to say, we were practically at our wits end. I'm hoping I left it in a shopping cart or something. Also, they weren't allowed to make an announcement over the PA system. Grr...

i know that they're not in my car, but my cell phone is unfortunately. I have a toyota so does any toyota dealer remake keys or do you have to go to the specific one you bought the car from?

any suggestions?? desperate.

posted by jadanzzy to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

Could you contact the Ikea manager? My mum was shortchanged RM50 from an Ikea cashier; she called up Ikea and got her money back. They may be able to locate it (they might even have a "lost and found" section already).
posted by divabat at 5:41 AM on December 17, 2006

I would only worry about someone stealing your keys if you either have one of those fobs with the buttons to unlock your car (I guess someone could walk around the parking lot listening for the sound of unlocking locks), or your address info on the key chain. Otherwise your keys are fairly useless to anyone who might find them.

What's more likely is that your keys are still in Ikea. With all those bins of crap and numerous surfaces/shelves etc., it could be a couple of days before someone uncovers them. The most likely time your keys would be found is after the store is closed and employees are cleaning, straightening and restocking. I would call the store manager every morning for the next few days to see if they've been found.
posted by kimdog at 6:24 AM on December 17, 2006

i know that they're not in my car, but my cell phone is unfortunately. I have a toyota so does any toyota dealer remake keys or do you have to go to the specific one you bought the car from?

Your best bet is to call any Toyota dealer right now to ask that. I'd try their service dept. Just a warning though that if you have a newer car, it might be kinda expensive to get a replacement.

Are there other keys that you have lost?
posted by tastybrains at 7:01 AM on December 17, 2006

Yes, your dealer can re-cut a key for your car. Most keys have RFID or something like that inside to prevent car theft by hotwiring, so your replacement key may cost anywhere from $50 to $200 (latter part of the range if your key also has lock/unlock controls on the key itself).
posted by Merdryn at 7:25 AM on December 17, 2006

Incidentally, they can do it in minutes, so call your dealer's service department as soon as they're open.
posted by Merdryn at 7:26 AM on December 17, 2006

A good locksmith can recut a key with the vin number. Left my keys at the hotel after a business trip. Got to the airport without them. Called locksmith. Couldn't have been easier. Took 45 minutes for him to show up, but once he did and the $125 later, I was good to go.

If you are really paranoid, and your registration is in the car as well as your house key on the lost ring, an enterprising thief could find your address, wait for you to leave the house and rob everything you have of value.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:04 AM on December 17, 2006

"First off, would anyone want to steal keys?"
Not me personally, but thieves would as you likely have car keys and most of those come with the remote unlock buttons. They'd just have to press the alarm key or the lock key and then find the honking car. Plus, they often have a company logo on them so they know what kind of car to look for. From there, documents in your glove compartment might have an address, and now they've got your house key.

I'm not saying that to scare you, but that is why someone might want to steal them.

I'm assuming you've already checked and your car is still where you left it, so you likely just lost them. Ikea should have a lost and found, call them.
posted by jesirose at 10:22 AM on December 17, 2006

Went through the exercise of car keys being stolen (from a home burglary). The Lexus keys were very expensive to replace - since I had to change out the ignition and all the cylinder locks (so that the physical key could not open the door). The RFID is simple enough to get replaced, it was almost $350 though for just one.

Anyway, you might want to consider a service called 'StuffBak' to 'pre-register' a tag for your keys (they sell identification stickers for electronics and such). It's an interesting concept - an anonymous method of getting stuff returned to you should you become separated from them. I'm just a customer of theirs, $30 or so is relatively cheap 'insurance' against loss, counting on the kindness of others...
posted by scooterdog at 7:07 PM on December 17, 2006