I'd have to second what Chris said - the farther south you go in Europe, the longer it seems to take to get paid (or refunded). 180 days is pretty much the norm for some countries even though the EU is trying to get them to hurry it up a bit.

Only thing is that I wouldn't rely solely on e-mails. If you haven't heard by 90 days or so (at least a confirmation that they are working on it), try sending a formal snail mail request for information when you can expect payment. (No point in getting nasty until you hit that magic 180 days mark.)
Cheers,
Bev