Entertainment and pop-culture collectible store Zavvi has gone into administration.
In an announcement posted today that has taken over the webstore, Zavvi announced that the “affairs, business and property of the Company” are now under the management of Joint Administrators.” This is apparently due to Zavvi’s financial position, which means it has to cease trading “with immediate effect.”
In practical terms, Zavvi can no longer fulfil any orders or pre-orders. Customers are also warned not to make new purchases through the webstore (not that you seem able to, at least not from my quick investigation).
What does this mean for those of us who purchased something through the site but now won’t get what they paid for? It looks like we may be able to win that money back, though there are some hoops to jump through first.
“We appreciate that customers who have paid for goods that have not been received will be concerned about their orders and payments,” the announcement reads. “Customers should contact their bank, card issuer or payment provider promptly to establish whether they may be entitled to recover their payment. Depending on the payment method and the circumstances of the transaction, customers may be able to make a claim”
That feels… Well, it’s pretty catastrophic. There only being the possibility of a refund (which in itself sounds dependent on a number of factors) is one hell of a rug-pull, and this will leave a lot of understandably angry customers in its wake.
The news feels as though it came out of nowhere; just this morning I used Zavvi in my guide on where to buy the Hasbro Legend of Zelda Master Sword. If you’ve been affected by the incident, I’m so sorry – and I hope you’re able to get your money back if you’re a customer.
