UK retailer Zavvi collapses – customers advised to seek other methods for refunds with pre-orders cancelled

The UK retailer Zavvi has entered administration and is no longer accepting orders on its webstore. Existing orders have been cancelled and the administrators have revealed that customers should look elsewhere for refunds.

You will also no longer be able to return faulty goods bought from Zavvi. The retailer is currently embroiled in the insolvency process and has therefore stopped trading entirely.

"The Company is unable to fulfil any outstanding orders or pre-orders. Customers should not place any new orders through the Company’s website," says a statement from joint administrators, Chris Skey and Kerry Bailey of BDO LLP.

"Please also note that we are unable to accept any returns for items of any kind."

More worrying is that any prepaid orders that have not been delivered will likely not be refunded. Customers will be considered unsecured creditors, so will be towards the bottom of a long list of companies and individuals to be paid from limited recouped funds (if any).

If you are affected though you might be able to claim the money back from your bank or credit card company: "We appreciate that customers who have paid for goods that have not been received will be concerned about their orders and payments," continues the statement.

"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 under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, request a chargeback, or use another buyer-protection process."

Zavvi was formed in 2007 to take over Virgin Megastores in the UK, as part of a management buyout. However, after entering administration soon after and closing all physical stores in 2009, a new owner for the brand was found and it became an online-only retailer.

Ownership then changed hands again in 2023, but measures to turn the business around failed. Sadly, it seems unlikely that the company will be saved again.