Customers out of pocket as ‘mybaby’ company goes bust

A woman said she had lost hundreds of pounds after a company selling baby items went bust.

Karen Betts, from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, discovered the firm “mybaby” had folded after she recently chased up the delivery of a £600 pram for her daughter which she had ordered in August from its Peterborough shop.

The company’s out-of-office email said “due to insolvency” the business, which was set up in 2020 and has stores in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, was unable to fulfil orders or issue refunds.

Ms Betts, whose daughter is now 34 weeks pregnant, said: “I’m disgusted, there’s obviously other pregnant mums that are going to be in the same situation as us.”

She added the Peterborough shop was trading earlier this month and said: “Hopefully we can get our money back – not just me but other people that have paid their money in good faith.”

When Ms Betts bought the pram for her daughter Caprice, they knew it would take 12 weeks to be delivered – and it was due to arrive at the end of this month.

“I came back off holiday on Saturday and Caprice said could I give them a ring to find out where our pram is,” Ms Betts said.

“So I rang up and ring, ring, ring, ring ring – no answer.”

She then emailed mybaby, which has two other branches in Haslingfield, near Cambridge, and Norwich, and got the out-of-office email.

It said: “Unfortunately, due to insolvency, the business is unable to fulfil outstanding orders or issue refunds.

“Further information will be provided once the insolvency practitioner is formally appointed.”

The message also advised customers to contact their card provider or bank, which could tell them whether they were eligible for a chargeback or Section 75 claim.

Ms Betts said: “Their website was still trading on Tuesday evening and all their social media was up and active.

“It’s been taken down now, however their TikTok shop is still on TikTok.”

She is now “frantically trying” to source a suitable pram for her daughter, who is a medical pharmacy technician at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon.

“Finances are already stretched so to have to go ahead and pay again – it’s just not fair to put that on expectant mums,” she said.

Chris McMaster and Natalie Davis, from Lowestoft in Suffolk, have had to buy their baby essentials elsewhere after spending £1,100 at the Norwich store, in preparation for their newborn’s arrival in January.

Six weeks after purchase, they have received nothing apart from the insolvency email.

Ms Davis said: “We spent days calling and calling and calling, and getting no answer.”

Mr McMaster added: “The end result — we’ve paid the money, we haven’t got any items, and [we’re] very, very, very angry.”

Mybaby, whose main address is listed as Crowland, Lincolnshire – just north of Peterborough – has been contacted for comment.