https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07633141/filing-history
their accounts from last summer dont fill me with confidence
facebook not too happy with them either:
I've ordered from them in the past, nothing very expensive though.
Did you guys all use credit cards? I'm guessing PayPal gives similar protection if it comes to the worst?
Looks like I'm about to find out if the PayPal protection is any good.
It will be sad if they have gone as they built my Yeti ArcC when they first opened maybe 5 years ago in Oxford and helped just over 12 months ago when they helped me replace the frame under warranty. Both times they were great and I couldn't have asked for better service.
They were very much a high end, niche end of the market shop and that sector of the cycle industry was always going to be the first to suffer when the cycling boom started to end. It can't be nice being unable to stop a business from failing or having to make people redundant.
I'd like to think the staff were being honest in their recent communications with regards to orders. As in most businesses, the staff are only told the end is happening, when it actually happens.
I hope all those affected are able to get their money back via their credit cards \ paypal without too much hassle or a long wait.
It's the poor sods who used debit cards that I feel sorry for.
Did anyone call in today? Website still down.
They’re still trading on eBay by the looks of it.
I rang a shop next to the Brighton Store - the lady said that the shop had been emptied today and signs put up saying that shop was closed for refurbishment.
I also rang a takeaway next to the Oxford store at 4pm today who said the shop was closed but people had been in there today - was reluctant to give any more information.
Also tracked down Richard Moir, UBYK’s Sales Manager, on Instagram - commented on a post he posted this morning asking about UBYK’s status - my comment was deleted and his account has been removed. He posted 4 stories on his Instagram within the last 24 hours with the last one having a pint at 4pm.
Sounds like I was right to jump when I did, I just hope anyone else owed products or money get what they are due. Perhaps if the company had been clearer from the start ...
Ouch. Looks like they are toast then.
Man, that 20% off is beginning to look mega cynical if so.
Cynical? It looks downright fraudulent to me if they have gone under
jonnyboi
Member
Cynical? It looks downright fraudulent to me if they have gone under
Surely they couldn't be that stupid though as on the face of it, it would be so easy to prove?
I'll be honest though, it would be great to hear there is a perfectly acceptable reason for what's going on.... but I'm bizarrely naive sometimes.
Surely they couldn’t be that stupid though as on the face of it, it would be so easy to prove?
No intention to defraud, m'lud. We honestly thought this sale would keep us in business. Ho hum.
I'd been waiting a few weeks and heard nothing so emailed them. Explained they didn't have the colour pedals I'd ordered but they had other colours in stock. I picked an alternative and received them wednesday. First order and last by the sounds of it!
Am waiting to see if I get a second xx0 cassette on the Black Friday deal. Ordered 2 separately a day apart, first arrived fairly quickly, second had email saying dispatched a couple of days ago so fingers crossed it was posted before they shut... let's see!
I think my tale of woe clearly marks them as intentionally dishonest shysters.
Managed to get a call through on Thursday and told them that the brakes were the wife's Christmas present and that if they couldn't supply by Christmas, I needed to know as time to source them elsewhere was running out.
They promised a call back before closing at half five, but that never happened.
If they had any integrity about them, that would have been the time for them to act.
I don't know about their general business but I do know that selling hope at 20% off what I think they normally sell it for would lose them money, so if you needed to raise cash it's an odd way to go about it. If you sell £100,000 worth of hope, you'd get 98,000 in the bank, owe Hope 105,000 to buy it and spend another few hundred shipping it out.
What was the price of a brake you paid Onzadog?
it’s an odd way to go about it. If you sell £100,000 worth of hope, you’d get 98,000 in the bank, owe Hope 105,000 to buy it and spend another few hundred shipping it out.
If you have no intention of settling your account with Hope, you're set for a £100,000 Xmas.
And you are a smug crook.
^^^ This. Ripping off both consumers and suppliers. Hope you all have some luck with card/PayPal refunds, and also hope suppliers have good credit insurance.
Their eBay account seems to be selling everything off at cost price....
https://ebay.co.uk/usr/ubyk_brighton
If you have no intention of settling your account with Hope, you’re set for a £100,000 Xmas.
Shops pay up front for stuff from Hope.
Hope are normally pro forma BUT do have some bigger shops on account.
This might upset a few people but Ubyk have been playing this game for years saying that everything is in stock !!!! when ordering did you not READ the reviews on trust pilot or Facebook .
£265 for e4 pair with floating rotors.
I know it's less than trade for smaller shops but assumed they must be getting better rates for big orders. I also know that Hope don't do credit so they'd have to pay for all that Hope stuff up front. I assumed that was the real reason it was coming out in drips and drabs. Money from one order, used to pay for the next.
Edit. Didn't know some got credit, thought everyone was pro forma.
Phone just ringing out this morning.
Really sorry to read this.
I think knowingly trading insolvently is an offence in its own right as well. Has anyone contacted trading standards?
Didn’t know some got credit, thought everyone was pro forma.
Then you are just counting on receipts from defrauded buyers to pay for your turkey and stuffing.
Classy
Lying about why your website and shop are shuttered doesn't help matters either. Seems to fit their standard operating procedure though.
If you're no longer trading, just say so rather than lie about website maintenance etc.
I believe, but I'm no expert, that trading insolvent is unlawful in the UK and any debt incurred after the point if insolvency can become the personal liability of the director(s).
glad I didnt return part of my order now. Would have sent it back to have never seen the money again.
I wonder how the employees have lost out with regards to pay before Christmas.
Was Richard Moir* an employee? He seems to be following the party line to the bitter end so must have been looked after for that.
*Not listed as anything at Companies House.
^^ He was sales and despatch manager I think.
This interesting reading - especially with the eBay store (branded as ubyk) showing they are still trading:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrongful_trading
I phoned up a few days ago to see if they could add something to my order and honour the 20% discount, that the rest of the order was placed under
Richard moir personally said to place the order, pay at full price and he would happily refund the difference, which he did. Then the only status note regarding that last order read, only deal direct with Richard m regarding this order.
Call me paranoid but it seems so suspicious now, it’s only £140 but still!
Maybe hold tight folks it looks like things will continue
They are just having a bumpy handover by the looks of it
Where did you hear this nonk?
I managed to speak to one of the owners this morning
Stressed out with how his weeks gone but no ones going anywhere by the sounds of it.
I would give them a few days to sort things out
Perhaps " sorting it out" could involve actually communicating with people.
Surely that would relieve some of the stress as well.
After all, there's no point planning for a future if you've totally trashed your reputation.
Yeah for sure I was angry phone man to start with but I’m not to worried now
I’m happy to wait
No ones legging it they’re sticking around just give them a day or two
I suspect they're feeding you a line Nonk, and buying time to gtfo with all the product from suppliers with credit terms.
The business was in administration and up for sale/disposal by administrator, they continued to take orders and place orders, to sell at zero margin. That points towards a cash and inventory grab, pop the ltd co, clear out as much product from the premises as possible before an insolvency inventory is done, sell product privately, trouser as much cash as poss and **** everyone either side of the deal.
Sadly I've seen that sort of trick done before in other industries and this looks all too familiar.
Well maybe but I don’t think so
I can actually recover my funds from the order
He was reassuring me the order will still be met if I want it
£265 for e4 pair with floating rotors.
Yowsers. I would expect that once you've shipped them out and accounted for the fees for getting the money in, thats a loss of between £20-30. Thats not even at standard trade (I'm assuming some level of discount here).
I'm not aware of the circumstances of the Ubyk situation and don't want to seem as I am passing judgement here as its not fair for me to do so, but the issue raises the wider point that effects all retail which is that too many businesses competing for no margin (or loss making) business is a really big problem for retail right now. Its unsustainable and ultimately people get burnt.
At some point we as a purchasing group (cyclists) are going to need to ween ourselves off the idea that everything should be discounted and start getting used to paying more like RRP or we'll only have Chiggle left. The bike market has a real problem on its hands to keep control of its pricing. If one company can do it for a year, then that collapses everyone's market for a year, then they go pop and another springs up, and it starts again. Alot of people talk of LBS failing to adapt, but there's a wider problem of their not being able to even do what is their basic premise & still make money, and when that happens its a big problem.
All looks like perfect pre-liquidation behaviour to me, have a massive sale on a high profile brand promising to supply at less than trade price, get all the money in before ordering/shipping goods, take the money and then go into liquidation leaving credit card companies and suppliers high and dry. Hopefully nobody bought on debit card as likely to be goodbye to that money.
A friend who also cancelled the order has just received a refund but from the bank. Hes asked me to post this if it helps anyone https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/visa-mastercard-chargeback/
Trashing a reputation doesn't matter if you're cheap. So many people on this thread were happy to part with money due to the high level of discount offered despite a 2 star trustpilot review rating and loads of negative comments everywhere on the web.
I've shopped with them before. I had them in the "cheap price/long wait" box. A month should have been fine to get a set of Hope brakes, as others have said, Hope don't have delays on product.
