An online technology firm which 'ruined Christmas' for thousands of families after failing to deliver gifts in time for the big day has been closed down by the High Court.
Rochdale -based SavviBuy, which sold in-demand tech and toys such as games consoles and virtual reality headsets, took payment for 30,000 orders worth more than £3m in the weeks before Christmas 2016.
But, the High Court heard, it failed to deliver them.
As the Manchester Evening News reported at the time it meant families were left out of pocket and
Speaking at the time Laura Pearson said her partner spent £400 on a Sony VR and camera for his six-year-old son which didn't arrive in time for Christmas.
She said: "It has and will put a dampener on Christmas Day.
"He will see his brother and sister with all their toys and we will have to try and explain to him why he hasn’t got his presents."
At a hearing in Manchester the High Court heard two companies - Rochdale-based Advance Tech (UK) Limited and Clever Technology Limited, of Cannock in Staffordshire - were behind the Savvibuy website, which was set up in November 2016.
The website received a large number of orders and, while most went unfulfilled, Advance Tech took payment for 30,000 of them.
In a complex web of transactions Advance Tech then transferred more than £3.4m to Clever Technology for the goods, who in turn paid the funds to a third company based in Dubai.
But no goods were ever received.
Investigations later found that, in Dubai, the money had been withdrawn in cash.
Customers, alarmed when their orders had not been delivered as promised, contacted Advance Tech and were told that goods would be with them in time for Christmas.
When they didn’t turn up, customers were then told by Advance Tech in January 2017 to request a chargeback through their bank.
This resulted in the merchant services facility used to handle payments suffering a loss of £2.9 million.
A further estimated £1 million is still owed to customers who paid via debit card.
Scott Crighton, chief investigator for the Insolvency Service, said: "These companies ruined the merriest time of year for so many families, whose children and loved ones were left empty-handed on Christmas morning.
"Thankfully their actions have caught up with them and, through petitioning the court to shut the companies down, we have prevented them from causing further misery to unsuspecting customers."
Advance Tech and Clever Technology customers can contact The Official Receiver at Public Interest Unit, 2 Floor, 3 Piccadilly Place, London Road, Manchester, M1 3BN or by telephone on 0161 234 8531 or email at piu.north@insolvency.gov.uk with details of their orders.
