Customers of the baby goods retailer mybaby have reported losing hundreds of pounds following the company’s sudden closure. Karen Betts, from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, ordered a £600 pram for her daughter in August from the Peterborough store, with delivery expected after 12 weeks. When the pram did not arrive, Ms Betts discovered that the company had gone into insolvency.
An out-of-office email from mybaby stated: “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.” Customers were advised to contact their bank or card provider to explore chargeback or Section 75 claims.
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 that the Peterborough store had been trading earlier this month and expressed hope that customers could recover their money: “Hopefully we can get our money back – not just me but other people that have paid their money in good faith.”
The company’s three shops, located in Peterborough, Haslingfield near Cambridge, and Bowthorpe, Norwich, are now closed. Ms Betts described attempting to contact mybaby after returning from holiday: “So I rang up and ring, ring, ring, ring ring – no answer.” She also noted that the company’s website and social media accounts had been active until recently, although the TikTok shop remains online.
Other affected customers include Chris McMaster and Natalie Davis from Lowestoft, Suffolk, who spent £1,100 at the Norwich store in preparation for their baby due in January. 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.”
With finances already stretched, Ms Betts is now seeking an alternative pram for her daughter, a medical pharmacy technician at Hinchingbrooke Hospital. She described the situation as unfair: “It’s just not fair to put that on expectant mums.”
Mybaby, which was established in 2020 and operated stores in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, has its main address in Crowland, Lincolnshire.
