UK Mobile Virtual Network Operator OVIVO Pushed into Liquidation

Mobile operator OVIVO, which was supplied by Vodafone UK via Cognatel and recently shocked around 50k – 70k customers by suddenly closing its service, has now suffered the final nail in its coffin after officially entering liquidation. Unfortunately this means that subscribers who haven’t already got a refund now stand little hope of receiving one.

In law, liquidation usually refers to the process by which a company (or part of a company) is brought to an end, with the assets and property of that business redistributed. But businesses that reach this stage rarely have anything left to give end users, which are inevitably always the last in the pecking order of creditors.

According to MSE, Ovivo’s creditors voted for Accura Accountants Business Recovery Solutions (AABRS) to put the businesses into voluntary liquidator last Friday because it was deemed unlikely to pay its debts. Customers impacted by this can submit a claim form but the chances of you getting your money back are quite remote, although Credit Card and PayPal payments may be indirectly protected by the relevant financial firms. Meanwhile Ovivo’s website continues to carry the following statement.

Dear OVIVO Customers,

We are very sad to announce that for reasons beyond our control, OVIVO Mobile is closing down on the evening of Wednesday 19th March 2014.

We’d like to thank each and every one of you for your support and friendship over the last two years.

To obtain your PAC to transfer your OVIVO number to another network, please e-mail pac@ovivomobile.com providing your full name, OVIVO mobile number and date of birth. A member of the team will respond with your PAC within 1 working day.

Please note, that from the 2nd June 2014, this website and e-mail address will no longer be operational and you will not be able to request your PAC from OVIVO.

It’s interesting to note that Ovivo sold affordable SIM Only tariffs that were supposedly supported by some advertising, which is similar to the more aggressive model adopted by Samba Mobile. Samba, supplied by Three UK, closed down almost exactly a month after Ovivo (here). Clearly alternative mobile operators are having a hard time of it, especially with the advent of faster 4G services that haven’t yet trickled down to many MVNO’s.