Three days after opening up preorders for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, U.K. mobile phone retailer Phones4u announced last Monday that it would file for administrator protection, putting around 5,600 jobs at risk. For those who preordered Apple’s latest and greatest iPhone from the retailer, Phones4u announced that it would refund the orders. However, that was likely not a smart thing to say, as the retailer has now announced that it will not refund the preorders, as revealed by Business Insider.
In an email to those who preordered the handsets, Phones4u said that they will have to go to their credit card provider in order to dispute the charge. For those who can’t go to a credit card company, their next “best” option is to submit a refund claim to administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers. The problem is the disclaimer you’ll find on the claim page: “Please note, given the level of secured liabilities, if there is any dividend to unsecured creditors, any payment if made at all, would not be for many months and is likely to be negligible.”
In other words, there already exists a long list of companies and individuals that Phones4u owes money to. Phones4u will have to square away any debts with them before getting to you, and by the time the company does, considering its folded status, it’s likely you won’t get anything back.