Have OVIVO gone bust?

lisaluvz

I do apologise for my outbursts in this forum last night. I was just a bit upset for being duped into this very clever scam. I don't consider myself easily fooled but seems as a lot of us were, even "those in the know"

It just hurts even more when people are being sarcastic and saying we are stupid to go with Ovivo in the first place. I say it was a scam but I know people who have been on it for 6 months or more. So they were the lucky ones.

I resisted joining the club for so long not wanting to bother with new networks and such, I'd been with Vodafone since forever and was forking out a lot each month. Plus my old tired simple Nokia had done its day after many years of use was clogging up messages.

So I thought I have to do it now I have to embrace new technology. So I begged my other half for months to get me a smartphone (because the hudls I got for Christmas weren't working properly, see other post! Lol) So I could use this Ovivo sim in it because I can't afford a contract.

So after all that hassle of setting it up, porting my number (I really wish I'd left it on my old phone) because I haven't been given my PAC yet which is worrying because I need that number I've had it like forever, everyone I know has it - its on all my business cards I just ordered!!! Argh this is so much more than losing 20 quid.

Anyway I feel like the cok now for going with them in the first place but all this on top of everything else that's going on in my life is making me lose the will to live. Sigh thanks for listening if you can be bothered.

pepdavies

Ovivo was hardly a scam. Businesses fail all the time. It sad that some people lost money but many many thousands of us ran our phones for months on a tenner. It seemed unsustainable but it's unfair to call it a scam. The real rip-off merchants are the big networks who charge idiots £50 a month!

grayme-m

Whilst my mobile from e2save is on its way, my dad has got this from them:

In order for us to proceed with your order, we need you to confirm the Porting Authorisation Code (PAC), as the PAC youve provided us with isnt valid. We would advise you to call your current network providers and confirm the PAC with them first to avoid any additional inconvenience.




He got two identical PACs for their two mobiles in different names.

lisaluvz

Everyone is out to get everyone at the end of the day! Worryingly people are coming up with all these other dodgy sounding companies who want to take our money then just disappear!

Yeah sorry for calling Ovivo a scam I feel so sorry for them!! NOT

Anyway like I said I know people like yourself that got a good ride - good for you but don't rub it in the faces of people who had a whole load of hassle for a few days, it ain't nice mate!

But whatever I'm done. The fat cats rule and there's really no good deals out there. Just people making profit off the poor man and getting away with daylight robbery IMO!

Anyway its not about the money. Did you read my story - I just ordered 500 !!!!!!! business cards with my number on!!! Highly unlikely I'm gonna get that back is it

But worser things have happened I suppose.

marks7389

lisaluvz wrote: »

Anyway like I said I know people like yourself that got a good ride - good for you but don't rub it in the faces of people who had a whole load of hassle for a few days, it ain't nice mate!

But whatever I'm done. The fat cats rule and there's really no good deals out there. Just people making profit off the poor man and getting away with daylight robbery IMO!

I think the point is you were unlucky with this one. That is life sometimes.

Deals with an element of risk come up all the time. For example, an opportunity to buy half price vouchers for a store that you regularly shop in would generally be a good deal unless it went under before you got to spend them. Even if you occasionally lose out on these things though, you still stand to benefit considerably over time if you take advantage of enough deals that benefit you.

If you take the view that you won't bother and will pay full price for everything the 'fat cats' will be making even more profit from you.

Anyway its not about the money. Did you read my story - I just ordered 500 !!!!!!! business cards with my number on!!! Highly unlikely I'm gonna get that back is it

Hopefully you will get your PAC and that won't be an issue.

Vanonymous

Apparently it's not a funding issue, word on the street is as copied below
"Dispute over network software led to abrupt closure of network yesterday evening (March 20)
Ovivo Mobile was terminated by MVNA Cognatel following an alleged dispute over network software that would have allowed the MVNO to uniquely identify each user, Mobile News understands.
It is believed that Cognatel was contractually obliged to deliver the software but had failed to do so. Uniquely identifying each user was essential to the operator’s service which provided free airtime, texts and data in exhange for agreeing to being targeted by marketing materials.
Furthermore, it also understood that Ovivo Mobile had been withholding cash from the Vodafone MVNA as part of the dispute and it was this that led to the plug being pulled at short notice yesterday.
Customers of the operator are furious at the sudden nature of the cessation of their connectivity although the value of money owed is likely to be very little due to the ‘advertiser-funded nature’ of the service.
The firm said last month it had 50,000 users and was in the process of raising £3 million in financing but the reputational damage means it will close permanently.
Ovivo Mobile and Cognatel were unavailable when contacted by Mobile News earlier today while Vodafone refused to comment on the story."

This is just what I have copied from elsewhere and I have no opinion on it or Ovivo, but if they came back in another form I would use them again.

shaggy

Ypaymore wrote: »

People are having success at recovering money via chargeback.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/visa-mastercard-chargeback

But this is only useful if you paid via a credit card and NOT Paypal.

Surely you can't get your credit card company involved if you paid with PayPal, even if your credit card is linked with Paypal?

minislim

the deal looked too good to be true!

it had all the signs of being a grab cash and dash kind of trick.

and its a shame as before all this they actually looked to have a good reputation.

marks7389

stu576 wrote: »

I just signed up for this crap based on MSE recommendations. I was due to port today with confirmatory email yesterday saying all is well. I now have to write to my credit card provider to get a refund and have lost all network coverage.

Your credibility just took a major hit and your online response should have been a grovelling apology for appalling judgement, recommending this fraudulent outfit. Guy W. Anker's response "We are gutted to hear Ovivo has closed down, though as we warned, there was always a risk" is nonsense as there was no warning that I read. I am sure he is not half as gutted as me today.

How much did MSE earn for promoting them last week? Sudden cash hit from publicity and then they shut down - you are a disgrace.

There absolutely was a warning, which I refer to in a post I made about a month ago:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=64819981&postcount=55

The fact is that Ovivo had been going for two years, had generally good feedback and had saved many people a lot of money. If MSE can be criticised at all it's to say it was rather late to the party on this one. You can argue it was always too good to be true, but that's a judgement that MSE were no better placed to make than anyone else so to my mind by publicising it with a warning they did exactly the right thing.

If MSE were too risk adverse to mention these things we'd not be aware of a great many deals that have saved us money over the years.

There was no indication of an immediate issue a month ago; indeed all the talk was of Ovivo raising money for expansion.

May well be cancelling the weekly email soon.

That's entirely up to you... The phrase 'cutting off your nose' springs to mind though.

d123

lisaluvz wrote: »

Anyway its not about the money. Did you read my story - I just ordered 500 !!!!!!! business cards with my number on!!! Highly unlikely I'm gonna get that back is it

So what?

The number is transferable, how will it change the business cards if you move the number to 3 or EE?