Anybody know what is going on with the UK based store Cameras Underwater?

[AngryMoth]

I purchased about £3000 worth of equipment including a housing for my Panasonic G9 in April from their website. At the time was they were the store Ikelite recommended to buy from in the UK but since then it’s been a bit of a nightmare.

Here’s a brief timeline of my experience:

• After about a month I started emailing to ask how long it would take to receive my items They repeatedly told me they were expecting their order to come the following week.
• At the end of June in the final email I’ve received from them they said the order had arrived
• At this point the store became completely uncontactable via phone or email in spite of my many attempts
• A few weeks ago I checked their facebook page to find several other people having the same experience. They have replied to a few people saying they have a large backlog because of staff being off sick and on holiday
• After posting a negative review on facebook I received several attempted phone calls from the store owner who wanted to apologise but I couldn’t really hear anything she said due to bad connection
• I contacted the owner via text message and again I was told that they were expecting the order the next week (strange given how I’d previously been told it had arrived)
• 10 days pass and I’ve tried contacting the owner again but she didn’t reply this time
• The store remains uncontactable and they have stopped processing orders/payments on their website

Posting here basically to see if anyone knows any information about what has happened with this shop, I am concerned they might be going out of business or something and I will never receive my items. Unsure what to do at this point beyond seeking a refund through PayPal.

I'm going on my dream trip in 2 weeks to Fiji and Tonga but seems I won’t be taking many pictures…

 

[Must_dash]

cancel order, claim back from Paypal or C/card and start again....... Hopefully somebody will be able to help you. Even a US store with courier delivery.
Good luck

 

[Interceptor121]

CamerasUnderwater are most likely going to go in administration. If you can claim back the payment do it

 

[AngryMoth]

Ok thanks for that info. Hopefully I can get the money back through PayPal.

Sadly I can't afford to reorder from another retailer until I get a refund which seems unlikely to happen before my trip.

 

[michael-fisch]

Sounds like they have been postponing fileing for Bankruptcy at least since June, which is a chargable offense.
Bankruptcy alone is not a criminal offense, but hiding it and continueing to take funds from customers when you know that you have no hope of delivering the goods is.

Michael

 

[iain/hsm]

Ok thanks for that info. Hopefully I can get the money back through PayPal.

Sadly I can't afford to reorder from another retailer until I get a refund which seems unlikely to happen before my trip.

Please get focus on this and fast. You paid £3,000 in April. Contact your credit card company 1st thing Monday for a refund process. After this then you can look at the web site where you will read at the top of the page:
"Our website is having some changes made so we are unable to process orders at this present time. Please contact us via the webchat"
Then look at the bottom of the page and read:
"We do not hold stock of all items and therefore cannot guarantee immediate availability of all our products.
If you require any items urgently please contact us by email or phone us on"
Then go to the map on the "visiting us" page and run it in full Google Maps showing a photo of the place.
Then ask yourself if giving £3000 to some unknown in a shed out in some out back country lane was a good idea
and why it has taken me this long before I made attempt to get my money back.
Before its all too late, you have very little time left.

 

[AngryMoth]

Please get focus on this and fast. You paid £3,000 in April. Contact your credit card company 1st thing Monday for a refund process. After this then you can look at the web site where you will read at the top of the page:
"Our website is having some changes made so we are unable to process orders at this present time. Please contact us via the webchat"
Then look at the bottom of the page and read:
"We do not hold stock of all items and therefore cannot guarantee immediate availability of all our products.
If you require any items urgently please contact us by email or phone us on"
Then go to the map on the "visiting us" page and run it in full Google Maps showing a photo of the place.
Then ask yourself if giving £3000 to some unknown in a shed out in some out back country lane was a good idea
and why it has taken me this long before I made attempt to get my money back.
Before its all too late, you have very little time left.

I mean like I said at the time they were the distributor recommended and linked to by Ikelite on their website and speaking to a few other unhappy customers on facebook it seems prior the this year they were a reputable establishment so I don't think there was a reasonable cause to doubt their legitimacy at the time of purchase.

Obviously I'm feeling like a mug now for waiting so long, I was inclined to believe their reassurances the order would eventually be fulfilled because I've never run into this kind of situation before.

Anyway I've opened a PayPal dispute and provided a lot of evidence so hopefully it will be ok, I've heard they are quite good about this kind of thing.

 

[iain/hsm]

This is all good evidence to show you did all you could with your claim for refund albeit out of time from point of your original payment date but you did have continued assurance from them that the goods were going to be sent and were in. Now you are at the point when waiting any longer you run the real risk they will go into liquidation then it may become harder to get your payment back. Note that the American credit card refunds system is different than UK.

Please post your update on this hopefully when you get your refund.
The camera trade distributors that supply these products are owed a lot of money and not for the first time retail companies like this end up on a credit stop list and any goods they order are not shipped until paid for. Needless to say your payment would have been used to pay off another order and so on until the whole house falls, May not be long now IMHO

 

[Eagle]

Totally conned by Joss Handy /Brierley I Have a CCJ against the company and her as an individual. They were selling some of my kit and keep promising to return it but never have. Anyone know her whereabouts ? (she has registered a new company Blue Pixel cameras Ltd)

 

[iain/hsm]

Petitions to Wind Up (Companies)


In the High Court of Justice

CR-2019-000159

In the matter of CAMERAS UNDERWATER LIMITED

Trading As: Cameras Underwater Limited ,

and in the Matter of the Insolvency Act 1986,

A Petition to wind up the above-named company of Cameras Underwater Limited (4314607) of East Island Farmhouse, East Hill, Ottery St. Mary EX11 1QH, whose nature of business is Commercial Company , presented on Tuesday 01 October 2019, at 10:00 by CAMERAS UNDERWATER LIMITED, of East Island Farmhouse, East Hill, Ottery St. Mary EX11 1QH claiming to be a Creditor of the Company, will be heard at the High Court of Justice (Bristol), 2 Redcliff Street, Bristol BS1 6GR on Friday 29 November 2019, at 10:00 (or as soon thereafter as the Petition can be heard).

Any person intending to appear on the hearing of the Petition (whether to support or oppose it) must give notice of intention to do so to the Petitioners or to their Solicitor in accordance with Rule 7.14 by 16:00 hours on Thursday 28 November 2019

The Petitioner(s) is/are Andrew Pay of Kitsons LLP, Minerva House, Orchard Way, Torquay TQ2 7FA,, Telephone: 01803 202020, Email: andrew.pay@kitsons-solicitors.co.uk (Reference number: ADP/HTB/ROS149/0001.)