Kobalt Computers Officially out of business

Hi folks

I don't know if folk know this or not but there is now a sign on Kobalt's website that they have gone into liquidation.

I am wondering about chargebacks if you have paid through a third party payment site such as Pay point. If you look on the Paypoint site they deny responsibility and consumer advice says Section 75 or charge back does not cover third party sites.

As Kobalt only accepted money either via bank transfer or a third party site I am wondering how others have fared?

Also if you do get a chargeback can you claim the cost of buying a new guarantee? Kobalt owe me money and I have a warranty with them so basically I am now not covered... Really worrying for a laptop that cost nearly 2 G...

Is it possible to buy a third party warranty from somewhere?

This has just opened my eyes to sites like Paypoint etc as it seems you have no protection does anyone know any different?

I suspected this was in the offing as I couldn't get any response for ages when trying to get a refund for a screen they never delivered...

Any thoughts anyone?

***20/10/2011 UPDATED KOBALT NOTICE NOW ONLINE SEE KOBALT SITE OR THIS POST BY ELLTOT***

http://forum.notebookreview.com/reseller-feedback-forum/617230-kobalt-computers-officially-out-business-29.html#post8007881

PERMALINK TO POST WITH ADVICE LINKS:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/reseller-feedback-forum/617230-kobalt-computers-officially-out-business-14.html#post7990605

Summary of advice and help so far:

When a supplier goes out of business (EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS):
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/c_supplier_has_gone_out_of_business.pdf

Section 75 Credit card claims & Chargeback for Visa Debit and others:

S75:
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_world/consumer_affairs/buying_goods_your_rights.htm#making_a_claim_against_a_credit_lender_for_a_problem_with_goods

Template letter for S75 claims:
Section 75 refunds: Free protection for ALL spending...

Debit card Chargeback:
Some banks say they've never heard of Chargeback: don't listen to them | Money | The Observer

Template letter for Debit Card Chargebacks: scroll down page for template letter
Section 75 refunds: Free protection for ALL spending...

General advice on rights for Card users:
Complaining about goods bought on credit : Directgov - Government, citizens and rights

Financial Ombudsman (when you have a dispute with Card issuer etc) This is for when you have tried everything else:
Financial Ombudsman Service

LINK to response to Eskibo from Consumer Direct FYI
http://forum.notebookreview.com/reseller-feedback-forum/617230-kobalt-computers-officially-out-business-24.html#post7994215

PHONE NUMBER FOR INSOLVENCY SERVICE: Insolvency Service on 0845 602 9848

LINK to excellent post from Jack-Ibo (a Clevo reseller in Oz) on warranty advice for Kobalt customers
http://forum.notebookreview.com/reseller-feedback-forum/617230-kobalt-computers-officially-out-business-21.html#post7993248

Clevo Repairs and Spares in the UK:
Goldenstar Computers Ltd

Link to post from Alexrose re information about repairs at Goldenstar
http://forum.notebookreview.com/reseller-feedback-forum/617230-kobalt-computers-officially-out-business-26.html#post8004257

PC Specialist will also do repairs....

Keep copies of everything. Send letters to company registered address just below and send REGISTERED. Do not threaten, abuse or harrass. For RMAs find as much evidence as possible for proof of ownership. Send mail via registered post

write to this address ( Their Registered Office):
7-9 THE AVENUE,
EASTBOURNE
EAST SUSSEX
BN21 3YA


Everyone: keep an eye on this thread, our best option is shared knowledge and information so please post back and good luck.

I will summarize again if necessary further down the line.

 

Pardon me. ceased trading then...... the bottom line is it is the same thing when you are owed money.

Don't and can't have house insurance as I don't have a house and insurance won't cover where I live so is it possible to buy another warranty or protection from somewhere?

 

Does anyone know where customers who sent systems in for RMA stand?

 

What's RMA? (yeah I know I am being a muppet)..

Also I think all the Kobalt people who are owed kit, money or warranties should maybe all get together? At least for note comparing and for possible joint action?

I thought Kobalt only took payment via bank transfer or third party payment sites.. so it would be good to hear from anyone who has managed a chargeback or Section 75 - how did they pay in the first place if Kobalt didn't take direct payments?

 

Customers experiencing faults with their existing purchases send their system back to Kobalt for maintenance. I had a £1900 order running (P170HM in my signature) but i also had an x8100 back with them for repairs for 3 - 3 1/2 months and have no idea what has become of it.

 

Thanks for explaining.. I should think your x8100 should be ok even if not repaired. But how you get hold of them to retrieve it I don't know.....

I am so glad I didn't send mine back for it's screen. I had waited for 4 months from paying for my P150HM and then paid extra for the 95% screen but I got so mad at them for waiting and not telling me the truth (they took the money for the screen and then I discovered they didn't have any) that I threw a tantrum and said send the laptop and I'll get the screen later. I then got too scared to send it back for the screen fitting because I use it for my work and couldn't risk them hanging on to it for months.

I love my Clevo but I am terrified of being without warranty and photographic and film editing with the horrid glossy screen is such a drag..

Alex thanks for renaming the thread... my bad... I am just a bit shocked and I know there are poor people out there who have paid out for laptops and had nothing this is why I want to get everyone into one thread.

And identify what payment route people took.... ie was it via third party payment sites and did chargeback work.

 

Yeah I know that class action is no good but as there are people like poor Zalgradis who is owed loads, it would be good to compare payment methods and how the different banks respond to chargebacks and Section 75s. Some people have definitely been able to get money back from their card issuers the last few weeks and they must have paid via third party sites as Kobalt, as far as I know, only accepted payment via bank transfer or third party sites. If you paid via bank transfer I think you are stuffed but with third party sites it seems to be variable.

Please correct me if I am wrong about Kobalt's payment methods

 

Kobalt accepted direct payment (i.e. Debit/Credit Card) when I ordered on July 4th. Of course it would not surprise me if they changed that when they knew the ship was going down in order to STEAL every last penny from the mugs (sorry, customers - mugs is an internal Kobalt term)

I was one of the lucky ones, I paid by credit card and so did a Section 75. But what makes me so angry is all of the bull that Kobalt representatives spewed forth on this and their own forum. I don't need to link all the times that PMan, Neil and Andrew got really pissy with people claiming that Kobalt were in financial difficulty due to the lack of delivery of machines. Seems they were all right after all.

And they still don't admit it's their fault, apparently

"were it not for the actions of two separate companies contracted to provide merchant services to Kobalt "

then they would have been able to keep up their "strong and rapid growth".

So the new definition of strong and rapid growth is "losing money year on year"? (Mods feel free to redact this line, but it's clear that the financial details people have posted can't have been far off the mark).

Kobalt LIED to keep taking money to the bitter end and now I read tales of people losing £3k+ because they paid by bank transfer and have no protection.

Andrew, Neil, PMan - you should feel ASHAMED of the way you have LIED, CHEATED and RIPPED OFF hard working people. But then I doubt you care or you would have treated people better before now. You represent all that is wrong with business ethics (or the complete lack of) in this country.

Edit - this link might help some

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/section75-protect-your-purchases

 

That's been challenged and there is the same protection as long as the payment was more than £100. It was just an issue with lack of information. There is Consumer Credit advice on that - I'll try and find the link to the case and post it here later.

My problem is that when I paid Kobalt said they couldn't take direct payment and made me pay via Paypoint and I think that is the same for many people. Now I know that in some cases the banks will cover Paypoint payments but it may depend on the bank which is why I would welcome information from as many folk as possible as we may just be able to help each other a little.

That is true, they lied to me and took the money for something they did not have and I only discovered by accident when they said something different to someone else. For me it is not that much and my heart goes out to those who have lost big time.

 

From BBC website:

Still no help for third party payment sites but I'll keep researching and it would be good if people post their experiences here

 

This will be the last post I make on NBR.

I will not get into a debate with anyone on the situation for any reason.

People who have systems that were not returned should write to the registered office of Kobalt.

I no longer work for Kobalt and have no influence in what goes on in there.

I am only posting here as a few of the guys I speak to are being badgered about trying to contact me.

This is unacceptable.

There is nothing I can do regarding RMA's or orders that are unfulfilled.

People who are owed money or service do what you must, but if you cant claim the cash back through your bank then I would suggest you register as an unsecured creditor by writing to the registered office.

We as Ex employees of Kobalt Computers can not do anything regarding any outstanding issues.

As an employee of a business it is not my duty of care to the financial state of my employer, as such you can vent at me or other ex staff as much as you like.

The reality is that I now have no more information then the next guy and I like our customers have no choice but to move on.

Pman Out.

 

Pman, although I don't fully understand your situation but i appreciate your post.

I did frantically try to get in touch with you, but can you honestly blame me given the situation at hand? I apologise for not taking your own situation following recent events into consideration.

I enjoyed talking to you during my visits to Kobalt and wish you and the other Kobalt staff members all the best in the future.

Take care mate.

-Dan

 

Does anyone know if there is a working phone number or an e-mail which actually gets checked for Kobalt?

 

Well their phones had issues since early this year so i guess not.

As for emails, i doubt it. They will have other issues like trying to get a new job and sorting out legal stuff.

would be nice to still have the forums so could still use them for info for a little while at least.

 

Does anyone have the registered company address? When I google for it I get a few different locations....

 

k so writing to them is probably the best way to communicate with them then.

Assume someone is still checking letters at their address in Redhill, Surrey?

 

So any suggestions on how to get in contact with them?

I'm one of those people who sent their laptop in for repair, trying to find out how to get it back.

 

You will need the address for any legal claims but I doubt very much if Kobalt will answer letters.... they couldn't even answer emails the last few months, they didn't have a phone all this year, they have been avoiding people like the plague all year. There was a time when cursing them in this forum got a response but they won't come near it now.

I feel sorry for the staff, I feel more sorry for people who have lost money (me included) but the directors... seemed like nice dudes, built excellent computers, but they have done the dirty on people big time because they have been deceiving for so long.

Please if you have lost money could you respond to my questions about how you paid - via card or what and if so was it direct to Kobalt or via third party sites? Thanks...

 

For the record, although i have outstanding issues to resolve with Kobalt some way or another, i had met the Kobalt staff members including Pman, Neil, Andy B and Andrew several times since 2009, and they were all very pleasant and professional guys, clearly passionate about what they do.

Call me naive if you want but i sincerely doubt that they would purposely leave people out of pocket without having fought tooth and nail to keep the company trading. A RUMOUR is that they suffered from a substantial loss of funds due to some of their wholesalers folding, as well as a component shortage to follow.

No company, no matter how sincere they wish to be with their customers would ever admit to having financial difficulties publically. Doing so would destroy their reputation. A company i worked for several years ago fell into serious dept due to suppliers failing to deliver goods. On paper it was an unrecoverable situation, but they were able to to stay afloat by securing new investors.

Hopfully another company will assist them financially so that they can resume trading.

Edit: I visited their Redhill office to hand deliver a letter. Nobody was there at the time, but the office had not been cleared out. Hopefully any letters left there will find their way to Kobalt staff members.

According to a quick google search, the Kobalt Registered Office address is as follows:

7-9 THE AVENUE,
EASTBOURNE
EAST SUSSEX
BN21 3YA

I will send a second copy to their Redhill address to be safe:

Kobalt Computers Ltd
Unit 5
Redhill 23 Business Park
Holmethorpe Avenue
Redhill
Surrey
RH1 2GD

 

It's weird cause I had been in contact with someone called Peter regularly via their support ticket system about the repair to my laptop, only stopped responding about 2 weeks ago.

Hope that it's possible to get my laptop back, no money exchanged hands for the repair. Would think someone would be able to locate it via my serial number (if they were organized) and then post it back to me (I'm even willing to cover the postage).

 

When I say legal claims I mean it in the widest sense.... even your credit card company are going to want to know the address...

Zalgradis thanks for posting the address.

 

I have some comments on this:

- to dispel this whole "merchant service provider 3rd party" thing the OP talked about. PayPoint are a Payment Service Provider, they are not a Merchant Service Provider. These two things are completely different, but EVERY company that accepts credit and debit cards uses these type of companies. The payment portal may be on the selling company's website or directed to another secured site, but all card payments go through these supposed mysterious 3rd party companies. It is extremely unlikely that they will deal with customers directly, your card issuer should always be the first port of call.

- to dispel frankly stupid comments such as that they ripped people off and so on. As several people on here have said, the guys at Kobalt are all decent hardworking people.

I know Neil and Andrew personally, in fact I even went to school with one of them. I can assure you all that they are to of the nicest guys you could wish to meet. To suggest that they have in any way acted in a fraudulent way or purposefully ripped people off is rediculous and anyone who has met them or any other of the Kobalt staff will know this. The fact is that the company was seriously screwed over by another company and the guys did everything in their power to get through it. You will see in one of Neil's posts that they were in a silly position of not being able to explain some of the goings on in the past and it has made people's opinions much much worse.

Knowing the guys and what they are like I am sure that any outstanding RMAs will be sorted out.

- finally to echo Zalgradis's comments.

 

Unfortunately there is currently no good method to contact them.

Would probably have helped if they had kept their forum open. Andrew owns the domain for the company website and it doesn't expire until next year (Whois Lookup). Or at the very least put more information or some kind of reassurance in the message on it's homepage.

Customers and owners of Kobalt computers and/or laptops are in the dark about what they should do and so need to search the internet and post on other sites such as this one in order to find answers.

 

You seem to totally miss the point of the discussion re third party payment sites or not understand the legal issues with using chargebacks on cards used via these sites. I am not really sure why you are posting have you lost money?

I think if you have lost money in this crash the folks are entitled to rant no? Me personally I haven't ranted but I sympathise with those who do. Kobalt have had a million excuses for their problems for over a year and many people have been fighting with them and having difficulty getting refunds or even just an email acknowledgment and that was before they went down - so sorry if they're your buddies but they have lied to their customers - they took money from me and didn't tell the truth and I caught them out.

All the way through I said to them in public I don't think you are bad guys but you cannot treat people in this way - I think that was more than fair of me... I wish I had not been so civilised actually.

I'm sure they will sort out the RMAs too (now I know what an RMA is) but they won't repair computers that break down on all those now useless warranties and many many people have been left owed thousands of pounds.

To get this thread back on track I would be grateful if folks would share their attempts at getting chargebacks/card refunds and say if they paid Kobalt direct or like me were forced to pay via a third party in which case some banks have been refusing protection...............

They are not "mysterious" they are have names but I didn't name them in a thread..... One of them is PP....

 

I didn`t read this thread entirely but saw some concerns regarding warranty.

I was in a similar situation when the european Clevo reseller Cybersystem had to close their doors.
(because an other company pretended to do a merger and cleverly stole their lagal right to the Cybersytem brand name that way).
Of course some time later my M570U needed a repair so i contacted the official Clevo service center in Europe: http://www.clevo-computer.de/index_e.htm
They simply asked my Notebooks serial number and provided me with 2 Year Manufacturer Warranty without any questions asked.

So at least in Europe Clevo gives direct warranty as a manufacturer, which i think they have to do by law.

 

That's interesting information Prema... I might have to look into that. In fact I just did and their website is a little on the 90's side wouldn't you say?! Oh well.

As for Kobalt, I guess I was one of the last ones who went through the system without any major problems. Order early April, recieved mid-May, only 1 week late and I think that was due to their staff illness problem. Still it means I have a 5 month laptop without it's 2 year warranty.

I thought they were a good company, but over the past few months, their customers were getting more and more annoyed due to the lack of communication. I know how fustrating that is as I am going though a similar thing with the company I work for, some information is better than none. I also don't believe that they were so over worked that they couldn't send an email reply or forum post in a reasonable amount of time.

I understand why PMan (Peter) (who I think was the customer manager) is annoyed/upset, probably because he has just lost his job, but he would have been the best person to talk to on this forum, even if it was just whatever advice he could have given to people regarding Kobalt computer issues. Obviously he can't help with money/physical hardware, but he has worked on their computers for a fair while and has a lot of useful knowledge.

Oh well... now I'm just worried to use my laptop in case it goes wrong!

p.s. Does anyone else know of any other UK based Clevo resellers/builders?

 

As you can see I didn't get too much sleep............

Prema, I am going to email them now but even if they don't warranty at least there is a service centre..........

Meanwhile you are a STAR and I'll definitely rep you. I suspect that over the next few days as people realise what is happening they will find this thread so thank you for adding something really useful.

Shipping to Germany will be expensive but it is better than nothing....

 

Yes PC Specialist but they are not likely to touch Kobalt machines

 

I didn't think they would, but I might inquire anyway. Do they have any presence on these forums?

I know quite a few companies have people on these boards, but so far all the information I have heard from them is either sarcastic or they seem quite happy that Kobalt have gone under even if they wouldn't benefit from it due to being in different countries.

 

they are in the uk so i bet they are rubbing their hands together.

 

I just followed one of the German Clevo Service Centre links and it says UK service centre and also they have DRIVERS (seeing as Kobalt left us without discs) and if you look on other threads there are Driver issues with quite a few Sandy Bridge laptops so that is great...

The website is a working functional site methinks looks are irrelevant!! They sell a few spare parts too. Obviously they are only going to honour a Clevo warranty but under EU law that should be 2 years but I have written to them to ask. If they really have a UK centre that will be a great help for shipping but may reduce the warranty to 1 year.....

As for PC Specialist I tried to get mine from them after 4 months waiting for Kobalt to deliver and now I wish I had as they are not so quick to advertise things they do not actually have in the building which is what Kobalt did!! More fool me....

 

It would be nice to hear what they say lucia, so I hope you can let us know on here?

I assume its going to be fruitless asking for more information from you MrDJ as you probably don't know much more than us, but do you know anything more about Kobalt, their forums, warranty prospects etc etc?

 

Except the driver section of the German site is in Chinese PC Specialist I might add sends out their Clevos with driver discs and various other bits and pieces.......

 

It's sad when any company ceases trading, especially when they have peoples machines \ money.

But it's not a surprise, out of the 5 people I know who've dealt with Kobalt every single one had problems.

The technical manuals for most of the laptops are available in PDF form on the web somewhere and those should help people who need to do a little self maintainence on their machines.

 

You can join thei the PC Specialist forum and just ask but they are quite a "straight" company and I have never seen them in other forums except their own. They've been going for about 8 years and they refused to even talk about Sandy Bridge until they had them in stock and working.... they are not in a hurry to jump on bandwagons and when they are going to discontinue a model I noticed that they tell people in advance.... I stupidly stuck with Kobalt because of the 95% matte screen. I asked PCS and they said that they didn't have them. Now they do Like I said my stupidity.....

I will post what happens when I get a reply from the German Serivce Centre...

 

im sorry to say im in the dark as the rest of you.
i was in ibiza when the forum was taken down and i found out it was actually for security patch and nothing sinister before the news was released.
the guys were at work on tuesday morning as normal so i think it came as a shock to everyone at 3pm.
i had actually send a failed ssd back on monday but it arrived at 8.40am just before the guys got into work so im getting it back from the post office and sending it directly to ocz who say it is coverd by them for a 3 year warranty.

i got a phone call from Andrew at 4pm while walking round tesco's and when i found out the news i got some funny looks as i said quite loudly holy s***

gotta go got a blue call comin in bak later

 

In fact just before I saw your reply I had just signed up at PCS's forum! Also sent them an email about warranty or potential work if required.

Strange that when I was researching a new laptop earlier this year that I never came across PCS as far as I can remember and plenty of people on these forums recommended Kobalt!

 

Please let us know what PCS say.....

 

I will do lucia.

As for their forum being down for a security issue, it was a bit strange for it to be an issue for a week or more... also I remember the message saying that 'The forums are available during the upgrade' or something like that!

Oh well, we all live and learn!

 

To all those who have RMA'd - a quick thought. Your laptop is yours, you own it and is therefore your property. When you returned it to the manufacturer you did not give up your legal ownership of the product. You therefore are in a better position than an unsecured creditor. As long as you can prove that the laptop is yours (e.g. with seruial number) you should be able to get it returned to you.

In fact due to the UK generally having a weak bona fide purchaser defence, even if Kobalt were to sell the computer you could go to the person who bought the laptop and say that's my laptop and they might have to give it to you (even though they had bought it in good faith).

Unfortunately the above view is the *technical* and theoretical legal positon. I'm not sure how practically you go about getting to your laptop. I'm not sure whether or not you could speak to the police to report your laptops as missing / stolen (arguing that you have asked for your laptop from a company and they have refused to return it to you through having not responded).

Again it's slightly weird that no administrator has been appointed as you could at least talk to them. I'm not sure where you go from here but I suggest that you make sure that you have evidence of your ownership eg posting here: Immobilise :: The National Property Register, for phones, gadgets, bikes & more...

 

Folks there is an alternative for the warranty problems if you look on the warranty thread, it is very very expensive though. I will, as I said, let you all know when I hear back from Clevo Europe...

 

There are downloadable letters for Section 75 and Chargeback claims over on the Kobalt thread at Bit Tech Net and a dude who is well wise about helping with consumer rights.

bit-tech.net Forums > Technology > Hardware>Notebooks Kobalt Computers Dodgy?

 

I agree, nothing helpful there scwally4.

Also I do believe that they had some issues, but at the same time I bought my laptop from them in April this year and got it about 4 weeks later, no problems for me. In fact at that time the only issues were about SSD drives (which didn't effect me), which is a well known issue. Before that was sandbrigde, again well known and after that was the ATI issue, yet again well known.

I believe things only really started going badly wrong with them within the last month or two as there were plenty of unexplained delays for people.

Hopefully they will explain more on their website like it currently says, but who knows!

 

Hi All,

I've just registered after seeing this thread.

Sadly I'm in the same boat. Ordered a £1,300 laptop off Kobalt on August 31st for my coming MSc (yes I'm a student)... Never saw the item obviously.
From the moment my money hit their bank account (debit card) contact with them became increasingly difficult. I smelt a rat from that moment forward.

Some people on here have been banging on about what lovely chaps they were... well, I can only speak from my experience, and they have basically stolen my money. They may as well have robbed me on the street. I see no difference.

Customer service was appauling from the moment they got my money. I believe they took my money knowing that the company was in trouble (they must have known in late August).... the whole thing was probably operating like a ponzi scheme at that point. i.e. new customer money was simply used to buy time and/or pay off older customers who had been waiting for a refund for some time (I suspect they didn't even bother with that). More likely new monies were used to line the pockets of directors while they manouvered to fold the company.

As a customer I can only say they have acted with a complete lack of integrity towards me... and I'm not wealthy by any means! I'm a student for goodness sake!!!

How Andrew sleeps at night is beyond me frankly.

 

Mr super consumer rights man over at Bit Tech has just posted this link:
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/c_supplier_has_gone_out_of_business.pdf

 

Can anyone shed light on what "ceased trading" legally means.

As stated on the Kobalt website ( Kobalt Systems - Performance Notebook & Desktop Computers ):

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Following a shareholders meeting on Tuesday 11th October 2011 it was decided that Kobalt Computers Ltd could no longer meet it's ongoing financial obligations and would therefore be forced to cease trading with immediate effect.

The exact reasons for the cessation of operations will be detailed on this website in due course. However, at this point in time, the Directors would like to make it clear that were it not for the actions of two separate companies contracted to provide merchant services to Kobalt that this decision would not have been forced upon the shareholders of Kobalt and the company would have continued its strong and rapid growth. The Directors and Shareholders of Kobalt worked tirelessly in attempting to resolve the situation that led to today's announcement. It was an extremely difficult decision to reach but was the only option left due to the untennable position that the company had been forced into.

The Directors would like to thank the staff of Kobalt for their dedication and hard work during what has been an extremely difficult time.

I presume that means bankruptcy hasn't been filed yet? Therefore all assets like RMA'd machines shouldn't go into liquidation with the company yet.


I remember something similar happen to ROCK laptops (UK), and they were bought out by STONE. Maybe the same will happen here if there is someone willing to take over the operation. If that were the case then all warranties would still be valid, and RMA's returned to their owners.

Either way, if they knew they were going to fold they shouldn't have been taking peoples money or RMA's still. It's possible that the reason why they had problems with two merchant service companies is because so many people requested charge backs etc. due to unacceptably long build times. I'm pretty sure that Paypal have something in their small print that warns that they have the right to dissolve a contract if there are too many claim-backs against a company.

 

It legally buys them time to see if anything can be done before the next stage of going into administration. Follow the PDF link I posted above. Are you affected by this?

If you are can you please keep us posted as to what you do and how it goes?

 

yeah that's what I said too only I never used the word "Merchant" Kobayashi joined the thread and used it though... That made me think he is something to do with Kobalt because it was a bit of a slip....................

 

Hi, no. But I'm interested to know how this plays out for future reference. Also, to give a little hope for people who appeared to have lost money, or have machines on RMA's and warranties that there may be a small chance that they may not lose out if Kobalt are bought out by another company. I guess it depends on how bad a state they are in debt-wise.

 

Hi ya, I picked it up from the statement on the Kobalt site. Seems logical to me that these companies may have got ticked off by constant charge backs and claims. I don't understand why that in itself would have caused the company to collapse though, unless they were holding onto a lot of Kobalt cash for some reason, or no other merchant company would touch them, who knows. Will have to wait for Kobalt's next statement- I doubt it will be informative though.