Virgin Media has been fined a record-breaking £28 million for repeatedly obstructing customers from terminating their contracts. The telecommunications regulator Ofcom discovered that the company impeded or delayed millions of customers from switching to rival providers through widespread and sometimes intentional mishandling of calls. This led to customers facing unreasonable challenges when attempting to cancel their contracts over a nearly three-year period from January 2022 to September 2024.
The tactics used by Virgin Media included pressuring customers to stay, unnecessarily transferring calls to other departments, keeping callers on hold, dropping calls deliberately, and neglecting to process cancellations promptly. In addition, the company failed to comply with Ofcom’s information-gathering process during the investigation. Natalie Black, Ofcom’s group director for infrastructure and connectivity, emphasized that Virgin Media’s actions made it difficult for customers to cancel contracts and hindered the investigation process, resulting in the largest-ever fine imposed by Ofcom for consumer protection violations.
A spokesperson from Virgin Media stated that the company had implemented significant improvements to its customer service in recent years to address past shortcomings. The spokesperson highlighted a customer service turnaround strategy supported by substantial investment, leading to a transformation in customer service quality. According to the spokesperson, recent data from Ofcom indicates that Virgin Media now has the fewest broadband-related complaints, with a significant decrease in complaints related to difficulties leaving compared to previous years.
Reacting to the fine, Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Which?, expressed shock at Virgin Media’s deliberate efforts to hinder customers from finding better deals. Concha noted the company’s consistently low performance in broadband customer satisfaction surveys and praised the regulator for imposing a substantial fine, sending a clear message to other companies about the consequences of violating regulations.
