Virgin Media has been fined a record £28 million due to repeatedly obstructing customers from terminating their contracts. Ofcom, the telecoms watchdog, discovered that the company hindered millions of customers from switching to rival providers through widespread and sometimes intentional mishandling of calls. This resulted in customers facing unreasonable obstacles when attempting to cancel their contracts between January 2022 and September 2024.
The tactics employed by Virgin Media included pressuring customers to stay, unnecessary call transfers, extended hold times, dropping calls deliberately, and neglecting to process cancellations promptly. Additionally, the company failed to comply with Ofcom’s information-gathering process during the investigation, despite being previously fined in 2018 for the same offense.
Natalie Black, Ofcom’s group director of infrastructure and connectivity, emphasized that Virgin Media’s actions made it challenging for customers to cancel contracts and showed lack of cooperation with the investigation. Consequently, Ofcom imposed its largest-ever fine for direct harm to consumers, sending a strong message that companies acting against customer interests will face severe consequences.
In response, a Virgin Media spokesperson noted that the company had revamped its customer service approach in recent years, addressing past shortcomings through various enhancements. They highlighted significant investments in customer service improvements, resulting in Virgin Media being the least-complained-about broadband provider according to Ofcom’s latest data. Complaints related to difficulties in leaving were significantly reduced, showing an 89% decrease compared to the previous year.
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