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Virgin Media fined record 28million by Ofcom for blocking customers from leaving

Regulator Ofcom said it found Virgin Media had stopped or delayed millions of customers from switching to different providers, and hit the telecoms company with a record-breaking fine

[Ofcom found Virgin Media used "deliberate call-dropping" tactics to prevent customers leaving]

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Ofcom found Virgin Media used "deliberate call-dropping" tactics to prevent customers leaving(Image: Virgin Media)

Virgin Media has been fined a record 28million for repeatedly preventing customers from cancelling their contracts.

Telecoms watchdog Ofcom found the firm stopped or delayed millions of customers from switching to rival providers by "widespread" and often deliberate mishandling of calls. It said it had levied its largest-ever consumer protection fine against the telecoms firm after Virgin Media had, over a near three-year period from January 2022 to September 2024, caused customers on millions of calls "unreasonable effort, hassle or undue difficulty" when trying to cancel.

This included attempts to pressure customers to stay, unnecessary call transfers to other departments, keeping callers on hold, deliberately dropping calls and failing to process cancellations on the system. It said Virgin Media - which was previously fined in 2018 for breaching the same rule - also repeatedly failed to comply with Ofcom's information-gathering process in the investigation.

[Ofcom hit Virgin Media with the largest fine under its consumer protection rules]

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Ofcom hit Virgin Media with the largest fine under its consumer protection rules

Natalie Black, Ofcom's group director, infrastructure and connectivity, said: "The facts are clear. Virgin Media made it harder for customers to cancel their contracts and then did not fully co-operate with our investigation.

"As a result, we are levelling our largest-ever fine under our consumer protection rules for direct harm to consumers.

"Today, we are sending a clear message that any provider who wilfully acts against the interests of their customers will pay a heavy price."

A Virgin Media spokesperson said it had "completely redesigned" its customer service in recent years and addressed the "historic shortfalls" through a number of improvements.

"Our customer service turnaround strategy, underpinned by significant investment, has been transformational.

"Ofcom's latest data shows that Virgin Media is now the least-complained-about broadband provider with complaints at record lows, and complaints specifically relating to 'difficulties leaving' were 89% lower last year than in 2023," the spokesperson added.

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said: Its shocking that Virgin Media was deliberately making it harder for customers to leave for a better deal. This was a deeply cynical tactic at a time when so many households were struggling with cost of living pressures.

Virgin Media fares consistently poorly in our broadband customer surveys regarding overall customer score, which measures customer satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.

Its positive that the regulator has stepped in with such a significant fine - sending a clear message to other firms that there will be severe consequences for breaking the rules.

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