Ofcom has already delivered a painful penalty of £23.8 million on Virgin Media. The firm has not ensured that all of its thousands of vulnerable customers were able to use lifesaving telecare alarms during the recent digital switchover. The company’s inadequate approach meant that numerous customers were left with telecare devices that were not connected to alarm monitoring centres, raising significant safety concerns.
The federal government’s great digital switchover, which moved all traditional landline services over to digital technology, was supposed to make communication services better. Virgin Media’s implementation put millions of low-income people in danger. Ofcom’s probe discovered that Virgin Media conducted a poor process with inadequate support and communications during the move. This lapse put the safety of their most vulnerable customers at risk.
This is a particularly large penalty, as it is the third-largest fine ever levied by Ofcom. In 2018 Ofcom fined Royal Mail £50 million for other competition law violations. At the end of the next year they fined BT an unprecedented £42 million for failing to install high speed lines on time.
This was met with Ian Strawhorne, Ofcom’s enforcement director, sounding his own alarm.
“It’s unacceptable that vulnerable customers were put at direct risk of harm and left without appropriate support by Virgin Media, during what should have been a safe and straightforward upgrade to their landline services.” – Ian Strawhorne, Ofcom’s enforcement director
Responding to the fine and to the issues raised, a Virgin Media spokesperson accepted the company’s failures.
“We recognize that we didn’t get everything right and have since addressed the migration issues identified by Ofcom.” – Virgin Media spokesperson
In response to the vote, the spokesperson outlined additional steps the company is taking to improve customer safety.
“Our customers’ safety is always our top priority and, following an end-to-end review which began in 2023, we have already introduced a comprehensive package of improvements and enhanced support for vulnerable customers including improved communications, additional in-home support and extensive post-migration checks, as well as working with the industry and government on a joint national awareness campaign.” – Virgin Media spokesperson
Virgin Media’s pledge to make amends here will be an important step in regaining the trust of its more than three million customers. The company will remain under a watchful eye as it attempts to make sure these sorts of disasters don’t occur again.