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Wed, 08 Jul 2026

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 Virgin Media fined after hanging up on customers trying to cancel contracts

Millions of phone calls from customers were "likely mishandled" over nearly a three-year period, the regulator says.

* Communications regulator Ofcom found that agents deliberately hung up on calls and put customers on hold "for no reason"
* Millions of calls over a 3-year period were "likely mishandled" which prevented or delayed customers from switching to a better deal
* Virgin Media admitted its failing and agreed to settle, with the penalty reduced by 30%
* The company apologized for the issues experienced by some customers
* Ofcom said its rules are clear that telecoms providers should not make it hard for customers to cancel their contracts
* Virgin Media must pay the fine within 2 months and the money will be passed on to the Treasury
* This is the largest fine issued under Ofcom's consumer protection rules, and its third-largest ever in general