CEO and Founder of Virgin Group Richard Branson speaks at a “Climate Week NYC” event at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City on in 2014. On Monday, Virgin Media was fined $31.5 million for errors in phone service changeovers. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
British communications watchdog Ofcom fined Virgin Media ined $31.5 million for lapses in services after some errors in the process of changing over British customers’ analog landline phone service to digital or voice over IP.
Ofcom fined the company after ruling that it failed to protect vulnerable users of the devices, which are usually elderly or disabled people.
Virgin self-reported some “serious incidents” in November and December 2023.
Phone networks have been switching people to digital landlines recently in Britain, but the change can disrupt the medical alert devices, which people depend on to communicate with emergency services or caregivers.
Virgin said it has launched “a comprehensive package of improvements” for customers.
The investigation found that during the switchover to digital, Virgin didn’t properly identify medical alert customers, which left them without support. Thousands were left with devices that weren’t connected to phone lines or their monitoring centers.
Virgin also disconnected users who did not engage in the transition, which left them “at direct risk of harm,” the investigation alleged.
Neither Ofcom nor Virgin has said how many customers were affected or for how long.
“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,” Ofcom Director of Enforcement Ian Strawhorne said. “Today’s fine makes clear to companies that, if they fail to protect their vulnerable customers, they can expect to face similar enforcement action.”
Virgin must pay the fine in the next four weeks. It includes a 30% discount because the company self-reported, admitted to the problems and cooperated with the investigation.
Virgin has since done manual reviews of customer service records and contacted its 43,000 medical alert users to support them in the switch.
