Virgin Media has been fined £23.8 million by Ofcom for putting vulnerable customers at risk during the switch from analogue to digital landlines. The regulator found that the company failed to protect thousands of people who rely on telecare alarms, which can be disrupted by the digital transition.
Ofcom identified “serious system failures” between August 2022 and December 2023, including inadequate identification and recording of telecare users. The company also disconnected customers who did not engage with the switch process, preventing their devices from connecting to alarm monitoring centres.
Ian Strawhorne, Ofcom’s director of enforcement, stated: “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.”
The fine, which includes a 30% discount for self-reporting and cooperation, must be paid within four weeks and will go to the Treasury. Virgin Media has since implemented improvements, including manual reviews and contacting nearly 43,000 telecare users.
A Virgin Media spokesperson said: “While historically the majority of migrations were completed without issue, we recognise that we didn’t get everything right and have since addressed the migration issues identified by Ofcom.”
