Ofcom has fined Virgin Media £23.8 million, after it disconnected telecare customers during its programme to migrate customers to digital landlines. Landline phones traditionally delivered over a copper-based network known as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) are going digital, to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) lines.
Virgin Media notified Ofcom about what the regulator termed a number of serious incidents related to the migration of telecare customers in November and December 2023; and the telecoms regulator found what it termed systemic failures in Virgin Media’s migration process between August 2022 and December 2023. It prevented telecare devices, typically in the homes of the elderly at risk of falling, from connecting to alarm monitoring centres.
Ian Strawhorne, Ofcom’s Director of Enforcement, said the fine makes clear to companies that, if they fail to protect their vulnerable customers, they can expect to face similar enforcement action. He said: “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.”
The regulator found gaps in Virgin Media’s screening process to identify telecare customers; and the telecoms firm’s approach to disconnecting known telecare customers that did not comply with its own vulnerability policy. .
The regulator concluded that Virgin Media failed to comply with its own policies and procedures for the fair and appropriate treatment of vulnerable consumers – and in doing so broke Ofcom’s consumer protection rules. The fine will be passed on to HM Treasury.
About the firm
The mobile and broadband network firm has carried out an assurance campaign, contacting 42,991 identified telecare customers to support them in migration; made a new engagement plan for telecare users, which includes keeping non-engaging telecare users in a continuous loop of engagement rather than disconnecting them; and worked with local government on an “end of process” for telecare customers who have not engaged by the time Virgin Media decommissions the analogue network.
