Virgin Media fined £24m for leaving vulnerable customers ‘at risk of harm’

Virgin Media has been fined £23.8m for leaving 1000’s of consumers with out entry to lifesaving telecare alarms through the digital switchover.

Communications watchdog Ofcom fined the telecoms big after ruling it failed to guard weak customers of the units, sometimes aged and disabled individuals, through the transition from analogue to digital.

The business is at the moment altering landline providers from analogue to digital, with Ofcom describing the copper-based community as “past its meant lifespan and more and more unreliable”.

Virgin Media mentioned it had not obtained all the things proper within the transition however added it has launched “a complete package deal of enhancements” for purchasers.

Ofcom has raised concerns about telecare customers being left disconnected through the transition, warning “any disruption to their gadget’s connection might have materials impacts on their security”.

Telecare techniques sometimes work by having an emergency button which robotically calls the emergency providers or carers when pressed through a person’s landline.

The regulator’s investigation discovered throughout its digital switchover, Virgin Media didn’t correctly determine telecare prospects, leaving these affected with out correct help.

The corporate’s strategy meant 1000’s had been left with units which weren’t linked to alarm monitoring centres.

It additionally discovered that the agency’s strategy to telecare prospects, disconnecting customers who didn’t interact within the transition, left 1000’s of weak prospects “at a direct threat of hurt”.

The agency reported itself to Ofcom over a collection of great incidents throughout its migration of telecare prospects in November and December 2023.

Ofcom mentioned the £23.8m penalty mirrored the vulnerability of the shoppers affected, the numerous size of time they had been left in danger, the seriousness of the breach and the seriousness of the potential hurt precipitated.

Ofcom’s enforcement director Ian Strawhorne mentioned: “It is unacceptable that weak prospects had been put at direct threat of hurt and left with out applicable help by Virgin Media, throughout what ought to have been a secure and simple improve to their landline providers.

“Immediately’s effective makes clear to corporations that, in the event that they fail to guard their weak prospects, they’ll anticipate to face comparable enforcement motion.”

Virgin Media mentioned the vast majority of migrations from landline to digital had been accomplished “with out difficulty”.

A spokesperson added: “We recognise that we did not get all the things proper and have since addressed the migration points recognized by Ofcom.

“Our prospects’ security is at all times our high precedence and, following an end-to-end overview which started in 2023, we now have already launched a complete package deal of enhancements and enhanced help for weak prospects together with improved communications, further in-home help and in depth post-migration checks, in addition to working with the business and authorities on a joint nationwide consciousness marketing campaign.”