Ofcom has fined Virgin Media £28m after finding the telecoms provider repeatedly made it difficult for customers to cancel their contracts.

The fine is the regulator's largest ever consumer protection penalty for direct harm to consumers, after Ofcom said its investigation "uncovered systemic and repeated failings" in Virgin Media’s contract termination procedures.

The media and telecoms watchdog concluded that between January 2022 and September 2024, millions of customer calls were likely to have been mishandled through practices including excessive call transfers, unnecessary periods on hold, deliberate call disconnections and failures to process cancellations.

It also found Virgin Media's two-tier retention system meant only certain agents could process cancellations, forcing more than one million customers to repeat their requests.

The investigation first started after Ofcom received 1,881 complaints from customers who reported experiencing difficulties cancelling.

According to Ofcom, Virgin Media's commission scheme effectively rewarded agents for discouraging customers from leaving, while inadequate training, monitoring and oversight of third-party call centres allowed the practices to continue.

The regulator also cited the telecoms company's failure to fully cooperate with its investigation and mentioned that the company had previously been fined for similar breaches in 2018.

Natalie Black, Ofcom's group director for infrastructure and connectivity, said: "The facts are clear. Virgin Media made it harder for customers to cancel their contracts and then did not fully cooperate with our investigation. As a result, we are levelling our largest ever fine under our consumer protection rules for direct harm to consumers.

“Today, we are sending a clear message that any provider who wilfully acts against the interests of their customers will pay a heavy price. And by introducing the One Touch Switch Process, we‘ve put in place further safeguards to prevent this from happening again.”

Virgin Media has since introduced changes to its commission scheme, staff training and quality assurance processes. Ofcom has also ordered the company to ensure affected customers who complained receive any compensation or other remedies they are entitled to within six months.

While the £28m penalty is a record in this context, it is relatively small compared with the scale of Virgin Media, whose revenue for Q1 2026 was £2.39bn.

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