ComReg investigated Virgin Media’s compliance with regulatory obligations. This was related to Virgin Media’s obligation to ensure its procedures for handling contract termination do not act as a disincentive to changing service providers.
On 21 March 2025, the High Court ruled that Virgin Media failed to meet its obligations. The Court ordered Virgin Media to ensure that its conditions and procedures for contract termination did not act as a disincentive to changing service providers and to revise its agent training materials and related documents to reflect this. This includes instructions regarding financial incentives for ‘save activity’ for agents.
The changes to agent materials include removing instructions encouraging save activity against the customer’s wishes and a requirement to honour cancellation requests as soon as this is expressed by the customer. Agents may enquire about the customer’s reason for cancellation but should not persist if the customer wishes to cancel. Similarly, if a customer refuses to discuss their reasons for cancellation the agent should proceed with the cancellation immediately.
Virgin Media must also make it clear that no financial incentives for save activity will be paid to its agents if it is contrary to those instructions.
Virgin Media was required to retrain all agents on handling cancellation requests within 8 weeks of the issuing of the Order. New agents must receive this training before managing cancellations.
No order was made regarding Virgin Media’s implementation of a 30-day notice period for customers. However, under Regulations, a customer’s contract with the transferring provider terminates automatically upon switching.
ComReg will update its regulatory guidance document as appropriate.
The best times to switch are:
- When you’re nearing the end of, or after you’ve completed, your minimum contract period (your service provider must inform you of the end of your contractual commitment);
- If you have received a Contract Change Notification with a right to exit the contract without cost.
We have more information on switching to help you.
For full details see the recently issued Information Notice here.
