Virgin Media in dock again as it cuts off 'dead customer'

Virgin Media’s data governance has taken another body blow after a Teeside man had his subscription cancelled because the company decided he had passed away, even though he was – and still is – very much alive and kicking.
The farce began last month when Robert Smith noticed that his phone and Internet had been disconnected.
When he contacted Virgin Media to inform the company that there had been a mistake he was told his account had been closed due to his ‘death’. Smith then received a letter addressed to the executor of his estate.
The letter states: “We’re really sorry to hear that Mr Robert Smith has recently passed away, but just wanted to let you know that we have now disconnected the Virgin Media services at their address.”
Smith told Teesside Live: “I might be nearly 70-years-old but I’m still alive. I’m speechless about the whole situation, it’s absolutely disgraceful.”
A Virgin Media spokesperson said: “We recognise that there has been a mistake and we sincerely apologise for any upset caused. We are currently looking into the error and will resolve it as soon as possible.”
The issue is the latest in a catalogue of cock-ups to beset the company over the past five years. In 2013, Virgin Media was forced to grovel to a deceased man’s family after it sent the man a broadband bill, including a £10 fine for late payment.
In 2014, the company was forced to apologise again after a technology related cock-up led to hundreds of customers being bombarded with spam emails.
In October 2016, a flaw in the Virgin Media online graduate recruitment site exposed up to 50,000 CVs from job applicants.
And just last month, Decision Marketing reported the plight of one reader who contacted Virgin Media over a suspected phishing attack, only to be told by a senior official that is was probably her fault. The Information Commissioner’s Office is looking into this matter.