One Month Without Landline – No Engineer, No Proper Support for Elderly Customer
Hi all,
I'm posting here out of deep frustration and concern — not just for my elderly mother, but for others who might be in the same boat and not have anyone to advocate for them.
My 70+ year-old mother has now been without a phone line for an entire month. Virgin Media acknowledges an outage in our area, but even now (mid-July), the issue remains unresolved with no valid explanation, and no engineer has ever been sent to her property to investigate or help.
We’ve been long-time Virgin customers — over 20 years — and it’s honestly shocking to be treated this way. My mother doesn’t use email or apps — she relies entirely on the landline for communication, and this outage has severely impacted her well-being. She’s become increasingly anxious and blames herself, which is heartbreaking. Like many elderly people, she also fears losing the phone number she’s had for decades.
I’ve done all I can — made the complaint, replied to all Virgin responses, submitted details to the Ombudsman (who won’t step in until the 8-week mark), and chased for updates. Emails from Virgin say engineers are “working in the area,” but a month-long outage in 2025 without proper explanation or home support just doesn’t feel acceptable.
We’ve even been charged the full monthly bill during this time — £82.84 — which adds insult to injury. A £40 goodwill credit was offered, but that doesn’t come close to reflecting the distress caused.
This is a wider issue than just us:
- Why are vulnerable and elderly customers left to suffer like this?
- Why is it so hard to reach a human being or arrange a home visit when it matters?
- Why does brand loyalty mean nothing anymore?
Virgin — if you're reading this, please reconsider how you treat your long-standing customers. Please send an engineer, resolve the fault, and support your elderly users with the dignity and urgency they deserve.
If needed, Virgin Media staff can locate my complaint under a reference beginning C-2206, submitted late June 2025.
If anyone else has faced something similar, I’d really appreciate hearing how you got it resolved.
Thanks,
Deepak
