英国通信管理局对维珍媒体罚款2800万英镑 惩处其阻碍客户退订行为UK Regulator Fines Virgin Media £28 Million for Blocking Contract Cancellations

英国通信管理局（Ofcom）已正式对电信运营商维珍媒体（Virgin Media）处以2800万英镑（约合3700万美元）的巨额罚款。监管机构在经过深入调查后做出了这一决定，认定该公司在长达近三年的时间里，系统性且反复地阻碍客户取消其服务合同。此项处罚旨在惩戒该公司通过设置重重障碍，阻止或延迟消费者转投其他更优惠服务的行为。

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has officially imposed a £28 million ($37 million) fine on telecom operator Virgin Media. This regulatory decision follows an investigation which concluded that the company had repeatedly and systematically prevented its customers from cancelling their service contracts over a period spanning nearly three years. The penalty was issued to address the company's persistent efforts to block or delay consumers who were attempting to terminate their agreements.

根据监管机构的调查，维珍媒体在此期间实施了多项限制措施，使客户难以顺利终止服务。Ofcom指出，这种阻碍合同退订的行为严重损害了消费者的合法权益。作为英国主要的通信服务提供商之一，维珍媒体在处理客户退订申请时的不当做法，导致大量试图寻找更佳资费方案的消费者被长期绑定在原有合同中，无法自由选择其他市场竞争者提供的优惠服务。

According to the regulator, Virgin Media's restrictive practices made it exceptionally difficult for subscribers to end their services. Ofcom determined that these actions actively hindered customers from switching to better and more affordable deals offered by competitors. By creating unnecessary barriers to contract cancellation, the major telecommunications provider left numerous consumers unable to exercise their market choices freely, resulting in this significant financial penalty.

英国通信管理局（Ofcom）在调查中揭露了维珍媒体在处理客户电话时所采用的具体拖延手段。调查结果显示，在长达近三年的时间里，该公司很可能不当处理了数百万通客户电话。为了阻止或延迟消费者取消合同并转投更优惠的服务，维珍媒体的客服人员采取了“故意挂断电话”的恶劣手段，直接切断与客户的沟通渠道。

Ofcom's investigation uncovered the specific tactics employed by Virgin Media to delay and obstruct customers attempting to cancel their contracts. The regulator determined that over a nearly three-year period, millions of customer phone calls were likely mishandled. To prevent or delay subscribers from switching to better deals, the company utilized deliberate call-dropping tactics, abruptly cutting off communications with customers who wanted to leave.

除了直接挂断电话外，监管机构还发现维珍媒体存在无故让客户处于等待状态的行为。此外，该公司还通过过度的电话转接程序来故意消耗客户的耐心。这些系统性的拖延策略使得大量试图退订服务的消费者在繁琐的电话流程中被迫放弃或延迟其决定，从而使维珍媒体得以继续维持其原有的合同订户数量。

In addition to dropping calls, the communications regulator found that Virgin Media kept customers on hold for no reason during their inquiries. The company also implemented excessive call transfers as a way to prolong the cancellation process. These combined methods created significant hurdles for consumers, forcing them to navigate a frustrating series of delays and discouraging them from successfully terminating their services.

在英国通信管理局公布处罚决定后，维珍媒体承认了其在处理客户退订及沟通流程中的过失，并同意与监管机构达成和解。由于该公司主动承认错误并积极配合解决，英国通信管理局对其最终罚款金额给予了30%的减免，从而将罚款额度确定为2800万英镑。这一和解协议的达成，避免了双方陷入更长时间的法律纠纷。

Following the regulator's decision, Virgin Media admitted to its operational failings regarding customer cancellations and agreed to settle the case with Ofcom. As a result of the company's admission of its shortcomings and its cooperation in reaching a settlement, the communications regulator reduced the final financial penalty by 30%, bringing the total fine down to £28 million. This reduction was granted under standard regulatory procedures when a firm formally acknowledges its mistakes.

与此同时，维珍媒体向受到影响的消费者表达了歉意。该公司在一份公开声明中表示，对于过去在联系公司商讨新合同或取消服务时遇到问题的少数客户，公司深表歉意。尽管维珍媒体强调受影响的客户仅占其整体用户群体的“一小部分”，但该公司仍对这些不当的客服处理方式表示遗憾，并承诺将吸取教训以改善其服务质量。

In addition to accepting the penalty, Virgin Media issued an apology to the customers who were impacted by its customer service practices. The telecommunications company apologized to what it described as the small proportion of customers who experienced issues when contacting the firm to agree on a new deal or to cancel their services in the past. While the company characterized the affected group as a small fraction of its user base, it expressed regret for the difficulties these subscribers faced.

此次对维珍媒体处以的2800万英镑罚款，在英国通信管理局（Ofcom）的执法历史上具有重要地位。Ofcom明确指出，这是该机构根据其消费者保护规则开出的有史以来最大一笔罚款。同时，在Ofcom历来开出的所有类型罚款中，这一金额也位列第三，凸显了监管机构对电信运营商阻碍消费者退订行为的严厉态度。

The £28 million penalty imposed on Virgin Media holds a significant position in the enforcement history of the UK communications regulator. Ofcom stated that this fine represents the largest penalty it has ever issued specifically under its consumer protection rules. Furthermore, across all regulatory areas, this financial penalty ranks as the third largest overall fine that the regulator has ever handed down in its history.

在Ofcom的历史罚款记录中，金额最高的一笔发生在2018年，当时皇家邮政（Royal Mail）因违反竞争法被处以5000万英镑的巨额罚款。紧随其后的是2017年对英国电信（BT）开出的4200万英镑罚款，该笔罚款金额在Ofcom历史上排名第二。此次维珍媒体因违反消费者保护规则而被罚款2800万英镑，成为仅次于上述两起案件的第三大处罚决定。

To put this enforcement action into historical context, Ofcom's largest penalty to date was a £50 million fine issued to Royal Mail in 2018 for breaking competition law. The second largest penalty in the regulator's history was a £42 million fine imposed on BT in 2017. The current £28 million fine against Virgin Media now stands directly behind those two landmark cases as the third highest overall sanction.