HUNDREDS of Virgin Media customers reported internet and wifi issues earlier today after a technical issue affected certain services.
There were over 960 complaints about service crashes at the peak of the problem, according to complaints tracker website Downdetector.
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Of those who complained of issues, 72% had trouble accessing the internet, 17% had a total blackout, and 11% had trouble with their mobile internet.
Virgin Media said the issues affected customers who were having new services installed.
It confirmed to The Sun that it had technical issues, which also meant customer service workers could not access billpayers’ accounts.
That meant customers ringing up for assistance had trouble getting help.
While it said broadband, TV and phone services were unaffected, The Sun spotted customers complaining about issues getting online on Twitter.
“Yet again @virginmedia our internet is down,” one customer said.
Another customer tweeted: “hey @virginmedia do you know when the internet will be working again.”
While another customer said: “The router is down, the service status checker is down.”
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One billpayer had issues getting through to customer services.
“The helpline systems are down as well. No point in calling, they just tell you to call back in a few hours,” they said.
A Virgin Media spokesperson told The Sun: “We’re aware of a technical issue which means we’re not able to access customer systems or activate new services right now, but new installs will still take place.
“Our TV, phone and broadband services are unaffected and customers wishing to manage their account should contact us later this afternoon.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and our teams are working hard to get this fixed as quickly as possible.”
It wasn’t the first time customers were hit with service crashes.
Around 3,000 people complained they couldn’t get online in July, and in May, some customers suffered total blackouts.
Customers with other providers have recently run into issues too.
Thousands of Plusnet customers couldn’t access the internet in September, while a TalkTalk outage left hundreds struggling to get online the same month.
How do I check the Virgin Media service status in my area?
Virgin Media has a dedicated web page where you can find out if there are any problems in your area.
You can visit the My Virgin service update website to check for yourself.
To find out if there are problems in your area, just enter your postcode.
Am I entitled to compensation from Virgin Media?
If you’re suffering issues with your internet, call or mobile services you may be entitled to compensation.
But when it comes to TV outages, the services don’t come under that same scheme.
We’ve asked Virgin Media if there’s compensation available for TV customers and we’ll update this page when we know more.
Internet firms usually pay out £8 for each day broadband and home phone services are not repaired after two full days of no service.
They will also pay £25 for each missed appointment, or for appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice, plus you’ll get £5 for each calendar day delay to the start of the new service.
This is usually automatic.
If you’re a mobile customer and you suffer from a lack of service then depending on the circumstance you may be entitled to a refund or account credit.
If you’re without service for a sustained period of time then you may also have the right to leave without incurring a fee, although neither of these are automatic – you need to ask your provider.
If your problem is still unresolved after eight weeks, you can complain to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme.
Virgin Media is signed up to the CISAS ADR scheme.
