Virgin Media and EE fined £13.3m for overcharging customers who wanted to leave contracts early

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Virgin Media and EE have been fined a combined £13.3m for overcharging nearly half a million customers who wanted to leave their phone and broadband contracts early. Regulator Ofcom hit Virgin Media with a £7m fine, while EE must pay £6.3m after both companies charged “excessive” amounts when customers left and for failing to make clear at the outset how much exit fees would be. “Our own research exposed mobile providers for knowingly overcharging customers for phones they already own by £500m.” “This is another in a long line of failings in the mobile and broadband industry – we need an independent consumer champion to stick up for customers and stop this from happening.” Virgin Media customers who move house to an area not covered by the company’s network have to pay an early-exit fee. Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events Gaucho Rasmussen, Ofcom’s director of investigations and enforcement, said: “EE and Virgin Media broke our rules by overcharging people who ended their contracts early.