Whilst EE and Three have managed to restore mobile phone services for my constituents in Haddenham and Wilburton following the fire at Haddenham Water Tower in early May, constituents of mine who use Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone continue to suffer disrupted service. This is despite the fact that more than two months has now passed since the damage occurred.
On Friday, I convened a meeting with Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone to make clear to them my extreme disappointment that mobile phone services continue to be disrupted and press them for a firm timetable as to when full service will be restored.
Virgin Media O2 has said the delay in restoring services is, in part, due to the large scale of the damage caused by the fire. However, it’s also the case that Virgin Media O2 hasn’t treated this matter with the necessary urgency and at our meeting, they said sorry for internal delays which, by their own admission, have added around three weeks to the timetable for restoring services.
I share my constituents’ frustration with Virgin Media O2’s handling of this matter, but am pleased that following my intervention, they’ve now begun work on the rebuild. Virgin Media O2 is committing two teams to ensure work continues around the clock, including on weekends, and full service is restored by the end of this month. I’ve asked Virgin Media O2 for regular updates and I’ll be pushing them to keep to this timetable.
I’ve also pressed both providers to be more proactive in communicating with my constituents on this matter, including writing to customers who’ve been affected, and making further information about submitting compensation claims available on the Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone websites.
I want to assure you that I’ll continue to press both providers until this matter is satisfactorily resolved.
