Thousands of Virgin Mobile customers have been left without connection due to a widespread network outage.
The company's data - and phone - service is out of use for many users who are unable to make calls or get online.
The nationwide issues started around lunchtime, according to website Down Detector.
"We’re working quickly to resolve an issue that’s affecting some of our customers making calls, sending text messages and using mobile data. We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused," the network said on Twitter.
The outage echoes a major O2 meltdown in December that left millions of people without network coverage.
If you're affected - stay tuned here for updates on when the service will be back up and running.
In the meantime, it's worth getting clued up on your compensation rights as you will, at the very least, be entitled to money back for the inconvenience caused.
Virgin Mobile refunds
According to telecoms watchdog Ofcom, depending on the circumstances, your provider may have to offer you some money back while repair works are being carried out.
You can raise this with Virgin over the phone, online or on social media now, though be aware lines will be extremely busy until the service is back up and running.
In extreme cases, where repairs take much longer (for example it takes longer than usual to access a mast site to undertake repairs), you may be entitled to an additional refund or account credit.
In cases where you have been without service for some time, you may also have the right to leave the contract without penalty.
There may be a term in your contract saying you can do this if your provider has failed in its obligations to you or breached a key condition.
Furthermore, if you're forced to incur any extra charges because of the outage, such as having to pay for public wifi, you can complain to your provider and ask for compensation to cover those unexpected expenses. Keep all evidence including receipts and emails for this as you will have to prove the expenses in your claim.
According to its website, Virgin Media offers an "automatic compensation scheme offers fair and consistent compensation for our customers who experience a qualifying service issue."
They say they will automatically credit your bill for fixed phone line and broadband issues, no matter if you’re a new or existing customer.
If Virgin Media haven’t fixed the fault within 48 hours from the end of that day, they say they will credit your next bill by £8 per day until it’s sorted.
"With vast swathes of the population now being solely reliant on mobile phones for so many aspects of their work and social lives, Virgin Media should be pulling out all of the stops to address this major outage as soon as possible," explained Ru Bhikha, expert at uSwitch.com.
“However, the network provider is still to even provide a timeframe for a fix, leaving many customers in the dark about when they will be able to make calls, send texts or even access the web from their mobiles again.
“With 4G down for some customers too, apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger will be rendered useless unless connected to WIFI, as well as apps like Google Maps which many use for getting around.
“It is vital that Virgin Media communicate as effectively as possible with their customers through providing regular updates, or else consumers may be prompted to vote with their feet at the next possible opportunity.
“While it isn’t clear if Virgin Mobile will offer affected customers compensation, it is worth making them aware that you are currently suffering from a loss of service – should the provider apply the same rules as it does for its broadband customers.”
How to make a Virgin Media complaint
If the network fails to repair a fault by the date promised, or you are unhappy with how long it is taking, you should follow their internal complaints procedure. Details should be available through their website or customer services, according to Ofcom.org.uk.
If your problem is still unresolved after eight weeks you can submit your complaint to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme .
If your problem cannot be resolved, ask your provider for a ‘deadlock’ letter so that you can refer your dispute to the relevant ADR scheme directly before the eight week mark.
Visit the Virgin Media website to find out more about filing a complaint.
