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Virgin Media delivers the fastest broadband available and one of the best subscription TV solutions. Which is great when everything is working as it should be. But when something goes wrong it's more than a niggle, it's a problem needing a solution.

In this guide we'll look at some of the problems that Virgin Media customers can run into, and more importantly, how best go about addressing them before you have to refer to customer services.

Problems with your bill

There are a number of different issues that can crop up in relation to your Virgin Media bill. Here are the main ones to look out for.

If you miss a payment or think you are about to miss a payment

You should contact Virgin Media straight away. This can help stop Virgin Media from charging you a small late payment charge at the time of writing. The company may also restrict or even cut off one or all of your services if you don’t pay on time.

On its website, Virgin Media states that it has various options to help you in the event that you have problems paying your bill. These include giving you a few extra days to pay your bill; offering reduced services for up to six months to give you time to pay, and also referring you to one of its trusted agencies who will take over your payment plan.

If Virgin Media does restrict your services, you may find that it lowers the speed of your broadband or stops access to some TV channels. This will only happen until you've paid your missed bill.

Bear in mind that you can contact Virgin Media in several ways including using the company's online messaging system (which is often faster than a phone call), and by email.

What if your bill is higher than expected?

The first thing to do when you open your Virgin Media account is to make sure you have a record of your account number. You will have received an email with this number. This email will also give an estimate of your first payment and the amount you will be expected to pay each month from then on. Keep a note of these details. You can then compare the details against your monthly bill.

If you think that you've been overcharged, check first that you've not used any add-ons. These include things such as pay-per-view events or landline phone calls that you have made that aren’t included in your contract. For example, if you have made an international call and have not signed up to an international calls bolt-on, this will appear as a chargeable extra.

If you still think you're paying over the amount you contracted for, contact Virgin Media straight away and have your account number to hand. You can contact Virgin Media using the messaging system on its website, by phone and by email.

Problems with your broadband and wifi

Slow or unreliable broadband affects more than just your ability to shop online. Your home wireless could be less efficient and you may find streaming TV may be a struggle. But fear not, there are steps you can take to try and fix your broadband before contacting Virgin Media for help. These include checking simple things like cables. If you're confident enough you can actually log in to your Hub using a web browser and try and correct faults such as poor wifi signal directly.

• Is there a problem with broadband in your area? – Problems with your broadband may not be limited to your address. Before you do anything else, log in to your Virgin Media account page and check the Service Status. If your home broadband is completely down, you can use the Virgin Media app, or check the Virgin Media website using a web browser using your phone
• Turn your Virgin Media Hub off and on again – Unplug your hub from the power supply. While you are there, unplug the cable which runs from the router to your telephone socket at both ends. Wait a couple of minutes before plugging the cable firmly back into the telephone box socket and the router. Now reconnect the power and wait for the router to finish starting-up
• Is the problem with your wifi or your broadband? – If you're experiencing slower than usual broadband speed, before assuming a big issue with broadband, try the following: plug your computer into your Virgin Media Hub using an ethernet cable. Then visit one of the many 'Broadband Speedcheck' websites. If you get a speed that comes to close to the one you've contracted for, then the problem is probably with your wifi
• Slow wireless fixes – Remember that your wifi is controlled by your Virgin Media Hub. Slow wifi speed can be entirely unrelated to broadband speed. For example, your Virgin Media Hub's wifi signal might be obstructed by walls or doors. Try moving it to a more central area in your home. If this doesn't work, you can log in into your Hub and change your wifi channels – find out how using the guide available on the Virgin Media website. If all else fails, try investing in a wifi booster box
• No faults found – If none of our suggested fixes helps, contact Virgin Media via your account page on the Virgin Media website to make a formal complaint and a request for resolution
• Have you paid your bill? – Check your account on the Virgin Media website to see if you've missed a payment and as a result Virgin Media has restricted your service

TV faults

Virgin TV is delivered to your home as a separate box and connection from your Virgin broadband box. However, both your broadband and TV services rely on the same cables in the ground and junction boxes at the end of the street. So, if there is a general problem with Virgin Media's cable or fibre in your area, this may affect both your internet and your TV.

Bad quality or missing Freeview channels

Freeview channels have nothing to do with your Virgin Media signal. These are provided via your TV aerial which should be plugged into your Freeview TV box. If you use Freeview Play however, then you need an internet connection to be able to access the features.

If you are watching Freeview channels via a Freeview TV box, then you can try retuning all the channels. Be aware that bad weather, such as high winds, can temporarily cause problems with Freeview channels provided via your aerial.

If you are struggling to access the Freeview channels, such as BBC One, that are included with your Virgin TV package, however, then you can try rebooting the box.

Problems with subscription channels

Virgin Media's subscription channels come into your home via your Virgin Media TV box. This uses the same external cabling as your broadband. So, if something has happened to that cabling in the street for example, your TV channels will be affected. First check that your broadband internet is working by logging on to your account page on the Virgin Media website. You can also check for known problems in your area. Make sure to check that you've paid your most recent bill too, if not Virgin Media may restrict the channels you receive.

If your Virgin Media TV box is slow or freezes

Once again, slow or broken broadband can be to blame here, so log in to your Virgin Media account on the website and just make sure that there are no reported problems in your area.

The next thing to do is to turn your Virgin TV box off at the mains for two minutes (you do this to ensure that it has shut down completely). Turn it back on, wait for it to start up so that the TV guide is on screen. If all's well, you've fixed it. If not, you can check to see if you need to upgrade your TV box software.The latest version of your TV's software will include bug fixes and updates, so make sure you're using the latest version.

You can achieve this by choosing 'Select Help & Settings' on the Home screen. Then choose 'Clear or Reset set top box', then 'Select Reset System', then just follow the instructions on screen.

Landline faults

If you have your landline phone contracted with Virgin Media and it's giving you problems with poor call quality, dropped calls or a dead line, there are a couple of things you can do before calling in the engineers.

• Cable checking – the first thing to do is to check that the cable to and from your phone's base unit is in good condition and hasn't been tugged out. Just follow it from your phone to the socket, pull it out, then make sure it is not frayed or damaged. The reconnect it securely
• Test your phone on its own – a quick test, unplug any broadband microfilters from the phone socket so that you can plug the phone straight in. Also disconnect anything else, your broadband box for example, that uses your phone line. If your phone is connected directly to your Virgin Media Hub, make sure the cable is connected firmly. Then make a call. If all's well then another piece of equipment is causing your problem
• Check Call Divert – if people tell you that they've called you but you've not received their calls, make sure you've not accidentally activated the Call Divert or Block functions. Virgin Media has a very good phone guide online, so make sure to check that if you're not sure how to turn Call Divert or Block on or off
• Check the batteries – your cordless phone needs batteries to operate and it's easy to forget that these run down, so try changing them and then make a call

Virgin Media has a detailed guide to your phone, with some step-through information on its website, which you can try. If you have no luck with this, then contact Virgin Media

Customer service phone number

If you need to contact Virgin Media customer service, the number is 0345 454 1111. You can also call 150 from your Virgin Media landline or Virgin Mobile.

Use social media to speed up response times

If your problem isn't getting a response, make yourself heard in public. Virgin Media has a variety of social media accounts including Facebook and Twitter. Always be clear and courteous as a rude comment is unlikely to get attention.

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