Virgin Media has been fined a record ยฃ28 million ($37.5 million) for making it unreasonably difficult for customers to close accounts or switch to a better telecoms deal. The U.K. Office of Communications (Ofcom) found that the companyโ€™s commission policy โ€œeffectively encouraged and financially rewardedโ€ call center agents for creating barriers that prevented customers from leaving, undermining competition.

Ruth Prickett graduated from Cambridge University with a BA hons in History and has specialized in business and finance journalism for the past 20 years. She was editor of Financial Management, the magazine...