Ofcom's rules mean that phone, broadband and pay-TV companies must contact you between 10 and 40 days before your contract comes to an end. These alerts – sent by text, email or letter – must include:

- when your contract ends;
- the price you’ve been paying until now, and what you’ll pay when your contract is up;
- any notice period for leaving your provider;
- your provider’s best deals, including any prices only available to new customers; and
- details of other contracts that are taken as part of a bundle, including end dates.

Virgin Media broadband did not notify me of the above. Consequently, I only noticed a huge price increase after my contract ended. Being very unhappy, I called customer services to cancel my contract altogether and an operator told me that, because my customer record showed that I HAD been sent an email, there was nothing he could offer in the way of a refund or compensation. I did not receive an email.

I want people to be aware that they may not be contacted by Virgin Media about this, and they should therefore closely watch the number of months left on their contract, as huge price rises will automatically be applied if they're not proactive. Because I didn't notice the price increase immediately, Virgin Media have made a whopping £132 more than they should have out of me.