Virgin Media Denying Access to an Email Account

HellyWifeyTime

My partner had a Virgin Media Email address for years, at some point during his marriage, his account was linked to his now ex-wife's and she changed the overall Virgin Account email. He wants to access his email address, he never gave anyone consent to link his address to another account holder and he doesn't understand how this was decided by Virgin.

Virgin are saying that he needs to get his ex-wife to let him have access to it via her account! This isn't going to be given by former Mrs. And this seems like a major breech of GDPR. He can't see if she has also managed to access his actual email, but she has certainly decided not to allow him to access it. I can't quite believe one individual's email account can be so easily requisitioned by another and that the company providing the service can have no responsibility to cease this once it is reported, or even accept a formal complaint regarding the matter?!

Ofcom doesn't regulate emails, so it seems pretty shocking from a data safety point of view.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

[Deleted User]

It's unlikely to be a breach of the DPA. It depends on who is the account holder (of the Virgin account, not of sub-emails) as it will all stem from there.

Their Privacy Policy will explain how the data is processed.

Aylesbury_Duck

HellyWifeyTime said:

My partner had a Virgin Media Email address for years, at some point during his marriage, his account was linked to his now ex-wife's and she changed the overall Virgin Account email. He wants to access his email address, he never gave anyone consent to link his address to another account holder and he doesn't understand how this was decided by Virgin.

Virgin are saying that he needs to get his ex-wife to let him have access to it via her account! This isn't going to be given by former Mrs. And this seems like a major breech of GDPR. He can't see if she has also managed to access his actual email, but she has certainly decided not to allow him to access it. I can't quite believe one individual's email account can be so easily requisitioned by another and that the company providing the service can have no responsibility to cease this once it is reported, or even accept a formal complaint regarding the matter?!

Ofcom doesn't regulate emails, so it seems pretty shocking from a data safety point of view.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

This is the relevant part.  He will have consented to that linking, either explicitly by approving it, or by ignoring the message(s) that he would have received asking him to confirm the link was acceptable.  Or he gave his ex-wife his password with which she could access his account to make the link.  None of that is the provider's fault and I can't see that there's any breach of GDPR given he consented to it.

HellyWifeyTime

I see what you mean, but how can it be possible for someone else to simply link your email address to their Virgin Media Account without your consent? Virgin have just said that they link all addresses in the same actual address (as in street name and number), but that doesn't sound to be in keeping with GDPR?

Who decides what are "sub-addresses" to an account? Could any Tom, !!!!!! or Harry who knows your Virgin Media email address just decide to add your email address as a sub-email?

HellyWifeyTime

And... so if a couple breaks up and one former spouse would like access to their email address moved to a different Virgin Media Account, then why isn't that possible? I mean, what if there were domestic violence or something? They just don't have any consumer rights at all?!

[Deleted User]

Only if you've given them access to your Virgin media account, but you really shouldn't that, for obvious reasons. Don't share your account and login details.

It's in keeping with DPA, as they are all linked to the account and the account holder.

Aylesbury_Duck

HellyWifeyTime said:

And... so if a couple breaks up and one former spouse would like access to their email address moved to a different Virgin Media Account, then why isn't that possible? I mean, what if there were domestic violence or something? They just don't have any consumer rights at all?!

Does the account belong to the person, or is it "lent" to the user?  As I understand it, it's the latter.  Are you sure it's possible to appropriate someone's account without their permission or password?

littleboo

The email address belongs to the owner of the service with Virgin under which it was created

Sandtree

HellyWifeyTime said:

And... so if a couple breaks up and one former spouse would like access to their email address moved to a different Virgin Media Account, then why isn't that possible? I mean, what if there were domestic violence or something? They just don't have any consumer rights at all?!

This is one of the many reasons to ensure critical services aren't part of an overall bundle... virgin media email addresses are only available for virgin media customers and their families. If for whatever reason you ever want to stop being a customer you will ultimately lose the account. Much better have a gmail account and you are then free to switch between Sky and Virgin or other suppliers without having the hassle of changing your email account each time. 

Its sounds like your partner probably didn't realise the consequences of certain actions etc (eg if they switch to from him as an account holder to her to get a new customer discount then she then holds the master email too). 

Why does he want to get access to the account? Not sure if he has just been cut off and hence the query or if he hasn't used it for years but is now trying to find an old receipt etc... you could attempt a DSAR request to Virgin if its the later but it will depend on if he is identified as the data subject of the email account given the overarching account is hers.

RogerBareford

HellyWifeyTime said:

I see what you mean, but how can it be possible for someone else to simply link your email address to their Virgin Media Account without your consent? Virgin have just said that they link all addresses in the same actual address (as in street name and number), but that doesn't sound to be in keeping with GDPR?

Who decides what are "sub-addresses" to an account? Could any Tom, !!!!!! or Harry who knows your Virgin Media email address just decide to add your email address as a sub-email?

I've just looked at the Virgin Media website and it appears that they only offer email accounts to people who are actively subscribing to the service. If you want a virgin email address then you need to be linked with a virgin media account that is actively subscribing or be a subscriber yourself, so that is why the accounts are linked.

So my advice if your partner to make an email account with a third party that isn't liked to another such as Gmail, Hotmail ,mail.com etc if you want a free service or maybe even a more premium paid service elsewhere and never use an account linked to an ISP or any other service.

HellyWifeyTime

It transpires that having given consent for the account to be changed into his ex-spouses name and asking for the email to be transferred to the account which he had opened, Virgin Media had failed him - they did not transfer the email address to the new account at the time of opening, they instead changed the new account holder name first and then could not move the email without consent - consent which the nee account holder has apparently withheld.