The CEO of Centrica, the company that owns British Gas, is shocked that debt collectors have broken into the homes of vulnerable consumers to install energy meters.
The Times discovered that British Gas debt agents were enthusiastic about installing meters in the homes of individuals with delinquent energy bills.
This occurred when individuals acted on behalf of British Gas. “Nothing can be said to justify it”.
The company has halted installation.
The move is the result of an undercover investigation conducted by the Times, whose reporter accompanied agents from Arvato Financial Solutions – a debt collection agency used by British Gas – to the residence of a single father with three children.
The writer saw agents and a locksmith forcefully enter and instal a prepayment metre after finding the property was uninhabited.
According to the report, the locksmith stated, “This is the exciting part. I adore this passage.
Mr. O’Shea stated: “The contractor we hired, Arvato, has failed us, but I am responsible for this.
This occurred when individuals acted on behalf of British Gas. There is no possible justification for it.”
The newspaper also reported that agents forcibly installed a prepayment meter at the residence of a young mother with an infant child.
According to documents reviewed by The Times, others who received similar treatment include a mother whose daughter is disabled and a woman with mobility issues.
Centrica stated that the suspension, in which it sought the court for a warrant to
instal a prepayment metre “at least until after winter,” protecting vulnerable people as its first priority.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps described the findings as “horrifying.
He advised against switching vulnerable clients to prepayment metres until all other options had been exhausted.
These findings indicate that British Gas is not doing this.
Before installing a prepayment meter, energy companies must have exhausted all other possibilities and should not do so for individuals “in the most vulnerable situations.”
It comes when energy prices rise and household budgets rise.
Mr. Shapps stated that the energy minister will meet with British Gas “in the coming days,” adding. “He will demand answers to guarantee that this systemic failure is rectified.”
A representative for the energy regulator Ofgem stated, “It is unacceptable for any supplier to impose forced installations on disadvantaged customers struggling to pay their bills before exhausting all other options and without conducting comprehensive checks to ensure it is safe and feasible to do so.”
People with prepayment meters pay for their gas and electricity by topping off their meter through accounts or by adding value to a card at a convenience store or post office.
This is a more expensive payment method than direct debit. However it is often the only option for energy debtors.
Additionally, many rental houses feature prepayment meters.
Tenants may be unable to cook or heat if the metre has no credit and no money to add more.
Citizens Advice called for a ban on energy providers “forcing” unpaid customers onto prepayment metres last month.
In response to The Times, the head of energy policy at Citizens Advice, Gillian Cooper, stated. “It is frightening to see the breadth of unethical practices among some energy companies.
“Our frontline representatives are all too familiar with the dire circumstances in which so many suffering customers find themselves. We have repeatedly demanded a stop to forced prepayment meter installations until additional customer protections are in place.
“Ofgem and the government must act immediately; significant reforms must be implemented before these suppliers can once again be trusted.”
