British Gas are routinely sending debt collectors into “vulnerable” customers’ homes to “force-fit” pay-as-you-go meters, an investigation has claimed. The Times says it sent an undercover reporter to work for Arvato, a firm used for debt management by the energy giant, to chase people behind on their bills.
The newspaper said a journalist accompanied agents in sub-zero temperatures working with locksmiths to “break into the home of a single father of three young children and switch it to a prepayment meter”.
It’s reported another visit saw the use of a “court warrant to force-fit a meter at the home of a young mother with a four-week-old baby”.
The paper said the woman’s bills had risen sevenfold. If prepayment meters are not kept topped up by customers, the energy supply is cut off.
The investigation also claims to have found worrying evidence of the practice of forced meter fitting being used on a woman whose “daughter is disabled and has a hoist and [an] electric wheelchair.”
British Gas told the paper it has now “suspended” force-fitting prepayment meters and the energy giant said it had begun an investigation, adding: “This is not who we are — it’s not how we do business.”
This month Citizens Advice data showed 3.2 million people were cut off last year and left in the dark and cold after running out of prepay credit.
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In contrast Centrica, the owner of British Gas, has reported it expects a seven times increase in net profits for 2021 due to spiking energy costs.
Grant Shapps, the business and energy secretary, branded the behaviour “abhorrent” and said he was horrified by the details undearthed by the newspaper.
The minister had said in December he had written to energy firms asking them to stop force-fitting prepayment meters.
Under current legislation firms may apply to magistrates’ court for a warrant to enter customers’ homes if they fall behind on bills. Energy regulator Ofgem says the powers should only be used as a last resort and not when customers are “very vulnerable”.
A spokesman told The Times: “These are extremely serious allegations from The Times. We won’t hesitate to take firm enforcement action.”
Arvato said it always acted in accordance with its regulatory requirements and any inappropriate comments from its staff did not reflect the company’s views or policies.
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