UK Government demands energy firms stop forcibly moving households on to more expensive pre-paid tariff

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Business Secretary has demanded that energy suppliers stop forcing financially stretched households to switch to prepayment meters.

Grant Shapps has also vowed to “name and shame” the worst offenders.The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said that he has written to companies demanding they voluntarily end the practice of forcibly moving households on to more expensive pre-paid energy tariffs.

Mr Shapps told energy firms they should first make greater efforts to help those struggling to pay their bills, such as offering credit or debt advice.He also asked suppliers to reveal the number of warrant applications they have made to forcibly enter properties to install meters.

Ministers have been urged to impose a moratorium on the forced fitting of prepayment meters, with Labour promising to take the measure, but the UK Government is resisting such a ban due to concerns over a subsequent increase in bailiff action.Mr Shapps said: “Suppliers are clearly jumping the gun and moving at-risk customers on to prepayment meters before offering them the support they are entitled to – I simply cannot believe that every possible alternative has been exhausted in all these cases.“I am deeply concerned to see reports of customers being switched to prepayment meters against their will, with some disconnected from supply - and quite literally left in the dark.“Rather than immediately reaching for a new way to extract money out of customers, I want suppliers to stop this practice and lend a more sympathetic ear, offering the kind of forbearance and support that a vulnerable customer struggling to pay should be able to expect.”It comes after hundreds of thousands of customers have been switched over to more