British Gas pays £20m to settle probe into force-fitting of prepayment meters
Summary
British Gas has agreed to pay £20 million to settle an investigation into its practice of installing prepayment energy meters without customers' permission. The regulator Ofgem also ordered British Gas to cancel up to £70 million of energy debt for vulnerable customers as part of the compensation.Key Facts
- British Gas paid £20 million into a fund to resolve an investigation by energy regulator Ofgem.
- The investigation focused on the forced installation of prepayment meters in customers’ homes.
- Some British Gas debt agents entered homes without permission to fit these meters.
- British Gas apologized for this practice.
- Ofgem banned the installation of prepayment meters without customer consent in high-risk households.
- Up to £70 million of energy debt owed by vulnerable customers will be written off by British Gas.
- The debt write-off serves partly as compensation to affected customers.
- The controversy came to light about three years ago.
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