People who had early reimbursement counters installed in force in their homes are online for remuneration of up to £ 1,000 after energy companies have registered to pay 18.6 million pounds sterling of debt and payment of customers.
The announcement follows the Energy Regulator of the OFGEM energy regulator of companies forcibly entering the houses of vulnerable clients in debt and vulnerable to the adaptation of prepaid meters to prevent their accumulation of additional arrears.
Thousands of people have been affected and must receive debt radiation and, in some cases, the payments of eight suppliers: Scottish Power, EDF, E.ON, public service warehouse, good energy, breeding and ecotricity.
At least 40,000 customers must receive prices after the completion of one of the “widest opinions” of Ofgem, which included more than 150,000 cases where the meters were forcibly installed and also installed remotely without the authorization of the Billpayers.
Energy providers will pay 5.6 million pounds of compensation for involuntary installation and problems such as bad files and data quality. These problems meant that customers had not obtained the support they needed.
A new energy debt of 13 million pounds sterling will be canceled.
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Ofgem had already provided 55 million pounds sterling of financial support, such as difficulties of difficulties and radiation from arrears to affected consumers.
There were only “limited” times – less than 1% of cases – when an early reimbursement counter was installed under mandate when it was not sure or reasonably possible to do so, the examination revealed, during the evaluation period from January 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023.
Despite this, Ofgem said that “one case is too much”.
Distinct surveys on the involuntary installations of British Gas, Ovo and Utilita are still in progress.
“This was one of the most detailed criticisms of supplier practices in the history of OFGEM,” said its director general of the Tim Jarvis markets.
“Our examination also found wider problems with the processes that suppliers had in place, which is why we have implemented clearer and more difficult rules to protect customers in vulnerable situations.
“We know that (prepayment counters) can be an effective tool to help customers manage their costs and debt.
“However, customers must always be treated fairly and compassionately, and we are convinced that the modifications we have made are an important step to ensure that this happens.”
THE forced installation practice was discovered by the Times in February 2023. The rules concerning their adjustment have since been promulgated by OFGEM.
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Households find it difficult with high energy costs, which skyrocketed after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said: “The government has campaigned tirelessly on this issue and is happy to see the level of remuneration increase to 18.6 million pounds sterling, against £ 420,000 under the previous government.
“Consumers must come first, which is why we reform the energy market to eliminate bad practices and facilitate access to appropriate repair when things go wrong, thanks to our full ofgem exam.
“This increased remuneration set is a good start, and we will announce new reforms in the coming weeks.”