1.4 million left out in the cold by high prices and inconvenience
By Luke Whitmore, 16th July 2010
Hundreds of thousands of UK householders who make use of
pre-paid meters have gone without energy at some point in the last
year, according to a new report.
Consumer Focus, who conducted the study, claim that many people
chose not to add new payment to their meters due to a lack of
funds, opting to go without in order to afford other
essentials.
Chief executive Mike O'Connor expressed worries that "hundreds
of thousands of vulnerable consumers were walking a tightrope
between topping up their energy to stay warm or buying a decent
meal".
Many choose to use the meters due to greater control over how
much they spend, but the service costs more than regular
billing.
Consumer Focus also criticised the perceived inconvenience
of pre-pay meters leading to accidental cutoffs where customers
were unable to buy credit for their meters at night or on
weekends.
The group is now pressuring suppliers to make it easier and
cheaper for people to pre-pay. Mr. O'Connor commented, "Paying for
a service in advance shouldn't mean getting a second-class service.
Energy firms could transform the experience of customers by
bringing pre-payment meters into the 21st century, making it easier
to top up and avoid being cut off."
The results were extrapolated from interviews with 5,726
consumers, 764 of whom have pre-payment meters in their homes. The
consumer group estimates that almost 9 million people pay for their
gas and electricity through such meters - and that 1.4 million of
these went without power in at least one occurrence over the past
year.
Half of the properties affected housed someone with a disability
or illness, and two in five included children below the age of
16.
Energy companies responded with claims that they make great
effort to ensure that the vulnerable are protected, with an
industry body commenting that there are regulations in place to
prevent people being disconnected due to a lack of finances.
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