Suppliers should be banned from ‘forcing’ customers onto prepayment meters

An industry expert said forcefully switching a customer without exhausting all options is “rare”

Charity Citizens Advice has called on the government and the energy regulator to ban energy companies from switching people onto prepayment meters amid the cost of living crisis.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Citizens Advice boss Dame Clare Moriarty said: “People are coming to us, who should not be put onto prepayment meters because they are disabled.

“They have long-term health conditions, they have young children, there is a set of rules which say energy companies should not be moving people onto prepayment meters in those circumstances but it’s happening.

“That’s why we are saying there needs to be a ban on moving people onto prepayment meters until there are proper protections in place.”

Energy UK Deputy Chief Executive Dhara Vyas said: “It is very rare that a company will get to a point where they are forcing or forcefully switching someone from smart credit to smart prepay or getting a warrant unless they have exhausted all other options and they are required to exhaust all other options to contact them using multiple methods, not just a letter.”

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