British Gas is willing to consider a debt amnesty to put struggling customers in arrears back on track with utility bill payments, the firm’s head of credit operations has revealed.
Max Griffiths said there was scope for the firm to conduct an amnesty, similar to a scheme run earlier this year by Thames Water, which would allow struggling customers with unpaid bills to come forward and have some or all of their late arrears written off in exchange for agreeing regular bill payment in future.
The firm has not yet committed to the idea because of practical implications, chiefly the possibility that the scheme would be manipulated by “won’t pay” debtors who would use it as a chance to have half their debt written off.
Speaking at Credit Today’s Utilities and Telecoms conference in Blackpool, Griffiths said: “It is something I would like to look at but not a measure we are considering at the moment.”
Thames Water ran a debt amnesty scheme from January to April this year, inviting customers which had used water but not been billed to come forward. Those that came forward had their previous arrears written off and their accounts started afresh.
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