BRITISH GAS has been secretly pushing customers onto rip-off new power deals - which they have to pay up to ?70 to quit.
Furious householders have slammed the energy giant after finding out they have been forced onto pricey new tariffs without their knowledge.
Tens of thousands of customers who took out fixed or capped deals have been secretively "locked in" to a more expensive new deal and cannot leave without paying an exit penalty.
The energy firm is now being investigated by power watchdog Ofgem.
An Ofgem spokeswoman said "We have concerns and are considering the issue. We will have more to say on this next month."
British Gas last week claimed to be cutting prices for customers - by an average of ?55 - but households pushed on to the new deals could be over ?200 a year worse off.
The sneaky move has hit consumers who signed up to fixed or capped deals which have now expired.
British Gas has quietly rolled customers onto a another capped tariff - but one that has a get-out fee of up to ?70.
Industry experts have warned capped rate tariffs are now more expensive than standard price plans, as energy costs are coming down.
British Gas claimed it notified customers about the tariff change giving them 30 days notice but thousands of customers have complained the letter looks like junk post so they threw it away.
Others have not received the notification email from the firm.
The correspondence also makes the customer "opt out" of the new tariff, rather than sign up for it.
A British Gas spokesman said: "When a customer's product ends we write to inform them that they will be going onto a similar product but we give them the option to opt out via phone or a coupon they can freepost back to us.
"Our customers on fixed price deals like the fact that they are protected from the impact of price rises."
The firm has said that that if customers are unhappy about being rolled onto another fixed deal they should call the power firm to discuss "what the options are"
Last year, Scottish Power angered customers by locking many into a new, expensive tariff after a popular fixed rate deal ended.
Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com said: "Lock-in pricing is bad enough normally but this is a double whammy. Here, it's the company that chooses the tariff it wants to put you on and makes you pay to get out of it.
"If you've been stung, demand the exit fee back from British Gas if you switch. If you don't succeed, take it to the Energy Ombudsman.
"The whole thing is a disgrace."
Last week British Gas chief executive Sam Laidlaw told The Sun the company makes a profit of just ?3 per customer per month. The firm now is trying to flog more boiler maintenance, service contracts for drains and energy efficiency packages to up profits.
The company is next week expected to post bumper annual profits of nearly ?600 MILLION.
Furious householders have slammed the energy giant after finding out they have been forced onto pricey new tariffs without their knowledge.
Tens of thousands of customers who took out fixed or capped deals have been secretively "locked in" to a more expensive new deal and cannot leave without paying an exit penalty.
The energy firm is now being investigated by power watchdog Ofgem.
An Ofgem spokeswoman said "We have concerns and are considering the issue. We will have more to say on this next month."
British Gas last week claimed to be cutting prices for customers - by an average of ?55 - but households pushed on to the new deals could be over ?200 a year worse off.
The sneaky move has hit consumers who signed up to fixed or capped deals which have now expired.
British Gas has quietly rolled customers onto a another capped tariff - but one that has a get-out fee of up to ?70.
Industry experts have warned capped rate tariffs are now more expensive than standard price plans, as energy costs are coming down.
British Gas claimed it notified customers about the tariff change giving them 30 days notice but thousands of customers have complained the letter looks like junk post so they threw it away.
Others have not received the notification email from the firm.
The correspondence also makes the customer "opt out" of the new tariff, rather than sign up for it.
A British Gas spokesman said: "When a customer's product ends we write to inform them that they will be going onto a similar product but we give them the option to opt out via phone or a coupon they can freepost back to us.
"Our customers on fixed price deals like the fact that they are protected from the impact of price rises."
The firm has said that that if customers are unhappy about being rolled onto another fixed deal they should call the power firm to discuss "what the options are"
Last year, Scottish Power angered customers by locking many into a new, expensive tariff after a popular fixed rate deal ended.
Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com said: "Lock-in pricing is bad enough normally but this is a double whammy. Here, it's the company that chooses the tariff it wants to put you on and makes you pay to get out of it.
"If you've been stung, demand the exit fee back from British Gas if you switch. If you don't succeed, take it to the Energy Ombudsman.
"The whole thing is a disgrace."
Last week British Gas chief executive Sam Laidlaw told The Sun the company makes a profit of just ?3 per customer per month. The firm now is trying to flog more boiler maintenance, service contracts for drains and energy efficiency packages to up profits.
The company is next week expected to post bumper annual profits of nearly ?600 MILLION.
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