TV License :(

spoffle · 14 Jul 2014 at 23:01

stopper said:
YES! I finally found some one who does exactly the same as me. I haven't had a license for 3 years now.

For any company to take you to court, they have to have a joinder with you.
Since they don't have one, they create one on your doorstep. It is simple contract law.
They ask all your details, and get you to sign the paper, which creates a contract.
On that piece of paper is your details and your signature saying that you agree to be punished for any thing they decide.
They use that in court, and because it is lawfully binding (by your own inactions) they can punish you for absolutely nothing, because YOU AGREED TO IT on your own accord.
This, believe it or not, is the exact same process the police use for things like driving offences and any other victimless crime.

Oh lawd, you were going well until you went all freeman of the land.

dowie · 14 Jul 2014 at 23:07

stopper said:
YES! I finally found some one who does exactly the same as me. I haven't had a license for 3 years now.

For any company to take you to court, they have to have a joinder with you.
Since they don't have one, they create one on your doorstep. It is simple contract law.
They ask all your details, and get you to sign the paper, which creates a contract.
On that piece of paper is your details and your signature saying that you agree to be punished for any thing they decide.
They use that in court, and because it is lawfully binding (by your own inactions) they can punish you for absolutely nothing, because YOU AGREED TO IT on your own accord.
This, believe it or not, is the exact same process the police use for things like driving offences and any other victimless crime.

For people who've not encountered these loonies before:

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Freeman_on_the_land

rIcK · 14 Jul 2014 at 23:13

Those videos... why are these people being awkward. You either watch live television or you don't. For many years I did, I paid my licence. Now I don't watch live TV I cancelled my licence got a refund and its happy days

Wizzfizz · 14 Jul 2014 at 23:17

badcompany said:
BBC is crap anyway.

Absolutely, they are utter turd.

magick · 14 Jul 2014 at 23:34

Don't forget you can 'remove assumed right of access' to your property for any TV licencing inspectors by calling the tv licencing and telling them. If any inspectors come round they are immediately guilty of tresspassing and harassment. This can also be used on any inspectors that turn up on your doorstep.

batsy · 14 Jul 2014 at 23:37

rIcK said:
Those videos... why are these people being awkward. You either watch live television or you don't. For many years I did, I paid my licence. Now I don't watch live TV I cancelled my licence got a refund and its happy days

Agree. A licence is only needed if you watch live TV not if you have a TV or a PC or any device capable.

Malevolence · 14 Jul 2014 at 23:54

Squark said:
It's licence, not license

Thank you. Glad I'm not alone in being irritated by people not knowing the difference between a verb and a noun.

mattyfez · 15 Jul 2014 at 00:07

rIcK said:
Those videos... why are these people being awkward. You either watch live television or you don't. For many years I did, I paid my licence. Now I don't watch live TV I cancelled my licence got a refund and its happy days

They are being awkward because on a lot of occasions they can scare people into paying up, it's easy money for them.. a business model.

avrc · 15 Jul 2014 at 06:57

V F said:
No live TV? How do you watch sports? F1, LeMans, Tennis, MotoGP, Golf, Football/Olympics/World Cup?

Don't watch the news then? If not, I can't see those reading news websites but a lot here love trivial celebrity gossip…

Don't know about sport as I don't watch it but news is still available on demand. I watch the BBC news and Sky news every morning. Obviously it's not live but it's only a few hours old. The current story on right now was updated 21:08 yesterday. If I wanted live news I could turn on the radio. In fact you can watch live news on the net, how are tv licensing going to know?

DJ_Bucho · 15 Jul 2014 at 07:23

I'd give them a ring and tell them exactly what you written in this post, explain to them that you paid in full and they have refunded your money. I'm pretty sure you can pay over the phone, so if that's the case I'd do that and then hopefully that'll be the end of it.

PMKeates · 15 Jul 2014 at 07:42

Is your TV visible from the street/front of your house?

If not, I would simply fill out the form to say you don't have a TV and don't pay it forever, rejecting all approaches from TV licensing.

avrc · 16 Jul 2014 at 08:13

magick said:
Don't forget you can 'remove assumed right of access' to your property for any TV licencing inspectors by calling the tv licencing and telling them. If any inspectors come round they are immediately guilty of tresspassing and harassment. This can also be used on any inspectors that turn up on your doorstep.

Cheers for that! As I've just cancelled mine that'll come in handy to stop any unwanted knocks on the door before they start. Found a template online and posted it yesterday.

LeeUK · 16 Jul 2014 at 11:17

As I say, if they come round, you just say you don't require a licence and then close the door. There is no need to start talking all Jimmy Saville to them.

Turambar · 16 Jul 2014 at 11:51

porushinobu said:
yeah! I don't want 25 year criminal record !!!

Heh. I love this threat. It's technically accurate but totally misleading. In Scotland for failure to pay to your TV license you'll usually be offered a fiscal fine before it goes to court, while it will go on your criminal record it won't show on a Disclosure Certificate/PVG at any level.

porushinobu · 16 Jul 2014 at 11:57

Turambar said:
Heh. I love this threat. It's technically accurate but totally misleading. In Scotland for failure to pay to your TV license you'll usually be offered a fiscal fine before it goes to court, while it will go on your criminal record it won't show on a Disclosure Certificate/PVG at any level.

My mum came home from holiday, had the money in her hand and was willing to pay, walked in after coming back and seconds after turning th TV on
*knock knock*
see you in court

the judge ruled against ehr, fined her and gave her a 25 year record that she has just finally server

utter foolishness, she was willing to pay bill + fine(s)

some laws are just plain retarded, I do however thnk she was living in england at the time

Turambar · 16 Jul 2014 at 12:20

porushinobu said:
My mum came home from holiday, had the money in her hand and was willing to pay, walked in after coming back and seconds after turning th TV on
*knock knock*
see you in court

the judge ruled against ehr, fined her and gave her a 25 year record that she has just finally server

utter foolishness, she was willing to pay bill + fine(s)

some laws are just plain retarded, I do however thnk she was living in england at the time

It was stricter in the past.

ROA still applies though. A fine will be spent in 5 years in Scotland and then won't show on a basic. Anything higher than a basic it'll show until it's weeded from the record, probably using the 20/40 weeding rule i.e if the conviction is over years old and the individual is over 40 it'll be removed.

Rules differ in England, fine will be spent in a year but they don't weed records anymore.

d_brennen · 16 Jul 2014 at 12:24

stopper said:
This, believe it or not, is the exact same process the police use for things like driving offences and any other victimless crime.

Say what?

A victimless driving offence is just an accident that didn't happen occur

KIA · 16 Jul 2014 at 12:26

porushinobu said:
My mum came home from holiday, had the money in her hand and was willing to pay, walked in after coming back and seconds after turning th TV on
*knock knock*
see you in court

Priorities. 8)

porushinobu · 16 Jul 2014 at 12:34

well I am concidering stopping mine and just saying I ont watch live anymore

Moredhel · 19 Jul 2014 at 17:18

I have a TV License question myself, but thought i'd resurrect this few day old thread instead of creating a new one.

Today a letter was dropped through the door of my flat, it said "Enforcement notice enclosed", so I opened it up confused only to realise on the first line it was for the previous tenant here, I moved in in March.

The previous tenant cancelled their TV license just before they moved out, and TV Licensing don't seem to approve of that, they are going to be sending inspectors yadda yadda yadda.

Now, I do have a TV here but it's not plugged into an arial, and as far as I can tell I don't actually have an arial here. I only use the TV for streaming movies from Plex over my network, never TV episodes as I have yet to find a show I have liked since Stargate Atlantis finished, and never anything at the same time as it's broadcast.

So fine right? I went to the TV Licensing site and filled out the form to say I do not require a TV License. My question is though, do they actually believe this? Would I have been better off ignoring the letters? I have heard they never actually send anyone round, but is that the case? Have I just subjected myself to a year of harassment by drawing their attention to me? If they do turn up to inspect, what are the chances they believe I don't use the TV for watching TV?