Official warning :|

Dj_Jestar said:
I'd be a bit wary, I was told that the license changed from "Permit to view Television channels" (i.e. TV is plugged into an aerial etc.) to "Permit to own a device capable of receiving Television channels" (i.e. owning a TV or TV card, regardless of intended use..)

Can't verify it, but worth checking just to be sure.
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You were told wrong. The law clearly states that you need a tv licence only if you watch television programs as they are broadcast.

You do not need a tv licence to own a television set
 
As has been previously said in this thread, they are spam scare letters and nothing more. I have ignored them for years. Even when we did briefly have a tv to watch the footy :p

Somebody once suggested writing them a letter stating your case and that any further correspondence to your address would result in an administrative fee for a reasonable amount. Could be worth a try :)
 
Yeah, Legoman's right. Although the only reason I can think of owning a TV and not actually using it to watch anything on is.. for video games! So get writing those excuse letters. ;) Oh yeah and DVDs.
 
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DavidB said:
Well ive recently moved into student accomodation in cardiff, all is well and good, but this morning i recieved a letter from the TV liscensing authority stating that id recieved an "official warning" :eek:

Now the thing is, i do have a tv...its currently being used as a second PC monitor as it can be connected via VGA. The actual tv has no aerial and can't recieve any more signal than a blue screen.

The back of the letter states "if you do not use tv recording equipment, such as tv sets, video or DVD recorders, set-top boxes, computers and mobile phones to watch programmes as theyre being shown on tv, you do not need a TV licence".

Surely seeing as i can only see a blue screen if i switch to tv mode (which i never need to do as its always in use as a pc screen) then i can't be "watching programmes as theyre being shown on tv" ?:confused:

I really don't know what to do in this situation, i obviously can't afford a £1000 fine as am a student and it would financially cripple me.

Any thoughts on the matter ?
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my brother has a TV but it's not tuned to the channels or connected to the aerial, so you don't pay for the license. It's not mandatory if you own a TV to have a licenese, although they want people to believe that.
 
Phæte said:
I'm sorry, what? TV License inspectors are no different to gas men checking your meter. If you've nothing to hide, why not let them do their job?
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There is no such thing as a "TV Licence Inspector".

There is a specific law that allows for your gas supplier to check your gas meter. There is no such law that allows agents of tv licensing to enter your property.

You may happy to allow random members of the general public to "inspect" your property but I don't.

As for your comment "If you've nothing to hide" - I bet you have no problem with ID cards :rolleyes:
 
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Also, if you go to any of these universities:
  • University of Abertay Dundee
  • University of Bath
  • Bristol University
  • University of Central Lancashire
  • University of Greenwich
  • Imperial College London
  • University of Kent
  • University of Leeds
  • University of Lincoln
  • University of Liverpool
  • Loughborough University
  • University of Manchester
  • University of Nottingham
  • Plymouth University
  • University of Portsmouth
  • The Robert Gordon University
  • University of Sheffield
  • Southampton Solent University
  • University of Strathclyde
  • University of Sunderland
  • UWIC
Check out this site: http://www.freewiretv.com/totaltv.html

It's basically freeview TV on your PC/laptop with no additional hardware required. I tried connecting to it on my sister's laptop at her uni last night, but I couldn't receive anything. :(
 
Phæte said:
Yeah, Legoman's right. Although the only reason I can think of owning a TV and not actually using it to watch anything on is.. for video games! So get writing those excuse letters. ;) Oh yeah and DVDs.
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There is no need to write an "excuse" letter. There is no legal obligation to tell tv licensing that you don't own a television set or don't watch broadcast television. They have confirmed this themselves in response to Freedom of Information requests. Look at what the law actually says, not what tv licensing tell you.
 
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Legoman said:
There is no need to write an "excuse" letter. There is no legal obligation to tell tv licensing that you don't own a television set or don't watch broadcast television. They have confirmed this themselves in response to Freedom of Information requests. Look at what the law actually says, not what tv licensing tell you.
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I didn't say it was an obligation, more of a precaution. Stop looking for an argument cause you're not gonna get one. I saw your edit. Stop trolling.
 
Grr these people annoy me. When I was at University I received a leaflet with all the junk you get when you start with a fairly funny 'when you're on the sofa, use protection' message. Fair enough. Nothing from them while I was in halls.

In the third year we bought a license when we were in rented accomodation. My housemate bought a TV, and they started spammng him with 'pay now or we break your legs' messages. I filled in the form god knows how many times with the license number of our current license. The letters never stopped. They use words like 'under caution', 'begining proceedings' etc to shock people into thinking a copper is comming around, but remember they have no right to legally caution you because 'they're a TV license inspector'.

I wish they would spend all of this money on programming rather than bullying people into paying.
 
Legoman said:
There is no such thing as a "TV Licence Inspector".

There is a specific law that allows for your gas supplier to check your gas meter. There is no such law that allows agents of tv licensing to enter your property.

You may happy to allow random members of the general public to "inspect" your property but I don't.

As for your comment "If you've nothing to hide" - I bet you have no problem with ID cards :rolleyes:
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A "TV License Inspector" is to all intents and purposes a person authorised by the BBC or OFCOM. They may therefore enter a premises under power of a warrant issued by a magistrate (section 366 Communications Act 2003).
From experience, I can tell you that getting a warrant is really very easy. There aren't many magistrates that require a lot of convincing, especially when you only have to show "reasonable grounds" - i.e a suspicion. The hardest part is getting up early so that you are at the Court in time.
 
Gog said:
A "TV License Inspector" is to all intents and purposes a person authorised by the BBC or OFCOM. They may therefore enter a premises under power of a warrant issued by a magistrate (section 366 Communications Act 2003).
From experience, I can tell you that getting a warrant is really very easy. There aren't many magistrates that require a lot of convincing, especially when you only have to show "reasonable grounds" - i.e a suspicion. The hardest part is getting up early so that you are at the Court in time.
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Exactly. They can only enter a premises with a search warrant.

Despite what you say tv licensing very rarely apply for search warrants. They rely on the threat of a search warrant.

How many search warrants have tv licensing applied for?
 
Legoman said:
Exactly. They can only enter a premises with a search warrant.

Despite what you say tv licensing very rarely apply for search warrants. They rely on the threat of a search warrant.

How many search warrants have tv licensing applied for?
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Actually because it is a nice and easy win for them they actually apply for quite a few.
There was a story not so long ago about it.
It is a very open and shut case - you have a television and no license, pay your fine or they will see you in court where they will win.
Magistrates always grant the warrant - so it sounds like you would be surprised just how many people do get served with them.

I haven't bothered reading the whole of this thread.
I can only assume it's filled with the usual keyboard warriors saying how they slam doors in inspectors faces, don't open doors, yada, yada, yada.
I just find the "phone up TV Licensing" approach usually does the job - just doesn't sound as impressive as "Yer, I just tell them to **** off when they come around"
 
So am I ok with things like Zattoo then?

I use this on a computer that has no reciever or ariel attached to watch live TV. (ok not a big selection) - so I doubt that any detecter van can intercept the data signal and work out that it is a live tv feed as opposed to recorded Youtube stuff.
 
DavidB said:
Well ive recently moved into student accomodation in cardiff, all is well and good, but this morning i recieved a letter from the TV liscensing authority stating that id recieved an "official warning" :eek:

Now the thing is, i do have a tv...its currently being used as a second PC monitor as it can be connected via VGA. The actual tv has no aerial and can't recieve any more signal than a blue screen.

The back of the letter states "if you do not use tv recording equipment, such as tv sets, video or DVD recorders, set-top boxes, computers and mobile phones to watch programmes as theyre being shown on tv, you do not need a TV licence".

Surely seeing as i can only see a blue screen if i switch to tv mode (which i never need to do as its always in use as a pc screen) then i can't be "watching programmes as theyre being shown on tv" ?:confused:

I really don't know what to do in this situation, i obviously can't afford a £1000 fine as am a student and it would financially cripple me.

Any thoughts on the matter ?
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The TV licensing authority runs on a bullying model. They try to extort money from you by threats. Their first letter is a standard threat, aimed generally at people who couldn't tolerate the harm being threatened.

It's a very nasty way to run a business.

I've been paying by direct debit for 20 years, despite not watching more than a couple of hours TV a year any more, and they still sent me a threatening letter demanding immediate payment or they would steal £1000 from me. "Give me your dinner money or I'll hit you", scaled up and dressed up. The letter was triggered by a mistake in their records. They were claiming that there were no records of payment for the past nine years and their system had just flagged it up. Yeah, right. I sent them a monumentally patronising letter explaining the situation in such painstaking detail that it would have been insulting to a daydreaming 4 year old child and making it clear that I would seek legal advice if they continued their threatening behaviour.

They don't even know if you have a TV or not. They don't care, either.

Is it at all possible for you to watch TV on your PC? A TV capture card, perhaps?

If it is not, then I advise sending them a reasonably polite letter explaining the situation and complaining about their unwarranted threats. Send it by recorded delivery. You cannot trust the TV licensing authority, because it is designed to extort money, not to be trustworthy. Keep records of everything.
 
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