TV Licence rip off...

PESolution · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:41

So I've just moved into my first home and went to buy a TV license. £142.50 for a year (which is bad enough but whatever no issues).

So off I go to set up my direct debit, and I have to pay a full years 142.50 for the remaining 5months of this financial year...?!?!

Thats ridiculous! My license should start from when I buy it surely! So im on £30 a month for a TV license until April... /rage

Amleto · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:42

thats absurd

mrbios · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:42

welcome to life as a home owner

nin9abadga · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:43

did you have one for the first 5 months of the year?

Malt_Vinegar · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:44

Thats is just stupid. I would refuse to pay under those circumstances. Then pay for a full year when you can get the full "value" from your license.

Sankari · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:44

Heheh, good old TV license. Still ripping the punters after all these years. I'll miss a lot of things about the UK, but the TV license isn't one of them.

AJK · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:44

Huh...? What you describe above wasn't true when I bought one recently... you should only pay from the moment you start needing one!

stockhausen · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:46

Amleto said:
thats absurd

. . . and almost certainly wrong. Rather than posting a rant here, I should check again - https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/contact-us/index.aspx.

markweatherill · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:47

TV license fee doesn't run to financial years.

It lasts 12 months from whenever you pay for it.
UNLESS 'they' have good reason to think it should be backdated...

Burnsy2023 · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:48

stockhausen said:
. . . and almost certainly wrong. Rather than posting a rant here, I should check again - https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/contact-us/index.aspx.

Indeed, I'm sure that's wrong.

gt_junkie · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:49

If you've only just moved in then that's absurd! :eek:

Sure you can pay for the remainder of the year? Think that's how mine worked when i moved into my house.

Always resented the TV license.

Especially the fact that i've paid the full license amount for years while only getting (until recently) the bog standard 4 analogue channels.

Why we didn't pay a reduced amount for the crippled minimal service i'll never know.

gt

Surfer · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:49

wait 5 months and *then* pay it. Ohh im not advocating that you should break the law though

Burnsy2023 · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:50

gt_junkie said:
If you've only just moved in then that's absurd!

Always resented the TV license.

Especially the fact that we've paid the full license amount for years while only getting (until recently) the bog standard 4 analogue channels.

Why we didn't pay a reduced amount for the crippled minimal service i'll never know.

gt

Or you could look at it on the flip side of the coin and ask why we aren't paying a lot more for all the channels we have now

Abraham · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:52

markweatherill said:
TV license fee doesn't run to financial years.

It lasts 12 months from whenever you pay for it.
UNLESS 'they' have good reason to think it should be backdated...

This, if they're making you pay catch up for a year then you're paying for liability back to that date, it runs for a year from when you moved in to the property

PhillyDee · 14 Dec 2009 at 12:55

You also pay 6 months in advance, and 6 month in arrears for the license.

PESolution · 14 Dec 2009 at 13:05

PhillyDee said:
You also pay 6 months in advance, and 6 month in arrears for the license.

this may be where the confusion lies then.. My Direct Debit has come up at nearly 30£ a month for 5 months, then down to the standard 11£ something..

Haggisman · 14 Dec 2009 at 13:05

PhillyDee said:
You also pay 6 months in advance, and 6 month in arrears for the license.

Yup, this is how it (quite stupidly) works:

You pay for 12 months over the next 6 months, which means by June 2010 you've paid till December 2010. Come June 2010, you start paying half what you're paying now (£15 or whatever it is) for the next year's licence, which means, by December 2010 you've paid until June 2011.

Quite why they do it like this instead of monthly I have no idea, except possibly for the fact that it means if for some reason you no longer need a licence, tough.. you've already paid for it, thieving scum. *spits*

On the plus side, it means you can cancel the DD after a couple of months and there's absolutely nothing they can do about it since you're already paid up

Burnsy2023 said:
Or you could look at it on the flip side of the coin and ask why we aren't paying a lot more for all the channels we have now

Because 90% of them are already paid for by advertising (and consist of utter rubbish anyway

)

scaramanga182 · 14 Dec 2009 at 13:17

Haggisman said:
Yup, this is how it (quite stupidly) works:

Quite why they do it like this instead of monthly I have no idea, except possibly for the fact that it means if for some reason you no longer need a licence, tough.. you've already paid for it, thieving scum. *spits*

Just phone them up for a refund of the extra you've paid, I've done this several times when I was a student and I'd moved out before years end.

It is weird though having to pay 6 months up front though, I suppose thats how they make extra if you can't be bothered to claim back any excess.

Werewolf · 14 Dec 2009 at 13:20

Haggisman said:
Because 90% of them are already paid for by advertising (and consist of utter rubbish anyway )

And in many cases a more expensive sub as well

gt_junkie · 14 Dec 2009 at 13:22

Burnsy2023 said:
Or you could look at it on the flip side of the coin and ask why we aren't paying a lot more for all the channels we have now

Haggisman said:
Because 90% of them are already paid for by advertising (and consist of utter rubbish anyway )

Both decent enough arguments. Still couldn't help feeling a tad short changed though... especially when others were watching shows i could not!

But you're right Haggisman - 90% of them are utter rubbish!

gt

TV Licence rip off...

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