TV Licence Super Thread
- Thread starter Ken
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A friend just sent me this:
He's been in his new house for less than a week and he gets a letter like that???
Incredible...how is this allowed by any stretch of the imagination? Why is this harassment tolerated by the authorities? Why isn't this being looked at by a watchdog or something? Blatantly using scare tactics to intimidate people, I mean look at the choice of words! ENFORCEMENT, CRIMINAL, LEGAL COSTS, FINES..... You would think that he's committed a serious crime! but no, he just hasn't got round to switching his tv license from his old property. You couldn't have wrote a more chitty letter if you tried, appalling.
What happens is as soon as someone moves and transfers their licence with them, TVL immediately hit the newly unlicensed property with threat-o-grams.
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In the past, if you were away from home for a few months (e.g. working abroad) it used to be relatively straightforward to get a refund for the duration of your absence - now you have to provide "proof" that you will not be / weren't there - a bloody nightmare!
Sure, but there's a crecendo of threatening letters sent. It doesn't start at the "we're taking you to court" phase. The previous tenant was doing what everyone should do - ignoring the ******* things.
Caporegime
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say you are having sky installed on the 30th of december. the only option you have is to pay for the full month of december rather than it start from the 30th and be pro-rata'd.
same goes for VED (road) tax.
so lots of people paying for days they need not.
same goes for VED (road) tax.
so lots of people paying for days they need not.
We decided that we didn’t need a license anymore. We don’t watch any tv - we don’t even have an aerial in the property.
We called tv licensing, explained the situation, they agreed and sent us a refund as we had paid in advance.
So clearly they agree with us (that we don’t need a license) as they refunded us.
Fastforward a month..and we start getting threatening letters about not having a license! What’s wrong with these people? Must cost them thousands in postage!
We called tv licensing, explained the situation, they agreed and sent us a refund as we had paid in advance.
So clearly they agree with us (that we don’t need a license) as they refunded us.
Fastforward a month..and we start getting threatening letters about not having a license! What’s wrong with these people? Must cost them thousands in postage!
Ive been getting them for years even though I told them I don't need one, they come in stages of nice to very intimidating back to nice. This is every 2 weeks I'd say infact I got one yesterday I don't even open them anymore just strait in the bin.
Well aware as I've been licence free for over 10 years. Although there is a new letter in the cycle that comes in a full coloured red envelope. Still easy to spot with it being addressed to "Legal Occupier" and Darlington return address on the back.
Asking them to stop is often pointless. Try withdrawing there right of access to your home. That way the inspectors are not allowed to walk down the drive and post the letters. That's what I did and it stopped all the letters and problems I was having from the inspectors.
Soldato
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I just told them online I didn't need one. The misses was stressing about the letters so I folded. Only takes 5 mins.
You will have to repeat it every so often though. You will eventually get a letter asking if you still don't need a license.
I've don't it a couple of times but I'm fed up of doing that now so I'm going to start returning to sender.
Soldato
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I did it two years ago and didn't get anything for a while. Now it's constant again even though my situation hasn't changed. There should be a "I'll let you know" option but we all know what they're like.
Caporegime
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as you all probably know there are thousands out there without a license that should have one.
free man of the land, tin foil hat brigade, etc.
so therefore a lot of innocents get caught up because of all the ones who dodge it. use some common sense.
if you don't need it then ignore the letter. simple as that. you all know why they are pursuing you. because of all the people who don't pay their fair share. all it takes is a small group of people to ruin it for everyone else.
give someone an inch and they take a mile. then you get penalised as a result because one person decided to push the boundaries, etc.
free man of the land, tin foil hat brigade, etc.
so therefore a lot of innocents get caught up because of all the ones who dodge it. use some common sense.
if you don't need it then ignore the letter. simple as that. you all know why they are pursuing you. because of all the people who don't pay their fair share. all it takes is a small group of people to ruin it for everyone else.
give someone an inch and they take a mile. then you get penalised as a result because one person decided to push the boundaries, etc.
Its not always that simple and just because a few people are dodging the licence it isn't an acceptable reasons for them to be as aggressive as they are. They are not pursuing us because people don't pay there fair share, they are pursuing us because they are being overly aggressive to increase profit. A lot of it is them trying to get more money, not catch people who are dodging the licence. It is not the small group of people not paying that is ruining it for us.
Caporegime
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The TV license pays for the BBC
The BBC are a public broadcaster, which essentially makes them a non profit organisation.
The money funds their TV/Radio/Streaming output
They aren't doing it "To increase profit"
It's pretty simple.
The BBC are a public broadcaster, which essentially makes them a non profit organisation.
The money funds their TV/Radio/Streaming output
They aren't doing it "To increase profit"
It's pretty simple.
That is simply not true. It doesn't all go to fund the BBC. It goes into the pockets of the TV inspectors as the TV inspectors are pushed to get 28 people per week and get payed extra money for every person they sigh up past that number and that bonus money comes out of the TV licence payments. The inspectors are driven as hard as they can to get as much as they can. The inspector mangers are greedy and its all about getting as much money as they can not just catching people who are skipping the licence. Its all about them increasing there monthly bonus.
Caporegime
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The BBC outsource that to Capita, and the fee is paid in to a consolidated fund.