Soldato
- Joined
- 13 Sep 2005
- Posts
- 4,348
Fight the power man.
TV Licence Super Thread
- Thread starter Ken
- Start date
What simple solution? I rang up & emailed in had my confirmation I don't need a license and still had 2 threating letters and another inspector in the past 2 weeks and I get threats from them month in, month out. I don't own a TV and in fact have never owned one and there has never been one in the building I live in. I have never had any dealings or contract with that company and the inspectors have look around the house god knows how many times now. How is that anything but harassment?
In short, phoning in isn't working, letting the inspectors in isn't working, going online to fill the forms in hasn't worked. What's left? Contacting them only works for the first few years then they go all out on you and wont stop.
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Nothing you start putting the letters in the bin and just saying no thank you to the inspectors.. I don't even read the letters anymore
They will never stop because our government gave them permssion to harass us. It's free money for them!
The best way to deal with them is to simply have no contact with them what so ever.
Don't let them know who lives there and shut the door when they come knocking.
Their monthly letters are great for my paper fuel log maker.
I don't watch TV or catch-up services etc and they are aware of this. They still send out a letter once a year or so stating my address does not have a licence and to let them know my situation.
Had one person visit my house. He was quite pleasant and I had no issues and even invited him in if he wanted to check. He declined and just confirmed my details and left. Quite painlessif you have nothing to hide.
Had one person visit my house. He was quite pleasant and I had no issues and even invited him in if he wanted to check. He declined and just confirmed my details and left. Quite painlessif you have nothing to hide.
Associate
I personally believe that if you do not have a tv license then you shouldn't be able to use iplayer full stop. Why should you use a service that other people pay for ? You should get access to iplayer as part of having a license.
The "if you have nothing to hide" comment clearly says you don't care enough about your freedom and rights to life.
Only for the first few years. Then they sometimes start to harass you even if you have nothing to hide. I had no problems for 5 years then it was years of harassment.
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Caporegime
- Joined
- 21 Jun 2006
- Posts
- 38,367
first of all I thought you only needed a tv license if you watched any BBC channel. this is the reason why BBC doesn't have adverts because it's funded by the tv license.
whereas ITV has adverts therefore it's free too watch.
however upon reading this thread. this isn't how it works. i'm shocked. so you have to pay to watch ITV as well?
it's not really a license but a tax then.
we have a tv license but yes the majority of the stuff is crap. i don't watch tv every day. in fact there are weeks that can go past where i don't watch live tv at all.
there is about <5 programmes i watch on freeview.
match of the day
top gear - but since no more clarkson it's no longer something i'm interested in. he was the best thing about the show and i love it when people get wound up by what he does. they are the idiots not him.
gotham - it's a bit meh tbh but it's better than everything else out there.
have i got news for you
dispatches
there you have it. i don't watch much tv. i'm more interested in movies and american tv shows which i borrow off a mate who has around 600+ blu rays in his collection. otherwise i like gaming on my consoles, etc.
what if i were to order sky or virgin media. use that for say sky sports or bt sports and lock all the freeview channels? would i still need a tv license?
basically what exactly does a tv license cover. is it all free view? or all live tv including things you pay for?
as in if i had sky but only watched sky sports do i need a license? if so that is preposterous.
You would need a TV licence as you are receiving live TV.
At a very basic level you are receiving live BBC, ITV etc through Sky. The live receiving element is the important bit. Whether you watch it is neither here nor there and quite frankly would be even more impossible to manage from a licencing point of view.
Associate
are we the only backward country that has a tv licience fee.
If all the others can sort something out surely we can.
But they will not want to sort something out if they are treating it a stealth tax.
If all the others can sort something out surely we can.
But they will not want to sort something out if they are treating it a stealth tax.
No we're not, loads do, many of them more expensive than ours.
I don't see the problem with the principle of needing a licence to access live television (or taken to its extreme catch up services)
People get far to hung up on what it's called (i.e. TV licence) and how it's collected, rather than the principle of what it's for. You could call it Steve for all the difference it makes.
If I want to access live TV I need to have an annual TV Steve.
If I want to drive my vehicle on the roads I need an annual Road Steve and a 10 year Driving Steve
If I want to fish I need an annual Rod Steve
If I want to go abroad I need a 10 year PassSteve
I can take part in these activities and purchase the relevant Steve, or not and I don't need to hand over my hard earned to 'the man'.
Yes in an ideal world where currency is abolished and individuals worked together for the enhancement of the human race, all of these things would be free, but currently they're not and we have to pay to access these and many other activities.
People get far to hung up on what it's called (i.e. TV licence) and how it's collected, rather than the principle of what it's for. You could call it Steve for all the difference it makes.
If I want to access live TV I need to have an annual TV Steve.
If I want to drive my vehicle on the roads I need an annual Road Steve and a 10 year Driving Steve
If I want to fish I need an annual Rod Steve
If I want to go abroad I need a 10 year PassSteve
I can take part in these activities and purchase the relevant Steve, or not and I don't need to hand over my hard earned to 'the man'.
Yes in an ideal world where currency is abolished and individuals worked together for the enhancement of the human race, all of these things would be free, but currently they're not and we have to pay to access these and many other activities.
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Commissario
Ours seems to be mid range for cost, and top of the range for quality.
IIRC a lot of countries that have a TVL equivalent also show adverts and have far less in variety, or also have a separate radio licence (I think there is at least one where you pay a licence per car radio).
Soldato
Soldato
The really quite BIG and OBVIOUS difference is:
Does Road/Driving/Rod/Pass Steve send you constant letters calling you a Criminal for not having a Road/Driving/Rod/Pass Steve. Send their goons around to your home for a nosey because they don't believe you simply don't need a Road/Driving/Rod/Pass Steve. Asks you to tell them you don't need a Road/Driving/Rod/Pass Steve. Or hassle you in any single way because there's no record of you having a Road/Driving/Rod/Pass Steve? No, no they don't.
Soldato
- Joined
- 3 Oct 2006
- Posts
- 8,537
Haven't paid the license for around 3 years, we've not had a visit in that time and we've had 2 letters asking us to confirm nothing's changed which I wouldn't have even bothered sending back but which my wife did (which probably explains the lack of visits...). I don't watch anything that can't be watched on youtube and as a result I'm being massively more productive.
I think the majority of people that always seem to receive these visits are students and those free men of the land, or what ever it is their called, and probably for good reason...
I think the majority of people that always seem to receive these visits are students and those free men of the land, or what ever it is their called, and probably for good reason...
They would if I owned a vehicle and refused to insure it or declare it sorn.
I honestly don't think its that unreasonable to start from a position of assuming people have the equipment I.e a TV to receive live television broadcasts and make it the individuals responsiblity to prove otherwise.
And for reference I don't have a TV licence and haven't for several years. Never had a visit and only receive 1 letter a year asking me to reconfirm I still don't need a licence. So every year I spend 90 seconds tops completing the online form confirming I don't need a licence.
No offence but having read most of the posts I'm actually inclined to believe that the majority of people having issues are either not declaring that they don't need a licence out of some misguided attempt of sticking it to the man or are simply doing it wrong.
It’s very unreasonable it’s like not owning a car and getting constant visits and demands to pay car insurance and tax. The real problem is even if you tell them you don’t have a TV after an amount of time they assume you never told them and start the process again.
If other company’s start following the same policy you would get a constant stream of letters and visits checking you are licensed.
It’s not us that are doing anything wrong it’s the TV people. It’s not a misguided attempt at sticking it to the man or us simply doing it wrong. It’s the TV license people harassing people to try and scare them into getting a license.