Probably try to get inside to check that your tv has no ariel or satellite connected. Then make up some nonsense to try and force to to buy a licence.
TV Licence Super Thread
- Thread starter Ken
- Start date
Soldato
Plenty of videos on youtube. Their goal is to gather evidence to take you to court.
If you did open the door and realise it's them you say "no thanks" and close the door, do not engage.
I expect you fail to see the irony in your many, many posts in this thread.
Let's face it, you're a contrarian parading as a saint.
My wife tried to do it the right way last week, and we were treated with suspicion and made to feel like we were dodging the licence. So the TVL cocked it up, not us.
Mistake #1 is entering into conversation with a person, rather than filling out the form online - or did it not let you do that?
Soldato
Well I already did the ‘I don’t need a licence’ thing on the website. But I’m still getting letters and now a visit.
Well my wife did indeed just call the TV licencing people to let them know we no longer need a licence. It went pretty much as I expected. Part way through they asked to speak to me as I'm the licence holder. It was like being interrogated and being treated like a potential criminal. They wanted to know what we were watching such as streaming services. I refused to tell them and just kept repeating that we don't watch live TV and don't need a licence. But she didn't seem able to not continue with her script. Then they "wanted to make me aware" that they may send an "officer" around at any time to check. At that point I told them they had no right to enter the house and I was not agreeing to them doing so. The agent then said she would have to transfer me to another department. I've no idea what that was about but I assume it was because we weren't answering her questions. So my wife grabbed the phone and told them in no uncertain terms they were treating us like criminals and we are fed up funding their sex scandalsWe put the phone down at that point.
I did warn my wife beforehand not to bother calling them as this is how it would go. But she had said she wanted to do the right thing. I was prepared for it as I've been watching this situation unfold for a few years (thanks ChillieConCarne). But she genuinely thought she was doing a nice thing trying to let them know. Now she's fuming as she feels she's been treated as someone trying to dodge it.
I've told her to simply bin any letters and to shut the door on anyone coming round. I've also got her to uninstall iplayer from her phone so she can't accidentally start it. I'll warn the kids to do the same too.
And this is exactly why I have the stance I do about it, their bullying tactics are criminal if you ask me. I'm fairly thick skinned and will tell them to go **** themselves with a massive smile on my face but what about those who aren't so thick skinned? I wonder how many people are bullied in to paying for this nonsense.
And then the usual internet white knights will tell me that what I'm doing is illegal and blablabla, however when this is one of those cases where morality very obviously trumps legality.
If they're so keen on people paying, have they considered trying not being a bunch of insufferable *****?
I went to do that and it required my email address so I abandoned the form. It was at that point my wife said she would phone. I don't want to give them my email address. I could have used a fake email address but then what's the point of them asking for it? All that needs to happen instead is for me to declare I no longer need a licence and for them to give me an on-screen confirmation number. On both the online form and over the phone they are asking for information that they have no automatic right to ask for (email address and what other services I use, neither of which are any of their business). Furthermore, using one of their provided channels to contact them (phone) is not a mistake on my part. Them not offering a polite service that does not demand information they have no automatic right to get is their mistake, not mine.
Anyway, this isn't going to cause me any inconvenience. All that will happen is that letters get binned or used as firestarters. Any "officer" turning up at my door will get the door closed in their face politely but firmly. The only inconvenience is to the TVL themselves as they will burn money sending letters and maybe a person one day.
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My way of dealing with these people is to completely ghost them.
Any emails from them - disregarded and reported for spam,
Any letters - recycling bin
They did send me a letter once with a big thing on the front of the envelope saying something like "ENFORCEMENT VISIT APPROVED" - same procedure, into the recycling bin, nobody ever came.
If they do ever send anybody, they're getting absolutely nothing from me, I won't look at them, won't say a word to them, other than 'leave my property immediately'.
Essentially the same as dealing with any cold caller / salesman.
I haven't had a TV license for 15 years since I left home, won't ever have one, and I've never had any problems.
Any emails from them - disregarded and reported for spam,
Any letters - recycling bin
They did send me a letter once with a big thing on the front of the envelope saying something like "ENFORCEMENT VISIT APPROVED" - same procedure, into the recycling bin, nobody ever came.
If they do ever send anybody, they're getting absolutely nothing from me, I won't look at them, won't say a word to them, other than 'leave my property immediately'.
Essentially the same as dealing with any cold caller / salesman.
I haven't had a TV license for 15 years since I left home, won't ever have one, and I've never had any problems.
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Caporegime
- Joined
- 30 Jul 2013
- Posts
- 29,530
But you do watch the BBC.
They most likely won't visit unless you are renting in a poor area (they can demand access from the landlord), old or a single woman. If they do, just don't answer the door to them. If you own your property, you can ban them from entering your land again.
They just send out the same run of letters, which reset after a point.
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This is the best way to deal with them tbh.
I'm not taking time out of my day to inform a company that I don't want their product, it's an absolutely ridiculous stance to assume anyone should.
Ignore them, bin any letters, close the door on the off chance one of their agents knocks and don't say a word to them.
Simple.
You have no idea still, nevertheless...
1) You've withdrawn the claim that I said the TVL was flawless.
Just need you to (2) withdraw the claim that I say its all the users fault
Because you're now asking me to say the words you accuse me of because they never existed did they. There's a word for it but you don't seem to have an idea what it means.
So after so much unnecessary going off topic you finally respond to the part where a request was made by me about there being proof of an actual agreement from both sides that the matter was settled.
I think one of the other problems with saying anything, is that you give them a reason to check / investigate.
If you say 'no I don't need a license' you've engaged with them, so it might be more likely that they'll harass you, because you've opened dialog with them - it gives them a reason to follow it up.
Also, I'd be wary of removing rights of access, as that could aggravate them and lead to a warrant - where Capita will turn up with police, and not letting them in would amount to contempt of court.
I've seen some videos where they turn up with a warrant and check somebody's TV, but because it's a modern smart TV connected to the internet - it's technically capable of receiving live TV (via pre-installed apps), and the person gets into trouble.
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It's not worth letting them in.
I'm sure most of them are fine. But it only takes someone needing to make a target or something to lie/manipulate someone vulnerable into saying they use a BBC service.
Anyway. The number of people with a TV licence is declining so something will have to change soon
I'm sure most of them are fine. But it only takes someone needing to make a target or something to lie/manipulate someone vulnerable into saying they use a BBC service.
Anyway. The number of people with a TV licence is declining so something will have to change soon
I expect there is a significant crossover between people who choose the "I will tell you nothing, you're not allowed on my property" and people who should probably actually have a license (note: i'm by no means saying this is everyone, just that a lot of the dodgy people probably land in this category), so it wouldn't surprise me if this approach results in more follow on attention because the end success rate is probably higher for them than trying to target people who 'play by the rules' (even though the rules are crap and outdated, which they are).
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I see a lot of people online, who want to get into a fight with Capita and the people who visit, removing access, filming them, having shouting matches with them - in the final analysis, Capita are just going to go and get a warrant and show up with the police, and then you'd better be telling the truth!.
That's why I do nothing, say nothing, don't react to anything, I just ghost them and give them nothing to go on. (Which is exactly how I deal with scammers)
Soldato
Yes. The more you say the more you are likely to fall in to one of their verbal traps. Better to just not open the door or just close it again if you did.
In my case, that's really easy because I have a door camera, and if I don't recognise who is calling then I won't answer the door.
I do have a TV, but it's used for games and DVD's, nothing I need a licence for. But if one of these guys sees a working TV then you are sliding down that slippery slope. A real advantage I have is that my lounge is at the back of the house and can't be seen by peering through any windows at the front.
Crazy, really, that people almost live in fear of these people when they aren't doing anything wrong.
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This is the way.
Soldato
In response to their recent email, I shut down the email account they used. Now they have to write to me if they want any response.