Today's the day we get our "Approved visits" ;p
Daily Mail, but.....
After watched the clip, keep it open, there's a second one.
"Ruthless and underhand tactics used by BBC licence fee agents can be exposed today.
Under an aggressive incentive scheme, hundreds of enforcement officers have orders to each catch 28 evaders a week.
Bosses promise bonuses of up to £15,000 a year, saying staff must gather evidence to take as many people to court as possible.
Homeowners who fail to pay can be fined and given criminal records.
Among the vulnerable targeted in the past seven days are a war veteran with dementia and a desperate young mother in a women’s refuge.
The revelations come from an investigation by a Daily Mail undercover reporter interviewed for an enforcement job by Capita.
The outsourcing firm is paid £58million a year to collect licence fees for the BBC, bringing in £3.74billion a year.
The reporter was told by bosses: ‘We will drive you as hard as we can to get as much as we can out of you because we’re greedy.’ He was encouraged to spy on homes and take money on the doorstep.
‘Cash, debit, credit card, we’ll take anything,’ one TV Licensing manager said. ‘I tell people I’ll take shirt buttons.’
Last night, the BBC ordered an urgent investigation into the Mail’s findings, insisting there would be ‘swift and appropriate action’." Riiiiiiiiiiiiight...
At one point in the clip, he says things said at the persons property is a guaranteed conviction. No, it isn't. Only the courts can decide on that.
He said that those without a tv, get a gentler visit. Mkay, all those dozens of letters threatening me (& others) of court action, harassing for money for something I don't (& have already proven) need. I guess I'm just imagining all of that.
"Failure to pay can result in a criminal conviction and a £1,000 penalty. Thirty-eight people – mostly women – were jailed last year for not paying the fine."
Jail time, for this!?
"The firm’s 330 field officers are told they must hit a target – the ‘magic 28’ – the number of evaders an officer must catch a week, signing them up to pay."
So around £70million in payments expected to be caught, at least. That's if they can actually get that many.
"Capita collects taxes and assesses benefit claimants for the Government. It is also entrusted by the BBC – and paid £59million a year – to collect the £145.50 licence fee."
Doesn't seem like it's worth it at that rate.
"Last year alone, they turned up at three million properties – and caught 298,000 evaders."
Over 2.7 million innocent people harassed via letters/visits...
"The salary is £20,000 a year, but, as Mr Doyle explains, ‘You can earn another thousand, fifteen hundred pounds a month." £38k a year? No wonder they're so pushy.
"Mr Doyle brags: ‘One of my officers – my highest performing officer – generally comes in around about 38 to 42 sales a week. They’re obviously after more money. My guy really goes for it.’"
More ridiculous:
CHURCH HOUNDED FOR PAYMENTS
A church in Nottinghamshire has been hounded for payments by TV Licensing. East Leake Methodist Church has received about four letters per year, threatening fines of up to £1,000 for fee evasion.
Each time, treasurer Roger Latham has replied saying there are no TVs in the building.
Mr Latham, 66, wrote in one letter: ‘Only God lives here and he knows everything, so doesn’t need to watch the television.’
Mr Latham, former chief executive of Nottinghamshire County Council, said the letters began arriving in 2009. He said: ‘I sent all the letters back saying: “This is a church”.
They only stopped when Mr Latham told TV Licensing he feared the church’s address was being used by others trying to evade the fee.
He added: ‘People who don’t need the licence are treated like those who are being fraudulent.
A spokesman for TV Licensing said: ‘We updated our database last May to ensure mailings to the Church stopped.’
P.S.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics..._tv_licence_bullies_are_exposed_how_ruthless/
