Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

To just ignore the TV licensing people?

76 replies

unlucky83 · 28/12/2013 11:50

So I bought a house, previous occupants had moved to a home - would have been over 75 or whatever and on free TV licence.
Currently house is empty - being renovated, resembles a building site - no tvs etc. They sent me a letter that I can only assume was a licence renewal (addressed to previous occupant so didn't open) in September. In retrospect I don't know why I bothered - it was a lot of waiting and pressing this number for this etc - a pain- but I phoned them up, explained the situation and said I would be transferring mine from present house when I moved in...the guy said that was all fine, just to let them know when I wanted to transfer.
Now I keep getting letters from them saying I need a TV licence etc - latest one is 'visit is being authorised' 'Ignoring this could cost you more than a TV licence', you have been transferred to our investigations team etc - all quite threatening...
So IABU to think fuck you just to ignore the letters - bear in mind I've already told them the score and they don't seem to believe me - let them waste their time and effort to investigate, and come and see for themselves - maybe more than one visit as there will probably be no-one in when they do call anyway?

(Do have to say have a bad experience of TV licensing inspectors anyway - shared house, licence was in someone who had moved out name but we had renewed it (with a cheque in my name!) - inspector (creepy) told me that meant we didn't have a licence, read me my rights, looked at TV etc and then said something about if I was nice to him, cup of tea and biscuits etc (winked) he might turn a blind eye and not report us ...Yuk! -I didn't so he must have and we heard no more about it anyway.)

OP posts:

Revengeofkarma · 28/12/2013 15:57

There's a bit of confusion here about who needs a license and the catch up provision.

If you record TV through Sky+ or similar (other media moguls and recording systems are available), then you need a license. This is because the recording counts as watching it live, even if it is done by a machine.

If you access tv live at the same time it is broadcast, even if it is on t'internet, that's watching live TV and you need a license.

If you only watch TV through your mobile phone or catch up services such as BBC iPlayer or 4OD then you don't need a license. That's a very small subset, though.

In practice, if you've got a Sky Box or similar, or a Freeview box, you're going to have a heck of a time proving you don't have to pay the license. Because why would you have these things (especially the pay TV services) if you weren't watching TV.

This situation, however, is different. There is no Tv, no Sky box, no Freeview box. I would try again to contact them (email) a) to relieve the hassle and b) I suspect that once in trouble with them, whoever was at fault, you stay on their "check that list twice" for quite some time.

If you own

Revengeofkarma · 28/12/2013 16:03

Oh and HBO and Showtime, who have some programmes here (because they are lucrative enough to sell here, and still only wind up on the Sky Channels for the most part) are subscription only in the US, where they're based. We paid $18/ month for them, so not as expensive as the license fee, but license fee gives a shed load of BBC stations all commercial free, plus commercial free radio.

And that $18/month was on top of what you'd pay your cable company for a basic subscription as well.

Bourjois · 28/12/2013 16:04

OMG you mean that TV licence people actually EXIST??? I thought they were made up.

crapholes · 28/12/2013 17:50

We got a letter from them every month whilst our house was being built. Yes, every month from the foundations being laid...

RhondaJean · 28/12/2013 17:59

Going back to mad mum - isn't it illegal to impersonate a police officer? I think that would really need reported!

Mignonette · 28/12/2013 18:10

Anybody being visited by licensing people claiming to be Police Officers should surreptitiously record them doing so as they are themselves breaking the law by impersonating an officer of the law.

Then plaster it all over here an on Youtube. Am sick of these bullies and have had endless hassle with them.

AntoinetteCosway · 28/12/2013 18:12

Yes, I agree-it's crazy that we have to prove we don't watch TV when we don't have to prove we don't access other services. (If you see what I mean!) We got rid of the problem in our house by just getting rid of the tv altogether-we watch Netflix, iPlayer and 4od on the iPad instead-but I can see that if you want to watch DVDs or play games it's useful to have a bigger screen.

Surely if the license company are capable of churning out thousands of threatening letters they're capable of seeing which houses are actually plugged into a tv aerial! That would make it easier, surely...

NigellasDealer · 28/12/2013 18:13

one came to my door with a fake search warrant!
I told him to get lost!

ChunkyPickle · 28/12/2013 18:19

It's weird, but I just went online and filled in their 'I don't need a license' form and heard nothing more (we're Netflix/iplayer/4od - and I've blocked live TV through iplayer on the router so DS can't accidentally watch live CBeebies and get us in trouble).

At a previous house I was harassed night and day for months (OK, evening and sundays) even though we had a valid TV license in my flatmate's name.

Caitlin17 · 28/12/2013 18:59

They are an absolute bloody pain. We have a licence for house we live in but I have in the past not had a TV and I don't have a licence for my 2 rental flats. I'm honestly not sure what right they have to inspect.

I second however whoever posted about the need to be sure you don't watch live TV on tablet, phone or pc.

AntoinetteCosway · 28/12/2013 19:13

I don't think you could accidentally watch live tv on an iPad for instance. I guess a child could though.

Revengeofkarma · 28/12/2013 19:21

Depends on what you have set up. Sky, for example, has things so you can watch on an iPad while you're out. And it's live.

Robfordscrack · 28/12/2013 19:33

I started getting a threatening tv license letter for a property I used to own. had bought a small tv for a guest, but it was still in the box and we never landed up even plugging it in. I phoned the license place to tell them that there was no tv being used there. They said they get notified by the electronics shop when someone buys a tv which is why they were sending the letter. They had no idea whether I had actually used it or not. I had no idea that the shops did this.

HearMyRoar · 28/12/2013 19:55

I don't have a TV, haven't had one for years and years. After many stroppy letters and phone calls I said they were welcome to send someone round to see. I had a very nice man come round, I showed him our radios. Not had any bother since.

fuzzywuzzy · 28/12/2013 20:16

ex once bought a tv for a friend as he got trade discounts at a place and we then got letters from the license company stating the knew we had recently bought a TV, I had to call to get that cleared up.

IneedAsockamnesty · 28/12/2013 20:19

Ou can have as many tv's as you want and still not need a license

Iwannalaylikethisforever · 28/12/2013 20:27

Just email. Very quick. I was asked where are you living then? Renovations at the time, nosey Parker's!

SlightlyDampWellies · 04/02/2014 14:48

Well I would have liked a vaguely polite letter of reminder, instead of the quite nasty telephone call I have just received for a licence that is 2 fucking days overdue.

Okay fine,. so it is overdue, but really I can live without the threats of this and that over the phone.

SlightlyDampWellies · 04/02/2014 14:50

anyway, have renewed now. Grrr. After that and a huge tax bill this has been an expensive month!

I just find it utterly offensive to be treated like a criminal because of an admin oversight and with what actually was a bit of aggression on the phone.

SlightlyDampWellies · 04/02/2014 14:51

[just had to get that off my chest. Sorry]

Chattymummyhere · 04/02/2014 15:08

It's time it was scrapped anyway... Or pay if you want to watch bbc channels... I haven't watched bbc for years we watch the channels from abroad much more interesting shows that eastenders...

Any petitions going?

Although I did read in the almighty daily fail bbc where saying their licence rules need updating as they are losing people to the likes of bbc Iplayer

CanadianJohn · 04/02/2014 15:12

Forgive my ignorance - I haven't lived in England for almost 50 years - but since (almost) everyone has a TV, wouldn't it be cheaper for the government to finance the BBC support money in some other way... perhaps by increasing income tax, or something.

It would save the millions that are being spent by the license people on inspectors and enforcement.

nennypops · 04/02/2014 15:13

We need the licence fee. What commercial channel is going to broadcast delightfully quirky programmes like the one I heard the other night on the history of the telephone? And for sure commercial channels are never going to produce things like Songs of Praise - not that I ever watch, but the Daily Fail constantly gets wound up with allegations that they're anti-Christian.

newsecretidentity · 04/02/2014 16:35

Wait.

Does that mean I don't need a license to watch Netflix? My TV aerial is rubbish, so I can only get what's accessible via the internet. So we only watch netflix or on demand telly, and don't watch or record anything live. I'm paying a license fee. I'm gonna be pissed if it turns out that I didn't need it.

SlightlyDampWellies · 04/02/2014 16:50

As far as I am aware, you do not need it in that circumstance, but pls don't quote me.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Swipe left for the next trending thread