TV Licence Investigation

[Wannabe2017]

Apologies if this has be raised before.

I have received a letter today stated that we're under investigation and to expect a visit from the TV Licence people, I think this is due to us declaring we didn't need a licence. Which we don't.

What are my rights here? Can I refuse entry? Can I record them if I answer the door. I don't have anything to hide but don't feel comfortable letting in a stranger, I've also read/seen videos of how intimidating they can be. I'm usually alone here with DD during the day and feel quite vulnerable.

LostMy - I promise no one is looking through your windows! If the TV cannot receive a live signal then you're fine. They cannot prove either way if you watch iPlayer. You should have to enter your TV Licence number to be able to watch it but they haven't invested in the technology to do so, so you just have to tick a box which says, "I have a TV Licence". It's pretty laughable.

You can go to prison IF the court imposes and fine and then you don't pay it. But you'd be put in prison for non-payment of a court fine, NOT for not having a licence.

Must be the time for it, I just got a letter today from them telling me about the changes to BBC Iplayer being chargeable now.

Call them, or email them. Tell them you only watch Netflix or Amazon, and to put you on the no licence required list. That means they stop contacting you with 'warning'.

Don't let them in. I didn't.

Oh, no, I know they are not looking through the windows but my house is terribly small. As soon as I open the door to them, they can see the TV in the corner, just a few feet away from the door with various devices sat under it.

If they simply came in and checked that aerial does not work or waited by the door while I switched it on to show them, I'd be fine with that. But the last two didn't. The first one started interviewing me on when they aerial broke, when did I last watch live TV, do I stream from iplayer via the xbox etc. The second one took advantage of the fact that DD2 was home from school sick and started quizzing her on which cartoons she watches and when/how she watches them

That's why I no longer let them in. I know I'm doing nothing wrong and not at any risk of being fined etc. They just irritate me with all their threatening letters.

The BBCID is becoming compulsory to access iplayer and 'other online content' from next month. The information necessary to get BBCID will be passed to TV licencing so currently you can say you have a licence to access programmes - that will no longer be the case and they will be sharing all data with TV licencing, the T&C say they will use it to ensure licences are up to date so I assume licence information will be needed to sign up.

No BBCID no access to content. It'll be the same for BBC content via other legal media.

I've had three emails this week alone from them about it.

Not sure how that works for other live channels though!

Ooh Childish you might have overseen the GROVELLING apology I eventually got

The TV licence was in DP's name, when we got rid of the telly I did a no licence declaration. In my name. Which shouldn't have been a problem as the house is licensed not the individuals.

They sent four increasingly threatening people round in six weeks before I sent a curt letter and to my astonishment got an apology!

We've got a licence again now for iplayer.

LostMy - it's an ongoing headache for a lot of people and especially people without a licence, people with a holiday home or people who have named their property something different (like Home Farm) and then both addresses show on the system so even if they have a licence they still get letters. If you do as suggested then you just won't have worry about them knocking.

(I'm not implying you do watch BBC content with that reply, just explaining how things are changing).

If you go online and tell them you don't need a licence they just ignore it anyway.
We had a letter the other day, one of many, saying "we may visit you on the 5th of May but we might not, we may visit on another date", , they're a bunch of jokers. Scraping the TV licence is way over due, it's just not viable in this day and age with all the other services out there. Who the hell do they think they are! If people want to subscribe then fair enough but to enforce in this ridiculous way, stupid. Like PP said, they are glorified salesman/bully boys, they've got no rights under the law what so ever to enter your property. I just don't answer the door to them and chuck the letters in the bin. Problem solved

Pfft, had millions of these letters. We don't watch live TV or iplayer and I CBA filling in the form to say we don't need a licence, and frankly I don't see why I should have to. In my experience they never actually come round. So worry not, it's v v unlikely anything will come of this.

Ooh maybe Perhaps - I left a long time ago though!

From the sounds of it, this is just one of the standard letters they send out to people. If you don't then buy a licence, they'll send increasingly threatening letters which vulnerable people could interpret as they are being taken to court and be scared into buying a licence they don't need. It's scandalous but they've done this for decades.

I've notified them before that I didn't need a licence (no TV for many years, then didn't watch live TV). The letters would stop for a while then resume and go through the same cycle of increasingly threatening letters all over again. I only had someone on the doorstep once and he was polite enough (though looked like a bouncer and was about eight feet wide!). I was nervous but polite and reiterated that I didn't need a licence, and that he was welcome to come in if he had a warrant. He didn't, so he went away and never returned.

I read somewhere online that a Freedom of Information request showed that the number of actual warrants granted to TV Licensing was incredibly low - only just in double figures per year! They have to have very strong, compelling evidence to persuade a judge that a warrant is needed. They can't even walk up to your door if you write to them and tell them you withdraw consent for this.

99.99% of people who are prosecuted for this are vulnerable people who are not knowledgeable or intimidated enough to a) open the door and let someone in with no warrant and b) intimidated into 'confessing' to a crime and signing a statement confirming this on the spot. Many are conned into this in the belief that they are just signing up to pay from now on (which they agree to to get rid of the officer sometimes) and are then shocked when they receive a court summons.

It really gets my goat how they get away with scaring people who have no need of a licence - the language they use in their letters is appalling.

Students can actually watch TV without a separate licence - but only if they are watching on a device which is not plugged in - and their parents address has a licence. Very odd rule!

If they were serious about catching people using iPlayer without a licence, you'd think you'd have to input your licence number to log in. But no - you'll just have to give name, address and email info to log in when it changes shortly. That seems strange to me - what is to stop people just putting someone else's details in who they know have a licence? And don't get me started on 'Detector Vans'...

roomba you do soon have to provide your license number via the new BBCID soon to access content which is then checked with tv licensing.

Not sure when they're implementing it I think it's start of July.

The student loophole will be closed as well.

Actually, I've just tried to register for iPlayer to see what info they ask for. I was asked for my DOB and my postcode, plus an email address and password. That was it! How is that stopping people using it illegally - they didn't even ask for a house number? I suppose they can cross check the email address, so if you used that one to notify them you don't need a licence they can catch you that way. Seems a bit ineffectual.

What about watching TV out and about, i.e. in a cafe, at work on lunch ? how does it work then ?

Why don't they just set something up like Netflix? Those of us who want BBC content can pay, those who do not can be left in peace.

I'd happily pay for Dr Who, but that is literally all I watch from the BBC. I'm not paying £145 per year for one series. It's cheaper waiting for the boxset/Netflix to get it. If I could buy access to Dr Who the way you can buy films from itunes/Amazon/YouTube etc, I'd buy Dr Who.

I do think it's a bit wrong having to pay for the BBC if you want to watch C4 or Cartoon Network or whatever.

thyre going to start asking soon for addresses roomba

Hi everyone

Thanks for the replies, feeling reassured now!

I know 100% that I do not require a licence as we don't have access to live TV and don't watch iplayer. We have a PS4, which gives us access to netlflix, now TV, amazon, channels 4 and 5!

The BBC id can presumably be used for several different devices?
Just like my children who don't live with me both use my Netflix account

They're completely changing the BBCID, asking for far more information that's why I'm getting all these emails telling me my BBCID
will not be valid when those changes are implemented - currently the information is minimal.

I know they're asking for full address at the very least, the T&C are quite long and all info is being shared with tv licensing. I think you need to put in your license number as well as I read they'd be doing a check to ensure your license is up to date for content to be available.

If you watch C4 and 5 (or cartoon network or any other channel foreign or otherwise) while it is being shown live, you do need a licence.

However it is up to them to prove that you do, not you to prove that you don't.

Just fill in the letter ChildishGambino posted about and if they do turn up tell them "No thanks," and shut the door. You'll be fine.

The beeb just looks daft with its antiquated ways and that stupid detector van bullshit

@wannabe2017 you need it for any live channel including four and five

The 'detector' vans are a pathetic lie. The 'detector' is the officer inside it. They have, I think, 5 of these vans. A freedom of information request was denied and the reason given was so the BBC could maintain the public 'perception' of these vans, i.e. The public need to think they can be caught in order to toe the line.