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AIBU?

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Original poster

Bullying TV licence inspector

306 replies

LapdanceShoeshine · 30/12/2017 19:07

DD2 moved into a new address with her BF on 1st December. They had no live TV until shortly before Christmas & didn’t even think about getting a licence (it’s an old TV from when her BF lived alone elsewhere)

Today a woman knocked on the door just as DD2 was about to go out & asked “are you Mrs X?” (previous resident). DD2 said no. Woman asked if they have a TV, more or less pushed her way in to see (small terraced house, front door opens straight into living room), started demanding information like DD2’s NI number, & wanted DD2 to hand over her bank details immediately. (Despite the haranguing DD2 managed to resist this & instead signed up for TV licence on her phone in front of the woman.)

Surely this isn’t how they’re supposed to behave? Having come to see a specific person, who moved out in October, she should just have requested to see some ID & then left with a warning to get a new TV licence asap?

Any advice? I’ve suggested she make a formal complaint. The woman even read her a caution!

OP posts:
daddyorscience · 31/12/2017 11:24

Ha. We had Many run ins with them. Refuse entry, they can't force it. We used to tell them to bugger off. "But you have a TV, aerial and dish"... Yep. But the TV is only used for DVDs, and the aerial/dish aren't used and were a previous owners.

My, we did get some bolshy gits. "Get off my property", "you have no right to enter, go get a warrant","no, a TV on it's own does not need a licence".. It was quite an amusement.

Eventually I repented, a lady asked nicely. I let her in, showed her the TV wasn't connected or tuned, just used for kids DVDs.."oh, ok then".

Nasty little non enforceable bully boys. See 'em off.

AlonsosLeftPinky · 31/12/2017 11:38

I don't pay it because of fear or lies.

I pay it because it's fantastic value for money, sees a lot of money invested into finding, developing and promoting new artists and producing spectacular programmes.

DeepanKrispanEven · 31/12/2017 11:42

Vitalogy, if you think that quote demonstrates anger, you have a comprehension problem.

But there's a massive amount we pay for without a real choice Yes, and this needs to change.

Not really. It has to happen that way, otherwise it's the route to chaos. If we all only paid for things we choose to pay for, there would never be enough money for essential services.

llangennith · 31/12/2017 12:13

LapdanceShoeshine your DD has learnt that she needs a TV licence and hopefully she’s also learnt to be a lot more careful when she opens the door to strangers.** You don’t give them the opportunity to barge in. Silly girl.

MongerTruffle · 31/12/2017 12:17

There is no law, which is why they rely on threatening letters to collect their money
They rely on threatening letters because the police (who should be the people dealing with criminal offences) are underfunded and have no time to deal with arguably minor crimes.

MongerTruffle · 31/12/2017 12:17

There is no law, which is why they rely on threatening letters to collect their money
They rely on threatening letters because the police (who should be the people dealing with criminal offences) are underfunded and have no time to deal with arguably minor crimes.

MongerTruffle · 31/12/2017 12:17

Oops

LloydSpinjago · 31/12/2017 13:11

vitalogy

Why aren't acts laws?

RhodaBorrocks · 31/12/2017 13:24

Gave up watching Victoria on ITV for this reason.

It's on Netflix now, Chicken. Xmas Grin

We had similar to your DD years ago. We'd moved in two weeks previously and got a knock on the door. Very aggressive enforcement officer snarled at me that we'd not got a license (presumably the previous occupants had updated their address so they knew someone else had likely moved in as I've never had a visit before or since).

My response was along the lines if "Oh shit, we only moved in two weeks ago. Honey? Did we forget to update our tv license details from the old house?"
XP came to the door, enforcement officer becomes Mr Nice Guy.
XP says "Oh we did forget! Can we update our details with you?"
Enforcement officer says no, but we can buy a new license and cancel the old one. We do that, get our new license number and after the guy had left we called and explained and they cancelled the one for our old property.

My only issue with the whole thing was that the guy was a total arsehole and trying to be intimidating until he realised my XP was home.

Personally, as your DD now has a license, I would let it go OP. Neither one of them cones out of this particularly well.

LoveVelo · 31/12/2017 13:31

Acts do become law (which creates the relevant offences) and there is a defined process that is followed.
www.parliament.uk/education/about-your-parliament/how-laws-are-made/

ChickenVindaloo2 · 31/12/2017 13:55

Thanks Rhoda!

Frequency · 31/12/2017 14:16

What does the BBC make that is edgy? It's an old, flat, dull channel with old, flat, dull programming. Doctor Who and Blue Planet are the only decent things they've come out with in years. They also have glut of reality TV shows and game shows, it's just that they try to pretend theirs are more highbrow.

And 40p per day is £157 a day. I, along with many other households, am not rich enough to pay £157 a year for something I neither want nor would use. I can buy the Doctor Who box set for significantly less than that or wait until it becomes available on Netflix and that's the only thing the bBC currently makes that interests me.

Frequency · 31/12/2017 14:23

On the BBC now there is;

Bedknobs and Broomsticks - not made by the BBC
Six Robots and Us - Reality TV
Taking the Next Step - Reality TV
Something Special - Fairly decent, if you're under four but no more popular with that crowd than Peppa Pig or Dora.
BBC News - I'll admit, I have no problem with this. It's a decent news channel. I'm not sure what makes it so different from ITV News or Sky News.
Welsh First Minister's Questions - This is news, surely? Why does it need a dedicated channel?

How is that different or edgy or worth £157 per year?

Julie8008 · 31/12/2017 14:35

What does the BBC make that is edgy?

The BBC license pays for 9 advert free TV channels, 16 radio stations, online services, news services, catch up TV/iplayer, orchestras and performing groups, a world service, local TV, broadband, national infrastructure and a lot more.

If you dont want your country to do any of that dont use a TV and dont buy a license. If you do use it, take some responsibility, pay for it and stop blaming inspectors doing their job trying to catch ignorant people breaking the law.

Lets look forward to Fox news, 7 minutes adverts every 15 minutes, everything on subscription and national events only viewed by the wealthy middle classes.

Julie8008 · 31/12/2017 14:41

FYI the TV license costs £147 not £157

Frequency · 31/12/2017 14:48

The BBC isn't advert free, though, is it? They watch it at work. Their own TV shows are constantly advertised between programming, so the ad free argument is no longer relevant.

Virgin Media manage to run and maintain their own cable network without any input from the BBC. I'm sure Sky, BT etc could also manage. ITV makes local news without forcing C4's viewers to pay for it. All channels have online and catch-up services.

If it's a tax it should be treated as such and taken from source along with income tax based on what people can afford. It if is a subscription service, it should be treated as such and people who want to subscribe to Sky or Virgin should not be forced to pay towards it.

MongerTruffle · 31/12/2017 14:50

Frequency They don't show commercial advertising.

PedantHere · 31/12/2017 14:51

Lets look forward to Fox news, 7 minutes adverts every 15 minutes, everything on subscription and national events only viewed by the wealthy middle classes.

Agreed
That's the same Fox News that said that the UK was leaving the United Nations last year.

spangles1963 · 31/12/2017 16:39

The woman read her a caution?! Only the police have the right to do that.

TheHolidayArmadillo · 31/12/2017 17:00

I will say that for me, £147 is worth every penny in the enjoyment I get from Strictly Come Dancing and Attenborough documentaries. Also CBeebies is unparalleled as far as the quality of the programming goes. Mr Tumble gets on my tits but there is nothing else on tv that includes children with SEN to the extent of that programme.

BashStreetKid · 31/12/2017 20:34

There is no sensible comparison between a few programme promotions between programmes on the BBC, and the long frequent commercial breaks you have during programmes on the commercial channels. I really like have at least some channels that don't do that. 40p a day for good quality uninterrupted programmes is worth every penny.

Smeaton · 31/12/2017 20:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LloydSpinjago · 01/01/2018 08:27

The woman read her a caution?! Only the police have the right to do that.

Wrong. The DWP, HSE, HMRC, DVLA all can and do read cautions prior to interviewing a person suspected of a criminal offence. It's to make the interview PACE compliant. OP' s daughter was suspected of a criminal offence, (correctly in this case) she was therefore read a caution. It would have been more problematic legally if she wasn't.

IceBearRocks · 01/01/2018 10:25

So in your opinion there’s no leeway? Get a licence the moment you start using a TV or else face the full force of the “law”?

This is how it works isn't it? Get a new car, pay car tax!

Stop making excuses for your DD.

She made a mistake, then rectified the mistake. DD should have been more forceful.... " Get off my carpet"

God knows what you are going to complain about....excuse me Mr TV Licencing man...my DD is 32 and forgot to get a TV licence. Yes sir she did remember to tax her car, pay her rent and council tax. Just this licence she forgot she needed to pay. Then the woman came and stood on her carpet and read her rights and asked for payment of the licence she forgot to pay...... Yes she has a responsible government job just like you!!!!

Can't remember if this is an AIBU...If it is ..... Yes you are being VVVU