Bullying TV licence inspector

[LapdanceShoeshine]

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!

This is on the tv licensing site :

Enquiry officers do not have a legal right of entry to a person's home without a search warrant, and if refused entry to premises they will end the visit. ... Tv licensing can only enter your home without your permission if authorised to do so under a search warrant granted by a magistrate (or sheriff in Scotland).

They have no rights of access to your property unless they obtain the warrant, all the posters who claimed they had their homes barged into and money demanded were within their rights to refuse them and call the police if they refused to leave.

I think once your DD realized it was a TV license inspector she should have welcomed him/her in and paid. Then all this righteous mardyness and officiousness could have been avoided.

Bottom line is
Never let anyone from the TV licensing in.

DD2 is generally more than capable of standing up for herself, but she was about to go out & was taken aback by this very aggressive & persistent woman on her doorstep. With hindsight she would have sent her packing, but she was blindsided.

Yes, she needed a licence, & now has one; but the woman’s manner was excessively aggressive and uncalled-for.

DD2 will complain, & I will update in due course.

You are correct Ponder I wish my brain had been working quicker that day i would have said no and closed the door.

Truth was he was being very forceful and the DC were round me plus as I had a valid licence I had no idea what it was about.

Pfft! - she should have had a licence, end of

In future, if anyone who isn't the police 'cautions' you, you should always answer "No" to the question "Do you understand?".

Good luck with your complaint - from your description the tv licence lady doesn't sound excessively aggressively. Persistent - yes, aggressive - no.

ZipIt actually this is what I did years and years ago. We had no tv at all, only a computer screen and the guy left wo saying anything else.

Nowdays, they would get a plain and simple NO.
Because they are well known to push and push and use scare tactics (which clearly did make a difference in the OP’s dd). They are also known to tell you things that aren’t a true, such as you have to have a licence if you have TV which isn’t true.
They are very good at sending threatening letters etc etc.

It doesn’t t mean that the dd shouldn’t have bought the licence asap after being ‘reminded’ to do that by that visit.
But I will not let anyone go in my house again.

Sorry @CosmicCanary I wasn't picking you out, I know how hard it is to think on your feet when they show up. They do it everyday and are used to people who do lie, the issue is that they trap other law abiding people in the process. Do they work on commission/bonuses I wonder? I'd love to know how many people pay twice or unnecessarily due to their tactics.

Also who ever mentioned the amazing BBC film and tv is having a laugh. They constantly cut series halfway and repeat the same programs. They've only made a couple of their seasons available on iPlayer (for Xmas only), usually they wipe stuff off it so you can't watch a full series if you get into a program late.

This is interesting...

From March 2017

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.

Never had a telly licence in my life! Nor will I get one. Nor do I ever watch anything to do with BBC. I pay sky for the TV I actually watch, no way am I paying for something i haven't used or intend to use, for all I care they could cut that part of the signal coming to my house, problem solved. Also nobody at all has any right whatsoever to force entry into your home, should of twatted the cow and called it self defence as she was tresspassing/thought she was a robber it something

@Funnyblastard you do require a tv license, as you are watching live broadcasting.

Does it even matter if they get bonuses? Doesn't take away from your daughter not having a licence.

None of that stuff actually matters, op . Your dd didn't have a licence...

@Funnyblastard The TV licence doesn't just cover watching the BBC. You're watching Sky so you need a licence.

clicky link

Sorry@CosmicCanaryI wasn't picking you out,

No no I know you weren't Ponder

I just could kick myself for not thinking fast enough and letting him intimidate me.

Should OF twatted the cow???

Being as she allowed your daughters to purchase her licence the bonus would appear to not have been a deciding factor for this lady.
"The person who caught me breaking the law was polite and courteous" said nobody ever.

Your daughter has tried to hide her embarrassment of being caught out by deflecting from the fact she broke the law by blaming the person who was carrying out her job.

Two separate issues.

Person needed a licence, didn't have one, now does. Good.
Capita employee acting without authority. Not good.

Christ I love how everyone acts perfect ion the Internet! A new trend it seems

Your dd was breaking the law and was pulled up on it.
The woman had no right to enter the property, I'd be informing the Police tbh, unless she had a search warrant.
However, the fact the tv woman was looking for a different person was immaterial, your dd didn't have a license and was given a caution as would be expected.
We all have to buy one if we want to watch tv.

Yes, ok, you’re all right, she was entirely in the wrong for not getting a licence the moment she first got tv reception, & the TV licence people must be free to bully the hell out of anyone they encounter without a licence whatever the circumstances.

Because we are now clearly living in a police state.

OK.thanks for pointing out I may actually need one people. But I'm still not wrong about her forcing her way in the house. They done this with MIL few month back, cautioned her, picked up telly remote and put on bbc1 and wrote down she was caught red handed?? They use some shifty techniques mind

Capita employees don't have any legal powers as far as I know. But there are a number of threads, on here and on other places, where it's clear they use intimidation on a regular basis, and claiming powers they don't have.

I'm not excusing the DD, she should have a licence. But that doesn't excuse the person who pushed her way in, and appears not to have shown any identification.