TV Licence- AIBU?

[Namechange10002468]

Name change as I'm sharing some personal financial background here.

OK- so in October last year we really had to tighten our belt due to DH redundancy. We basically cut everything that wasn't absolute necessity. We could only afford to keep one TV based/entertainment thing and decided to keep Netflix at 5.99/month over TV licence which was £13.25/month and at the time we hadn't watched anything live or on BBC iplayer for 5 months.
We are now thankfully in a slightly better place with finances- although nowhere near where we used to be- and would like to renew our licence so DCs can have Cbeebies and also so DH can watch all the football. We logged on expecting to be able just renew and go back to paying the £13/month. Except the website refuses to allow us to renew on any payment option other than a £159 annual payment.
AIBU to think that, considering so many people since Covid have found themselves in financially difficult times, it is really unfair of the BBC/TV licencsing people not to be offering affordable payment options for those wishing to purchase a license? I actually feel so angry. We do not have £159 to give up front and to be able to do so would mean other bills going unpaid, less food in the shopping for the next couple of months or going into a overdraft that charges interest.
Interested to know others' thoughts on this because right now I want to fire off a stinking complaint to them.

It makes no sense at all that the fee should have to be paid upfront, maybe when it was first introduced perhaps but certainly not nowadays with all the electronic payment options available. If every other streaming service can set up easy monthly payments that you can cancel when required why can't the BBC?

I also begrudge paying it because it is such poor value for money, I can't remember the last time I used a BBC service, possibly a few bitesize lessons last summer.

@Gemma2019

Have you tried starting a new application rather than renewing? Just try with a different email address.

I would suggest this too, new application using a different name and email address

I haven't paid for a TV licence in about 17 years. It was dvd's before streaming services came into being, but now I pay for Netflix, prime and disney+ and probably pay more in total than the cost of a TV licence but I get more value for money this way, imo. And no hassle when/if I end a subscription.

I had a series of threatening letters from them recently about not having a licence. They would have been really scary if I didn't already know my rights. Bastards.

@ScottishNewbie

We stopped ours about a year ago and would never go back to it. I won't support an organization that bullies elderly people and makes misleading threats on letters. They are absolutely disgusting and I can't believe the way they carry on is legal.

Sorry, rant over lol

God, same.

After the way they spoke to me via letter when I HAD A LICENCE, saying stuff like ‘we will come over. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but we will be there’ I cancelled it permanently and will never, ever purchase a BBC license again. Can’t believe they’re allowed to behave the way they do. They appall me.

@ChangePart1

Yup! Total bullies. They make me rage!
I'm normally quite easygoing, but not about this.

@Gemma2019

When my in laws died their house was empty so I cancelled the license. I've honestly never seen anything like the amount of letters received from TV Licensing. The amount they must spend on admin is insane. Had several cards put through the letterbox too from missed visits.

I occasionally get a scam email from ‘TV Licensing’ telling me my payment has failed and I need to give them my bank details again . I know it’s a scam email though because they’re not nearly threatening or persistent enough to be the BBC.

We've never had a tv license and never watched bbc channels. We don't even have a tv screen thing or whatever you call them. Just a family netflix account for laptop and to be honest we love watching independent creators' videos on youtube! I can't be asked to log on and say we don't have one as I find their letters that seem to assume I would have a tv quite amusing. They are more than welcome to waste their money sending someone out to check. I don't think many of my friends my age (under 30) would bother with one.

@HOkieCOkie

Ok thank you *@TheQueef* I tend to record on the sky box and watch later. But I guess I do need a license for that.

Yep, you need a licence if you watch or record something when it is broadcast, on any channel. This is a clear explanation www.which.co.uk/reviews/televisions/article/tv-licence-explained-a4ROt3S92d24

Really?

Some neighbours of mine were fined £200 a few years ago

Last year, they got done again and were fined £1,000! The husband tried to tell the court that they never watched BBC channels, but he was still found guilty.

Well it's no surprise they were handed the maximum fine if they were caught for the second time in a few years. The wording is a fine of "up to" £1000, which is why I replied to the original post explaining that it is very rarely a fine of that amount, and more often than not no fine at all.

Do you need a license if you watch itv/channel 4 etc. I have sky and Netflix and prime. I think 159 is crazy money to charge ppl

Technically no, but the Government saw the writing on the wall with regards to Sky and various subscription services looking into offering packages which did not include the BBC to attract people who did not wish to pay the licence fee. The government then legislated to ensure that all means of delivering live TV in the UK also include the BBC by default, essentially meaning that in order to watch ANY live TV you must have a TV licence because you will also be in receipt of a service which offers BBC content.

It's an absolute sham that serves no other purpose that to prop up the ridiculously outdated licencing scheme. Fortunately the BBC's charter expires in 2027 and already there is talk that the licence fee scheme is no longer remotely justifiable.

@Bbub

Just don't get one and watch what you want. Enough tips on here to get away with it. The licence fee is just a robbery, they are the ones who are morally in the wrong here IMO.

There's rather a large element of robbery in freeloaders being subsidised by those who do pay for a licence. Fair enough if you don't use the service but if you do you should pay for it.

The OP should be allowed to pay monthly of course.

Reminds me of when I moved house 18 months ago. I didn't cancel my monthly DD so all payments were being made perfectly. Logged onto their website to change my address and it was trying to charge me an admin fee for doing so. Calling them on the phone just got me into a loop and eventually the call would cut off

So thought fuck this shit and did nothing. After all, I was paying.

The letters I received were hilarious. So so many of them. I had numerous visits - one from a bloke who said he was window cleaner and just did a spot of work for tv licensing when he needed extra money and ' I don't give a shit if you're paying or not'

Eventually one turned up and I said my usual ' either change my address free of charge or go' and he just did it. So that was the end of it

But I've never known anything like it. 19 quid they wanted to do a change of address. For no reason I could fathom.

Are you sure you were actually on the core correct TV licence website? That sounds really odd, and like a scam.

We have moved and changed address several times, no 'admin fee' was ever mentioned.

I'm perpetually amazed that they haven't linked iPlayer accounts to TV licencing, so you can only login if you've paid your license fee. Just like Netflix etc.

I might actually cough up if they did that.

I'm perpetually amazed that they haven't linked iPlayer accounts to TV licencing, so you can only login if you've paid your license fee. Just like Netflix etc.

Well that would require them to make changes and actually put some effort into their streaming platform. It's much easier to live in the past and just send about a million angry letters.

@Pemba yep - definitely on the right one. And we'd only moved 1.5 miles down the road.

I stopped my direct debit to them when I turned 70 and have no intention of renewing it. I have been sent letters which I put into the bin. I do not subsidize organizations which break their word.

On the off chance it applies to anyone reading if you are 75+ and receive Pension Credit you can still get a free licence.

Araminta sorry, but I think you were almost scammed. Have a look on here:

forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/2399568/16-50-to-change-address-for-tv-licence

This is the official website:

www.tvlicensing.co.uk/cs/update/multiple-changes/index.app

However, luckily you didn't pay the dodgy site anything!

@Royalbloo

You still need a TV licence if you have the ability to watch live TV.

No, you need a licence if you watch live tv.

@DeathByWalkies

I'm perpetually amazed that they haven't linked iPlayer accounts to TV licencing, so you can only login if you've paid your license fee. Just like Netflix etc.

I might actually cough up if they did that.

I can't understand why they don't do that. It would be astonishingly easy for them to ensure only licence holders use their service.

No, you need a licence if you watch live tv

Correct.

The ability to watch live TV is immaterial. The wording of the legislation is quite specific, and says "if you watch, or intend to watch".

Simply owning a TV, laptop, tablet, phone, and having a TV aerial or internet connection does not mean you have to purchase a TV licence.

I can't understand why they don't do that. It would be astonishingly easy for them to ensure only licence holders use their service

iPlayer also permits radio listening and viewing S4C content, which you do no require a licence for.

You can watch iplayer without a tv licence, just click yes you have a licence and don't let any tv licence inspectors into your home or sign any paperwork they bring with them.

I'm perpetually amazed that they haven't linked iPlayer accounts to TV licencing, so you can only login if you've paid your license fee. Just like Netflix etc

Dc had my BBC iPlayer app on their devices long after I’d stopped paying the license fee. Unbeknownst to me they had been watching some CBBC programs, they then emailed me some time after to say “we notice you’ve been using the app without a license”. I was quite surprised that the app had that capability. I do think it will be implemented in years to come.

@SpaceRaiders I read somewhere that those emails are totally random