To think TV licensing are complete bullies?

[dabbydeedoo]

I went online and said I didn't need a TV licence because I don't watch live TV (I don't). I then received a letter telling me someone would be round to check, and they could apply for a search warrant from the court if I didn't let them in.

Is it just me or is this absolutely ludicrous? We're in a pandemic and I have absolutely no intention of letting someone into my flat. And even if I did, what exactly are they going to do? I have a TV connected to my laptop that I use for watching streaming services and YouTube. Completely legal, but how on earth can they prove I don't watch TV on it?

It feels so bullying and scammy!

@Royalbloo I was a 19 year old in a nightgown. I wasn’t so much lovely, more just terrified a man walked into my flat without asking! I was obviously just scared. Whilst I appreciate the difficulties, it was way out of order and intimidating at the time

TheViewFromTheCheapSeats that actually sounds horrid x x x

Looking at the big picture, TV Licensing get more and more influence over people's lives every day, as more people ditch their TV Licences (quite legitimately).

There are now around 4 million unlicensed addresses and TV Licensing says that they are sending around 36 million enforcement letters. For reasons we can only speculate about, no one in the media wants to ask the simple and obvious question as to why fewer than 4m households are receiving 3m letters per month? And that's before we get into the question of what the letters say.

Can we have a bit of peace and love, please? We've deleted a number of personal attacks which break our Talk Guidelines and derail threads. Please bear our guidelines in mind when posting, thanks.

❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Thank you MNHQ x

@CornucopiaTVLR
Thank you
Good post

@CounsellorTroi

Finding it hard to believe none of you watch live sport... No football, tennis or Olympics? Or news?

No Royal weddings/funerals? No six nations rugby? No parliamentary coverage? No Springwatch/Autumnwatch?

Nope, none of it.

Of course, the difference between the BBC and the independent channels is, the independent channels are not required to be unbiased, whereas the BBC are.

[quote Tommika]@daimbarsatemydogsbone

• I don't have to write to DVLA to tell them I don't need a driving licence

Though you do have to write to DVLA telling them that you don’t use your car on the road[/quote]
But you don't have to tell them, if you don't own a vehicle.

Likewise, you don't have to tell the police you don't need a gun licence.

Similarly, you don't have to tell the NRA you don't need a rod licence.

Also, you don't have to tell the CAA you don't need a pilots licence.

Not only do you not have to inform other agencies that you have no need of their various licences, but (possibly more importantly) they never falsely claim or imply that you do.

@DriftingBlue

As an outsider, it boggles my mind that tv licenses make more sense than just wrapping the payment into the general tax. So much money is being wasted on licensing and enforcement. Wouldn’t it be easier and cheaper all around to just make it a line item in the government budget and possibly raise everyone’s taxes by an infinitesimal amount in the process.

What else could we put on general taxation?

Fishing licences?

Pilots Licences?

You don't fly a plane or fish?

What's that got to do with it?

[quote Cascascascas]@dabbydeedoo

It’s good value for money.
Pay it.[/quote]
A holiday in Spain is also good value for money, but I'm not going to pay for one, and not travel to Spain.

*Finding it hard to believe none of you watch live sport... No football, tennis or Olympics? Or news?

No Royal weddings/funerals? No six nations rugby? No parliamentary coverage? No Springwatch/Autumnwatch?*

No to any of that, zero interest in Royal weddings, funerals or rugby. News I have always preferred reading, ditto prefer reading hansard to parliamentary coverage.
Sports im interested in, skating and American college football, I watch on demand after the fact because of the time difference or just the highlights on youtube.

@littlejalapeno

Imagine content creators wanting to be paid for their time and effort. How about you pay the licence for using the service and then they won’t have to waste everyone’s time chasing you?

But the OP isn't using the service. Why should she have to pay for a licence when she doesn't legally or morally need one?

And even if she was watching ITV or live sport on one of the streaming channels (which she isn't), why should she pay the BBC when they don't employ the content creators of the stuff she'd hypothetically be watching?

I get those threatening letters periodically. I just recycle them, I still haven't had a visit.

I got a visit six months ago as I hadnt been able to renew my license due to being in hospital. The woman was very agressive and acting like she had some authority. The guy just stood there.
I was told I could be fined or prosecuted. Subsequeny the following month got a letter for £50 fine. Still not payed it. The legal system is in disarray thanks to covid So im pretty confident im not going to jail.

@OnlyCans

I've actually just remembered that years ago we went to buy a tv from Aldi/Lidl. They said they needed to see our tv licence. They wouldn't sell it to us when we said we didn't have one. Thought we were lying.

I'm amazed that Aldi had the time to ask you the question, in between throwing chicken wire and MIG welders at you.

Finding it hard to believe none of you watch live sport... No football, tennis or Olympics? Or news?

No Royal weddings/funerals? No six nations rugby? No parliamentary coverage? No Springwatch/Autumnwatch?"

We don't watch any sports at all. What is six Nations rugby. DH and I read guardian and FT and economist for news, we pay for a subscription to the latter 2. Parliamentary coverage is honestly painful to watch with bojo, I can barely bear the snippets on YouTube. What is springwatch or autumn watch? Is it about the weather?and why would I watch the royals????their lives have no relevance to mine.

6 nations is shared between BBC and ITV I tend to watch in the pub.
I'm currently enjoying the autumn nations on amazon prime.
The BBC can't even hang onto the decent sport any more.
Royal stuff is shown on every bloody channel so that's another nope.
And I'm sure that most people get their news from elsewhere these days. Who has time to sit and watch the 6 o'clock news when everyone carries a smartphone?
Even before smartphones I read newspapers rather than watch TV
The BBC is a fossil that needs shaking up, I can't think of anything that would make me subscribe to it with all the low quality wokey bollocks it keeps chucking out