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!

Stopped my tv license in March this year after realising we didn’t want any live tv/bbc iplayer the amount of letters I got and phone calls was ridiculous the staff on the other end of the phone asking me if I was sure I understood what live tv was and was I definitely sure I didn’t watch BBC. Then it was so you don't watch Eastenders or the news etc etc naming many programmes

I have just moved address and am waiting for it all to start up again with endless letters and threats of visits because this property needs a license.

My threats are all addressed to read resident. The nicer ones let me know to stop it all I have to do is to let them know I don't need one. To do this they need my name. The cannot even get this from the voting register as I'm not on the public one. When the glorified salesman turned up I would not give my name and let him know I don't buy things from door sales people.

@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?

This! Also “excited students” will be at least 17 years old and hopefully unscarred by the discovery they have to pay to view content. There will be few who haven’t already got subscriptions to x,y,z. It doesn’t only apply to live viewing. It applies to BBC iPlayer.

I live outside the U.K. and pay for a TV licence using my last address in the U.K. I listen to radio and podcasts more than I watch the TV content but im more than happy to support it financially.

The BBC is not beyond criticism but in an era of Fox News and internet experts it has some excellent journalism and content that I think we would miss were it to disappear. Not to mention the nurturing of writers, drama and comedy. So many famous names got their start on BBC Radio 4 before porting to BBC2 late TV slots, then BBC1 and the world beyond.

I wish they hadn’t cut their World Service local language provision as much as they have but then people like the OP would vehemently disagree I’m sure.

Don't worry, they never turn up. I just fill in the form every 2 years online and have done so for many years. I just don't think their content is worth the money. I don't object to pay for content and therefore I have Amazon Prime, Netflix and Disney+. BBC just don't compete. I don't have time to watch iplayer.

I have no idea why people keep banging on about the iplayer. Just delete it. I did and never missed it.

@ShaneTheThird

You have to pay to watch YouTube as well. It's scandalous.

Hahaha

It should be illegal to lie like that to get people's money

Generally speaking it is illegal to lie to con folk out of money, but governments appreciate having a mouthpiece paid for by someone else, so the lying will continue

Trouble is, because of the reputation these "inspectors" have, the job actively attracts knuckle-draggers. Fortunately PPs have given plenty of detail on how to deal with it

It's the threatening tone much more than the reason for the letter. And the assumption that everyone has a tv and watches BBC or iplayer.

YANBU. With them it seems to be guilty until proven innocent. My SIL does not own, and never has, owned a telly. She still gets letters telling her they know she doesn't have a license!

@daimbarsatemydogsbone

the TV licence needs to be enforced where applicable as it is a tax

People who need a licence should pay for one, but it certainly isn't a tax - where on earth did you get that from?

It’s a tax on receiving TV, required by law In my opinion it has always been a tax, but since 2006 it has been officially classified as a tax following review by the ONS - it’s not a subscription such as Sky & Virgin, but a requirement whether you use specific services funded by the licence or not. If you fall under the criteria of the licence fee then it is due

It used to be paid to the government, covering TVs & radios and the government would then fund the BBC, Channel 4 (governed by rules on providing educational broadcasting etc)

Channel 4 chose to stop taking their licence fee share topping up their advertising income to free themselves from the rules on content
S4C still take a share of the fee

Love the advert that popped up for me on this thread!

I agree we didn't watch bbc for years. Yet we paid as we were sick of trying to prove that we didn't watch it.... It wasn't good value for money.
We do watch it a little more now

Paragraph 22 onwards :

“The licence fee as a tax”

publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldselect/ldbbc/128/128i.pdf

I found they're a lot easier to deal with if you ring them up.

Also, in my experience (of about 30 years of living in a house with no TV licence - we had one briefly about 2 years ago but found we didn't watch enough to make it worth it) they almost never do come round. There's been one visit in that 30 years, which was to my parents' house when I was a toddler.

@MoneyConfused

Just don’t let them in if they do turn up.

I'm not sure you quite understand how a warrant works.

@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?

Did you miss the part where I don't watch TV? Why should I be bullied into paying for a service I don't use or want?

Are people getting these letters after filling in the declaration?

We heard a lot of horror stories but filled this in, admittedly at the height of the pandemic, and had no issues...so far....

www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence

I cancelled ours in Feb. Got an email confirmation which says it’s valid for 2 years. Not heard a peep from them apart from that
Do the letters / visits come when you don’t have one / don’t declare you don’t need one?

We didn’t have one for four years. They sent letters, I rang them once a year to say it’s still the same shite and we don’t watch it. We only got a licence because dh wanted the F1 races.

When we used iplayer again after 4 years the same old programs were still being shown 🙄

"You don’t need a TV Licence to watch videos or clips on demand on YouTube.

But you DO need a TV Licence if you watch TV programmes live on YouTube. An example of this would be watching Sky News live. But it isn’t just live news or sport which needs a licence – it’s any programme which is part of a TV channel, broadcast or transmitted for everyone to watch at the same time."

From their site.

I don’t get why people find the letters so ‘threatening’. If you know you don’t need a license then just ignore them. I don’t understand the outrage. 🤷🏻‍♀️ There are loads of people who don’t pay their tv licenses so it’s not surprising that the tv licence people want to catch them.
It’s similar to seeing ‘shoplifters will be prosecuted’ signs in shops. I know I’m not a shoplifter so I just ignore them.

What? The Mother f*ckers! I was told I needed one for Prime and Netflix which is literally all we watch. I couldn’t tell you the last time we put broadcast TV on or even tried to sign into I player…. Rage

No this is absolutely not bullying. It's shameful to suggest it is.

That's crap. Corporate bullying is exactly what it is. "Shameful" is still watching the BBC and allowing these people to carry on as they are.

I cancelled my TV licence 3 years ago and sent in the wanky online form, screenshotted it and then had to repeat the process every six months as they just write to you anyway.

Their letter is worded exactly as if it came from a bunch of cheap and inefficient debt collectors. It's threatening, intimidating and unnecessary.

The BBC is just another corrupt English institution that needs putting out of its misery.

If the OP doesn't watch or record live TV or use BBC IPlayer then of course she doesn't need a TV licence so why on earth would she get one? Don't understand at all the pp who has a licence despite living abroad. I thought you couldn't access IPlayer outside the UK?

And yes of course people are often bullied or harassed when they legitimately don't need a licence. It's well known.

More and more younger people seem to be not watching broadcast TV. The BBC don't seem to accept this, but they will need to change their business model somehow as in the future they will no longer be able to rely on licence fee income.

@LightDrizzle yes I do disagree. It's biased programming and I have zero interest in watching it. Just because you like it doesn't mean everyone else has to. I pay for content I want to watch, just like you do.

@DontBeCatty

I don’t get why people find the letters so ‘threatening’. If you know you don’t need a license then just ignore them. I don’t understand the outrage. 🤷🏻‍♀️ There are loads of people who don’t pay their tv licenses so it’s not surprising that the tv licence people want to catch them. It’s similar to seeing ‘shoplifters will be prosecuted’ signs in shops. I know I’m not a shoplifter so I just ignore them.

I think they're intentionally vague around the rules for tv licenses which is what worries people.