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!

They spent months writing me threatening letters when I actually had a tv license 🤣🤣 it was the last one I bought too. Every time a letter would arrive , I would call them and tell them that I had a valid license. It seemed that they just enjoyed wasting time and money sending these letters.

@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

@Cowpad
Well put 😂

I haven't had a licence in years, always declared online. Ever since I lived a year abroad and didn't miss live TV for a second. I own a TV though, attached to my PS4 and nothing else. I'm not sure how to get it on live TV! I realise now I've never set up a TV to watch, always lived in places with it set up until I stopped paying the licence.

I watch Amazon, get Netflix for a month twice a year or so just for a change. Watch DVDs on the PS4 or laptop, youtube, Twitch. So many other places to watch than just the BBC. I do wish Netflix was better in the UK though, it's rough finding anything on it to watch.

My big fuss was daring to a buy a TV after years of declaring not needing a licence. I got it for the PS4! Suddenly started getting a letter a week for ages, you declared you don't need a licence but you have a TV! How dare you! You must be watching TV! Give us money! Nope, nothing changed, I'm still not paying for something I don't use.

@SirenSays

Maybe this is a daft question. Can someone explain why and how the BBC are entitled to this money? If its about BBC content creators being paid fairly that's fine, but if I watch a show from ITV why would BBC creators be entitled to anything?

If I watched live sports or news on YouTube, amazon prime..and it's not being shown on a BBC channel, how are they entitled to any of that cash?

The BBCs licence to operate and under their charter are required to provide certain types of content - and also to not place commercial advertising in between programmes

Channel 4 was funded via the licence fee and also was required to provide similar content. It had a balance of advertising and public funding. They eventually opted to withdraw from public funding to remove the obligations

S4C still takes public funding from the licence fee, and also has obligations from that funding

Isn't an element of it to also provide the infrastructure in terms of analogue signals which other stations would/could use? Regardless of whether they watch bbc, people watching other terrestrial channels (and freeview?) via their aerial will still need access to a infrastructure?

I mean I rarely watch bbc, I don't believe that they are as impartial as they used to be in their reporting etc however I do have a licence.

What I object to is the tone and hounding from the licence people.

@TurnUpTurnip

Oh ok i thought it flagged you up on the system for a visit as whilst I still get letters I don’t get visits anymore. another thing I remember but we are going back years but did you use to have to prove you had a license before buying a tv? I remember when I first left home and Argos wouldn’t sell me a tv unless I gave them my address to prove I had a license, I gave them my mums address but I had just moved out and didn’t have one as I only bought the tv to play PlayStation on.

This didn’t prove to Argos that you had a licence, but they had to collect the data for the licensing service. If that address didn’t have a licence and you purchased equipment capable of receiving TV transmissions then they would know

@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.

Then you get more complaints of “I don’t watch so why should I” pay for others

And government being responsible again - after they offloaded TV licence collection to the BBC
It becomes the nasty government again instead of the nasty BBC & Capita for the contract to do it

@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?

No.

I like the royals, but do not enjoy weddings of anyone. I have no interest in funerals of people I do not know.

I don't like sport. Any sport.

I get extremely irritated and stressed by any parliamentary coverage so avoid it at all costs.

What springwatch/ autumwatch? I've never seen it but it doesn't sound like something that would interest me.

I watch very little. I prefer browsing the internet, reading and playing board games. When we do watch, its box sets and films, and we have Netflix for that.

We have a TV licence, but I honestly cannot tell you when I last watched live TV. We watch bake off on catch up. We don't have any TVs hooked up to aeriels.

Springwatch and Autumn watch are a nature programme with live coverage of birds nests, badger setts etc. They are quite popular.

Have to admit we don’t watch THAT much live TV but we do like our rugby and football, Strictly, David Attenborough, and make use of IPlayer to watch things like Pointless and QI.

This is a feminist issue. Women are more likely to be at home during the day and are socialised to open the door and let inspectors in, so women are massively over-represented in fines and prosecutions. In 2019, 73% of all prosecutions for TV licence fee evasion were against women, despite women only accounting for 49% of licence holders and around 1/3 of all women's convictions are for TV licence evasion.

@KeflavikAirport

This is a feminist issue. Women are more likely to be at home during the day and are socialised to open the door and let inspectors in, so women are massively over-represented in fines and prosecutions. In 2019, 73% of all prosecutions for TV licence fee evasion were against women, despite women only accounting for 49% of licence holders and around 1/3 of all women's convictions are for TV licence evasion.

Yeah well we need to stop oversocialising women to open doors to strangers.

There are a lot of people (women) on here who think it's rude and strange not to open doors to people.

I had to tell my mum and MIL to stop being so polite to doorstep callers and phone callers - that's when you get scammed.

I never open the door to people unless I'm expecting something or someone. I peer through the spyhole and see who it is but I don't open it. I don't think it's rude not to answer. I think it's more rude to turn up announced at someone's home! I have a lot of online meetings for work and I'm not always able to answer the door and chat to someone.

When I was a student we bought a licence as we did watch TV.

For the whole year, we received threatening letters telling us we needed a licence, despite having the paperwork to prove that in fact, we DID have one.

They are awful.

I've never had a TV licence, genuinely don't use a TV and live services but it's got harder over the years to prove now we have computers and mobile phones.

Had one visit about 20 years ago which we let them in to see as it was easy then. No TV. No service lol.

Generally you up date them every few years and you get the threatening letters until you do the next update. They say they may visit. Which is fine if you aren't using the services but I have to triple check these days we are still eligible.

@Tumbleweed101

I've never had a TV licence, genuinely don't use a TV and live services but it's got harder over the years to prove now we have computers and mobile phones.

Had one visit about 20 years ago which we let them in to see as it was easy then. No TV. No service lol.

Generally you up date them every few years and you get the threatening letters until you do the next update. They say they may visit. Which is fine if you aren't using the services but I have to triple check these days we are still eligible.

That's the thing, what's even the point of someone coming in? Yes, there's a TV, so what? Can't prove I use it to watch live TV on, can they?

I agree they are bullies - I get regular letters which go straight into recycling.

I've yet to receive a visit.

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

Finland gave up tv licenses and now it is a media tax. At least we've gotten rid of the licence police but in return everyone has to pay this egardless if they have a TV.

@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?

Why should they pay for something they don't want, or use?

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.

@Time40

It's not nice, but don't worry about it, OP - they are very unlikely to turn up. My partner has been getting these letters for years and years. The letters follow a routine: they get nastier and nastier, until the point where they are more or less threatening to break your door down and drag you screaming to court ... and then the cycle starts again with the first letter. Nothing ever actually happens.

I've had over a hundred letters, and they don't even know my name, let alone had me in court.

Bonkers isn't it?
How about paying for the service if you want it?

So easy to make it something you need a password to access.

Those that think it's so fantastic will be happy to subscribe. The rest of us can choose to watch other content.

You are not being unreasonable - the letters are written with the express intention to harass and mislead, and that is simply unacceptable.

However, if you read most TV Licensing letters carefully (and with a knowing wink) you'll see that they very often aren't as threatening as they initially appear.

Am I allowed to post my own content here? I have a video that covers this in an amusing way.

It is perfectly legitimate to go Licence Free and just as @dabbydeedoo did - go online and declare this status. But please do not bend the rules if you don’t watch Live TV or use the I-Player then it is fine
So just to clarify there are lots of online resources with advice I do not hesitate to recommend ChilliJonCarne YouTube Channel

And also the TVL resistance Forum if you have any questions or unsure about anything Lots of correct information out there

@CornucopiaTVLR
thank you
And I have recommended also ChilliJon