Anyone else receiving letters threatening visits from TV licensing?

[Newcarforchristmas]

I have a TV license as the kids occasionally watch live TV. I’ve always had a TV license and moved it with us when we moved house in Dec 2022.
For most of the time living here I’ve received letters addressed to ‘The legal occupier’ stating that the address doesn’t have a TV license and every time I have logged on to check its still active, which is has been, and called them to explain the situation. They’re always a bit confused and say they can see my license on the system and it must be an error on their system but not to worry as an agent wouldn’t actually visit.
I’ve just received another letter stating that an agent will be visiting on 15th March and I no longer believe they won’t attend.
I can’t call them until Monday at which point I’m going to stress that they are not to send an agent to my property when I’ve had a license for years but is it only me? Anyone else having this issue?

AIBU to demand they not send an agent? I know it wouldn’t take much for me to physically show them proof but why should I l? I’ve called them 6 or 7 times over this and I’m fed up of explaining it over and over again.

Erm...

The level of aggression on this thread towards people just doing their jobs is quite chilling.

How so?

My personal experience of tv license people has been that they have tried to intimidate, demand entry to my home, exaggerated their authority and power to harass innocent people.

The one who came to my home actually tried to put his foot in the door to prevent my closing the door. He had no right to do so. He had no warrant, no police presence and was abusing his power in an intimidating manner.

Why should I be polite to someone doing these things @WatchandWaitorNot?

@Royalbloo precisely

It's an offence to watch live tv or the bbc iplayer without a licence.
It's not illegal to not have a license. Nor is there any legal requirement to prove you do not need a license.

As pp have said it's a bit like driving a car.

It's illegal to drive without one. But it's not illegal not to have a driving license.

Having written & emailed the licensing people multiple times, explained the situation (their mistake) honestly, pointed to the Post Office database as evidence, and still been subjected to several more years of threats & bullying on their part, frankly they are at fault.

They need to retrain their customer service team, do their job properly and then maybe they wouldn't cause so many people extreme stress.

In my case, a scathing letter to the CEO was the least they deserved.

Erm...

It's an offense to watch live TV or iPlayer without a license.

There is NO LAW saying YOU MUST DECLARE you don't need a license.
There is no regulation to say you must still have a license if you just own a TV.
There is no law saying you must have a license if you're capable of watching broadcast TV.

The ONLY 2 scenarios where you should have a license is if you watch live, as broadcast content or use iPlayer.

That's it. That's the two.

The letters they send are purposefully worded to confuse people and scare people.

As for levels of aggression towards people 'Just Doing Their Jobs' bollocks. There's some jobs only the lowest of the pond scum would ever entertain doing, being employed by Capita Is one one of them.

Do get your TV de-tuned otherwise you have the capability to watch or record TV as it's being broadcast. It's pretty simple really.

98% of households have a TV.

Nonsense.

Makes no difference and that has nothing to do with any law or guidelines or acts.

If you're going to try and put yourself forward as an authority, try to at least know what you're talking about.

It's very clear.

You need a license if you're watching broadcast TV in any channel or if you're using the iPlayer.

THAT IS ALL

Sorry I don't know what's not clear here. What is it you think I'm saying that is incorrect?

I didn't say you need a TV licence if you don't have a TV...but if they visit, and you choose to let them in, and they turn the TV on and it's capable of receiving a live broadcast, you'll be fined.

So you believe the Capita employees can fine you on the spot?

No warrant? No evidence? No prosecution? No court case?

Only a court can issue a fine of that sort. The police have limited powers to serve on the spot fines, but not a private individual from a private company such as Capita.

The capita employee would have to submit their evidence to the court and they would have to decide if you broke the guidelines and deserve a penalty.

Over 92% of prosecutions brought by the BBC end up in the BBC winning but a lot of them are by default as the other party doesn't fight it, ignores the letters, doesn't understand the law, can't afford a solicitor etc.

There's a lot of information about the shady practices of the Capita Goons on line.

Factual and informative wise the BBB is one of the best places to start:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOu1C4wHKjG5pAffSbNB2F7-Wh00IqVCM&si=XeZ2f3wUjkPT55No

Ultimately there's a lot of misinformation and fear mongering by people surrounding the license fee.

The simple truth is:

You don't need to let the Jumped Up salesman in unless they have a warrant.

You don't need to declare no license needed, you can if you wish, but there's no law saying you must.

You need to pay a license to watch LIVE as
broadcast TV (recording it counts as watching)

You need a license to watch iPlayer.

You don't need a license to own a TV.

Didn't say that...

Of course they all go to court but if you have a TV that can receive live broadcasts that's pretty indefensible. I've never seen anyone win that argument. And I've seen a lot.

I don't need to tell you what I do/have done but I know what I'm talking about.

You're arguing with yourself at this point.

No, you said it was a crime not to have a licence or to announce you don't have a licence.

Which is bullshit.

Oh my God, I went through all this TV licence palaver when I was living in the UK in 2003... over 20 years ago! The same letters, the same threats, the same harrassment. I never had a TV. I told them so, wrote to them to confirm, invited them to come to my house and check and gave them the days and times they would find me home. Nothing, they kept sending me harrassing letters and threats.

I cannot really believe this is still happening, and no one has taken these people to court over this behaviour.

Either you need a licence and you have one, or you don’t need one and you don’t have one. Just have that conversation. No need for all the bloody drama.

I really didn't say that...

The onus is on the accuser to prove the law has been broken

Simply having a TV that can recieve live TV is not proof person has been watching live TV

And thinking that that's "indefensible" is a laughable ignorance of how the law works

But this is why Capita have been shown repeatedly to target vulnerable people. Because then they can bulldoze them into thinking they have done something wrong when they havent.

I can well believe you have worked for Capita and think you do know what you are talking about though

Let's see what you did say then shall we?

Sausage said:
You don’t see anything wrong with sending deeply threatening letters with no legal basis, or sending private sector heavies round to people’s houses to intimidate them?! “The law” doesn’t require anyone to declare that they don’t need a TV licence.

RoyalBloo said:
No legal basis? It's a crime...

Sausage said:
Not needing a TV licence is not a crime 🤣

RoyalBloo:
Posted a screenshot from the licensing website.
In an effort to prove themselves right and sausage wrong.

Which only proves Sausage right.

.....

But of course you "know what you're talking about..."

Have a nice day and...
GO.WELL.

Absolutely agree

Men coming around trying to force their way into vulnerable people and women's houses when they have no right to be there should just have a conversation about whether a licence is needed rather than cause a drama forcing their way in

Christ, dragging the Horizon scandal into everything is the new “writing to my MP and the Queen” for the green ink brigade now.

Jesus - too much time on your hands? Columbo haha!

I was referring to them saying they can't send threatening letters with "no legal basis" when there is...

Happy Sunday!

*There is NO LAW saying YOU MUST DECLARE you don't need a license.
There is no regulation to say you must still have a license if you just own a TV.
There is no law saying you must have a license if you're capable of watching broadcast TV. *

This is also my understanding so can't understand why anyone would argue with this.

"I have a TV that can receive live broadcasts but I never watch it" would not stand up in court. You'd need to get it de-tuned.

When you buy a TV the retailer will inform TVL.