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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to close the door in the tv licence man's face?

80 replies

Upwind · 22/05/2009 13:07

we moved house just before our DD was born a few months ago. I remember my DH saying he would sort out the tv licence transfer, but can't be certain that he actually did, and can't reach him at work today.

We live in a flat and our buzzer rang a few minutes ago. They man had a heavy foreign accent and refused to say why he was calling, but kept repeating "just open the door".

So I didn't let him in. But one of my neighbours must have because he started knocking on our door a few minutes later. I was feeding DD and assumed it was a novice salesman or wrong address so did not hurry to let them in. He kept knocking aggressively.

When I did open the door, I felt rattled. I did not think to ask for ID and was not offered any. I told him that my DH looks after the TV licence and would sort it out. He demanded my personal details very insistently. I closed the door in his face and now suspect that was a mistake Will obviously sort out licence today... but was I unreasonable?

OP posts:
ilovesprouts · 22/05/2009 14:28

tv men are suposed to carry id at all the times weve just been fined and our licence is up to date and now i got a fine for £425 and im not going to pay it

junglist1 · 22/05/2009 14:34

You should have shut the door ON his face.

womma · 22/05/2009 14:36

Sprouts-how the divil can they fine you if your licence is up to date ?

BalloonSlayer · 22/05/2009 14:46

I remember working with a man who didn't have a telly. He wasn't interested in TV.

(This was also years before you could get TV on your PC.)

He experienced continual harrassment - by phone and letter - from the TV Licensing people.

He longed for someone to come round to him so that he could prove he didn't have a set, but they never would.

So I am another vote for the "they don't come round" camp.

Tortington · 22/05/2009 14:56

do they get a bonus for x amount of non payers they catch?

i can't imagine being so passionate about chasing someone for money

mumeeee · 22/05/2009 15:00

There are detector Vans. DD1 saw one once when she was living in halls.

hellywobs · 22/05/2009 15:04

No you're not being unreasonable. And even if you haven't transferred the licence they are still getting their money, you wouldn't get prosecuted, just told off. And a magistrate wouldn't convict.

I didn't think they fined you, I thought they prosecuted. Ilovesprouts, are you sure the fine is legitimate (I mean, it's not correct if you've paid it, but is it actually from them - could be a scam).

FAQinglovely · 22/05/2009 15:55

most of their income comes from "selling" licences - cash payments earn the biggest bonus, then quarterly direct debits, then monthly and lowest for the Cash Easy Card things. They have to get so many sales per month to actually qualify for the bonus though. Basic salary is about 12k - which considering the abuse (both verbal and physical) they get itsn't that great.

If they do well with the sales then it can be much more lucrative that that though.

Mind you their "working" hours is only calculated by the number of hours they've spent visiting, all the paperwork (and there's absolutely loads) is unpaid.

ilovesprouts · 22/05/2009 15:58

i dont know but they did and they are supposed to be looking into it dh going to c.a.b.

ilovesprouts · 22/05/2009 16:05

i always pay my tv every week ,i answerd the door tv in dh name they even got my d.o.b wrong next thing i get a letter to say i been fined but they did promise to sort it and im still waiting makes me as i know lots of people where i live with no tv licence

JenniPenni · 22/05/2009 16:35

We get continual demands from the country we lived in SEVEN YEARS AGO to pay the TV license... we have told them over and over we don't live there ie: we haven't been watching TV there! ... and they say we need to go to their HO (abroad!!!), and show our passports as proof we've been living abroad...

JenniPenni · 22/05/2009 16:35

ps: UK TV license paid ;)

Ripeberry · 22/05/2009 16:45

You did the right thing. If i had someone that knocked aggresively on my door and just told me to "Open the door" then i would be so scared!
Did you not have a chain on the door? He could have been anyone.
Defo report him!

Tee2072 · 22/05/2009 16:46

When I first moved here from the US the whole TV License thing fascinated me. Now I just think its stupid.

When DH and I moved into our first flat, we bought a TV License like good little people. And then the letters began. Because they had our address listed as 33 - 35 Our Street and our building was actually 37 - 39 Our Street. 33 - 35 was an empty lot! I think DH rang them about 10000 times before they got the picture.

And the letters did threaten that someone would be around to check. Made it sound like a large man with a baseball bat would come beat us up if we had a TV and no license.

I think BBC should be funded the way PBS is in the States. Pledge drives and donations.

kickassangel · 22/05/2009 17:14

but the BBC is one of the best broadcasters in the world. personally, i would HATE to see it linked to advertising & i don't think people appreciate just how valuable it is. without the bbc, vast numbers of other sompanies would have no news to show. i know some people don't watch much news, but can you imagine if more than 50% of ALL news programmes ceased to exist, how would people know what is happening?

we live in the US, and a lot of the local news here is indirectly from the bbc, and some is even just entire bbc programmes played out locally.

it might be better if it was just one of the things that taxes covered, but an indpendent corporation that has political influence globally, is very important, and should not be overlooked.

blimey, i feel like sending them a donation now, i've convinced myself so well.

changer22 · 22/05/2009 17:29

Grr to TV licensing. Long rant warning....

We moved house, rang the TV license people, and gave them our new address. The man said that we showed up as 2 or 3 addresses (we are a barn conversion with various similar addresses used by Royal Mail, the council, etc.) but he said he would put a note on the system to say we are one and the same. He said they didn't issue new licenses and to ignore any demanding letters that we might receive.

Of course, we have received loads of aggressive 'pay now or else' letters. Then the bailiff letters started so DH phoned and they said again, yes we were all paid up, note on the system, ignore letters... All to no avail.

I am 40 weeks pregnant. Surely this is simply harrassment as I can't see a way to stop it. If a bailiff turns up I am very tempted to call the police. DH is here on standby (for the baby) and I can cope anyhow (if a bit hormonal!) but I wonder how my aged parents would cope with such a situation?

FAQinglovely · 22/05/2009 17:56

Milly - you're misunderstanding - they will have roughly 60 a visits a day to do.

Of those many will be empty properties, or buildings that are still building sites. Then there will be those that have got a license between the visits being produced on the system and the licence being issued.

Quite often they'll visit homes where there is no licence - and they admit to having a TV they watch, but are unable to get the "sale" on that day. However unless they actually say no I'm NOT going to get a licencse there's nothing can be done - it's only if they refuse point blank to get one things can get taken further.

They probably have 40 out of those visits actually open the door to them. Very few people they visit who aren't recorded as not having a licence are actually non-TV watchers.

They are very much in the minority.

Kiwinyc · 22/05/2009 18:09

YANBU. These people have no legal right to enter your home and you cannot be fined unless you admit yourself and they prove you have a TV connected to and are receiving BBC broadcasts.

The only way they can enter you home to get evidence that this is the case is to get a warrant. And there is no way that a TV license inspector could get a warrant to enter a home for this circumstance.

Detector Vans are a load of bull. Ever seen inside one? Ever had explained how their technology works to detect your TV out of thousands of others?

I hate the way the requirement to pay your TV license is enforced by myth and intimidation in this country. You're all being totally sucked in, seriously.

Ivykaty44 · 22/05/2009 18:16

these people can give you all the advice on your rights that you need

YANBU and you certainly did the right thing

FAQinglovely · 22/05/2009 18:45

I don't know how the detector vans work - but they DO. My parents got caught (sort of) years ago by one - LONG before the "database" came into being. We had a tiny 5 inch TV used as a computer monitor upstairs in my parents bedroom - someone (me I think ) had tuned it in and were watching it upstairs and they came knocking on the door. Thankfully the downstairs of my parents house made it clearly evident that there was no TV in there (no space LOL) and they left us to it.

DH used to (until very recently) work for them, firstly as a sales officer, and then in a different department within TVL - they definitely do exist, they do (occasionally) get used, how they work - well that's only in the knowledge of those that work in that department. All he knew about the actual workings is that the advent of cable TV has lessened their effectiveness .

FAQinglovely · 22/05/2009 18:46

"you have a TV connected to and are receiving BBC broadcasts. "

ermm - not just BBC broadcasts any live TV broadcast.

and ivy - I'm not sure that's quite the link you meant to send us to

Kiwinyc · 22/05/2009 21:32

Doesn't in any way negate my point that fear, myth and intimidation are the methods used to enforce this legislation.

You are also free to watch any non-live broadcast without a license i.e. anything on BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, Channel 4?s 4 On Demand and 5?s Demand 5.

Basically, its unforceable, which is why they have to resort to such underhand methods to scare you getting one.

FAQinglovely · 22/05/2009 21:34

well yes - unless ou want to risk getting a fine - and people do get fined - regularly.

FAQinglovely · 22/05/2009 21:36

and actually if fear is being used then they should be reported to TVL who DO take reports seriously - DH once got his knuckles rapped

a) because he was "acting suspicioiusly" - parking his car up, knocking on doors, and then getting back in

b) because a woman didn't like the fact he knocked on the door when she was bathing the kids

The vast majorit of SO's are perfectly reasonable people - and it' the bad eggs that no-one reports that gives everyone else a bad name.

steviesgirl · 22/05/2009 23:42

You should have done this

here!

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