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Original poster

Advice needed on harassment(?) from TV Licensing

29 replies

pallymama · 23/09/2010 19:55

Over the last year we have had several bouts of threatening letters, followed by visits, from TV Licensing. Our home was originally a house, but when we bought it, it was split into two flats. We have since converted it back to a house again, and we informed TV Licensing immediately, along with the local council etc. We have always had a valid license for the property; however we keep getting these nasty letters. Every time we get one, I call them up and explain all over again. We have had the property inspected twice, by the same officer. The last session of letters we received started in June, at which point I raised a complaint with the customer service department and told them that I considered this harassment. I had two phone calls back to explain, apologise, and promise that it wouldn?t happen again.
We have just received yet another f**king letter!
Has anyone else been through this or something similar? If so, how did you get them to leave you alone?
Can anyone advise me where we stand legally?

OP posts:

tethersend · 23/09/2010 19:57

Who are the letters addressed to? If to The current occupier, then ignore them.

Tortington · 23/09/2010 19:59

leave it let them take you to court then go to court and tell them they are clearly fuckwitted nobbers

lal123 · 23/09/2010 20:00

Ignore them now. Let them take you to court if they want to.

Original poster

pallymama · 23/09/2010 20:01

tethersend - yes they are, but how do I stop the visits?

Custardo -

OP posts:

thisisyesterday · 23/09/2010 20:01

i would write to the highest person you can write to.

tell them in no uncertain terms that you feel you have done your bit. you have explained the situation on more than one occassion. the house has been inspected
and if you receive another letter/phonecall/visit from them you will call the police and report it as harassment.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 23/09/2010 20:04

Just ignore them. You've given them plenty of information; don't feel any obligation to call them again but shred the letters when they turn up.

nancydrewrocked · 23/09/2010 20:09

Oh god there are reams of threads regarding the fuckwittery of the TV licensing people.

My parents had endless letters and visits from them because (gasp!) they do not own a TV - this is not something the licensing authority can cope with.

Their letters appear to be cyclical - as in they start with a fairly standard request to purchase a license and then quickly escalate to threatening letters. Eventually someone with an ounce of sense intervenes and the matter appears to be dealt with....until they start the cycle again. This appears to be standard practice.

This should be straight forward. presumably they accept that you are not changing the property back and forth between one and two residences on a weekly basis. I would write one last time making it clear that your property has been visited twice. That it has been noted that the property is a single dwelling and you will consider anymore letters or visits to be harrassment.

Then simply throw away letters and refuse to allow the TV licensing people into your home again (they have no right if entry BTW - although they like to pretend they do)

ivykaty44 · 23/09/2010 20:12

I don't have a tv and they were sending me threating letters saying they were going to cvome aroudn to the house.

Well there has been a case localy where a man got into the house saying he was a boiler man and the mother of the teen had sent him - he got in the hosue and raped her.

I telephone the tv licenceing as the letters where getting silly - the man there told me to write back withdrawing consent

so far I have recieved one letter stating they will note my withdraw of consent and then that they still had ways of catching me out ( i don't knwo how as we don't have a tv

so just write a letter as Mrs Blggs and say you withdraw consent for them to visit or write to you and it will stop for three years I am told

Original poster

pallymama · 23/09/2010 20:19

Thank you all for the advice, will definately be sending them a letter as suggested.

OP posts:

LucindaCarlisle · 23/09/2010 20:26

Just ignore the letters.

thisisyesterday · 23/09/2010 20:34

i am really shocked by some of your experiences i have to say

we have a television, but it isn't connected to anything, we can't receive broadcast television. it is only used for dvds and the wii

then we bought our dvd player we got a letter from them saying we'd bought tv related stuff and we need a licence.
we've had one other letter.

that's it. dp spoke to them on the phone and said he'd prefer it if they came to visit so it could be logged.... still waiting!

dutchmanswife · 23/09/2010 20:35

We haven't had a TV license for years, don't watch TV, and we've found the best way to deal with TVL is not to communicate with them at all. We don't respond to their letters and if we get a visit we simply shut the door without speaking to them.

We get letters every month and a visit approximately once a year.

Don't be intimidated by them.

LucindaCarlisle · 23/09/2010 20:52

They make the gestapo look like Sunday School teachers?

whomovedmychocolate · 23/09/2010 20:57

I have had very odd conversations with the TV Licensing people and it transpires that they can only stop the letters/visits for a year and then they start again as it's all automated.

It's fecking stupid.

I invited them to visit when we didn't have a TV but because we live in the arse end of nowhere they didn't bother.

LucindaCarlisle · 23/09/2010 21:00

Write a letter to your MP.

TV Licensing should be abolished.

Write a letter to the Prime Minister and suggest the budget of TV Licensing should be cut by 40%

LucindaCarlisle · 23/09/2010 21:02

Put their letters straight back into the Post Box marked Return to Sender.

ivykaty44 · 23/09/2010 21:22

lucinda - tryed that and they came straight back again...

trumpton · 23/09/2010 21:33

When my father died his bungalow was empty for a long time as it was part of our house ifswim and we kept getting ever increasingly threatening letters. I tried ringing ( crying down the phone ) and writing cross letters . Eventually I wrote in red ink across a letter
" My father is DEAD . He died in April if he comes back to life be assured I will let you know "

Silence ever since. Bastards.

hugglymugly · 23/09/2010 21:35

As others have said, if the letters are incorrectly addressed, i.e. not your name or to either of the previous flat numbers, don't open them, just write "not known at this address" or "incorrect address" and (at your leisure) post them in the nearest post box.

As I understand it, the TV licensing people are not allowed to enter your home without your permission unless they get a Magistrates Court warrant so if one visits and insists on pushing their way in, then phone the police.

As you're being harrassed for a debt you don't owe, I'd suggest taking this to either your local councillor or your MP, along with your current TV licence and maybe some photos to show that your house is now a single dwelling. They'll have heard it all before, probably many times, and probably have a pro-forma letter to fire off at the TV licensing office.

LucindaCarlisle · 23/09/2010 22:01

They are not worth wasting your time discussing things with.
If they have their "facts" wrong just ignore their letters. Do not let them get to you.

Chaotica · 23/09/2010 22:07

I sympathise. I spent a couple of years fending the bastards off because they were convinced that I must have a TV in my office.

MrsGangly · 24/09/2010 14:49

Since leaving home, I have never had a TV so am used to dealing with this.

I think dutchmanswife's approach is quite passive aggressive and unnecessary when these are people just doing their jobs. We might disagree with TV licensing but it is still the law.

I agree though that the letters are very aggressive. I wrote back to them confirming that I didn't have a TV license and complaining about the tone of the letters, which come from the premise that you must be a criminal, and copied it to my MP. He took it up with Michael Grade, on behalf of me and a few other constituents. I then received a letter of apology from Michael Grade and no problems since!

dutchmanswife · 24/09/2010 16:50

They may well be doing their job but neither am I breaking the law and I detest the assumption that I am. I also detest having to prove I am not breaking the law on a routine basis.

Whether I ignore them or allow them access to my home to inspect my TV the out come is the same. They will continue to harrass me.

nancydrewrocked · 24/09/2010 18:06

Agree with dutchmanswife the tone of the letters is appalling.

It assumes you are a criminal and suggests that it is your obligation to prove that you are not.

One letter received by my parents (after repeated correspondance) included the gem you have told us that you do not have a TV license but our experience suggests that despite many respondants telling us this it is not in fact true

Unbelieveable

ivykaty44 · 24/09/2010 18:46

my dad sent a letter back saying that he kept getting tea and biccy;s in as they kept promising to come round but never did

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