Well then brambles, you may want to ring the TV licence number because that was the information they gave me.
TV Licence and iPlayer
- Thread starter Mesquite
- Start date
I don't watch much BBC TV these days either but I do listen to Radio 1, 4 etc and often use the BBC web site so I'm happy to pay the licence fee just for that. In this day and age I don't understand why it's just not funded from central government and we can do away with the licence and the company that enforces it. It's worth remembering if you're in the right, and get chased unnecessarily by the enforcement team, make a complaint and they can and do pay compensation. If more people did that then they might handle things better.
What's that you say, people probably working on commission in a minimum wage call centre who are either ignorant of the law or deliberately misleading people to up their figures? Say it isn't so!
I asked my colleague at the BBC for clarity. He laughed and said on a "confidential note" that it is completely unenforceable under current legislation.
A quick money grab, nothing more.
A quick money grab, nothing more.
Brianist over at UKFree.TV tried to model loads of different ways to pay for a TV/broadcasting service https://ukfree.tv/article/1107052191/BBC_2017_Tell_me_about_the_16_options_to_collect_t , and every single one was a nightmare. A fair number were politically untouchable (Council tax, for instance), were unfair (mobile phone charges, added to utility bills), and some just a waste of time (adding charge to laptop prices, etc).
In fact its very clear that unless you want the BBC to be at the mercy of a government because it will decide how much it gets each year (which nobody wants), you've got to have a system which collects money as much as possible from people who use it, it the most cost effective way (and thats certainly not subscription, the costs of which would be huge). And for now, thats the licence fee. Its not perfect, but like democracy, its the worst system, apart from all the rest.
Because its a universal requirement if you have a TV (and 95% of us have), the costs are relatively low - about 3% in terms of costs to overall revenue (which is pretty good). Costs might have actually fallen as most of us have moved to DD and a PDF licence. The biggest single cost is probably writing to people to remind them to renew, or pursuing people who are dodging it. And apparently the Capita team just send you a polite letter asking if you have a TV. If you dont, then you just say so, and thats largely it. The certainly dont just take you to court immediately.
I suspect the number of people who are asked to pay up when they dont need to (especially now with the law change) is very very low.
In 2014-15, 969,016 letters were written to say that a licence wasn't needed http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/f...cence-fee-AB20 and 'In 2014/15 approximately 3,667,466 TV Licences were purchased by persons in premises which received reminder letters and/or emails'. ' 'In 2013, 178,332 people in England and Wales were proceeded against under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts. 153,369 were found guilty.' https://recombu.com/digital/article/...-myths-busted# . '
Of course the bulk of that 150,000 odd dont go anywhere near a court - its all just paperwork, and they pay up. But evidently people are guilty of something, and that would be that they had a TV, but didn't pay the licence. The Crown doesn't have prove that they watched live TV on it (although I bet they did).
Wait... You have a number???
I thought they did away with it on purpose so they don't have to justify their threats and court summons.
I've looked everywhere on their website , no number.
Can I have it please?
0300 790 6165
That's the number I called. Takes you through to the payment people who can answer questions
That's the number I called. Takes you through to the payment people who can answer questions
Well , I hope your mate is right because as explained earlier , swmbo has a court summons from them even though I cancelled online months ago...
Happy to raise it and feedback if helpful.
I take it your wife has not completed any declaration confirming she has accessed BBC television without a license?
Without a photo of her doing it there is absolutely nothing they can do.
Just for reference I work in consumer advice, hence my interest.
I take it your wife has not completed any declaration confirming she has accessed BBC television without a license?
Without a photo of her doing it there is absolutely nothing they can do.
Just for reference I work in consumer advice, hence my interest.
I know for a fact that this is not the case. They are not polite at all, rather they threaten and treat you as a liar. You're presumed guilty of committing a crime. They visited my home numerous times, different people, all asking the same questions and demanding entry so they could inspect the property.
One caller didn't have his ID on him, so my wife denied him access. Immediately he started to say he would contact the police and force entry to the property, so he was told when he came back with his ID card to prove who he was, he'd be given access.
Sorry to burst any bubbles, but the BBC bully the license fee. They threaten and demand, they intimidate. Hence the reason I ended up just buying a license rather than argue the point. Its all very well for me to make a stand, but my wife was at home with two babies and I was at the other side of the country. It wasn't fair to leave her to deal with these thugs... and that is exactly what they are... thugs demanding their monies whether you use their service or not.
My kids don't tend to watch television, they have no interest in reality television, competitions in dancing, cakes or whatever other rubbish they can think up and its a standing joke in our home that if the theme tune to any of the soap operas comes through the tv speakers, the tv gets turned off immediately.
Future generations will laugh at the license fee in the same way as we scoff at the window tax.
I have to ask her but I don't think she has . She's in bed now though.
She was the license payer for this house a couple of years back , then last year I either renewed or started a new license direct debit (can't remember which way around ) , this time under my name as it was my bank.
This was cancelled early this year , online , and I ripped all receiving equipment out Inc loft aerial the same evening.
No letters , no warnings, no calls or threats for months, last week out of the blue we got a court summons addressed to her with a form for her (as I understand)to fill stating to plead guilty or not and to state if she would attend and if she will have a solicitor...
She said not guilty and no , and no.
I've never been in litigation and can't afford a lawyer, government did away with legal aid a while back now.
It's ridiculous and unnecessary tactics.
Obviously the computer database says she stopped the direct debit and hasn't paid since last year, whilst muggins here has been paying all along.
But the impact of receiving that summons and the anxiety it causes is abrasive and detrimental.
No need ...
Similar thing happened with me being persistently hassled by HMRC around September and April about my self assessment , when Ive been on PAYE since 2012.
According to them I owed them thousands in unpaid penalties, 3 years worth of tax etc.
Threats and red letters. I would try and call, to no avail.
Nobody answered their phones at their end...
After many hours of Vivaldi and "hold the line " and "I'll put you through" shenanigans, somebody finally looked into it, they got their s#"t together and turns out they actually owed me!!!
Ive had 3 tax rebates in the last 6months...
Let's hope the TV people telephone number there works.
Thanks Nephilim
100% correct and exactly what they did to my wife... and two babies...
(Hey ?! Hang on...)
😕
That's also the reason we cancelled , the kids don't watch it , we rather chat , laugh , read and listen to music.
Glad to hear others do too...
Besides by the time school is finished and swimming and/or homework and dinner is done is nearly bedtime.
The mrs also looks after the horses and we have a dog that we love taking out on big walks.
She does the horses everyday and sometimes evenings too, we all get to have a go at weekends !
How do people even have time for TV?
My down time , I like to come here and learn and read and participate in discussions , getting ideas for our little family escapades...
So the problem is that although a licence at an address was payed for, it was in a different name. Did you contact them to tell them that? Capita are not known for their efficency, but give them a call to sort it all out - it will save you and them a lot of hassle.
I only watched the BBC for a couple of hours every four years.....and that added up to nearly £500 in licence fees, regardless of how skill full I think the women's beach volley ball is in the Olympics I just couldn't justify it.
D.B.
D.B.
I will , now I have a number...
Try and find a telephone number in their correspondence or website...
It's like looking for the 4 leaf clover !
I thought it was intentional as everyone is too busy to bother contesting by mail so they just pay up rather than faff about for hours on end trying to contact them.
Classic bully boy tactics... And in some cases it works , the hassle outweighs the strife and people just pay up.
Capita (and certainly not the BBC) dont actually want the hassle of court, etc. They would much rather you just sort it out. One of the problems with relying on letters is that it takes a lot of time, people dont always answer the post, etc. Ring them, say it was a honest mistake, etc. And then bring it to a conclusion.
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