TV licensing threatening letters

[Crankarm]

Thanks for the replies so far guys.
I've got to go and ride my bike now .

 

[Crankarm]

Here's the thread from last time: http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=40444

After three or four years without, I'm thinking about getting one again - chiefly to keep the wife
[*] happy, though. But I have to say, given the obnoxious tactics of the TVLA it's really going to be a struggle to "give in" and hand money to them. I'd far rather there was some way of obtaining a licence that couldn't be construed as rewarding their bully boy behaviour

[*] OK, fiancee. Wife as of 11th November

Congrats to you and the soon to be Mrs Coruskate. Is she a cyclist?

You'll give up your principals for the love of a good woman .

 

[ttcycle]

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_world/communications/television_licences.htm

Here is another link.

The best bet Crank is not to send them anything they could consider to be 'abusive'. If you want to use legalese they are employing unfair business practices- if you have called their number to let them know you don't need a license - do you have the person's name who you spoke to?

Ultimately you don't have to let the person inspecting into your home.
The only reason you would be fined £1000 is if this goes to the courts, they'd be stupid to take it that far.

The only grey area is the use of the TV to watch pre recorded tv programmes- even if it was recorded when you had a license and dates prove that -it depends how the law wants to view it.

write to them, reasonably list why you don't need a license and list the reasons in a calm manner as to why you find their letters unhelpful and basically insulting and threatening. Keep a copy

You should be alright

 

[Ashtrayhead]

And some more info........

http://www.tvlicensing.biz/

 

[Norm]

I think if you use the radio but not TV you will still need a radio license which is normally just bundled in with the TV license....you might still be able to get one from the post Office.

Golly, Archie, are you even older than me? The need for a radio licence, mandated by the 1904 Wireless Telegraphy Act, was dropped in 1971.

And the Post Office lost the collections in 1991, when it was moved to the BBC as the TV Licensing Authority blah blah

 

[lady_rider]

But I fecking hate the tone of the letter, the assumption of guilt, the sheer incredulity that someone can exist without a TV to watch. It's kinda medieval, isn't it.

Hear hear... only 3 letters so far? I think I must be on about #20 after living in my house for over a year TV-free. It's the principle that they don't give a freepost envelope or phone number yet demand that you tell them you don't have one... I'm being a bit of a dick and just letting them threaten away, investigate, visit, whatever they want really, at their own cost. If they ever arrive on my doorstep I'll let them know I don't have one then...

 

[Scoosh]

Why isn't their number a free phone or 0845 number instead of 0844?

This is a most useful site to find alternatives for the absurdly expensive, rip-off 08** numbers:http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php

 

[Archie_tect]

Golly, Archie, are you even older than me? The need for a radio licence, mandated by the 1904 Wireless Telegraphy Act, was dropped in 1971.

And the Post Office lost the collections in 1991, when it was moved to the BBC as the TV Licensing Authority blah blah

Ooops, thanks Norm- just shows that it's always worth googling but then if we did that to get the answers first there'd be no reason to post anything I suppose!

 

[andrew-the-tortoise]

iPlayer IP address logging could be next !

 

[Dayvo]

Golly, Archie, are you even older than me?

Archie is so old he's got the original Logie Baird vision box!

 

[Norm]

Ooops, thanks Norm- just shows that it's always worth googling but then if we did that to get the answers first there'd be no reason to post anything I suppose!

And there were would we be?

iPlayer IP address logging could be next !

It already does that. My company connects to the world via a US IP address, so I cannot view anything on iPlayer or most video on the BBC news site because it has me geo-tagged as being American.

 

[slowmotion]

Hear hear... only 3 letters so far? I think I must be on about #20 after living in my house for over a year TV-free. It's the principle that they don't give a freepost envelope or phone number yet demand that you tell them you don't have one... I'm being a bit of a dick and just letting them threaten away, investigate, visit, whatever they want really, at their own cost. If they ever arrive on my doorstep I'll let them know I don't have one then...

Good move..do nothing. The lack of a reply-paid envelope really is an insult. My attitude is that it is not my responsibility to correct their inaccurate database.

 

[rich p]

Archie is so old he's got the original Logie Baird vision box!

Someone said (on here, I think) that when JLB sent his first transmission he was asked how it went. "Ok, but there's nothing worth watching on"

I used to have a shop with no TV and I reckon I used to get a letter a month for years but no-one ever turned up to investigate.

 

[Archie_tect]

Archie is so old he's got the original Logie Baird vision box!

Just feel that old these days.

I peer at the world upside down through a pin hole and it makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[Archie_tect]

Bit like A G Bell... no-one ever answered.

We also used to get demands in the office for proof that we didn't watch a TV... I just ignored them too. Someone also tried to suggest that we needed a license to play music in the office as one of the lads occasionally played his CDs on his computer. Probably find out now that we do!