TV licencing bloke calls...

[Graye]

We don't have a TV licence in the UK. We haven't had one for at least eight years, since we moved here. That's because we don't have a TV. I thought these people had accepted that years ago.

Today I had one on the doorstep (what he was doing out in this weather amazes me - the moors road is apparently snowed over!)
I'm from TV licencing. Very nice, I say.
You don't have one. No, I told him, because we don't have a TV, we told you this years ago. Disbelieving look.
Where is the aerial? Don't have one. Incredulous look.
Why is there a satellite dish on the side of the house? It belongs to the house below us (he needed the height for the dish so we told him to help himself - we are effectively his roof anyway), follow the cable, it doesn't come in here. Amazed and disbelieving look, but he just had to glance up and he would have been able to check what I said.
So where is Mrs ??? No idea, never heard of her. "Don't give me that" sort of look.
She lives here. No she doesn't. I was expecting "oh yes she does" by now...
He double checks the address, all OK.
So what's your name? I tell him. It's an easy one
Can I spell it? Yes thank you
First name? ......

At which point my husband reached over my shoulder, told him we weren't answering his questions and to get lost, then shut the door.

Why are these people so ridiculous? I would have happily had him in to show him but OH was having none of it. He then stood on the doorstep shouting "I'll only come back!"

For what exactly? Are we supposed to be inspected on a regular basis to prove we don't have a TV? What is the world coming to?

[oldjerry]

You're so right,when we didn't have one for 2yrs in Cornwall(happy,happy,happy days) we were bombarded with threatening letters,I replied to the first,then ignored all the others.Eventually they sent someone round and sadly for him I set Mrs OJ on him.He didn't return.In truth not everybody has our attitude and elderly or vulnerable people shouldn't be intimidated,it stinks.Mind you it's nothing to the stuff they send you if your kids don't have the MMR,but thats another story.

[pelmetman]

No TV Licence .................... Its people like you who will be the ruin of society ................... You'll be growing your own food next ..................have you no shame

We didn't have a tv for a few years and got the letter every year but no visits, sounds like auntie beeb is realising there is a recession and can not keep putting up the licence fee so have started using strong arm tactics I've heard that a lot of businesses have been targeted in case they might have a tv on the premises

Have some sympathy for the poor chap running the BBC he only gets £600,000+ a year

[Mylovelyhorse]

Graye, this sort of thing drives me up the wall. I'm with your husband on this one!

When we lived in the UK, we didn't have a TV. We kept getting *those* letters from the licensing people, telling us basically that they didn't believe us, and would be sending someone round to check.

MrLovelyHorse did some research and found that the TV licensing lot don't have any right at all to enter your house without permission. More than that, he found that we could legitimately tell them never to come to our doorstep again. It seems that there is an implied right of access to your front door (which means it's OK for the postman to come, it's OK for anyone to turn up and knock, etc). But as a homeowner or tenant, you can specifically remove that implied right of access. So we wrote to TV licensing, telling them that we had removed their implied right to come to our door, and that if they came back from that point onwards, they would be trespassing.

We were never bothered/contacted again.

If you do a Google search for 'implied right of access', you'll find lots of helpful information and the legal background.

Good luck!
MLH x

[Marc]

yep, been there, just the same story. You have to bring 'em in and open all the cupboards or they'll never believe you!!!
I think they must work on commission like bailiffs. They'd quite happily twist your arm till you buy a licence even if you have no telly!! - when you know you've got nothing to hide it does make you feel like winding 'em up - but it's not worth it really 'cos just gives YOU more aggro in the long run.

[Millymollymandy]

Erm so how are you watching the X Factor then? Surely if you are watching tv thru a computer then you should pay your dues?

[prison break fan]

I so envy all of you without t.v. i went years without one, and then in a weak time in my life was persuaded by my children that it would be company for me, I bought one and now am hooked on all sorts of rubbish! I neglect all my hobbies to watch soaps! I need a cure! I feel a bit better for having confessed here! pbf.

[bonniethomas06]

Me too pbf, it is waaaay to easy to just slup infront of it. We are trialling a no telly night twice a week in our house, and that is hard enough I hate the damn thing.

[Millymollymandy]

Erm so how are you watching the X Factor then? Surely if you are watching tv thru a computer then you should pay your dues?

Nope, as long as you watch programmes on 'catch up' and not live you don't need a licence

I have heard this but it seems completely unfair. So why does anyone in the UK bother having a telly when you can watch everything through your computer. You can buy a Mac like my husband did recently which has the most enormous screen I've ever seen in my life, put it in your living room in place of a TV and you've got free telly with no licence fee.

[Millymollymandy]

Well Strictly then!!! I know you commented on something I was watching like that!

BTW I wasn't having a pop at you, just the system!

[greenorelse]

Getting rid of the tv must be the first step in self-sufficientism. What do you think?

[Graye]

Thanks for that info Mylovelyhorse. I didn't know that. We shall certainly look into doing as you say. OH has reinstated the padlocked gate at the bottom of our yard (you need to know Whitby to understand how these old fisherman's cottages work here but basically we only have pedestrian access anyway and this one gate now effectively cuts off any random visitors to our yard, garden and house). I would love them to come with one of their meter thingies but as the houses are all built on top of each other and even we can't work out which bit belongs to which house I can't see them getting very far with it.

However I like that catch up idea with TV programmes as there are sometimes things I have wanted to see. I only realised it was possible when someone mentioned the Good Life programme and even then I missed it. I had to ask my son if iplayer was something to buy! I have now got an iphone but this relentless march of new technology sometimes passes me by...

[Big Al]

yep, been there, just the same story. You have to bring 'em in and open all the cupboards or they'll never believe you!!!
I think they must work on commission like bailiffs. They'd quite happily twist your arm till you buy a licence even if you have no telly!! - when you know you've got nothing to hide it does make you feel like winding 'em up - but it's not worth it really 'cos just gives YOU more aggro in the long run.

No it doesn't.... I got into a lot of debt problems when the business went down and I got all the threatening letters off the Debt collection agencies and I did try to end it all on a number of occasions but failed ( now there's a surprise) but then I started playing them at their own game and came out stronger, better off and cleared of debt..... well almost

If you are assured of your position wind the buggers up.

[paul123456]

Hello there ,

tv licesing bloke ? is this like the way they never had any unemployement in former east germany ?
Why do they need "people" to do this work ?
In the Neverlands they cut the comedy of tv license and worked it away in cometax .This way they probably pulled in twice the
amount than before .
I live in Germany now but still pay income tax in Holland , and so tv license , in Germany we also have to pay a license ,
and on top off that to watch sattelite tv we pay to another dutch rip off crowd .
I am proud to say we pay 3 times for something that is absolutely free .
Long live the system .

regards ,

Paul

[oldjerry]

Getting rid of the tv must be the first step in self-sufficientism. What do you think?[/quote

Explain.