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Tv licensing

Olly_BOlly_B Posts: 222 Trailblazer
Hi,

I know there's been a recent thread on this, but I'm doing an article for TheSite.org about TV licences - when you need one, what the deal is with watching TV on your computer/internet, what the rules are about the detection officers etc.

I'd like to put in a few examples of people'e experience, so if you'd be happy to share your thoughts, either drop me a private message or an email to info@thesite.org.

Ta muchness,


Olly

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What sort of thing are you looking for? Me and t'missus didn't have a telly licence for years whilst we were at uni and just after, never bothered us at all, but we didn't have any scary TV tax collectors come round to break our legs either.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My flatmate hasn't had a license all year and has had all the threatening letters but no one has ever turned up. But at the same time we haven't had one for the tv in the sitting area and have never had any letters about that.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I used to get letters, but I didn't have a tv...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    We get loads and loads of letters to our student house.

    Including ones that like to imply if you watch any tv on your computer then you *must* have a license (they neatly fail to mention it's only if it's live - you can use iplayer etc without a license).

    They also are mind blowingly inconsistent and useless on shared houses. At one point tried to tell us that for a shared house of 4 people, to have a tv in each room and one in the kitchen we'd need 5 licenses, the next time we asked they said we'd need one.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My friend moved into a brand new flat, and there were letters waiting for her about paying the tv licence before she'd even moved in!!!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I just pay it, can't be arsed with the hassle of not doing.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    A TV licensing guy turned up one day while I was at work. My DIY tradesman who was fitting my bathroom at the time answered the door and basically fobbed him off. My DIY guy knows that I don't have a TV. The one thing that did give rise to suspicion is that I have a satellite dish on the side of my house. Inside the house, the dish isn't attached to anything.

    I get their standard letter once a year, around September time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote: »
    What sort of thing are you looking for? Me and t'missus didn't have a telly licence for years whilst we were at uni and just after, never bothered us at all, but we didn't have any scary TV tax collectors come round to break our legs either.

    Interesting. I did have a tv licence, and yet a licensing man came round, knocked on my door, pushed past me into my flat to see the tv, and read me my rights. :yeees:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I dunnie have to pay for one :D as we have oaps living in the "house" we get it free :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    jamelia wrote: »
    Interesting. I did have a tv licence, and yet a licensing man came round, knocked on my door, pushed past me into my flat to see the tv, and read me my rights. :yeees:

    You should have reported him for that, that is actually aggravated burglary (especially if you bang your head afterwards). That breaks so many laws, including the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. You'd have been within your rights to forcibly eject him from the premises.

    TV tax collectors can only enter your property with a) your explicit permission or b) a court warrant. They never get b) so if the TV tax collectors pop round you just slam the door in their faces.

    Now I have a TV I pay the TV Tax but I really really resent it. Especially when you see in the news that some stupid blonde cunt who can't even read the news properly gets paid £97,000 per year. MP's expenses are nothing compared to the leeching cunts at the BBC.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ballerina wrote: »
    My flatmate hasn't had a license all year and has had all the threatening letters but no one has ever turned up. But at the same time we haven't had one for the tv in the sitting area and have never had any letters about that.
    When I was living in a hostel they used to send me loads of threatening letters but nothing was ever done.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    May I ask for some information regarding the UK tv? What is a tv license? Do you get more/less channels without one? Are there various tv packages with companies that determine what channels you can recieve?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    nah, it gets you permision to view the 5 basics chanels no extra packages. I think it costs about £140 a year. It wont actually determine anything with regards to viewing a television, just if you dont pay its illegal and they will send letters out / come to your house.

    The money goes to the B.B.C. and they spend it on crap tv, pointless radio stations and average websites
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    olaola wrote: »
    The money goes to the B.B.C. and they spend it on crap tv, pointless radio stations and average websites


    And they also use it to maintain the national infrastructure which all the other stations piggy back onto.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't mind the TV licence. Some folk who bemoan the 140 quid will happily subscribe to SKY for up to 600 pounds a year, for which they get a whole load of channels they don't want and they have adverts.

    Sure, the BBC turns out some rubbish, but they also turn out some impressively quality programming, make available websites such as news.bbc.co.uk that millions of people browse, and provide stuff for other channels.

    12 quid or so a month is not a lot to get all that stuff, without adverts being shoved at us whilst we watch or browse.

    And yes, the TV personalities might get paid high wages, but that's not the fault of the BBC per se, it's the amount that they need to pay to be competative with other broadcasters. I would expect that for every one highly paid person there's 100 people working for a lot less behind the scenes. That's just life.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    it's a bit of a raw deal though the licencing has gone up and up in price, yet the bbc has got worse and worse.

    Up until the 90s they had football viewing rights and international cricket. This would have been a bulky part of the budget but they have replaced it with nothing.

    Im sure theres other examples.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Got the F1 back though :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mist wrote: »
    And yes, the TV personalities might get paid high wages, but that's not the fault of the BBC per se, it's the amount that they need to pay to be competative with other broadcasters.

    There are many words one could use to describe this old chestnut, but bollocks is probably the best.

    But even if it's true, the BBC is not a commercial organisation. If ITV want to pay Ross #6m let them, the BBC could then become a nurturing ground for new talent rather than the same old overpaid and underworked wankstains.

    Simba, the TV Tax is something that gets paid to the BBC, who provide six TV channels out of the 600 channels that are currently operating in the UK. If you don't pay the tax you're not allowed, by law, to watch the other 594 non-BBC channels and if you break this law you can be sent to prison.
  • Olly_BOlly_B Posts: 222 Trailblazer
    Hi,

    Here's the information on the TV licence:
    http://www.thesite.org/homelawandmoney/home/yourplace/tvlicence

    Best wishes,


    Olly
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I used to work at the TV Licensing call centre!

    The officers can't come into your house unless you let them, and even if you son't need a license most of them try and set you up on a weekly payment scheme because they get paid commission for it.

    Haha if you need to know anything feel free to ask :)
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