Tv license.......Shambles

Soopafly49

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May 8, 2010
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Tv license is an unenforcable law. Unless you invite them in to your house(because they have no right of entry) theres nothing they can do unless they see through your window. Detector vans are also a myth.
 
And yet more than quarter of a million evaders were caught in the past year:
http://www.whathifi.com/news/top-10-reasons-for-not-buying-a-tv-licence-include-fling-with-the-postman
 
Soopafly49 said:
Tv license is an unenforcable law. Unless you invite them in to your house(because they have no right of entry) theres nothing they can do unless they see through your window.

Most people's windows are transparent.
 
Soopafly49 said:
Tv license is an unenforcable law. Unless you invite them in to your house(because they have no right of entry) theres nothing they can do unless they see through your window. Detector vans are also a myth.

I imagine the fact that they have a database of properties helps somewhat. Back in my youth I worked in a large out of town electrical retailer and we had to pass on the address of every person that purchased a TV.

Any-hoo - if they suspect you don't have a license, you get a letter. No response to that gets a visit from an enforcement officer. If you - legally - refuse to admit him/her, then the detection equipment gets rolled out
 
hi, i remember when they used to put the names of people who got caught using a tv without a license,on the local bus shelter's poster wall. :beer:


 
Old Cathod Ray Tube stlye TVs emmit a powerful electro magnetic field that is easily detectable. LCD and Plasma however do not. Whether they chose to fill the vans with equipment that could detect tvs, rather than rolling around trying to scare people is another question.

I rang up the TV licence people and told them I watch all TV streamed on iPlayer on my PS3, and I dont watch live broadcasts. They seemed nice and profesional, and stopped sending me letters.
 
Paul Hobbs said:
I rang up the TV licence people and told them I watch all TV streamed on iPlayer on my PS3, and I dont watch live broadcasts. They seemed nice and profesional, and stopped sending me letters.

That's interesting, given that the Beeb are currently running adverts on the radio reminding people (students mainly) that if they watch TV on their computer they still need a license.
 
The_Lhc said:
Paul Hobbs said:
I rang up the TV licence people and told them I watch all TV streamed on iPlayer on my PS3, and I dont watch live broadcasts. They seemed nice and profesional, and stopped sending me letters.

That's interesting, given that the Beeb are currently running adverts on the radio reminding people (students mainly) that if they watch TV on their computer they still need a license.

From the TV Licensing people...

"No TV? Don't watch or record television programmes as they're being broadcast on any device? The law states that you need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes, on any device, as they're being shown on TV. This includes TVs, computers, mobile phones, games consoles, digital boxes and DVD/VHS recorders.

No TV Licence is needed if you don't use any of these devices to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV - for example, if you use your TV only to watch DVDs or play video games, or you only watch programmes on your computer after they have been shown on TV. If this is the case, please let us know, as this helps us to keep our database up to date and means you won't receive the standard letters we send to unlicensed addresses."
 
Lee H said:
The_Lhc said:
Paul Hobbs said:
I rang up the TV licence people and told them I watch all TV streamed on iPlayer on my PS3, and I dont watch live broadcasts. They seemed nice and profesional, and stopped sending me letters.

That's interesting, given that the Beeb are currently running adverts on the radio reminding people (students mainly) that if they watch TV on their computer they still need a license.

From the TV Licensing people...

"No TV? Don't watch or record television programmes as they're being broadcast on any device? The law states that you need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes, on any device, as they're being shown on TV. This includes TVs, computers, mobile phones, games consoles, digital boxes and DVD/VHS recorders.

No TV Licence is needed if you don't use any of these devices to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV - for example, if you use your TV only to watch DVDs or play video games, or you only watch programmes on your computer after they have been shown on TV. If this is the case, please let us know, as this helps us to keep our database up to date and means you won't receive the standard letters we send to unlicensed addresses."

Which is fine, apart from two points. There's no mention of that in the adverts and secondly they've always worked in the past on the basis that you don't have to actually watch TV to need a TV license, you just need to have equipment that allows you to watch TV (so in the case given above regarding only watching DVDs you'd need to show that you had no aerial or any other means of receiving broadcasts). With a computer you might only watch stuff after it's been broadcast but you still have the capability to watch TV broadcasts as they happen (ITV player for example, only mentioned that one because I happened to flick the Rugby on briefly this morning) and given that all you need is a web browser and an internet connection (which you'll need to watch anything post-broadcast anyway), I'm surprised that they just take people's word for it that they're not watching anything live.
 
The_Lhc said:
Paul Hobbs said:
I rang up the TV licence people and told them I watch all TV streamed on iPlayer on my PS3, and I dont watch live broadcasts. They seemed nice and profesional, and stopped sending me letters.

That's interesting, given that the Beeb are currently running adverts on the radio reminding people (students mainly) that if they watch TV on their computer they still need a licence.
A student living in residence can watch live TV on a laptop providing it is on battery power and the parents have a valid license at the students/parents home.
 
Ravey Gravey Davy said:
The_Lhc said:
Paul Hobbs said:
I rang up the TV licence people and told them I watch all TV streamed on iPlayer on my PS3, and I dont watch live broadcasts. They seemed nice and profesional, and stopped sending me letters.

That's interesting, given that the Beeb are currently running adverts on the radio reminding people (students mainly) that if they watch TV on their computer they still need a license.
A student living in residence can watch live TV on a laptop providing it is on battery power and the parents have a valid license at the students/parents home.

That isn't mentioned in the adverts either...
 
Also...

"As it is our duty to ensure that everyone in the UK who needs a licence has one, we may visit your address to check that no TV Licence is required. It's unfortunately necessary to do this, as when we make contact on these visits, almost a fifth of people are found to need a TV Licence. Please be assured that this is a routine visit, and will take no more than a few minutes. If, during the visit, we find that you do in fact need a licence, you'll need to pay the full licence fee. Please note that you may also face prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000."
 
Paul Hobbs said:
The language is deliberately ambiguous to scare you. If you do not watch live broadcasts, you dont pay. Ring them and ask yourself.

Yes but that wasn't my point, how do you PROVE you don't watch live broadcasts? You could have a TV connected to an aerial and tell them you don't watch live broadcasts but I doubt they'd just take your word for it, there's no difference between that and having a PC (laptop or otherwise, were battery powered TVs exempt from the license fee?) and internet connection.
 
Be nice, thats all I did. I am not too fussed either way as I am being honest, if they did show up at my house they would find my tv with no ariel plugged in, switch it on and you get big red letters saying NO DVB SERVICES FOUND. I found them to be completely non confrontational, and I've done it twice now with two different houses. Never had a visit either.
 
So long as you aren't enjoying any BBC programmes that I have helped fund (without fail) for the last 30 TV licenses.

Just why is it that you deserve your BBC free and I don't?
 
chebby said:
So long as you aren't enjoying any BBC programmes that I have helped fund (without fail) for the last 30 TV licenses.

Just why is it that you deserve your BBC free and I don't?
Because that is the way the system is set up.If Paul only watches catch up,then it's not his fault.Blame the licensing system.
 
I dont make the rules. If they change the rules I will stop watching tv rather than buy a license as I watch very very little tv, its really not worth £150 odd quid a year to me.

I watch mostly films or american stuff when I do watch telly these days, which usually comes on a dvd. I also buy a lot of blu rays and dvds from the BBCs natuaral history unit, so they do get my money. I had been buying TV licenses for the past decade, but just cant justify doing it these days. If I could buy a season pass for doctor who and top gear through iPlayer I probably would however.
 
I think that for just over £3.00 a month is worth it some great content from the BBC,that also includes radio as well.(and i also pay a sky subscription as well) 🙂
 
I am in my 40's & my first tv license was in 1997 when i bought a brand new tv, before that i was in rented accomodation & alway's bought second hand tv's so i never bothered with the licence, i still think the licence is too high, imo it should be less than a hundred pounds, i don't watch the bbc anyway but £150 for the licence is far too much.
 
£3 a year is to much for a bbc subscription. Junk. apart from Sir D. Attenborough. If i could by any means possible get away without paying a tv license and funding the bbc , Compulsory injustice
 

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