Best way to pay TV licence ?

BenL

I think your bank sent you down the wrong track.

On finding an issue with a DD (wrong amount, wrong date, no knowledge) you ring your bank and tell them. They then should put the amount into your account within 48 hours and send a DD indemnity claim to the company using the details held against the companies originator ID.

The company then gives the money to the bank so they are back level and then the company starts to talk to you their customer and ask how you intend to pay your bill for what they have provided.

If its a phone bill for instance and they have taken the amount early, you will have got the money taken early back from your bank so you can continue happily, the bank gets it back from the phone company so their balances are ok again.

The phone company rings you to say you owe us money and then you say ok i'll send you a cheque,pay by card or say they can take the DD on the correct day.

I used to work in an admin team for a uk bank and the DD indemnity task was part of the teams activities.

Ben

innovate

bootman wrote:

When I got got my renewal through I just called up and arranged to pay it monthly. It sounds complicated how they word it, but I found that it was all very efficiant and they set up the d/d with no problems.

They did used to charge extra for d/d but monthly is now the same as paying it all in one hit.

I am convinced it sounds complicated because they don't want people to realise that it costs extra to pay by direct debit.

Did you check/do you know how many months you get a licence for after you have paid a total of £126.50 by monthly direct debit? I still think it's 11 months only, though I could be wrong.

Becles

There is no extra charge for paying by monthly direct debit.

There is a fee for paying by quarterly direct debit.

If there is any problems, the bank has to put the money back within 48 hours, then deal with the company that took it. This is one of the terms of the direct debit guarrantee which you agree to on signing up to any DD.

innovate

Sorry to hammer on about this - but I think there is an extra charge.

If you sign up (on the website) for a monthly direct debit today, you can only do this for a licence that expires on 1/12/2006.

This is 11 months, not 12, from now, and you pay £126.50 for it. That's the one-off fee for 12 months but it only pays for 11 months - so there must be a charge?

Becles

I have never been charged for paying monthly. There is no additional fee for paying monthly.

If you buy a new licence today, you have to pay for all of December, not just the 26-31st Dec. If you need a new licence, it's prudent to buy it on the first day of a new month.

[Deleted User]

Thank-you all very much for your posts.

It's a 'toss-up' between monthy d/d's

& a one off payment.

T

jobbingmusician

There's another thing that really annoys me about DD payment for TV licences.

As an earlier poster has correctly identified, most utility companies REWARD you for paying by DD. The iniquitous TV licence system (which, you will remember, only taxes you for BBC stations regardless of which stations you actually watch :mad: ) charges you (because there is always an element of payment in advance).

The last time I had a 'discussion' with them about payment, I asked what happened to the pre-payments of people who die. Of course, no-one at TV licence is doing anything about refunding payments to estates - how could they be expected to know... :rolleyes:

So, to any of you who are sorting out a parent's affairs - or the affairs of anyone who lived alone and has died - don't forget to apply to TV licensing for a refund!!!! :rudolf:

innovate

Becles wrote:

I have never been charged for paying monthly. There is no additional fee for paying monthly.

If you buy a new licence today, you have to pay for all of December, not just the 26-31st Dec. If you need a new licence, it's prudent to buy it on the first day of a new month.

Becles, you didn't read what I wrote.

If you want to take out a monthly direct debit today on the TV licensing site, the DDs add up to £126.50 but your licence expires on 1/12/06.

It's impossible to tell from the site whether such a Direct Debit will go on perpetually, or whether you have to take out another DD when the licence expires.

Anyway - I will pay my next one as Grumbler suggested, with a cashback credit card.

superscotsman

Tsk! Tsk!
There you are, you poor people, squabbling about how to pay this stealth tax. The best way to pay the TV licence fee is not to pay it at all. If Xmas Day's Dr Who hasn't taught you that, nothing will.

Becles

innovate wrote:

Becles, you didn't read what I wrote.

If you want to take out a monthly direct debit today on the TV licensing site, the DDs add up to £126.50 but your licence expires on 1/12/06.

You didn't read what I wrote

TV Licencing do not do part months. If you take out a licence today, you have to pay for all of December. Therefore your licence will run from 01/12/05 to 01/12/06, costing £126.50.