If things get tougher?

Valli

Feeling very moneysaving tonight as I got 3 lamb hearts from Mr. M's tonight fo 19p which I have boiled, chopped, portioned out and chilled to feed the cat. 4 Meals ie 5p per meal!

ceridwen

Oh well...I'll soon find out whether I get hassle from the TV licensing lot or no - I've contacted my ISP (Virgin) and they will be taking away my freeview box (thinks....better get the man to sign a pre-typed letter by me stating that that is what they've done - knowing how incredibly inefficient Virgin is it will take me forever and a day otherwise to get a letter from them proving I dont have that freeview box any more;) ). Then I will leave my t.v. at my parents house until my area turns digital - at which point I bring it home again - as it will obviously not even be capable of watching tv programmes on - and I will then be able to watch DVD's on it again. So I'm about to notify them I dont need the TV licence any more....watch this space...

oldMcDonald

ceridwen wrote: »

Oh well...I'll soon find out whether I get hassle from the TV licensing lot or no - I've contacted my ISP (Virgin) and they will be taking away my freeview box (thinks....better get the man to sign a pre-typed letter by me stating that that is what they've done - knowing how incredibly inefficient Virgin is it will take me forever and a day otherwise to get a letter from them proving I dont have that freeview box any more;) ). Then I will leave my t.v. at my parents house until my area turns digital - at which point I bring it home again - as it will obviously not even be capable of watching tv programmes on - and I will then be able to watch DVD's on it again. So I'm about to notify them I dont need the TV licence any more....watch this space...

ceridwen - if our experience of leaving Virgin is anything to go by, then also be sure to cancel any direct debits with them. We cancelled, gave them a months notice, they came and got the box (they should give you a recipt, make sure they do), and they continued to take money from our account - upping the payment from £30 to £60!! When we cancelled the DD they started to send us bills and threatening letters. It still isn't fully sorted now and we haven't had TV for many, many months.

You can still watch DVDs on your TV even if you don't have a licence, just be sure that your TV is not tuned into any stations.

ceridwen

Thanks for that - well I am still staying with Virgin - keeping my phone and broadband contract with them. Yes - I did have to point out - several times - that the freeview box is ALL I'm giving up. Virgin are a right nuisance to deal with arent they for getting things wrong?

Right - receipt for the box - good thinking - ta for that. Will do.

When you say "make sure your tv isnt tuned into any stations" - do you mean that I can physically keep the t.v. here even whilst its still functional (ie before the area goes digital) - as long as I dont actually have any tv programmes physically playing on it ever? (would save being DVD-watching less for a while).

2nd Edit: Being an even bigger techno dumb-cluck - is it possible for me to watch my DVD's via my P.C.? I presume it is - but have never actually tried this. Presume I just put a DVD into the CD?DVD slot on the "box" and follow any written instructions that come up on screen?

ubamother

I'm happy to be wrong here, but I have always been under the impression that if you own an appliance that CAN receive TV signals, you are required to have a licence, regardless of whether you tune it in or not.

oldMcDonald

ceridwen

TV Licencing word it to scare people into believing they need a licence when they don't. You have to dig around their website to find out if you need a licence or not.

The quotes below are from TV licencing agency website and I have provided links.

You do not need a TV Licence if you only use your TV to watch videos and DVDs or as a monitor for your games console.
However, please notify us in writing that this is the case. One of our Enforcement Officers may visit you to confirm that you do not need a licence.
Please write to us including your name, address and the reason you believe that you don't need a licence at:.....

Link for the above

Note: You do not need to tell them legally if you do not wish to. If your TV is not tuned into a station then it is not receiving live TV.

It makes no difference how you watch TV - whether it's on your laptop, PC or mobile phone or through a digital box, DVD recorder or TV set - if you use any device to receive television programmes as they're being shown on TV, the law requires you to be covered by a TV Licence.
You will not need a TV Licence to view video clips on the internet, as long as what you are viewing is not being shown on TV at the same time as you are viewing it.

Link for the above

This means that if you are watching TV online, but not as it is being broadcast (and there is very few times this happens - World Cup, for instance), then you do not need a licence. News24 is broadcast live and you cannot watch it without a licence. You can watch BBCi online as it is not being watched as it is being broadcast.

In the next few years the BBC are planning to broadcast live online. If they do this then it could be argued that if you have broad band then you will be able to receive a live broadcast and so will need a licence, but this is very arguable and is not currently law.

Be sure you do not have a TV card in your PC that is tuned, as again, it could be argued you are able to watch live TV .

* edit to add - You also are not covered to watch videos /DVDs that have been recorded via live TV - for example, your friend cannot record the shows you have asked for and then give them to you to watch as a Video / DVD - however, you can watch BBC programmes you have bought as a DVD eg Coast, Life of Plants etc.

Sorry for the long post

oldMcDonald

ubamother wrote: »

I'm happy to be wrong here, but I have always been under the impression that if you own an appliance that CAN receive TV signals, you are required to have a licence, regardless of whether you tune it in or not.

This is something that a lot of people believe, but it is not correct. It is actually recieving live as broadcast signals that requires a licence, not having detuned equipment / watching BBCi.

Gigervamp

ceridwen wrote: »

2nd Edit: Being an even bigger techno dumb-cluck - is it possible for me to watch my DVD's via my P.C.? I presume it is - but have never actually tried this. Presume I just put a DVD into the CD?DVD slot on the "box" and follow any written instructions that come up on screen?

If you have a dvd reader in your pc, then yes, you can watch dvd's on your pc.

shaz_mum_of__2

Freyagirl wrote: »

Read a post a few pages back about using a small portable gas cooker for boiling water for tea instead of the electric kettle so dug my cooker out and been using it

That was me too !! i reckon i have had about 4 hrs of gas from the £1 cannister but not sure what to compare it too..???

Shaz

shaz_mum_of__2

katieowl wrote: »

Hey Charis..my local £1 shop sells boxes of broken biscuits...a real bargain! They do two sorts and the slightly more expensive ones are all choccie!

????

This made me laugh :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I assume you mean the choccie biccys are a smaller box ?:rotfl:


Shaz