Is the way we pay for TV Licensing Fair???

WTTM

pettsay wrote: »

Is the way we pay for a TV license fair and legal?

I have just set up to pay by direct debit.

They charge you about £24 per month for 6 months so you are paid for a your first years TV license within 6 months, they then carry on charging you so that you pay for half of your next years TV license by the time it is due.

This means that the government (or BBC depending on how you look at it) have your money 6 months before they should get it!

This sounds completely unfair to me, what do you all think?

You don't mention about paying the 2nd 6 months in arrears - you're a riot.


MOMENT

gemstars

pimento wrote: »

So if I cancel my DD, nobody from TV Licensing will contact me for six months because I'm six months ahead, right?

Why don't I believe that?

Probably not in the first instance, but they do actually leave you alone eventually if you word your correspondance correctly.

I don't have a licence, I received the usual letter promising all kinds of doom if I didn't pay up sharpish. I wrote back confirming I didn't need a licence and telling them to leave me alone, they replied confirming receipt and I haven't heard anything since. That was 7 months ago.

I'm assuming it would be the same if you had a fully paid up licence.

easy

This does annoy me a little bit, because years & years ago, I set up quarterly payments by DD, and this agreement is still in place. They take an extra £5 for this payment method.

So I thought I'd try saving this £5, by switching to monthly direct debit. However, because they want to take the £24 per month for the first 6 months, that actually screws up my cash-flow. In effect, I can't afford to save that £5.

bap98189

I pay my TV Licence by DD and they take 12 monthly payments which are roughly £12 (ish) a month. Is this a new thing taking it all in the first 6 months?

easy

bap98189 wrote: »

I pay my TV Licence by DD and they take 12 monthly payments which are roughly £12 (ish) a month. Is this a new thing taking it all in the first 6 months?

bap, it seems to be something they do with new direct debits. After the first 6 months, I believe they reduce the payment to £12 a month, but by that time you have made the full years payment., It is to ensure that you are, in fact, always paying in advance.

wealdroam

easy wrote: »

It is to ensure that you are, in fact, always paying in advance.

Correct.

Just like if you were to buy car insurance (or most other insurances), you pay yearly in advance or monthly with a little bit extra.

In fact, thinking about it, don't we have to pay in advance for most things?

easy

wealdroam wrote: »

Correct.

Just like if you were to buy car insurance (or most other insurances), you pay yearly in advance or monthly with a little bit extra.

In fact, thinking about it, don't we have to pay in advance for most things?

Yes BUT....

if they have just taken my quarterly payment, why can they not then start taking my monthly payments (£12), so I would still be a quarter in front (which is how it seems to work for me at the moment.) The fact is that they seem to insist on you getting a whole year in front.

So on that basis, it doesn't help to split into "easy monthly payments".

KimYeovil

wealdroam wrote: »

In fact, thinking about it, don't we have to pay in advance for most things?

No. We don't. There are plenty of things (the vast majority of things) that are paid as you go along month by month. In fact, I can't think of anything else with monthly payment options where do you not pay one month at a time (even though it may be an annual contract). I have never seen an insurance policy that required an additional six-months premium to be paid during the first year - this tv licence premium is IN ADDITION to extra charges for regular payments.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Rent has to be paid in advance, as does
Council Tax
Water Rates
PAYG Mobiles
PAYG Mobile Internet
Shopping
Car Insurance
Health Insurance
Pet Insurance
Travel Insurance
Home Insurance
Prescription Charges
Dental Treatment (at least in part)
Eye tests
Glasses & prescription sunglasses
Contact Lenses
Parking in Pay & Displays, Kensington & Chelsea, Fulham, Westminster
Oyster Cards
Travel Cards
Bus Passes
Floral Orders
Fitness/Yoga/Pilates Classes
Adult Education Classes
University Tuition Fees
University Halls Fees
Music Lessons
Passport Fees
Driving Lessons
Driving Test
Road Tax
Gym Membership


As using the DD scheme means you get the TV licence without having to bang out the full cost in advance, technically they are letting you pay the first year in arrears and the subsequent years six months in advance/six months in arrears.

Lets not forget that a large number of insurance companies charge interest for spreading payments throughout the year. TV Licencing isn't doing that.


But, in any case, I don't particularly care - the payments are less painful this way then having to find a lump sum 6 weeks after Christmas (when mine is renewed) - and having dealt with the people at the Call Centre a couple of times, giving them half the money upfront is a price worth paying to never have to speak to them again.

KimYeovil

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

[STRIKE]Rent[/STRIKE] has to be paid in advance, as does
[STRIKE]Council Tax[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Water Rates[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]PAYG Mobiles[/STRIKE]
PAYG Mobile Internet
[STRIKE]Shopping[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Car Insurance[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Health Insurance[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Pet Insurance[/STRIKE]
Travel Insurance
[STRIKE]Home Insurance[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Prescription Charges[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Dental Treatment[/STRIKE] (at least in part)
[STRIKE]Eye tests[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Glasses & prescription sunglasses[/STRIKE]
Contact Lenses
[STRIKE]Parking[/STRIKE] in Pay & Displays, Kensington & Chelsea, Fulham, Westminster
Oyster Cards
[STRIKE]Travel Cards[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Bus Passes[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Floral Orders[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Fitness/Yoga/Pilates Classes[/STRIKE]
Adult Education Classes
University Tuition Fees
University Halls Fees
[STRIKE]Music Lessons[/STRIKE]
Passport Fees
[STRIKE]Driving Lessons[/STRIKE]
Driving Test
Road Tax
[STRIKE]Gym Membership[/STRIKE]


As using the DD scheme means you get the TV licence without having to bang out the full cost in advance, technically they are letting you pay the first year in arrears and the subsequent years six months in advance/six months in arrears.

Lets not forget that a large number of insurance companies charge interest for spreading payments throughout the year. TV Licencing isn't doing that.


But, in any case, I don't particularly care - the payments are less painful this way then having to find a lump sum 6 weeks after Christmas (when mine is renewed) - and having dealt with the people at the Call Centre a couple of times, giving them half the money upfront is a price worth paying to never have to speak to them again.

Nonsense. Most of them are not paid in advance (other than in the sense the monthly payment is for the following month rather in arrears). And the rest are hardly analogous (many are one-off items.)