Advice needed/new uni student/TV licence

rapunzelz86

Well i did stupidly let the guy in and admit, and sign the form, that i was watching live tv. Being young and not so savvy on my rights, i wasnt aware i had much choice!
Then after that when i still didnt pay thats why i was arrested. It is actually a prosecutable offence you know.
Im not trying to scare anyone but its no good telling people not to worry as they wont do anything because they can and will. Not everyone has the knowledge or confidence to stand their ground with an official at their door and can be intimidated. This is what led to me signing the form and then being punished!

Impet_Limpet

Our university (back in 2002) via the SU actually warned us that TVL were coming, because obviously to get into halls they needed to be let in by somebody. They just warned us not to let anyone into the building without ID so without getting into the building they can't come knock on our flats. They also said we did not have to allow anyone into our flat.

It didn't matter to me as I didn't require or use a TV, though I had to giggle at people who stored TV's in boots of cars and cupboards overnight!

Before I bought our first house it had been empty for over 9 months in this time TVL had gone from "you don't have a licence" to letters along the lines of "enforement officers are coming to Number ** **** Walk to get you!" and back to "you don't have a licence" Whether they did visit and realise it was empty or not we don't know!

mememememe

sadeelisha wrote: »

Well i did stupidly let the guy in and admit, and sign the form, that i was watching live tv. Being young and not so savvy on my rights, i wasnt aware i had much choice!
Then after that when i still didnt pay thats why i was arrested. It is actually a prosecutable offence you know.
Im not trying to scare anyone but its no good telling people not to worry as they wont do anything because they can and will. Not everyone has the knowledge or confidence to stand their ground with an official at their door and can be intimidated. This is what led to me signing the form and then being punished!

Oh right that explains it then. I think people that don't break the law (i.e. who don't watch live TV) shouldn't worry about all the threatening letters that they get. Also nowadays we're lucky enough to have catchup TV services like iplayer so it's easier to get by legally without a TV licence.

atypical

sadeelisha wrote: »

Well i did stupidly let the guy in and admit, and sign the form, that i was watching live tv...Then after that when i still didnt pay thats why i was arrested.

Then it's understandable. The way you had initially written it made it seem as if 2 police officers turned up at your door because you never replied to the standard warning letters they send demanding people pay for a TV licence.

sadeelisha wrote: »

Im not trying to scare anyone but its no good telling people not to worry as they wont do anything because they can and will. Not everyone has the knowledge or confidence to stand their ground with an official at their door and can be intimidated. This is what led to me signing the form and then being punished!

No one is suggesting that those who should pay for a TV licence shouldn't get one. What they are against are intimidating, commission-based people turning up at doorsteps telling half-truths and plain untruths in the hope of scaring people into paying for a TV licence they may not even need.

Remember these people aren't 'officials' as most know them. They are employees of private organisations subcontracted by the BBC, like the meter readers subcontracted by gas/elec firms.