TV licence query

BRSurvivor

It's odd, and the tv licensing website seems a bit poor in terms of explanations. I'm guessing that they want you to pay for a year over the next six months but only give you a six months license, and then you'll get issued a yearly license and pay for the rest of that for the next 6 months, then you start to pay for the next license 6 months before you get it.

I've been paying monthly for so long, I can't remember how it works.

pinkie84

Thanks, I emailed them, copied the response i got below in case any one else has the same confusion:

Thank you for contacting us.
Television licences are issued subject to terms and conditions laid down by the Licensing Authority. New licences are always dated to expire twelve months from the first day of the month in which they were bought.
When Monthly Direct Debit was introduced, we recognised the need to offer our customers a way of spreading the licence fee so that it would be more affordable.
With Monthly Direct Debit, you pay for your first licence within six months. From then on, you pay for your licences in 12 monthly instalments ? six of these will be before your licence is due and six after. Just one of the ways to help make paying more convenient at no extra cost.
Should the Direct Debit be cancelled, any payments towards future licences will automatically be refunded.
Quarterly Direct Debit allows you to spread the cost of your licence and pay the fee by instalments every three months. The fee for licences paid by this method includes an additional charge of £1.25 per quarter which is stipulated in legislation.

I've decided to opt for the quarterly license - not ideal due to being £5 more expensive for the year, but it does help me out cash-flow wise in the short term.

derrick

dustinjames wrote: »

goons. lol

so say if they ring my doorbell, and i open the door and they say who they are,
can i say "no you can not come in". ?

Yes you can, just the same as you can to the postman, paperboy etc, if they have come onto your property,(driveway), you can tell them to get off as they are trespassing, they have NO legal powers.

.

donnac2558

I have paid by quarterly payment since the 90s. They did once write to me asking to change to monthly. Er, no.

MaggotAJ

I prefer to pay mine monthly. That way it doesnt seem so bad paying for something that in my opinion I shouldnt pay for at all. I am still tempted to not pay the fee and just refuse entry to my property to any investigators. From what I understand they have no legal right to demand entry.

davemurgatroyd

pinkie84 wrote: »

Hi,

Just moved into a new place alone and contacted the TV Licensing company to arrange a new license. I was expecting to pay a monthly amount of under £15, amounting to the fee of £145 for the year. Why is it that the licensing company want to charge me £29 a month, and that the license will then only last until Oct?

I rang the contact number and was told "that's just how it is." I just wondered if any one had any advice? I want to have a TV but having just moved I cannot afford £145 in one go which I believe would take me up to next April? Or would that also only take me up until Oct?

I am confused please help!

Thanks!

Basically you pay for this years license (up to April next year) over 6 months at £29 odd per month then you start paying for the following years license at just under £15 per month on an ongoing basis. So rather than paying £145 up front in one payment after your initial six months you will be anything from 1 to 6 months in credit (increasing monthly) and after your initial 12 months you will be 6 months in arrears (decreasing monthly). So after the first 6 months you be anything from 6 months in credit to 6 months in arrears. A reasonable scheme as they are not charging interest on the monthly payments.

davidlizard

derrick wrote: »

Yes you can, just the same as you can to the postman, paperboy etc, if they have come onto your property,(driveway), you can tell them to get off as they are trespassing, they have NO legal powers.

.

Indeed.

The problem is they project themselves as if they do. The BBC/TVL letters and website have threats of "Interview under Caution" and "PACE" and all sorts of other nonsense. The fact that the BBC/TVL call them "Officers" or "Agents" further builds up their authority.

They then turn up wearing a uniform, peaked hat and these days an anti-stab vest, looking more like police officers.

All of this builds up an illusion of them being something they are not. If other salesmen (which is what in effect TVL/BBC are) misrepresented themselves like this to sell their wares, there would be an uproar.

BRSurvivor

donnac2558 wrote: »

I have paid by quarterly payment since the 90s. They did once write to me asking to change to monthly. Er, no.

So you pay £5 per year extra for the priveledge of not paying monthly?

corbyboy

They have an FAQ page that gives you the answer.

You pay for your first yearly licence in 6 months, so your first 6 payments are much higher. After that you are "in credit" for 6 months and then "in debt" for the next 6 months. It then repeats like this every year.

aod19851

Hi All

I have recently attempted to purchase a TV licence online but quickly stopped after reading the payment schedule. It would appear to essentially end up charging for 2 TV licences over an 18 month period (by renewing your first 'year' licence after six months). Enclosed in the quote is my letter to the TV Licensing regarding the matter as an initial enquiry about it. I may have just miscalculated somewhere, if anyone could point out a glaring error, I would appreciate it.

Please note, my letter is only an initial enquiry, not an accusation or complaint to the BBC. Comments/discussion is very welcome though.

Customer Relations
TV Licensing
Bristol
BS98 1TL

Dear Sir

I recently purchased a Television Licence through your online portal: [link removed]. During this process, I selected to pay by direct debit and then selected the appropriate timing options of ‘monthly’ and ‘pay on the 22nd’. I was then presented with a page confirming the schedule of my Direct Debit payments over the next 18 months. I have enclosed this schedule as a screen-print of its appearance on my screen, in order to provide substantiation.

The payment schedule shows payments running from 23/05/2011 to 24/11 2011 (a six month period) totalling 145.50 (24.50 a month). The payment schedule then runs from 22/11/2011 to 22/10/2012 (a twelve month period) totalling 145.50 (12.12 a month approximately).

This ends up with a payment of £291.00 over an 18 month period. Therefore effectively paying for two television licences over an 18 month period. I suspect that if the payments are as shown then there is a serious mistake being made, whether a programming error for the website or a calculation error of some kind. TV licences run over an arbitrary twelve month period, not a calendar twelve month period and so I can see no reason for this payment schedule. The direct debit payments should total £12.12 per month no matter what date it is started on.

I have opted to pay for my TV license by one off payment and it has confirmed that the licence expires in one year in April 2012, not on 24/11/2011. I would appreciate some form of reply to either confirm that I am mistaken in my calculations (or am missing some relevant information), or that the payments are somehow incorrectly calculated or represented. The error would appear to lie in the calculation that the TV licence will be renewed in October 2011, when it is not due for renewal, as payments after this renewal are appropriate.

I suspect many people would not check the exact payments before confirming their purchase by direct debit and were the worst case scenario envisaged, people may be paying far more than necessary for their TV licences and may be due a refund.

Yours Faithfully

I cannot post the file as a new user but it is on mediafire, reference ?88h4e426o14p083 - just copy and paste that after the forward slash of the mediafire URL