TV Licence card

roy_harper

Hi experts,

I've been paying £6.50 weekly for TV Licence by card.
It said on my original schedule that if I paid up till end of August that my Licence would be valid until end of January 2011.
So I thought that's fine, I can put the budget of £6.50 towards my gas meter for winter fuel and re-start paying the licence in January 2011.
But the TVL keeps sending letters saying I've fallen behind and in danger of losing my licence.
Have I got it wrong? Do I have to keep paying every single week of every year.

mr.ton

Typical behaviour from the TVL scum.
Personally i wouldnt pay a licence at all - i havent paid 1 for 10 years now and they havent done anything.

lucylucky

mr.ton wrote: »

Typical behaviour from the TVL scum.
Personally i wouldnt pay a licence at all - i havent paid 1 for 10 years now and they havent done anything.

Perhaps you don't need one?

lucylucky

roy_harper wrote: »

Hi experts,

I've been paying £6.50 weekly for TV Licence by card.
It said on my original schedule that if I paid up till end of August that my Licence would be valid until end of January 2011.
So I thought that's fine, I can put the budget of £6.50 towards my gas meter for winter fuel and re-start paying the licence in January 2011.
But the TVL keeps sending letters saying I've fallen behind and in danger of losing my licence.
Have I got it wrong? Do I have to keep paying every single week of every year.

I am not familiar with the payment by card but when did you start paying? Have you got written confirmation of what you posted above? If so I don't see why you are being pursued for something that you don't owe.

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay/payment-methods/viewpaymentcontent.aspx?id=pay7&iqdocumentid=pay7

whatatwit

When we started paying by direct debit, I had to pay more each month so that we ended up 6 months in advance and then the amount dropped so now we pay the equivalent of the annual fee divided by 12.
At a guess, you should now be paying £3 something per week.

**edited**

From the link in the post above, you should now be paying fortnightly.

roy_harper

Thanks for the link./

Yes I find it a bit ambiguous. The schedule says the licence is valid till 31st January 2011 provided I keep up the scheduled payments. Well I completed the ones on that sheet, and presumed that was all done, but the new schedule doesn't mention valid licence date at all. When I tot up the payments I've already made, they come to the whole Licence fee, so they are as you say, asking for money in advance. What would happen if I just re-started in Feb 2011? Surely I'm licenced and that's all they need, and not my money in advance.

whatatwit

That's how it seems to work.
You can either pay the whole lot upfront, or if you wish to pay by instalments then you are 6 months in advance.

DVardysShadow

roy_harper wrote: »

Hi experts,

I've been paying £6.50 weekly for TV Licence by card.
It said on my original schedule that if I paid up till end of August that my Licence would be valid until end of January 2011.
So I thought that's fine, I can put the budget of £6.50 towards my gas meter for winter fuel and re-start paying the licence in January 2011.
But the TVL keeps sending letters saying I've fallen behind and in danger of losing my licence.
Have I got it wrong? Do I have to keep paying every single week of every year.

The way I read this is that although your balance in August is enough to keep you licensed until Jan 2011, if you don't continue to pay, you will not have enough credit to allow you licence to be extended beyond that date.

There is a fairness issue here - those who pay upfront pay a year ahead. After your first year you will pay the next year from 6 months before the start to 6 months after the start of the year - which is equivalent to paying a year in advance.. To get you started, you pay the first year over the first 6 months of the period.

That is as I understand it.

podperson

Yup, I pay monthly by direct debit and the first 6 months of the year pay for that year and the second 6 months for the year after. Check with them since now you have paid the first year your payments should halve. If you rang them and explained you wished to come off the installments they would probably let you, since you are covered until the end of the year but then they would expect the full payment in January. I find it easier just to pay throughout the year then at least I can budget for it.

mr.ton

lucylucky wrote: »

Perhaps you don't need one?

I've been watching live TV happily in all that time - yes ive had the TVL letters, but they are easy to give the run around....
For example - you set up a DD & then a few days before its due, cancel it..........just repeat that process over & over
(No they dont do anything before anyone says they will )

lucylucky

mr.ton wrote: »

I've been watching live TV happily in all that time - yes ive had the TVL letters, but they are easy to give the run around....
For example - you set up a DD & then a few days before its due, cancel it..........just repeat that process over & over
(No they dont do anything before anyone says they will )

So are you currently breaking the law?