ASDA notify TV Licensing over Hi-Fi Purchase

coupleuk

My 73 year old mother does not watch TV, she listens to the radio.

In April, I purchased a Hi-Fi System from ASDA Direct for her, using her details.

Today, she has received a letter from TV Licensing to advise her that ASDA notified them she purchased a "tv related" item and that she needed a TV Licence or had to go thru the lengthy No Licence system (again).

I understand that companies must by Law notify TV Licensing when tv related items are purchased - but his was a bog standard Hi-Fi.

1) surely ASDA are breaching Data Protection Laws by passing my mothers information to a third party?

2) will ASDA cover the cost of time/postage in dealing with this - the last time we had to convince TV Licensing that she didnt watch TV, it took several letters over 2 months.

This has really annoyed me and I've written to ask that ASDA write to TV Licensing to explain their error.

has anyone else encountered this problem with ASDA?

Paul

Azari

coupleuk wrote: »

My 73 year old mother does not watch TV, she listens to the radio.

In April, I purchased a Hi-Fi System from ASDA Direct for her, using her details.

Today, she has received a letter from TV Licensing to advise her that ASDA notified them she purchased a "tv related" item and that she needed a TV Licence or had to go thru the lengthy No Licence system (again).

I understand that companies must by Law notify TV Licensing when tv related items are purchased - but his was a bog standard Hi-Fi.

1) surely ASDA are breaching Data Protection Laws by passing my mothers information to a third party?

2) will ASDA cover the cost of time/postage in dealing with this - the last time we had to convince TV Licensing that she didnt watch TV, it took several letters over 2 months.

This has really annoyed me and I've written to ask that ASDA write to TV Licensing to explain their error.

has anyone else encountered this problem with ASDA?

Paul

She doesn't need to go through anything.

She can just bin the letters from TV licensing.

They cannot do anything to anyone who does not need a licence. If they can't make the procedure for telling them you don't need a licence easy and straightforward I can't see any reason to jump through hoops.

stephen77

1) As you say its the law to report it, then there unlikely to be under a breach of anything.

2) You can just bin them, like other junk mail. If ASDA or any other company have to report it by law, they can harldy be expected to compensate for doing what the law says.

hermum

Or if you don't want post going to her about it you can fill the form in online. That's what I did, they wrote to say that they may check, if they did it was with a detector thing as they never came to the house & I then had another letter saying that they wouldn't be in contact with me for 3 years or something.

coupleuk

stephen77 wrote: »

1) As you say its the law to report it, then there unlikely to be under a breach of anything.

2) You can just bin them, like other junk mail. If ASDA or any other company have to report it by law, they can harldy be expected to compensate for doing what the law says.

The Law requires that ASDA notify TV Lic if any TV EQUIPMENT is purchased.

A Hi-Fi is NOT TV equipment so they shouldn't be handing out private and confidential information.

Paul

moonrakerz

hermum wrote: »

if they did it was with a detector thing as they never came to the house

This is the inside of a TV "detector" van - note all the highly sophisticated equipment fitted inside:-

http://www.neverquitethere.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Empty-van-interior.jpg

spike7451

I bought a VCR from Argos & was asked for my address...so I gave my old RAF Address in Germany!lol

mcjordi

coupleuk wrote: »

The Law requires that ASDA notify TV Lic if any TV EQUIPMENT is purchased.

A Hi-Fi is NOT TV equipment so they shouldn't be handing out private and confidential information.

Paul

but the tv license also covers radio broadcasts

Searcher

mcjordi wrote: »

but the tv license also covers radio broadcasts

But you don't need a radio licence if you don't have a TV.
They were discontinued in 1971

corbyboy

What is a "TV related" item? In what way is a hi-fi related to a TV?

Nilrem

corbyboy wrote: »

What is a "TV related" item? In what way is a hi-fi related to a TV?

I think it's related in that ASDA's automated system probably isn't smart enough to tell the difference between a Radio (or DVD player) and a TV (or DVD recorder etc), and instead probably flags up any AV hardware and generates an automatic TVL notification.
Either that or someone when entering the information onto their system ticked the wrong checkbox.