Question about TV licence

tempus_fugit

Autumn86 wrote: »

Not sure who would actually be foolish enough to waste their money paying for ''a license to watch TV'', but I guess there will always be fools & simpletons around... :rotfl::rotfl:

I pay my TV licence as a) it's the law (I watch live TV and the law says I have to pay the licence in that case) and b) because I watch a lot of BBC and consider it value for money.

I realise that some don't like it and feel that it should not be compulsory, and that's fair enough, but don't insult licence payers with such unnecessarily inflammatory language.

Cornucopia

Autumn86 wrote: »

The key point is that ''THEY'' say that... :rotfl:

The reality is that its total and utter garbage and nonsense.
They make those claims to try scaring people, when the reality is they probably make approx 400 house visits per year...

It's all very well not believing the BBC's statistics (and there is no doubt an element of inaccuracy to them), but how far does the "rabbit hole" go? They say they have around 300 staff working on these "house calls". So 400 a year would be something of an easy life for those people. Also, how do you get 180,000 prosecutions out of 400 visits? Or are the Courts involved in this deception, too?

(and that will only be to people who have declared they do need a license, but then have not bought one).

There is no such declaration. You can declare that you do not need a Licence, or you can buy a Licence. Everything else puts you in-scope for enforcement activities, such as they are.

They will never ever ever ever visit a house who has stated they don't need a license,
as quite simply houses who are declared as not requiring licenses have no business-relationship with TV licensing Ltd, and so would have no logical reason to interact with employees of TV licensing, let alone let them inside your house.

And yet, they sometimes do, and they sometimes get prosecuted.

*Moreover though even if a TV license employee did magically manage to get inside your house/or had X-ray vision to see inside it, all they would see is a TV.
However you do NOT need a license to own a TV.
You are meant to have a license if you watch live broadcasts, but if you choose to own a TV/sky box/freeview box, you can do so perfectly legally without having a license,
simpl need to state on the form that you only use them to watch dvds/listen to the radio/play console games.

A lot of people are honest enough to simply confess to evasion when the suggestion is put to them. I've never managed to get to the bottom of what "magic words" TVL staff utter in order to produce that reaction, but it seems to work.

Not sure how dim-witted someone would have to be to actually be worried that the TV license company has any power whatsover to enforce anything! :rotfl:

TV Licence evasion IS a crime, albeit a fairly minor one. So we won't (can't) be advocating anything other than: people who need a Licence must get one. It's not like putting yourself in the position not to need a Licence requires a huge sacrifice.

Cornucopia

pinkcloud wrote: »

Is there any process for telling them about the "second home" or do they accept me just telling them?

I would phone them. It's not really in their interests to mess you around too much because you are in the process of buying an additional Licence. On which basis, I don't think they will ask for any proof of ownership or anything like that.

[Deleted User]

worried_jim wrote: »

Totally agree, let's get it encrypted and subscribted so I can ignore it.

Just watched the Excellent Jack Ryan on Prime- at last some proper man's television.

I pity you for missing last nights Fake or Fortune on BBC 2.. Only the BBC can do a program so good as that. Starting off examining a pair of 18 the century paintings depicting black sitters which was a very unusual subject. The program researched the history of the unknown artists revealing just why they painted unfashionable black subjects.
No violence, no one shot, no blood, just stark reality about the hard times of slavery. Reality is more interesting than your fairy tales and escapism Cornucopia ..
Well done BBC, Fake or Fortune alone is worth the licence fee along with many other gems like that.

Cornucopia

To be fair, though, other broadcasters can and do make excellent History programming, and much that the BBC has made gets recycled on Yesterday, too.

dosh37

I would like to know how the TV licence money is actually distributed.
We are told you have to pay for a licence if you watch live TV - even if you don't watch BBC channels.
It seems to me that if all the money ends up going to the BBC to pay for things like Chris Evans £1.6 million salary, endless repeats of Top Gear etc. then there is a fishy smell in the air.

HWW

& offline, even if I wished to do so, I could not buy a TVL or fill out a NLN form.......
Hope it never recovers, Ddos attack?:rotfl:
http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/tv-licensing-website-down-mark-cook-candour-cyber-security-1-5685499

Cornucopia

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/14/how-does-the-bbc-spend-its-5bn-in-licence-fee-money/

[Deleted User]

MovingForwards wrote: »

The tv licence pays for BBC and Iplayer. Not all the other channels.

Sky/virgin etc are able to pick up BBC and therefore a licence would be payable.

Netflix doesnt pick up BBC and therefore no licence is required.

Just to give a little guidance

Maybe this is the reason that TVL manage to find so many TV licence evaders, approx 200,000 a year without even seeing the occupiers TV set up or setting foot in the property. New migrants to the UK are easy prey because they do not quite understand the rules and get caught out often
.Any live scheduled broadcasts and that includes all the Freeview and Freesat channels all need a licence.
TVL cleverly and gently , interrogate the occupier who then signs a "confession " and maybe admits to watching their favourite Freeview channel or maybe only a Virgin program then the next step is to visit the Magistrates or better still cough up £150 for a TV licence.

Cornucopia

Houbara wrote: »

Maybe this incorrect reply...

What's incorrect about it? You need a Licence to watch or record traditional TV channels, their internet live streamed equivalents or BBC iPlayer. That's the rule in the simplest possible terms.

... is the reason that TVL manage to find so many TV licence evaders, approx 200,000 a year without even seeing the occupiers TV set up or setting foot in the property. New migrants to the UK are easy prey because they do not quite understand the rules and get caught out often.

Or perhaps they come from countries that don't have a TV Licence and they therefore have no idea that such a thing could even exist? Since we've seen how the legal requirements for watching streamed content from overseas are a little hazy, a lot of those prosecution must be unsafe.

TVL cleverly and gently , interrogate the occupier who then signs a "confession " then the next step is to visit the Magistrates or better still cough up £150 for a TV licence

I don't think that interrogating someone in their own home is either clever or gentle, and what's more is that depending on what you mean by "interrogate", it's probably illegal. (The supporting references for the HRA already strongly suggest that it is unlawful).