TV Licence visit? What next

KILL_BILL

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

that's it ignore them and when it ends up in court ignore them again and keep going until you get the bailiffs knocking at the door and the damaged credit rating - wise words...

its nothing to do with consumer credit - tv licence or the balliffs so your information is incorrect.

they would only proceed to court by obtaining a search warrant from the magistrate which is highly unlikely and also they would need to caution him under pace etc.

the amount of times that happenes is when people open the dor and speak to them

Bamber19

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

that's it ignore them and when it ends up in court ignore them again and keep going until you get the bailiffs knocking at the door and the damaged credit rating - wise words...

why suggest a possibility that, in all the years of tv licensing, has never happened. 100% of convictions for not having a television licence come about as a result of admitting this to a licence official... never speak to one and this simply cannot happen.

Morally and legally you should be paying for a licence if you have a tv that you're using to watch broadcast shows but if you don't and you don't admit it you will 100% never have any issue as the mere facts that you are human and do not have a licence are not enough for a court to issue a warrant to allow access to your house to check what you're up to. It would be on a par with courts daily issuing warrants to raid people's houses to see if they have driving licences, on the off chance that they don't have a driving licence, do own a car, and do use it to drive.

Horace

I had the same trouble with the TV licensing folks when I moved into my flat last August, they kept writing to me and threatening me because they claimed I had a TV. In the end I contacted them and told them that I had an aerial socket but did not have a TV because I could not afford one but if they were insistent then I would pay for a license just for the socket. I was told it wasn't necessary but they had had reports that I had a TV - I had cable installed for my telephone and broadband connection and TV came with it but I still had no TV to watch. Boy, how they pestered I even invited them round but no-one came.

In November 06 my OH bought me a TV for my birthday (a cheap Goodmans TV from Comet that cost £93 because it was a display model with no remote) and he bought my TV licence in my name. Shortly after that I started getting letters addressed to him from the licensing folks at my flat (he doesn't live with me), all the letters stated that he had recently purchased a TV and that no license was registered in his name at my flat (well it wouldn't be). We just ignored the letters and eventually they stopped coming - I guess they looked at the address - it is only the address that is registered that's what they keep blethering on about in all their Ads. I bought my own license this year, although I don't see why I should have one because I hardly ever watch BBC or ITV channels.

Mind, I never knew it was an offence to not have a TV but to have an aerial socket. They made me feel like a criminal, I guess they didn't like my address because my flat used to be a council block with unscrupulous tenants and now it has been refurbished and is owned by a private landlord with respectable tenants.

moonrakerz

I have been continuously threatened/harassed/bullied by the TV Licence people over an empty property I have been doing up for about the last 14 months.
It was always my intention to transfer my licence to this property when I moved into it.

Two weeks before Christmas I moved in and attempted to transfer my TV Licence on their web-site. I entered the Licence Number, my name, address, postcode - all exactly as they are shown on the licence - and I keep getting an error message saying "the details you have entered do not match our records"!

This is from the people whose threatening letters all contain:- "our records indicate" or "according to our records" !!

What a bunch of ********* ! who are, of course, wasting licence payers money sending out all this rubbish.

Blacksheep1979

Bamber19 wrote: »

why suggest a possibility that, in all the years of tv licensing, has never happened. 100% of convictions for not having a television licence come about as a result of admitting this to a licence official... never speak to one and this simply cannot happen.

well they must have changed it from the other year when my mate ended up with the courts imposing a fine, bailiffs turning up at our door (he used to live in that house) and if the county courts find against you then, well yes, it does damage your credit rating. He never answered the door or let them in, but I guess you've been through all the court papers for everything ever and know better than people who have actually seen it happen?

Maybe if you turn up to court and dny you have a tv you'd get off but not turning up = automatically finding against you.

Bamber19

well i'm sorry or being so blatantly rude but there are 3 options with regards your friend, he's made up, you've misunderstood or he's lied to you about the facts.

I know how courts work with regards not showing up and obviously if you actually got a court summons then go, but the point is, ignoring TV licensing officials in the first place means you will never be called to court. You cannot be taken to court on a criminal matter without there being any evidence against you, which, if you never speak to an official there wont be as a court will not issue a warrant (the only way they'll get any evidence) with nothing but a licensing officials unfounded suspicions placed in front of them.

BTW the county court is a civil court, not having a tv license is a criminal matter, you're mixing up 2 things. I see what's happened now, you're mate has been fined and failed to pay so it's went to the county court in order to enforce the fine... a totally seperate issue. We're talking about being taken to court for not having a license and you're talking about being taken to court for not paying a fine.

IvanOpinion

Now that was unusual, I have just received a letter saying I do not have a TV licence at my main address .. considering I do, and it was only renewed in October, I find that somewhat confusing. Since they threatened me with legal action I have just sent them back a letter telling them 'to come on if you think you are hard enough' .. I decided not to waste my printer ink telling them I already have a licence

ivan

moonrakerz

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

well they must have changed it from the other year when my mate ended up with the courts imposing a fine, bailiffs turning up at our door (he used to live in that house) and if the county courts find against you then, well yes, it does damage your credit rating. He never answered the door or let them in, but I guess you've been through all the court papers for everything ever and know better than people who have actually seen it happen?

Maybe if you turn up to court and dny you have a tv you'd get off but not turning up = automatically finding against you.

I am intrigued by this post.

Capita who run the TV Licensing "business" for the BBC have admitted that they have never used TV detector van evidence in Court - almost certainly because such evidence is inadmissable. ALL the reports that I have seen where people have been fined in Court have said that the people admitted not having a licence.

The report above mentioned "bailiffs" - these would not be used for a TV Licence dodging offence, also the "county courts" would not be involved.
This case sounds more like someone bought a TV, then defaulted on the payments.

KILL_BILL

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

well they must have changed it from the other year when my mate ended up with the courts imposing a fine, bailiffs turning up at our door (he used to live in that house) and if the county courts find against you then, well yes, it does damage your credit rating. He never answered the door or let them in, but I guess you've been through all the court papers for everything ever and know better than people who have actually seen it happen?

Maybe if you turn up to court and dny you have a tv you'd get off but not turning up = automatically finding against you.

any tv licensing issues are dealt with at the Magistrates court AND NOT the county court

Wig

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

that's it ignore them and when it ends up in court ignore them again and keep going until you get the bailiffs knocking at the door and the damaged credit rating - wise words...

What a rediculous reply and assumption.

In the unlikely event they wanted to go to court over it they would first turn up on his doorstep, if he was in at the time and answered the door, it would be a simple matter for him to say "hang on a minute", go to fetch his wifes TV licence, and show it to them.

In the highly unlikely event they went to court without fidrst speaking to him on the doorstep, he would be summonsed by the court to appear. If at that stage he didn't want to waste his time or theirs any further he could send the court prior to court date a photocopy of his TV licence. If he did want to rub their nose in it he could wait.... - He would simply turn up in court show the Judge the TV licence - case dismissed.


KILL BILL was saying "ignore them" talking about the worthless letters, which they have begun sending. Your daft assumption is that you think KILL BILL advocated ignoring a court summons.

**All of the above is ignoring any arguement that they cannot and do not proceed to court without an admission of guilt on the doorstep - I have no idea if this is true or not, and I don't care**


My advice to the user who bought a license in his wifes name, is that he just bought himself a few years worth of worthless "threatening" letters from TVLA, because no matter what he tells them by letter or on the phone, they are simply inept and will not correct their database. So the best thing to do is just ignore the letters, the only letters he should not ignore (obviously) are the ones marked "LEGAL DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED - NOT A CIRCULAR" and any coming not from TVLA but from his local courts.

TVLA do not send envelopes with these words on, whilst they are hassling you to buy a licence, the nearest they come to those words are envelopes which look unfamiliar, the envelope is designed to make you think, "hang on this one could be important", and on the front of the envelope it says "IMPORTANT INFORMATION ENCLOSED" When you open this envelope it's just "the same old, same old" claptrap to be filed under 'B' for Bin.