TV Licensing email - "We notice you've been using iPlayer"

Cornucopia

Hareono said:

I guess a work around would be to use a separate email for iplayer. It's a bit alarming that the BBC and tv licence and comfortably sharing customer data, but I'm sure there so some kind of legal loop hole allowing it. 

The "secret" is that the BBC and TV Licensing are the same.   They are both the BBC, but one hides behind a different trading name.   

Apparently they would have gotten (sic) away with it if it wasn't for us pesky people on the Internet.

bbkaran

albaredz said:

Hello,

I have received an email from TVL saying I have been watching iPlayer, tied to my email address and postcode, and my no-need-for-a-licence status is now void and I need to buy a licence. I don't watch TV and only have a BBC account to access radio stations.

I requested info from BBC because I had a feeling I may have watched iPlayer for a breaking news story and within the last few months it has a record of me watching a news story and politics show. Even if they were just for a few minutes, I hold my hand up, fair enough, strictly bang to rights.

What I want to check is what you advise I do next. I have no interest whatsoever in watching iPlayer, but I don't want to face a fine. I thought of signing up for a licence, pay for a month or two, then apply to go back to not needing one. My only concern is if TVL think I'm "gaming" the system and send inspectors to my home to see a TV that I use only for gaming and Netflix.

Short story: I mucked up and watched iPlayer a couple of times when I shouldn't have, and I want to find the most cost-effective least stressful way to resolve this without having to pay for a TV licence that I simply do not need.

They seem to be sending this to all those who have "no license needed status".  We received one we don't have BBC login id.  I suspect visitors to the house may have used iplayer through our wifi.  The strange thing is that the letter wants you to contact them if you think they have made a mistake.  But no such link is available on the site they refer to.  It all seems like fishing

Cornucopia

bbkaran said:

albaredz said:

Hello,

I have received an email from TVL saying I have been watching iPlayer, tied to my email address and postcode, and my no-need-for-a-licence status is now void and I need to buy a licence. I don't watch TV and only have a BBC account to access radio stations.

I requested info from BBC because I had a feeling I may have watched iPlayer for a breaking news story and within the last few months it has a record of me watching a news story and politics show. Even if they were just for a few minutes, I hold my hand up, fair enough, strictly bang to rights.

What I want to check is what you advise I do next. I have no interest whatsoever in watching iPlayer, but I don't want to face a fine. I thought of signing up for a licence, pay for a month or two, then apply to go back to not needing one. My only concern is if TVL think I'm "gaming" the system and send inspectors to my home to see a TV that I use only for gaming and Netflix.

Short story: I mucked up and watched iPlayer a couple of times when I shouldn't have, and I want to find the most cost-effective least stressful way to resolve this without having to pay for a TV licence that I simply do not need.

They seem to be sending this to all those who have "no license needed status".  We received one we don't have BBC login id.  I suspect visitors to the house may have used iplayer through our wifi.  The strange thing is that the letter wants you to contact them if you think they have made a mistake.  But no such link is available on the site they refer to.  It all seems like fishing

It is fishing, but I think they think they have some kind of reason for contacting people.   

The question is whether that "thinking" is reasonable.   I don't think there's enough information on that to know for sure either way.   I'm happy to say that on the balance of probabilities that what's behind the emails, technically, doesn't support the strong wording in the emails.   But it's something we see from them consistently.   

I imagine that the marketing people that write the emails do not fully understand the limitations of the technical process used to create emailing target addresses (or they don't care).

It's for someone who has received one of these emails or letters in clearly inappropriate circumstances to complain - to TVL/BBC in the first instance, and then to the Information Commissioner's Office.  I would probably start with a Subject Access Request and work from there.

ThorOdinson

Anyone tried telling them to delete your email address under GDPR rules? No legitimate reason for them to have it.

Always use a disposable email when contacting them. If they somehy email you, mark it as spam and block their address.

noitsnotme

U.K. bbkaran said:

albaredz said:

Hello,

I have received an email from TVL saying I have been watching iPlayer, tied to my email address and postcode, and my no-need-for-a-licence status is now void and I need to buy a licence. I don't watch TV and only have a BBC account to access radio stations.

I requested info from BBC because I had a feeling I may have watched iPlayer for a breaking news story and within the last few months it has a record of me watching a news story and politics show. Even if they were just for a few minutes, I hold my hand up, fair enough, strictly bang to rights.

What I want to check is what you advise I do next. I have no interest whatsoever in watching iPlayer, but I don't want to face a fine. I thought of signing up for a licence, pay for a month or two, then apply to go back to not needing one. My only concern is if TVL think I'm "gaming" the system and send inspectors to my home to see a TV that I use only for gaming and Netflix.

Short story: I mucked up and watched iPlayer a couple of times when I shouldn't have, and I want to find the most cost-effective least stressful way to resolve this without having to pay for a TV licence that I simply do not need.

They seem to be sending this to all those who have "no license needed status".  We received one we don't have BBC login id.  I suspect visitors to the house may have used iplayer through our wifi.  The strange thing is that the letter wants you to contact them if you think they have made a mistake.  But no such link is available on the site they refer to.  It all seems like fishing

There is no chance they have identified your address by anyone using your Wi-Fi.  Only your ISP would be able to identify you that way and BBC/TVL would need a court order to get that info from them.  I don’t believe for one second they are obtaining multiple court orders to identify people who have used specific IP addresses.

N3XUS12

Hi everyone, I'm in a similar situation to the OP. I cancelled my TV license months ago as I never watch live TV or iplayer, or anything that would require one.

Recently, due to extensive home reparations I was living with my parents for a few weeks. They DO have a license, and so I logged into my old iplayer account at their place to watch some of the general election coverage on BBC news. My device was plugged into the mains at my parent's home, though I made the silly mistake of using the same email to log in to iplayer as the email I used to declare I no longer need a license.

Now I'm getting the same threatening email/letters from TVL stating the usual. My question is:

Should I respond to the email stating that I watched iplayer at a seperate address, covered by the homeowners license (according to their own rules), or should I just remain completely silent. I don't want to accidentally incriminate myself due to poor wording, but I'd also rather not be harrassed by people coming to my door, or worse, be forced to go to court if an email explaining the situation would avoid it. Thanks

Cornucopia

You did nothing wrong.   There's no reason why you shouldn't access iPlayer with whatever details you choose when you are somewhere that has a TV Licence.   It doesn't matter whether the device was plugged in or not under these circumstances.

I don't suppose it will do any harm to complain to TVL that they have falsely accused you.  Or you can just ignore it.   They can't summons you on the basis of what they have in the emails/letters.

They might call, but then they might do that anyway.   You can just ignore them at the door, or tell them to go away.

cub

I would never trust the competence or honesty of Capita - they are almost certainly on some sort of contract that pays them bonuses for 'persuading' people to get a licence (whether they are legally required to have one or not).
I was threatened by TV Licensing because I logged on to iplayer with my email address and BBC login - registered to my home address where I don't have TV or need a licence - but was watching at an address that was covered by a licence - they don't seem to be able to recognise that situation can occur!
The latest scam, running adverts on BBC Radio 4 in September 2024, is misleading students into believing they should get a licence to watch TV while away at uni. Of course, given that most students do almost everything on their phones or a laptop, if these are operating on battery only and their parents have a licence, they don't need one.

dogwurzel

ive had a similar email from tv licensing, but they send an eamil from an un monitored email box, so you cant reply, i live outside of the uk and im not going to phone them, so there is no way of contacting them, i moved from my home address three months ago, so i guess the new occupants will get a visit, they dont have a forwarding address for me, so i they will be stumped, anyone got an emaill address for the tv liciensing that works?

Cornucopia

dogwurzel said:

ive had a similar email from tv licensing, but they send an eamil from an un monitored email box, so you cant reply, i live outside of the uk and im not going to phone them, so there is no way of contacting them, i moved from my home address three months ago, so i guess the new occupants will get a visit, they dont have a forwarding address for me, so i they will be stumped, anyone got an emaill address for the tv liciensing that works?

I would just ignore it.