TV Licence checkers. Your experience?

forgotmyname

I phoned them to cancel my licence and process the refund, after 2 years I just ignored the letters.  They used to have my name
but now they are addressed to the occupier.  Had letters stating they were going to call but nobody has as yet.

Beware the nice ones,  they can be naughty and say just sign this to say I have been and then they fill them in to
say you admitted to watching live TV.

twopenny

Years ago you used to see the vans patrolling the streets quite regularly.

Now I guess that's too expensive and there's probably some reason they would be offending someone.

I got a knock on the door of my flat. They were downright rude and about to push their way in when they saw my other half appear.

What had I done wrong? I'd paid in a different PO to the one I usually did so the records were up the spout.

But that was intimidating and nasty.

Now the records are better but they don't have the man power.

B0bbyEwing

forgotmyname said:

I phoned them to cancel my licence and process the refund, after 2 years I just ignored the letters.  They used to have my name
but now they are addressed to the occupier.  Had letters stating they were going to call but nobody has as yet.

Beware the nice ones,  they can be naughty and say just sign this to say I have been and then they fill them in to
say you admitted to watching live TV.

Thanks for that. I can't actually remember if I signed anything now. I think I might have but I certainly didn't read it if I did sign.
Which is unlike me because when my employer gets me to sign things I'm apparently the only one who sits there going over every word.

Sapindus

I'm getting two sets of nasty letters, one for "the legal occupier" at this address and one for my old address.  It is taking up way too much of my brain time running through the conversation I will have if they ever turn up here.

They can come in and search the house, there is no TV.  What scares me is if they then decide they want to look at my internet browsing history.  They will find no record of me watching i player (because I haven't) but that could be because I'd wiped the history. Can they then take away my laptop in order to have it forensically examined?  I need my laptop, surely this isn't reasonable.  They definitely can't take my work laptop, it's government property.

If the letters are anything to go by, watching TV robs you of the ability to write a grammatical sentence so there's another reason not to get a licence.  It riles me beyond reason that their starting assumption is that I must be watching TV therefore I owe them money.  I don't want to fill in the "no TV" form because then they will know who I am.  Also if I show them my browsing history they might catch glimpse of my name.

If I take all my clothes off will they go away?
 

Cornucopia

Sapindus said:

I'm getting two sets of nasty letters, one for "the legal occupier" at this address and one for my old address.  It is taking up way too much of my brain time running through the conversation I will have if they ever turn up here.
 

Just return the letters or bin them.   No need to consider what you might say to them because (a) they probably won't come, and (b) all you need to say to them is "Not today, thank you" and shut the door.

Sapindus said:

They can come in and search the house, there is no TV.  What scares me is if they then decide they want to look at my internet browsing history.  They will find no record of me watching i player (because I haven't) but that could be because I'd wiped the history. Can they then take away my laptop in order to have it forensically examined?  I need my laptop, surely this isn't reasonable.  They definitely can't take my work laptop, it's government property.
 

I would strongly recommend not letting them into your house.   On their routine visits they have no legal powers to demand entry.   They can't seize any equipment, and they have no powers to examine computing equipment.   Their objective isn't really to examine equipment, but to get you to verbally confess so they can commit that to paper and create their necessary evidence.   The good news is that there is no legal obligation to speak with them.   

Sapindus said:

If the letters are anything to go by, watching TV robs you of the ability to write a grammatical sentence so there's another reason not to get a licence.  It riles me beyond reason that their starting assumption is that I must be watching TV therefore I owe them money.  I don't want to fill in the "no TV" form because then they will know who I am.  Also if I show them my browsing history they might catch glimpse of my name.
 

The most remarkable thing about their letters is the amount of falsehood that they contain.  In fact their writing style seems to consist of threats and lies.   I'd definitely caution against taking them too seriously, especially if they make you uncomfortable.   There's no legal need to fill in the "no TV" form if you don't want to, and there are practical reasons why it may be unwise.    

forgotmyname

I did the No licence required in 2022, I also cancelled Prime due to their adverts and price increase.  Prime have never hounded me
to start paying again so I don't see why I should inform the TVL that I still no longer require their service.

The letters have fewer lies than when they originally started sending them but they still lie/contradict themselves on the latest letters.

They can send as many threat'o'grams as they like, in my mind the nbotice I gave them in 2022 still stands.  Commented elsewhere
that I think they tend to priority visit properties where the original licence holder was a female and not a male.