TV Licence article Discussion

Ingoodfaith

Hello, I'm a newbie and need some help re TV licence payment.
I've been abroad and returned recently to my new flat and registered to pay for the licence by monthly direct debit. However, the payment structure is confusing. It seems to charge a full year's subscription over 6 months with a monthly payment of £24.25 from February and July making a total of £145.50, the payment for a full year's licence.
Then from August I will be charged just over £12 a month for the next 12 months.
Can someone tell me why TV Licencing is charging people a full year's fee for 6 months's viewing as it were?
Before I went abroad, I used to only pay 1/12th of the yearly fee each month and renewed annually after that.
Thank you.

cw18

You pay for your first licence over 6 months, so if you started it from today it'd run from 1st April 2014 t0 31st March 2015. They then charge you for the next licence (from 1/4/15 to 31/3/16) over the next 12 months, but you pay 6 months in advance and 6 months in arrears - so when it becomes 'live' on 1/4/15 you've already paid half the cost.

Cornucopia

The idea is that you will (eventually) be paying 6 months in advance and then 6 months in arrears. This is so that monthly payers receive no benefit over those who pay annually.

Mr_D._23

hi, have a friend who moved house, but tv licencing are still charging her for the old address, as well as the new one whole stack of threatening letters, but so far the "home visit" to check her story hasn't happened...she pays by DD, what action can she take to stop this fiasco?

Cornucopia

She just needs to tell them what she wants them to do. If necessary, get the bank to cancel the old DD - but she also needs to tell TVL so that (a) she gets any refund that is due, and (b) they don't appoint debt collectors. It's probably easiest to do this by phone. That way she can escalate immediately if the call centre operative doesn't do what she wants.

I'm not clear why she is waiting for a "visit to check her story". Does she need a licence or not? Either way, they have no legal requirement to check anyone's story. People need not to be misled by these people - there is no legal requirement to co-operate with their letters or routine visits.

cw18

did she request a brand new licence for the new address? unless someone was still at the old one (with a functioning TV) she should have just changed the address on the licence she was already paying for.

Mr_D._23

thanks, I think she didn't know you could transfer address, so I think she has two licences, but i'll check....they told her they would visit for some reason

Cornucopia

Mr_D._23 wrote: »

thanks, I think she didn't know you could transfer address, so I think she has two licences, but i'll check....they told her they would visit for some reason

They don't visit people who have licences.

She should make sure that her new licence is in force. Personally I wouldn't let them in at all - they are both litigious and incompetent - I have heard of cases where they have failed to put a licence in place and then prosecuted for evasion.

mcewaj

Can I please ask for some help . . .

I paid my t.v license in full for one year, but recently cancelled it due to moving in with someone who has one.
I had 1 full month remaining on my license, but tv license are stating they don't pay refunds if there isn't any unused quarters. Ive disputed this, as I feel I should at least be owed one full month considering I paid for the whole year . . .

Is this correct and can I argue this with them or has anyone had the same sort of problem ?

cw18

the terms and conditions of a TV licence clearly state they only refund for full quarters, so I don't think you have any chance of getting anything back from them.

I purposely cancelled mine on the last day of month 9 so that I got use for the third quarter and the same refund as I'd have received had I cancelled when I thought about it (was into month 7 before I only had myself to consider).