TV Licence article Discussion

Cornucopia

It is against BBC Policy to threaten Search Warrants. (And this is all it was, a hollow threat).

They need evidence to get a Warrant, which they don't have, and the number of warrants is tiny. (For example, Sheffield magistrates issued only 6 TVL warrants in the three years to end of 2013).

It is policy for them to attend warrants with the Police. However, the Police's role is to prevent a breach of the peace. They have a policy of not using force to enter premises.

dmsr007

Hi MSE,

I have a subscription to Virgin Media. This includes TV, Broadband and Phone. I don't actually ever watch the TV, let alone record or even use catch up services. I purely have a TV to watch films through a games console on a very rare occasion. I only have a TV subscription as the deal worked out cheaper to have the TV package included (at the time). Do I need a TV licence as I don't watch or record live broadcasts?

Cornucopia

No, you don't need a licence.

I'm not familiar with VM. Does the TV set-top box need to be connected? If not, I would put it away from prying eyes.

Last time I asked the BBC, they said that VM didn't supply subscriber lists to TVL. Nor does Sky.

dmsr007

Brilliant, thanks for your response! It made perfect sense and is as I suspected.

johndarko

Hi all,

Though I'm not British the discussion about tv licensing interests me and reminds me of the days we had similar legislation in the Holland.

The licensing office had some advertising agency create quite intimidating clips which were broadcast during the commercial breaks. They were funny as well. (You can see a few on Youtube if you search for 'kijk- en luistergeld'). The difference in implementation is that in Holland you had to pay if you owned a tv set, not depending on whether you actually used it. I must say I'm quite happy that tv licensing has been abolished in favour of general taxes in The Netherlands. Now at least I can't forget to pay.
I'm not impressed by some of the reasoning by people who say they do not watch the BBC. Apart from personal preferences a civil society needs decent public programs. And the BBC is actually very good (and cheap! considering what it delivers).

I would even go as far as to say that not watching BBC should be penalised. Maybe by withdrawing voting rights? Just kidding...

John

Cornucopia

johndarko wrote: »

I'm not impressed by some of the reasoning by people who say they do not watch the BBC.

Such as?

Apart from personal preferences a civil society needs decent public programs.

At the end of the day, it's only TV. Being outside the UK you may not be aware of just how many other channels of various types we have aside from the BBC. Many of those show exceptional TV.

And the BBC is actually very good (and cheap! considering what it delivers).

The reason why it is "cheap" (though not as cheap as Netflix) is because everyone who watches TV broadcasts is forced to pay for it.

I would even go as far as to say that not watching BBC should be penalised. Maybe by withdrawing voting rights? Just kidding...

This is truly bizarre. Especially when you consider how well regarded C4 News and Sky News are.

Jaunty_One

So I'm a Sky employee and I'm offered free Sky TV with Movies + Sport. The engineer will come round to install it soon but say I just want to use it to listen to radio and watch On Demand services...

How do I prove I'm not watching live TV? How can they disprove it too? Would rather not pay extra if I don't need to.

The_Grocer

After many, many issues with the TV licencing authority which I will not go into and bore you, I found out that if you ask for a refund they will only refund in quarterly multiplications...

ie I bought my licence June, was in UK for June,July, Aug, Sept so expected 8 months refund. WRONG....they will only refund SIX months!


I can't see that in terms and conditions anywhere and challenge if its legal.

Cornucopia

Jaunty_One wrote: »

So I'm a Sky employee and I'm offered free Sky TV with Movies + Sport. The engineer will come round to install it soon but say I just want to use it to listen to radio and watch On Demand services...

How do I prove I'm not watching live TV? How can they disprove it too? Would rather not pay extra if I don't need to.

If you want catch-up and radio, you are probably better off with something other than a Sky box. The problem is that the box receives and records TV for the red button stuff whenever it is scheduled. You need a licence for that.

You don't need to disprove it, as such, but they will hassle you. They are on commission and some of the TVL field staff have been known to use very underhand methods.

Have a look at Chromecast for catch-up, Netflix, etc. You are better off with an old Freeview box for radio, especially if it can have the TV channels deleted. Just connect the audio output to your hifi or computer speakers.

If you are after a "premium" STB solution, Youview is very capable with catch-up TV (but does not have Netflix). It also has access to iPlayer Radio.

cw18

The_Grocer wrote: »

After many, many issues with the TV licencing authority which I will not go into and bore you, I found out that if you ask for a refund they will only refund in quarterly multiplications...

ie I bought my licence June, was in UK for June,July, Aug, Sept so expected 8 months refund. WRONG....they will only refund SIX months!


I can't see that in terms and conditions anywhere and challenge if its legal.

It's something I was fully aware of, which is why I cancelled the day before the end of a quarter. It certainly mentions they'll refund if you 'have any quarters (3 / 6 / 9 months) left' under the cancellation and refunds section of the website.