TV Licence article Discussion

French_Saver

TVL people use bullying tactics but as far as I am concerned it is all just threats. Due to an error on their system, they believed that I did not have a TV Licence. I made contact 3 times to try to have them rectify the error but to no avail. I kept receiving threatening letters that said I was on the list for their local officer to visit...every month a letter was arriving, but still no sign of the so called local TV officer. It took over 5 (yes FIVE) years for somebody to turn up here ! So much for a visit very soon from your local officer...Bunch of ******

andyguk

The license fee is completely outdated. In fact we actually pay twice to watch the likes of ITV, Channel 4 and Five... once through the license fee and again through the cost of everything we buy. A percentage of everything we buy goes towards advertising, so say you ditched the license, you'd still be paying for the non-BBC terrestrial channels through your weekly shopping, but wouldn't be allowed to watch any of them.

As for TVL, they are scum of the earth (but they love to be hated, so no point in telling them that). They treat the payment of TV licenses as an insurance policy. They buy them from the BBC upfront and then sell them onto us. Pay quarterly and you'll be stung with a quarterly fee, pay monthly and you'll forever be half the cost of the license fee out of pocket until you A. cancel the license or B. qualify for a reduced or free license. Not sure if TVL make more money from the interest from people being 6 months ahead of themselves or from the quarterly fees..... So then you're left with paying in full to avoid any of the TVL's money spinning tactics. But the TVL know fine well that not everyone can afford a lump sum of £150 in one month so they celebrate with milk and cookies :j

Over the last year, I myself have come to loathe the BBC and all it stands for. I used to be such a fan back in the 80s and 90s when they made so many quality shows. Now it's all about overpaying the same people to appear in numerous short lived dramas and endless spin offs, using their predictable programming templates. :rolleyes: Couple that with their endless weekend coverage of golf, cricket, tennis, athletics etc etc, BBC 1 and 2 turn into some kind of weekend sports channel. If I wanted a sports channel I'd subscribe to Sky Sports :mad:

The BBC continue to revel in their 'ratings' telling us all that the everyone loves them and that they are ever so popular........ so why not ditch the license and go subscription? Worried about what might happen to all their 'millions' of viewers? :rotfl:
well anyway back to work, hope everyone has a great weekend :beer:

twinkle162

I really only need a TV license for 11 months... can I do this?

I'm thinking I would be better making a one off payment, looking into a cashback CC.

basmic

Saw this, this morning: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7613938.stm - Edmonds begins TV licence boycott

veloo

That is a good start. I am due to renew end of this month. I haven't switched on the telly in the past few months. I am deliberating whether or not to renew. Perhaps, I too will boycott, if not for any other reason than because I feel this whole licence fee itself is not just.

Personally, I don't see any value in the BBC at all. If it went bust today, I will shed no tears. There was a time when there was a need for BBC, and that justified the cost. There was a time when the BBC represented what was good about this country, and we were proud of it. Not anymore!

Sink the license fee, and let any who want BBC, pay a subscription or donation or whatever. That is fair!!!

cday_3

I haven't seen this tip in the main article so here goes...

I registered my TV Licence on the 25th October last year. This year I receieved a renewal notice stating that it expires on the 31st September. This means I have lost almost a whole month!

It seems that TV licences can only expire on the last day of a month. When I emailed TVL they couldn't give me a proper reason for this.

Had I waited 5 days my renewal date would have been the 30th October, meaning I would have got the full 12 months out of my licence.

Unfortunately, I haven't got my email replies from TVL to hand, but they said something along the lines of "The terms and conditions don't actually stipulate the length of a licence". Basically meaning, they can do whatever they like and get away with it.

So, the moral of the story is to only start a new licence on the last or first day of a month. Otherwise your renewal will come up sooner and you could only get 11 months out of it.

cday_3

I'm sure you can forgive me for not wanting to read through all 7 pages of this topic?

It should definitely be in the main guide... especially seeing as I read it before buying my Licence.

It should be there with a warning though, as advising people to only buy a licence on day 1 of the month is seen by TVL as encouraging unlicenced use. Meaning possibility of being fined... :eek:

nevets2001uk

We are completing on our first flat on Friday 24th and will be getting Sky in to connect us on Saturday 25th or Monday 27th.

We are 100% against being scammed out of a months license by buying one for those few days and plan to start ours from the 1st November. Can anyone see any major way we can get caught out doing this? What powers would they have to fine us after having only moved in on the 24th? I would expect some kind of allowance for new home owners?

Edward_Brown

sandrah-t wrote: »

Does anyone know if being blind in one eye is classed as visually impaired and entitled to e reduced tv licence fee?

You are not normally regarded as blind unless you are visually impared in both eyes. You can even drive with just one eye. If you develop a visual impairment you need a letter from your doctor (normally a consultant) explaining that you are registered as blind.

moonrakerz

Edward_Brown wrote: »

You are not normally regarded as blind unless you are visually impared in both eyes. You can even drive with just one eye. If you develop a visual impairment you need a letter from your doctor (normally a consultant) explaining that you are registered as blind.

Hmmm ! An Edward Brown purporting to know all about being blind in one eye - I wonder ?