TV Licence article Discussion

wild666

Olinda99 Said:
paying with cash doesn't stop back dating anyway because all they do once they see the new license is contact you and say the license is backdated

If they contact saying they're backdating the licence then threaten them with court saying you never watched any live TV or used iPlayer in the time no licence payments were made. It is up the TVL to prove that you watched live TV or used iPlayer in that time and they cannot prove it so they should accept the original date the new licence was purchased. If they don't then proceed with county court action and they will most likely back down especially when your going for costs and compensation as well. 
It will be up to TVL to prove that you watched live TV or used iPlayer not that you did do what they are trying to claim.

MothballsWallet

Hi everyone,

We no longer watch or record live TV in our home (the TV has only been used for about 2 weeks in the last year for live TV) and, according to the questionnaire on the TVL website we definitely qualify to become legally licence free (LLF) and may even be due a refund.

Is it best to cancel online or by phone? Some of the resources like TV Licence Bible and TV Licence Resistance say those are best if you wish to get a refund, but I'm the sort who'd like to follow up with a letter.

I'd also like to be able to make the LLF declaration while reducing the chances of a TVL person turning up on the door.

Your advice will be appreciated,
MothballsWallet

Olinda99

no need for a letter go to the TVL page online and cancel. 

The licence will be cancelled from the end of the month

by all means also declare 'no licence required' it will stop reminder letters but will not stop visits. The chances of getting a visit are very low.

Cornucopia

I agree - no need for a letter.   If you cancel by phone it will be done in one go, whereas if you cancel online you may well have to follow it up with a phone call as well.   If you have previously paid annually and are happy to let your Licence lapse you don't need to contact them at all.

There is no "LLF declaration".   The term LLF was invented by us - people discussing being legally without a Licence and wanting a positive term for it.   TVL use the term "No Licence Needed declaration" to make it sound official, but it doesn't mean a great deal.  It is an artificial step in the enforcement process that gives them more data to work with.   It's not specified in legislation and it has little overall legal effect.   

A refund will be due if either you have paid in monthly instalments, or you have paid by another method and have 1 or more months remaining on the Licence.   

vix2000

Excuse my ignorance but I always thought the tv license was to fund the BBC.  What is rationale in requiring one to watch itv, channels 4 & 5 live? Also any channels like sky sport broadcasting live events? We pay enough for sky!!! 

Cornucopia

vix2000 said:

Excuse my ignorance but I always thought the tv license was to fund the BBC.  What is rationale in requiring one to watch itv, channels 4 & 5 live? Also any channels like sky sport broadcasting live events? We pay enough for sky!!! 

The basic principle is that it's a tax, not a (BBC) subscription.    It's required if a household receives TV broadcasts or uses BBC iPlayer.   Those are the rules of the tax, legislated by government.  

It is due to be reviewed in 2027, but it's unclear if it'll remain unchanged or if it will be changed significantly.

Lewie

vix2000 said:

Excuse my ignorance but I always thought the tv license was to fund the BBC.  What is rationale in requiring one to watch itv, channels 4 & 5 live? Also any channels like sky sport broadcasting live events? We pay enough for sky!!! 

Pretty simple really
When there was no choice the BBC had a captive audience.
As more choice appeared they had to do something as folk left in droves (in simple terms)
Successive governments have allowed the BBC to make their own rules as the BBC is the government's propaganda machine.
Johnson was going to scrap it but as soon as he got in office (like others before and after him) he would have seen just how useful the BBC are.
As for ITV, the BBC and ITV are in cahoots, as likely are the rest.
BritBox was a subscription 'service' in which the BBC, in cahoots with ITV, charging the gullible for programmes that we, the licence payers, have already funded.
How was this even allowed in the first place?
The BBC still supply content to ITV apparently.

No, I don't HAVE to pay for a TV licence, but as I live in a household with others, and I'm not a dictator, that's the situation, for now.

powerful_Rogue

Nick_C said:

Watching the Queen's funeral was not exempt if you were watching it on a TV Channel in your own home.  The exemption only applied to communal viewings such as community centres.  Same with the Coronation.  However, I watched both streamed live on YouTube.  Not TV, but streamed by Newspapers and the Royal Family YouTube channel, for example. 

Oops, I shall keep quiet about that then. I must have skim read I thought it was exempt!

2010

At the Reform party conference yesterday, Lee Anderson ripped up his "reminder" letter from the BBC and more or less told them to get stuffed.

silverwhistle

Well, if Lee Anderson did that, it seems like a good reason to get one!

I'm a pensioner but have never, ever owned a colour TV. Once I had a friend stay for a bit when their domestic circumstances changed so told them they'd have to get a licence for the one in their room. Unfortunately they used my name so when they moved got letters in my name. Eventually I dropped off their system and it's a lot easier to ignore letters which say 'The Occupier'. Even those have now tailed off: it used to be every month on a variable cycle of formats. I do watch some TV.

Fortunately one of the village pubs shows the football..