Is the TV Licence fee worth it? Poll results/discussion

Schwade

magyar wrote: »

Is this what you mean?

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/waystopay/directdebitintro.jsp

The DD seems to be payments in advance. You are paying a one year licence within 6 months and then you pay in advance 6 months for the next licence. So in fact, you are always paying 6 months in advance.

mute_posting

magyar wrote: »

Is this what you mean?

<TVL link removed>

That is a lovely page of inaccurate information designed to deceive. It would be a simple task for TVL to make it accurate (either through modifying the calculator or by simply being honest) but they have chosen not to.

It gives you the option to put in any date - Why? When after you have purchased your first license and found it may only run for 111 months 1 day, TVL inform you that licenses only run from 1st day of month.

It then goes on to lie about what the next 6 months DD will be, yet if you buy after the first of the month (you have now found out your license started before you actually purchased it) they will take 5 or even 4 (in my case) payments of a larger ammount - not very helpful for people who want / have to budget.

MP

magyar

Schwade wrote: »

The only problem to this argument is:
1. I have the choice knowing that I am paying for ITV to shop at Tesco. I have a choice to go to another supermarket which is in competition with Tesco.
2. Tesco has a choice not to advertise on ITV.

Neither of those are true

1) You don't realistically have a choice, because all of my local supermarkets (and I imagine this is true for most people) all advertise on ITV. Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Waitrose - all of them advertise and are paying for ITV to a greater or lesser extent. Yes, OK, I could buy all my food at a local greengrocer but economies of scale means that this is more expensive for a different reason. In practice, I have to pay for advertising.

2) Yes, Tesco has a choice not to advertise, but as Defiant pointed out above, this would compromise their commercial position. Therefore if they wish to remain competitive, they have to advertise.

I'll be honest with you, I have no problem with ITV's existence. I accept that commercial TV exists and I'm certainly not pretending I never watch it - why would I, I'm paying for it after all - but I think it's disingenuous in the extreme to describe ITV is free which is what most people seem to imply.

magyar

mute_posting wrote: »

That is a lovely page of inaccurate information designed to deceive.

Schwade wrote:

The DD seems to be payments in advance. You are paying a one year licence within 6 months and then you pay in advance 6 months for the next licence. So in fact, you are always paying 6 months in advance.

Gordon Bennet this is the pedants' thread isn't it!

To me - and I suspect the vast majority of people but in this company I shall refrain from making assumptions:rolleyes: - the bottom line is you sign on the dotted line and you end up paying monthly instead of annually.

I don't see this as any different to paying for your electricity or gas by direct debit; you basically pay in advance.

Schwade

magyar wrote: »

Neither of those are true

1) You don't realistically have a choice, because all of my local supermarkets (and I imagine this is true for most people) all advertise on ITV. Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Waitrose - all of them advertise and are paying for ITV to a greater or lesser extent. Yes, OK, I could buy all my food at a local greengrocer but economies of scale means that this is more expensive for a different reason. In practice, I have to pay for advertising.

2) Yes, Tesco has a choice not to advertise, but as Defiant pointed out above, this would compromise their commercial position. Therefore if they wish to remain competitive, they have to advertise.

I'll be honest with you, I have no problem with ITV's existence. I accept that commercial TV exists and I'm certainly not pretending I never watch it - why would I, I'm paying for it after all - but I think it's disingenuous in the extreme to describe ITV is free which is what most people seem to imply.

Ar, I see now that we are going at different viewpoints. You think people are saying ITV is free is wrong. That's right. I wasn't thinking about that.

It was more like why am I paying for BBC when my payment does nothing for ITV?

Is funding the BBC in anyway assist in the funding of ITV? E.g. if my payment of BBC ended, would ITV die? No BBC will end.

Same example, if ITV only received funding from Tesco, then if I stopped paying Tesco, ITV will end.

Defiant_3

magyar wrote: »

I am forced to do so, via the advertising route as described above.

The educated people here will already know that isn't correct but you being a BBC employee can't admit this because it doesn't fit in with what you are paid to do. I buy X and advertised X at £2.00 but sell that much I make a profit and can then buy the ingredients cheaper at wholesale. I can then advertised X cheaper than the competition and pass the savings onto my customers which makes me even more profits. The actual cost to you is NOTHING but don't let the facts get in the way of things Jack.

magyar wrote: »

Yes, it's all about ME. Isn't 'choice' all about YOU? The licence fee gives me what I want

Yes what YOU want but everyone else is forced to subsidise. What a nice guy he is hey lets forget the thousands of people persecuted by the mighty BBC because Jack is happy :rolleyes:

magyar wrote: »

I'm impressed at you 'knowing I work for the BBC' because I'm sat having lunch in an office surrounded by the logos of a completely different company.

You aren't exactly going to admit it are you. Here's the type of person you are,

This guy has 6,000 posts just attacking those who question the mighty BBC but wont admit he works for Capita (TV Licensing)

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/search.php?searchid=12222369


This guy has around 35,000 posts attacking those who question the mighty BBC but wont admit he works for them

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/search.php?searchid=12222417

This one around 15,000 shouting down people who question it

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/search.php?searchid=12222452

You see I pick up the pitches because they all use the same stuff which gets shot down at which point they move the goal posts and attack everyone else even though that's down to CHOICE (ring a bell?)

mymatebob

Defiant wrote: »

But you are forced to pay for it if you watch "live" transmissions mymatebob. Of course you already knew this didn't you but I'm sure no one else noticed that your trying to be funny.



I find the BBC offensive and the people who think I should pay for it. The fact still remins the Nazis used propaganda (BBC) to gain power and sent the SS (TV licensing) around if you had a problem with it :rolleyes:

Unfortunately we still live in a supposedly free country and so you can't tell me not to compare something because you don't like it. That to me is how the Common Purpose work and we all know how they’ve entrenched themselves in the BBC

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=3664960863576873594&q=common+purpose&total=902&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Forced to pay and forced to watch are two different things - I am sure you know that but perhaps chose not to clear that up.

We do indeed live in a free country and I can find things offensive as well. (Although I personally am glad it is a free country unlike you "Unfortunately we still live in a supposedly free country" - you obviously prefer a more totalitarian state - with you in charge perhaps?

Your comparing the BBC to the Nazis is one of those very things.

Defiant_3

magyar wrote: »

Gordon Bennet this is the pedants' thread isn't it!

And your still being obtuse with people

magyar wrote: »

I don't see this as any different to paying for your electricity or gas by direct debit; you basically pay in advance.

I'm not I get an email asking for my meter reading and then a week or so later I'll get an another email saying my bill is ready So you see you can make things up all you like but it would seem the majority in this country have just about had enough.


Now lets look at this opinion poll shall we because it seems to relect the other public opinion polls I've seen which show 75% want an end to the BBC TV Licence.

Is the TV licence fee worth it?

Yes = 3293

No = 9809

Get the picture yet :rolleyes:

Defiant_3

mymatebob wrote: »

Forced to pay and forced to watch are two different things - I am sure you know that but perhaps chose not to clear that up.

So you would be happy with being forced to contribute towards my Cable/Sky bill even if you didn't have them yourself ? (bet that doesn't fit in with your pitch :rolleyes:

mymatebob wrote: »

We do indeed live in a free country and I can find things offensive as well. (Although I personally am glad it is a free country unlike you "
Unfortunately we still live in a supposedly free country" - you obviously prefer a more totalitarian state - with you in charge perhaps?

Hmm interesting. I want FREEDOM to choose and this er guy (yes being polite) says thats a totalitarian state :huh:. The phrase I used fits more and more when you talk like this because the truth is seeping out

mymatebob

Defiant wrote: »

So you would be happy with being forced to contribute towards my Cable/Sky bill even if you didn't have them yourself ? (bet that doesn't fit in with your pitch :rolleyes:

[/font][/size][/color]

Hmm interesting. I want FREEDOM to choose and this er guy (yes being polite) says thats a totalitarian state :huh:. The phrase I used fits more and more when you talk like this because the truth is seeping out

If you go back to my original post I was questioning your use of the phrase "forced to watch" - are you conceding that you are not forced to watch BBC News?

What sort of state do you aspire to then if our (admittedly flawed) democratic one doesn't suit you? And what "truth is seeping out"?