TV Licensing APR Shock

dickpowers

I agree .
Its the same with the car insurance .If you havent got loads of cash to pay upfront then they make you pay extra .
still i think its worth it just for that new weatherman.Know the one i mean?

innovate

Any charge above 0% for direct debit payments is absurd because the savings made by not having to handle cheques or stamps, and not having to chase overdue payments (all involving manual work and therefore salaries - which we as the licencees pay!), already saves the Licensing Authority a bomb.

Charging people who already help saving costs by DD is taking the mickey, to put it mildly. I pay by direct debit/standing order whenever I can, but as long as TV Licensing charge for DD, I will absolutely not pay them that way. I know it's only a fiver a year, but it's the principle.

Utilities used to give zero incentive to pay by Direct Debit, now have bowed to pressure from the Regulators (staggering that they didn't see the common sense in it before then), and now offer discounts on direct debits. The TV Licensing authority should do the same. But of course they are a legal monopoly, so there's little hope they'll change their pricing policies any time soon.

Stonk

A friend of mine is an actuary working out car insurance premiums. It's fascinating what things can make a difference.

One of them is whether you pay in instalments or in one lump. Aside from the admin/credit/whatever fee for paying in instalments, your basic premium might be higher as well, because statistics show that people who do so have a greater tendency to claim. Presumably this is because if you're short of cash you're more likely not to want to cough up personally for minor repairs (not that actuaries care *why*).

MarkyMarkD

innovate wrote:

Any charge above 0% for direct debit payments is absurd because the savings made by not having to handle cheques or stamps, and not having to chase overdue payments (all involving manual work and therefore salaries - which we as the licencees pay!), already saves the Licensing Authority a bomb.

Charging people who already help saving costs by DD is taking the mickey, to put it mildly. I pay by direct debit/standing order whenever I can, but as long as TV Licensing charge for DD, I will absolutely not pay them that way. I know it's only a fiver a year, but it's the principle.

Utilities used to give zero incentive to pay by Direct Debit, now have bowed to pressure from the Regulators (staggering that they didn't see the common sense in it before then), and now offer discounts on direct debits. The TV Licensing authority should do the same. But of course they are a legal monopoly, so there's little hope they'll change their pricing policies any time soon.

They do NOT charge extra for DD payment - I pay annually, in advance, by DD at the standard rate.

They charge extra for SPREADING THE COST using DD. That's a different matter. Why shouldn't you pay extra for paying in arrears whereas others pay in advance?

darbooka

Disproportionate costings are not new to the License Fee or to the closely related BBC. After all, the license fee itself is more than the price of many nice new TV's at high street shops. And while TV's can last for years and years, the license fee has to be paid every annum. So when you buy a new (not to mention also a used) TV, you're actually being forced by the law to comit to spending the price of many new models of TV's again and again, each and every year.
Imagine if Road Tax would cost more than the cost of your vehicle each year, or if your Council Tax band would cost more than the value of our home? How many roadworkers and council employees can be paid with salaries of BBC presenters?

innovate

MarkyMarkD wrote:

They do NOT charge extra for DD payment - I pay annually, in advance, by DD at the standard rate.

They charge extra for SPREADING THE COST using DD. That's a different matter. Why shouldn't you pay extra for paying in arrears whereas others pay in advance?

I am sure they like people like you...........paying them 10%+ interest

Muzza_2

we pay the monthly dd and although you have paid 6 months in advance if you move house you transfer it and if you cancel it you get a refund of the outstanding amount you have 'overpayed' so you don't end up out of pocket

moneyuser

I've just changed from paying quarterly to monthly and wish I hadn't! I thought it would be cheaper, about £10.50 per month they say. Now I have to pay closer to £25 a month and pay for a full licence within 6 months! Then start paying for my next licence 6mths in advance at around the £10.50 mark. Ridiculous.

How is that fair?

santana-mx3

moneyuser wrote:

I've just changed from paying quarterly to monthly and wish I hadn't! I thought it would be cheaper, about £10.50 per month they say. Now I have to pay closer to £25 a month and pay for a full licence within 6 months! Then start paying for my next licence 6mths in advance at around the £10.50 mark. Ridiculous.

How is that fair?

It's harder at the start but once you get past 6 months, it'll be ok and easier. I like paying monthly because regular small monthly payments are easier to manage. I just switched from annual d/d in advance to monthly so I'm still better off whereas you're feeling the difference because you switched from quarterly. Did you sign up online or by phone. They should have pointed it out to you if you did it by phone. I signed up online and it was explained there.

If you read MarkyMark's post you may feel better about it:

MarkyMarkD wrote:

If you think about it, swebb, if you pay monthly, you pay 6 months in advance and 6 months in arrears of the due date - i.e. the start date of the year of the licence. That's quite fair and there's no net interest cost.

The quarterly payments have interest (read: admin charge) added because you pay in arrears of the due date, i.e. during the year of the licence's currency.

anita1

Is there nothing we can do about the tv liscence,I know that sounds slightly niaeve but I dont watch the bbc and when i do it isnt very often.

I do not agree with paying 112.Gbp per year for something i dont use.


Why not have the option of watching Or listening to the Bbc, Pay as you go.
A special code to use, after you have made Tv. Lisence payments, so you are then entitled to watch what you have paid for.

The issue regarding a lisence is more than a decent Tv, is unbeliveable to think about.

I have been having problems paying this, the Tv.L inspectors that come around make you feel like you have committed a serious crime,

All because I do not agree to why we should pay such a hefty amount per year.

No wonder why so many people have problems paying this fee, it is because it is ridiculous !

Daylight robbery