TV Licence

[Sean Regan]

As one of those pensioners who previously had a free licence, I've finally had my ten page letter, telling me I have to pay for one, as from 31st July.
They give you several ways to pay for it, which are most convenient for them.

Of those offered, I've elected to pay monthly, but i've told them I'll be paying by cheque, ( not a published option).
I've been perfectly fair, I've sent them two months payments, so I'm up to date.
I've told them I'll be sending further cheques for £13.13 on the 1st of every month.

They asked for a phone number in case they need to contact me.

I've told them to write.

That'll teach them to renege on an agreement.

 

[Silentrunning]

Sean, what exactly is the license for? Do you need a license to receive tv signals?

 

[Sean Regan]

Sean, what exactly is the license for? Do you need a license to receive tv signals?

At one time, you had to have a licence if you had a TV set regardless of what channels you watched.

Now you have to have a licence if your TV can receive BBC programmes.

There are no commercial breaks on BBC TV. So the licence pays for the BBC. I wish they spent all the money on programmes for just British viewers and radio listeners. But there's a lo of money spent on broadcasting top countries around the world. They spend a lot on local radio, many major cities only a few miles away from each other have their own radio station.
They either own or lease a lot of properties.

List of BBC properties - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The licence costs arpound $200 a year.

 

[Tetters]

Wotcha DR @Sean Regan I got my letter today as well... I put it away for now, didn`t bother to open the fat envelope. Having read your super plan I think I will do exactly the same thing. Out with the writing pad and fountain pen in the morning then - hope I`ve got a second class stamp..... now where did I put my check book

 

[Sean Regan]

Wotcha DR @Sean Regan I got my letter today as well... I put it away for now, didn`t bother to open the fat envelope. Having read your super plan I think I will do exactly the same thing. Out with the writing pad and fountain pen in the morning then - hope I`ve got a second class stamp..... now where did I put my check book

Hang on Tetters!

They've sent you a pre-paid envelope!

Use that.

I photocopied the form that you're supposed to send in with your £157, as it has your licence number on it. I'll send a copy of it with my cheque every month.

This was my letter.


I've chosen to pay for my licence monthly and I will be paying by cheque.
I owe you £26.26 for two months i.e. from 31st August, 2020, a cheque for which I enclose.

I will pay £13.13 by cheque on 1st of each month from now.


As I'm over 75, you can imagine I consider you moving the goalposts for people of my age regarding TV licences, typical of the shoddy organisation you've become.

If you need to contact me you can write, no way will I accept phone calls from you.

 

[Tetters]

Yep, I like that, I shall pen something in a very similar vein. I didn`t know they had sent me a pre paid envelope, as I said their letter has been ''filed'' for the time being. Actually, I can hardly believe they have been that generous.

 

[Sean Regan]

Yep, I like that, I shall pen something in a very similar vein. I didn`t know they had sent me a pre paid envelope, as I said their letter has been ''filed'' for the time being. Actually, I can hardly believe they have been that generous.

The pre-paid envelope is so you can hopefully quickly fill in the information required on the form and post it straIght back, so they can get their money. They think they'll be getting their money sooner. The huge amount of paper bumf they send you is to try to convince you that having a licence is "important." In reality, there's not much they can do to old age pensioners, other than "threaten them."

 

[Sheal]

It's about time the tv licence was abolished, why should the BBC alone have a hold over it's viewers and listeners. I'm glad I don't have one.

 

[Tetters]

I found this and have joined Silver Voices - it`s free membership for anyone until the end of this year, and after that it costs £8 a year.
http://www.silvervoices.co.uk/campaigns
It gives a voice to us oldies to have a say, and made me smile ............I really must remember to write to the licensing people, but haven`t read their letter yet it`s a pretty thick volume to get through, and I`m getting slower as the days go by. I did peep inside, and saw a nice big pre paid envelope

 

[Sean Regan]

I've just posted them my cheque for £13.13 for my October TV licence payment. So I'm well up to date.

They've yet to cash my first cheque I sent them on 18th September.

I fully expect them to return my cheques saying they can't accept this form of payment.

To which I'll reply, "Sue me."
They won't, it'll be negative publicity and I bet I'm not the only one doing this.
Making OAPs start paying again for a TV licence, is a nationally unpopular decision.

They'd be in a difficult position, it's their choice to ask for a monthly direct debit. It's mine to say no, you're getting cheques.

Yes I'm being bloody minded, but so were they making us start paying agin and still dishing out salary increases to p[eople who don#'t need more money to present a declining quality in their programmes.

We pay £9 a year ground rent for our house. The owners of the ground rent has changed many times. Nine pounds seems hardly worth collection. Each February I get a stock letter reminding me to pay it and "would I please set up a direct debit and if you pay by cheque please don't staple it to the invoice."


Guess what?

 

[Tetters]

STOP PRESS: Because of the delays in TV Licensing providing official letters to the over 75s that they have lost their licences, we have issued new advice. If you are over 75 and received your letter on or after 1 September, you should challenge the backdating of the new licence to 1 August. Suggested wording for your letters to TV Licensing: “As I only received notification of the ending of my free TV licence on (date received) there is no justification for backdating the licence to 1 August. I was advised that I would remain “properly licensed” until you wrote to me. Please confirm that my licence will run from the date of official notification as indicated above. I will wait for your reply before making any arrangements for payment”. The action plan below still applies as the next steps.

Then comes the plan of action.... if you look at the advice you will see why my letter will (eventually ) be a bit different. They said I would be covered until I heard from them by letter. I will read the letter I only just received in the morning - 1st October. I shall then take the advice above, and await clarification before I send my monthly cheque in payment - should be starting from 1st October?

Have a look at the link.

 

[Sean Regan]

STOP PRESS: Because of the delays in TV Licensing providing official letters to the over 75s that they have lost their licences, we have issued new advice. If you are over 75 and received your letter on or after 1 September, you should challenge the backdating of the new licence to 1 August. Suggested wording for your letters to TV Licensing: “As I only received notification of the ending of my free TV licence on (date received) there is no justification for backdating the licence to 1 August. I was advised that I would remain “properly licensed” until you wrote to me. Please confirm that my licence will run from the date of official notification as indicated above. I will wait for your reply before making any arrangements for payment”. The action plan below still applies as the next steps.

Then comes the plan of action.... if you look at the advice you will see why my letter will (eventually ) be a bit different. They said I would be covered until I heard from them by letter. I will read the letter I only just received in the morning - 1st October. I shall then take the advice above, and await clarification before I send my monthly cheque in payment - should be starting from 1st October?

Have a look at the link.

It's a course of action.
However, I accept that it's long been known that the free licence was to end at the end of July and that people didn't have to do anything until they received the letter. It didn't mean that they weren't liable to have to pay from the advised 1st of August.
I guess that was because the BBC knew that it'd take them ages to get the letter out, such is their abysmal bureaucracy. But I can't argue that we have to pay from 1st August, as that was what they told us.

 

[Tetters]

Yes maybe, but I find that now, in my dotage, I become terribly terribly confused about this kind of thing, and Silver Minds is asking all of us over the age of 60 to pitch in and be just a little bit annoying in protest. I cannot for the life of me understand - if I have been ''properly licensed'' until I heard from them by letter, why they should back date this by two months.
They take huge wages, and their service gets worse and worse all the time, sod it, it will take a while before I write my cheque. I might even sign the first one

 

[Sean Regan]

Yes maybe, but I find that now, in my dotage, I become terribly terribly confused about this kind of thing, and Silver Minds is asking all of us over the age of 60 to pitch in and be just a little bit annoying in protest. I cannot for the life of me understand - if I have been ''properly licensed'' until I heard from them by letter, why they should back date this by two months.
They take huge wages, and their service gets worse and worse all the time, sod it, it will take a while before I write my cheque. I might even sign the first one

I understand your frustration, but with any protest, they can rightly say that the free liocence ending at the end of August was widely publicised by the media.

It's like saying if the tax on your car runs out at the end of August and you didn't get a renewal notice until September, that you don't need to pay it fronm August.

 

[Tetters]

I feel more mischievous than frustrated as it happens. This is simply designed to be a protest, and throw a small spanner in the works. Like very many other people of my age who have been given a small concession only to have it snatched away after a year. I will send my check when the time is right, and continue to liaise when I have to - there is no rush.