Do you pay your TV licence fee?
Discussion
bad company said:
We pay our license fee and consider it good value.
I do get peed off when I’m prevented from watching or streaming the BBC because I’m in another country. I’ve paid for that content and should be able to view it when I want.
I know I can get around that with a VPN but I shouldn’t need to.
EXACTLY my point and of course the BBC and/or the Gov spin BS in their answer. I do get peed off when I’m prevented from watching or streaming the BBC because I’m in another country. I’ve paid for that content and should be able to view it when I want.
I know I can get around that with a VPN but I shouldn’t need to.
Its a very simple question. Why cant I watch the BBC anywhere I wish IF I pay the licence. Give me a personal code, whatever, its pure BS. Of course I am not in the UK at the mo and have to use a vpn! I could do all that without paying the fee of course but I choose to pay as I think the BBC puts out good programmes BUT ......and this is what pisses many off, WHY do we have to buy a BBC LICENCE to watch.....Sky.....etc. Pure BS.
DanL said:
Well then don’t tell them, and bin the letters. No skin off my nose. 
The issue is that the tone of the letters becomes increasingly aggressive. I’ve had them. They told me I was scheduled for a visit from an “inspector”, I had another one telling me what to do if I was taken to court. Then they stated coming with “Final Demand” or something similar on the envelope in BIG SCARY RED letters.
No skin off my nose but clearly designed to intimidate the vulnerable.
We wouldn’t tolerate such behaviour from Sky or Virgin so I’m not sure why the BBC gets a free pass…
Also gets on my nerves that the BBC hides behind the “TV Licencing” brand when indulging in this nonsense.
Why don’t they just scramble their TV signal and require licence holders to input their licence number to access their world leading broadcasting?
funinhounslow said:
Why don’t they just scramble their TV signal and require licence holders to input their licence number to access their world leading broadcasting?
Because there are lots of people that don't watch BBC and therefore would stop paying. The BBC would not be able to continue with just the revenue from people that would pay for their content. romft123 said:
EXACTLY my point and of course the BBC and/or the Gov spin BS in their answer.
Its a very simple question. Why cant I watch the BBC anywhere I wish IF I pay the licence. Give me a personal code, whatever, its pure BS. Of course I am not in the UK at the mo and have to use a vpn! I could do all that without paying the fee of course but I choose to pay as I think the BBC puts out good programmes BUT ......and this is what pisses many off, WHY do we have to buy a BBC LICENCE to watch.....Sky.....etc. Pure BS.
Because it’s a TV licence, not a BBC licence. Its a very simple question. Why cant I watch the BBC anywhere I wish IF I pay the licence. Give me a personal code, whatever, its pure BS. Of course I am not in the UK at the mo and have to use a vpn! I could do all that without paying the fee of course but I choose to pay as I think the BBC puts out good programmes BUT ......and this is what pisses many off, WHY do we have to buy a BBC LICENCE to watch.....Sky.....etc. Pure BS.
The BBC are lumped with the task of collection, and I suspect don’t welcome that fact.
Cancelled my TV licence a few weeks ago and filled in the online declaration to say I don’t need one.
The declaration I thought was deliberately deceiving to try and trick people into thinking they need a licence you have to read each question carefully to make sure you give an appropriate answer.
Now I have done it the rest has been easy, got a cheque through for refund of the unused months and a letter confirming my declaration and job done.
Speaking to others there’s still a lot of misunderstanding over who does and doesn’t need a licence and a lot of people simply paying because they are worried they will end up in trouble
The declaration I thought was deliberately deceiving to try and trick people into thinking they need a licence you have to read each question carefully to make sure you give an appropriate answer.
Now I have done it the rest has been easy, got a cheque through for refund of the unused months and a letter confirming my declaration and job done.
Speaking to others there’s still a lot of misunderstanding over who does and doesn’t need a licence and a lot of people simply paying because they are worried they will end up in trouble
Cotty said:
Because there are lots of people that don't watch BBC and therefore would stop paying. The BBC would not be able to continue with just the revenue from people that would pay for their content.
Well maybe they could slim down a bit or accept advertising. They already promote their own products and services. Always throught it odd they can push Top Gear and Good Food magazines but somehow the sky would fall in if they accepted adverts from Autocar or Good Housekeeping 
abzmike said:
romft123 said:
EXACTLY my point and of course the BBC and/or the Gov spin BS in their answer.
Its a very simple question. Why cant I watch the BBC anywhere I wish IF I pay the licence. Give me a personal code, whatever, its pure BS. Of course I am not in the UK at the mo and have to use a vpn! I could do all that without paying the fee of course but I choose to pay as I think the BBC puts out good programmes BUT ......and this is what pisses many off, WHY do we have to buy a BBC LICENCE to watch.....Sky.....etc. Pure BS.
Because it’s a TV licence, not a BBC licence. Its a very simple question. Why cant I watch the BBC anywhere I wish IF I pay the licence. Give me a personal code, whatever, its pure BS. Of course I am not in the UK at the mo and have to use a vpn! I could do all that without paying the fee of course but I choose to pay as I think the BBC puts out good programmes BUT ......and this is what pisses many off, WHY do we have to buy a BBC LICENCE to watch.....Sky.....etc. Pure BS.
The BBC are lumped with the task of collection, and I suspect don’t welcome that fact.
flatlandsman said:
Oh dear kermit do you work for Crapita by chance?
You do not have to buy a licence simply because you own a device that might or can receive any live tv content., that is the brainwash they hope you fall for.
They have to PROVE you have been watching it and they can only do that if you admit or or they have seen you watching it, there is no way (unless you a re hopelessly dumb and have SKY etc yet dont pay the licence fee) they can do this simply by presuming you are watching it, this is basically a crime so there has to be PROOF.
Your analogy is a good idea.
It would be like being forced to pass a driving test despite never wanting to own a car, why should you be forced to do something you are never going to do just because you might?
No, I don't work for Capita.You do not have to buy a licence simply because you own a device that might or can receive any live tv content., that is the brainwash they hope you fall for.
They have to PROVE you have been watching it and they can only do that if you admit or or they have seen you watching it, there is no way (unless you a re hopelessly dumb and have SKY etc yet dont pay the licence fee) they can do this simply by presuming you are watching it, this is basically a crime so there has to be PROOF.
Your analogy is a good idea.
It would be like being forced to pass a driving test despite never wanting to own a car, why should you be forced to do something you are never going to do just because you might?
I've also not said that you have to say anything to anyone about whether or not you need a TV licence. I have no idea in that respect, as I know I need one and have no problem with the value for money it gives me, so I've never felt the need to find out.
If you go back and read the relevant posts you'll see that it was originally Ashfordian saying that you needed to declare every 2 years if you didn't need a licence for your TV.
Cotty then agreed with him but said you shouldn't need to, making an analogy about having to tell DVLA you didn't have to pay car tax if you didn't own a car.
I took their word for it that you did, and just pointed out that it was the wrong analogy. We all have lots of devices that let us watch live TV, so the more accurate analogy would be with telling DVLA that you don't use a car you own on the road, and that is something you absolutely do have to do via SORN.
If, in fact, you don't have to tell anyone about a TV you don't need to licence, then you'll have to clarify that with Ashfordian and Cotty.
How you got from any of that that I work for Capita is something of a mystery though!
Cotty said:
Kermit power said:
Cotty said:
But we should not have to. People who don't own a car don't have to declare that they don't need a road fund licence every two years.
Regardless of whether or not you believe the TV licence is justified, that comparison is incorrect.You own a device capable of showing live TV. You must do, as whatever you use to access PH is capable of it.
Filling out a form to say you don't use that device to watch live TV is precisely the same concept as owning a car and SORNing it to say you don't use it on the road.
Jordie Barretts sock said:
And that is a bad thing, why?
One reason is because the BBC put out a lot of education programming much of which could be said to be of value to society, and most of which probably wouldn't get made if the BBC ni longer had the licence fee.Kermit power said:
One reason is because the BBC put out a lot of education programming much of which could be said to be of value to society, and most of which probably wouldn't get made if the BBC ni longer had the licence fee.
Yep amazing education sourcehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-57892100
It’s irrelevant to the whole population having to purchase a tv licence when they don’t watch it live. It’s no different from any other type of programming they make so why bring it up? Why not bring up the fact they make news programmes, or science programmes, or homes under the hammer.
CoolHands said:
It’s irrelevant to the whole population having to purchase a tv licence when they don’t watch it live. It’s no different from any other type of programming they make so why bring it up? Why not bring up the fact they make news programmes, or science programmes, or homes under the hammer.
Is it really that hard to understand??? 
A lot of the educational programmes (which includes a lot of the science programmes of course) would not be economically viable without the licence fee. Crap like Homes Under The Hammer would.
jameswills said:
If you’re using the BBC for educating your child, you’re doing parenting wrong. And why are you paying for it?
I take it you're not a parent? Or if you are, you're totally uninvolved in their education?
Resources like GCSE Bitesize are universally recommended as teaching & revision aids by all our kids' schools. Go ahead and tell us you can replicate all that content in all those subjects all by yourself.
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