TV licensing (Capita) impersonating police officers?

[mko9]

Mandalore said:

I usually wait until I speak to a manager, before venting off, as they are in a position of control.

The pessimist in me assumes that when you ask to speak to a manager, they are just passing you to the person sitting next to them, who simply flips to the "asked to speak to a manager" page of their binder of talking points and responses.

[Mandalore]

mko9 said:

Mandalore said:

I usually wait until I speak to a manager, before venting off, as they are in a position of control.

The pessimist in me assumes that when you ask to speak to a manager, they are just passing you to the person sitting next to them, who simply flips to the "asked to speak to a manager" page of their binder of talking points and responses.

No. I usually resolve things.

I just don’t get off on shouting at people who are trying to help.
It’s petty.

[anonymous-user]

My wife has a house in the UK, she does not have residency rights, and we have never spent a night there, she had all sorts of letters about TV licences, one of which stated she was committing a criminal offense not having a license. I wrote back registered post stating that she didn't have a license as she didn't use the services covered by their license, and therefore the statement 'was committing a criminal offense was incorrect as a mater of fact' and that further letters with such an incorrect statement would be forwarded to her lawyers as we considered them libelous . She never had another letters. We had previously sent all the questioners etc back telling them why she didn't have licence to no effect.

[Funk]

Berw said:

My wife has a house in the UK, she does not have residency rights, and we have never spent a night there, she had all sorts of letters about TV licences, one of which stated she was committing a criminal offense not having a license. I wrote back registered post stating that she didn't have a license as she didn't use the services covered by their license, and therefore the statement 'was committing a criminal offense was incorrect as a mater of fact' and that further letters with such an incorrect statement would be forwarded to her lawyers as we considered them libelous . She never had another letters. We had previously sent all the questioners etc back telling them why she didn't have licence to no effect.

They don't care. Also they don't state that you ARE committing an offence, only that you are IF you watch live TV etc. The reason for the wording is to make people frightened, either into misreading or misunderstanding and therefore they purchase a licence. It's scummy behaviour.

All that's happened in your case is that Capita have refreshed the info they hold about your wife (you've helped them there) and you'll hear nothing for a couple of years. Then the letters will start again on roughly a monthly basis.

Just ignore them, they're wasting their money so let them do it and bin the threatograms. The best approach is complete silence; you're not required to talk to them or communicate with them at all.

[jondude]

Some very interesting posts there to read.

I have since received 3 more letters. One pretty much saying as I had not responded they were now authorizing an investigation.

Then one saying their officer was on the way on a certain date.....maybe.


Yesterday I received a comical but also creepy letter entitled 'WE KNOW. YOU KNOW' and then off again with the same 'everyone knows there is no licence registered at this address. We are on the way'.

I think as has been made a point by many, it is quite incredible they are allowed to get away with this ever increasing aggressive and patronizing tone and treating your property as somewhere they can just turn up and inspect at will.

This was not far off a 'We know what you did last summer' threat!

[vikingaero]

If you have the time and patience then make a complaint through all the stages:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/making-a-compla...

[Funk]

jondude said:

Some very interesting posts there to read.

I have since received 3 more letters. One pretty much saying as I had not responded they were now authorizing an investigation.

Then one saying their officer was on the way on a certain date.....maybe.


Yesterday I received a comical but also creepy letter entitled 'WE KNOW. YOU KNOW' and then off again with the same 'everyone knows there is no licence registered at this address. We are on the way'.

I think as has been made a point by many, it is quite incredible they are allowed to get away with this ever increasing aggressive and patronizing tone and treating your property as somewhere they can just turn up and inspect at will.

This was not far off a 'We know what you did last summer' threat!

It's this arrogant, aggressive tone which really got my back up with TVL. Once you realise it's all bullst and you can laugh at them it's not so bad. But why should they be allowed to send what initially appear to be official, threatening letters saying they're 'investigating' or will turn up at my door?

They can fk right off, the s.

[anonymous-user]

ChocolateFrog said:

With my new house I don't have a tv and avoid iPlayer and live tv so don't pay for a tv license.

So far I've been pleasantly surprised that after filling in the form saying I don't need one I haven't yet received any further correspondence.

Just out interest my pal is watching live SKY TV football on his phone, the kids say you can't do that as we don't have a licence.
Reply 'I have a licence it's under that'.
I cast YouTube to my TV ie it is a monitor.
Question
Can my licenced pal cast his live TV feed onto my 'dumb jvc monitor' ?
I shouldn't assume it's the dwelling that has to be licenced as the pal using his mobile device is licenced.
Technically I can't cast live TV from my phone onto his TV as 'my phone' is unlicensed?

Sooner the TV tax is done away with the better.

[Funk]

speedyguy said:

Just out interest my pal is watching live SKY TV football on his phone, the kids say you can't do that as we don't have a licence.
Reply 'I have a licence it's under that'.
I cast YouTube to my TV ie it is a monitor.
Question
Can my licenced pal cast his live TV feed onto my 'dumb jvc monitor' ?
I shouldn't assume it's the dwelling that has to be licenced as the pal using his mobile device is licenced.
Technically I can't cast live TV from my phone onto his TV as 'my phone' is unlicensed?

Sooner the TV tax is done away with the better.

Answers to your questions:

1) He can watch live Sky TV on his phone as long as a) he has his own licence at home and b) he doesn't plug it in to charge at your house. If he is in a vehicle or vessel such as a train, car or boat then it can be on charge and still covered by his licence at home.

2) Casting it to your monitor would require you to have a licence as your screen would be plugged in and would be the device receiving the live broadcast.

3) You are correct on the 'dwelling' aspect - a student at university could be covered by their parents' licence as long as they were watching on a device that isn't plugged in at the time such as a laptop. Should they plug it in to charge, they would then require their own licence.

4) You could cast live TV from your phone to his TV as the device the signal was being viewed on would be covered by his TV licence as it would be the one receiving the live signal. If you were to stop casting to his TV and watch on your phone at his house, you would require your own licence unless you plug it in to charge at which point you're covered by his licence.

5) If you’re in a vehicle or vessel like a train, car or boat then the plugged-in rule does not apply as long as the device is running on an internal battery.

Yes, it's a fking stupid system and totally unfit for purpose in the modern world. Make it subscription-only like every other Sky channel and you'd remove the need to send threatening letters and send goons round to spy on people.

Edited by Funk on Friday 11th May 09:31

[layercake]

They are a bunch of robbing tosser's. Have never paid it and never will. They change the rules to suit themselves, i remember bbc iplayer was free now if you say you don't have a licence it logs you out! do not reply to them nor let them in, if they come knocking just tell them your not interested in whatever they are selling and to get lost

[Riley Blue]

layercake said:

They are a bunch of robbing tosser's. Have never paid it and never will. They change the rules to suit themselves, i remember bbc iplayer was free now if you say you don't have a licence it logs you out! do not reply to them nor let them in, if they come knocking just tell them your not interested in whatever they are selling and to get lost

I don't think this is due to Capita changing the rules but to a change in the law.

[creampuff]

Riley Blue said:

I don't think this is due to Capita changing the rules but to a change in the law.

Maybe, but they are still s.

[guindilias]

vikingaero said:

If you have the time and patience then make a complaint through all the stages:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/making-a-compla...

Write to Pipa Longhurst, the big boss. I did it years ago, after a Capita visit reported I had a TV - I didn't have a TV anywhere!

I've never had a letter since, I think they must have wiped my address off their database or something...

[funkyrobot]

We have received the old 'your house is under investigation' letter today. We used to give them details to make them disappear for a couple of years. I refuse to do that anymore as they don't have a right to know who we are.

We had two threatening letters in my name leading up to today, and now it has reverted to the 'legal occupier'.

We don't watch any live broadcasts on any device and haven't done so since moving into the house years ago. We don't even have aerial wires hooked up to the tv. It's only used for NowTV, Youtube etc.

I've told my wife that if anyone comes to the house, ask them who they are. If they say TVL, just steadily shut the door and don't say anything. Our TV isn't visible from the front of the house anyway.

[anonymous-user]

funkyrobot said:

We have received the old 'your house is under investigation' letter today. We used to give them details to make them disappear for a couple of years. I refuse to do that anymore as they don't have a right to know who we are.

We had two threatening letters in my name leading up to today, and now it has reverted to the 'legal occupier'.

We don't watch any live broadcasts on any device and haven't done so since moving into the house years ago. We don't even have aerial wires hooked up to the tv. It's only used for NowTV, Youtube etc.

I've told my wife that if anyone comes to the house, ask them who they are. If they say TVL, just steadily shut the door and don't say anything. Our TV isn't visible from the front of the house anyway.

You sound both sensible and reasonable.

It’s a shame that TVL cannot behave in the same fashion.

I still think it’s outrageous in 2019 that we still have to fund the BBC against our will.

Years ago I was a supporter of the licence fee. BBC make great TV, BBC is the envy of the world’s TV stations, It’s good for our country, it’s only a few pounds a week etc etc.

Now I realise that my TV watching habits have changed massively and it offers very poor value compared to all the other subscription based and streaming services that I use, and I don’t want it anymore.

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 6th February 15:19

[Atomic12C]

funkyrobot said:

I've told my wife that if anyone comes to the house, ask them who they are. If they say TVL, just steadily shut the door and don't say anything..

This is the recommended practice these days.


On this subject there is news that BBC are becoming pi$hed off with general public deciding they don't want to view live broad casts anymore and as such they are reportedly upping their efforts to harass and try to catch people out.

Apparently TV licence evasion is up to 6% in the UK, and they have a target to reduce that down to 5% over the coming year or two. (up to 10% for Scotland)

I think they still haven't realised or accepted that people no longer have the same desires to watch live broadcast TV in the modern age of internet streaming and pre-loaded catch-up content.

Of course there will be some that are flouting the system, but then again the system is well out of touch with modern times.

[The Mad Monk]

gillywig2 said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUKqwbEHS2w

Why is the phone being held in portrait mode?

[gus607]

Read somewhere that nearly a million people had ditched their TV license & subscribed to Netflix instead,
This must annoy the BBC even more. Until the govt include Netflix in the license regime !

[Terminator X]

Slightly O/T but a chap I know was flying his drone in the park t'other day and it turns out it was (allegedly) the Queens land so a warden asked him to stop then wanted his name and address chap in question simply told him to FRO and carried on. Presumably the warden could have called the Fuzz but presumably similar to the OP only the Rozzers can legally get your N&A etc.

TX.

[Tired]

gus607 said:

Read somewhere that nearly a million people had ditched their TV license & subscribed to Netflix instead,
This must annoy the BBC even more. Until the govt include Netflix in the license regime !

I still pay for a TV licence. Since I moved house last year, I haven't watched any live TV. Don't have sky or cable installed, and there's no aerial etc. in the attic or on the roof.

I think I'll cancel it.