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This blog is to highlight the unjust persecution of legitimate non-TV users at the hands of TV Licensing. These people do not require a licence and are entitled to live without the unnecessary stress and inconvenience caused by TV Licensing's correspondence and employees.

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Monday 27 August 2012

How to Stop TV Licensing Letters


Every month TV Licensing send out thousands of intimidatory letters to properties without a TV licence, irrespective of whether they need a licence or not.

According to John Whittingdale MP, chairman of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee: "The tactics used by TV Licensing in their letters are intimidatory and cause genuine distress. Their records are not always correct, but they write letters that assume members of the public are criminals". 

Journalist Alex Singleton, who used to write for the Telegraph and now works at the Daily Mail, summarised his thoughts: "The letters sent by TV Licensing are not acceptable. Rather than treat the BBC's customers decently, TV Licensing instead sees them as vermin, sending letters that intimidate and cause distress".

The BBC, in its role of Licensing Authority, reviews and approves the wording of every TV Licensing letter that appears in their standard cycle. It should be of huge concern that despite widespread public criticism neither the BBC or TV Licensing see anything wrong with what they do. They consider it perfectly acceptable to threaten people with hefty fines and court appearances when they have no evidence of wrongdoing at all.

It is important for people to realise that TV Licensing's letters are riddled with legal half-truths and innuendo. They are designed to scare people into paying the licence fee, regardless of their legal need to do so.

So what can a non-viewer do if they want to stop the monthly arrival of TV Licensing's noxious correspondence? You can't do this by completely ignoring TV Licensing, which would be our normal advice. Be absolutely clear that no-one is legally obliged to communicate or co-operate with TV Licensing, however, you will need to contact them to set out your stall, so to speak. Here are a few suggestions:

1. No-TV declaration: This option requires voluntary co-operation with TV Licensing. The occupier makes a no-TV declaration to TV Licensing either online or by phone. TV Licensing will record that no licence is needed, but will incorrectly claim they are entitled to come and check. They may place a guard on the address that stops letters for a fixed period of time, usually two years.

2. Cease and desist: This option requires contact with TV Licensing, although no co-operation is required. The occupier writes a letter to the effect that they are not using equipment to receive or record live TV programme services and consequently do not require a TV licence. The occupier asserts that TV Licensing's routine correspondence is causing unnecessary intimidation and harassment and demands they put a stop to it. The occupier also threatens legal consequences for TV Licensing if the letters continue. Past experience shows it's unlikely TV Licensing will comply with such a request, but they may place a guard on the address that stops the letters for a while. 

Legally speaking there is little doubt that TV Licensing's letters amount to harassment, but the threat of legal action is of negligible concern to the BBC and TV Licensing. Unlike the occupier, who will have probably worked hard to earn his/her money, the BBC and TV Licensing are given their money on a plate, so aren't worried about the cost of legal defence.

3. Return to sender: This option requires contact with TV Licensing, although no co-operation is required. It will not prevent them from sending further letters, but gives the occupier the satisfaction of causing the BBC and TV Licensing administrative inconvenience and expense. Full details outlined in our previous "TV Licensing: Speak to the Organ Grinder, Not the Monkey" post.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

The most outrageous detail in the letters is the menacing one of the £1000 maximum fine.

Whilst it may be true the maximum fine allowed to be handed out is £1000 it never is and b=never has been.

The maximum fine I saw in a recent court attendance was £200 and the average fine was £78.

The BBC who authorise these threat letter are preying on peoples perception that will get fined a whopping £1000 when the reality is they won't unless they are a serial offender brought before the court.

Write or call TV Licensing by all means but expect to be mistrusted and assumed a liar until they prove otherwise (for a short period of time) if you do.

A video was publicised on YouTube only two days ago where the Capita operative clearly spelled out TV Licnsing's policy towards people that tell their truth - TV Licensing doesn't trust your word. The video evidence of this is featured on this very blog.

Anonymous said...

Personally I enjoy receiving the monthly threatogram. I think they're hilarious and it gives me pleasure knowing the beeb have wasted money on a letter that will have absolutely no effect.

Admin said...

Thanks for your comment Ray.

Anonymous said...

I receive these letters every month. They go through a cycle of ever increasing threats until they culminate in a threat of a court summons and information on what to expect at court. Of course, the court summons never arrives and the letters go back to number 1 in the cycle.

I refuse to give them any information even if it would stop the letters permanently. I do not see any reason why I should save them any time or money in the face of such behaviour.

If one of their drones arrive at my door I will waste their time as much as possible without giving an indication as to whether I do or do not have a TV. Information is power and I refuse to be bullied into giving mine.

Anonymous said...

Best thing to do is when you see a letter with TV licensing on it....BIN IT!! Dont even open it. This is what I will do from now on, treat it like common circular mail.

Anonymous said...

what annoys me about these letters they are always addressed to the occupier , ive not had a license for over 20 years and still live at the same address and are on the electoral register ,it use to be that once u told them they wouldnt contact you again for three years but now it seems its every year,i have been trying to find relevant information with regards to this but had no success so far there must be some laws or rules that the governing body must adhere to if anyone can point me in the right direction i would be grateful by posting here Thanks Stu H

Anonymous said...

i had a letter from them 5 years ago when i bought my current house which i was renovating. it was in the name of the previous tenant, i sent the letter back saying that the property was under new ownership and was uninhabited.

i got another letter addressed to the occupier. i sent it back with a letter. i got another letter so i rang them, they said 'thanks for letting us know. we will not contact you again.' i then got a visit, i told them that i didn,t have a license as i didn't need one. well i did have a licence but it was for the house where i then lived. i was told that would be the end of the matter.

since then i have had regular threatening letters and cards through the door saying that they had called, but in fact they had not rang the bell or knocked.

i have been to the police 4 times with the letters and they say, that unfortunately they are unable to do anything at the current time. i told them that if i gat a visit i will forcably evict the intruder. they agreed that this was within my rights.

i have not given my name to the tv licensing people and do not intend to do so, they have no powers without a warrant, so ignore their letters and if they call tell them to **** off.

Anonymous said...

The TV Licensing company is evil. It is the Ryanair of government organisations. I don't need a license. I do not need to provide you with any evidence that I don't, you need to provide evidence that I do.

Anonymous said...

I've been getting them through my door since I moved into the property. It's seven years now since "To the legal occupier" BS started. I did open them to have a laugh. I even filled them with heavy objects and 'returned to sender' them, but I just usually bin them.

I don't have a TV. I have the internet and avoid the BBC like the plague. I would never watch any of their channels.
The latest letter was a "what to expect in court" rubbish. Again all further letters will go in the bin. The BBC/TV Licensing has no authority over me whatsoever. I consent to nothing they ask me to do.

Best advice is to, put letters in the bin and don't open them. Hang up if they call and don't speak. Shut the door in the face of TV Licensing. If they're going to do such a threatening and disgusting job, they deserve everything they get.

Mark
Dundee

Anonymous said...

I dont have a tv and i dont open letters that sayt to the occupier and reciently i opened one with my name on it.
Can I still play them off and does anything change now that they have my name?

Anonymous said...

No nothing changes anon, tell em to fuck off, get your video cameras out n record them,Amazing how camera shy these bully's get, knock on your door after hundreds of letters and soon as they see a camera they walk away and don't want to sperm at all haha so funny

Anonymous said...

I too am a victim , the latest asks if I wil be in on a certain date .
I don't know who intends to call , he might be a burglar '' casing my joint ''
Any current advice appreciated .
Wish I had never declared I no longer needed a licence seeing as they now consider me a liar and a criminal [ and they short changed me on the licence refund ]

Anonymous said...

While i appreciate that your article may help reassure many people who feel intimidated by the unsolicited and menacing communications they receive from the TV Licensing company, I have been through the process of cooperating with them to establish that we don't need a license only to find myself once again subjected to their letter campaign a little over a year later. Now I follow a strict policy of non-cooperation and zero contact. I don't need a TV license and I don't need to explain that to the TV licensing company. I don't answer their letters or even open them anymore. If their representatives should ever again present themselves at my home the only information they will elicit from me is that they must leave immediately. I will no longer assert that I don't watch TV on any device. Let them make good on their boasts about their wonderful detector vans and handheld devices. From now on they can waste their own time, not mine

King Herald said...

I have received about 8 such threatening letters, and while I do have a TV, it is used only for PS4 and Netflix, no live tv.

My latest sport is to pop their threatening intimidating letters back in the nearest post box. Just today I received the 2 letters I posted only yesterday. One has been through the Royal Mail system 4 times now. The bright red letter that arrived last week only has 2 round trips so far.
I may obscure my address next time I post them, with felt pen and then I assume they will be returned to TVL?

This won’t solve the problems, but it is giving TVL and BBC a little harassment back. And costing them for postage multiple times. ��