As many readers will already be aware, TV Licensing has drastically scaled back its operations in response to the coronavirus crisis.
With most TV Licensing staff tucked up safely at home, customer service has been even more abysmal than usual. This has resulted in many thousands of extra customers turning to the TV Licensing website in the mistaken belief they would find quality information and support. Many of those same customers have also been turning to social media to proclaim how woefully inadequate the website is for updating or cancelling their TV licences.
As things currently stand, the TV Licensing website is advising customers that they cannot cancel their TV licences.
That is not actually the case. TV Licensing, despite its pretence to the contrary, cannot stop anyone from cancelling their TV licence. What it can do - and almost certainly will - is make any resulting refund claim as difficult and time consuming as possible.
Our advice to anyone wishing to cancel their TV licence during the current lockdown is as follows:
1. Email or write to TV Licensing explaining that you no longer legally need a TV licence from the date stated. State that you will be seeking a refund for any unused periods of licence validity at the earliest opportunity. Be sure to keep a copy of the email or letter and proof of postage if you write to them.
2. If you pay by Direct Debit, instruct your bank or building society to cancel the payments to TV Licensing. It is important that you complete step 1 first, because TV Licensing sometimes instructs a debt collection agency to recover what it considers to be missed Direct Debit payments if you do not.
Anyone who cancels their Direct Debit should invariably expect TV Licensing to get in touch for the reason why, possibly threatening the use of a debt collection agency as mentioned earlier. If that does happen, simply remind them of your earlier correspondence and that you have no legal need for a TV licence.
TV Licensing is very poor at issuing refunds at the best of times, so customers can expect the process to be even more difficult and time consuming than normal.
That's just the piss poor way TV Licensing does business - very happy to take payment, even when none is due; very reluctant to make refunds, irrespective of the circumstances!
Remember that a TV licence is legally required for those properties where equipment is used to receive TV programmes at the same time as they are broadcast to other members of the general public. Additionally, since 1st September 2016, a TV licence is required to watch or download BBC on-demand programmes via the iPlayer. Anyone who cancels their TV licence would be committing an offence if they continued to receive TV programmes within their unlicensed property.
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2 comments:
Do I need a TV licence just to have a TV installed even though I only watch videos and not any TV programs?
No, you don't. "Installed" in the sense of the legislation means plugged in, aerial connected, ready to watch TV programmes at the push of a button. If you only watch videos our advice would be to disconnect any external aerial, then you'll have no chance of stumbling across broadcast TV programmes. Even though you're perfectly legit, we would advise against any sort of cooperation with TV Licensing. If you don't need their service - which you don't - then they have no legal business with you. You do not need to confirm anything to TV Licensing. Indeed doing so is a total waste of time.
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