TV Licensing Threatogram: Will You Be In?

This month we have been sent a new variation TV Licensing threatogram.

In a similar vein to the "10 days" threatogram it suggests that recipients - more than 8 out of 10 of whom live in a correctly unlicensed property - will receive a personal visit from TV Licensing if they don't immediately drop everything and stump up the £157.50 TV licence fee.

In common with every other TV Licensing threatogram, it is riddled with lies and innuendo designed to pressurise the recipient into submitting to TV Licensing's demands, even though they're probably under no legal obligation to do so.

The full letter reads as follows:

==========

Will you be in on [date]?

As there is no record of a TV Licence at your address, you should expect a visit from an Enforcement Officer.

It may be on [date] or it may be on another day. If you are caught watching or recording live TV, on any channel or device, you could face a fine of up to £1,000 plus any legal costs and/or compensation you may be ordered to pay. The same applies if you are caught downloading or watching BBC programmes on iPlayer.

We visit around 8,000 addresses every day*.

Our officers visit an address every 6 seconds. Day. Evening. Even weekends. And if no one answers they can come back.

Stop a visit before it's too late.

• Buy a TV Licence at tvlicensing.co.uk/pay with payments starting from £6.00 a week.
• Or, move an existing licence to your current address at tvlicensing.co.uk/moving
• Or, tell us you don't need one at tvlicensing.co.uk/noTV

For help with any of the above, please call 0300 790 6097 or turn over for more information.

If you do not do any of the above, you can expect a visit soon.

Yours faithfully,

[Name]

Enforcement Manager

*Based on annual average visits (made between 2017 and 2019) and available working hours in a week.

==========

So what happens, we hear you ask, if a person ignores the threats and fails to respond within 10 days?

Absolutely nothing is the answer. The letters will continue to arrive every month; perhaps a TV Licensing goon with very few rights will attempt to visit; and then the cycle will eventually restart all over again.

Even if a person decides to humour TV Licensing by getting in touch, it will probably be a wasted effort. A quick glance at TV Licensing's Twitter feed aptly demonstrates how it continues to harass legitimate non-viewers, even after being informed about their no-TV status.

A TV licence is only needed for those properties where equipment is used to receive TV programme services or BBC on-demand programmes via the iPlayer. Anyone who doesn't need a TV licence, is under no legal obligation at all to communicate or co-operate with TV Licensing - they don't need to provide any assistance or information to TV Licensing, as the letter dishonestly states.

We strongly recommend non-viewers ignore TV Licensing entirely: simply keep quiet, bin its threatograms and leave its employees out in the cold. Most people who fall foul of TV Licensing have made the mistake of saying the wrong thing, thus incriminating them self. Totally blanking TV Licensing and saying nothing is by far the most effective approach.

Communicating with TV Licensing is a totally futile effort, so it's better to spend your time in more productive ways (like by reading our free ebook).

A few general points to conclude with:

• The wording of every TV Licensing letter is approved by the BBC.
• The BBC has been told, on numerous occasions, that TV Licensing letters cause real anguish to people who do not legally require a TV licence. The BBC's response is: "We do not agree that TV Licensing letters are threatening or intimidating".
• TV Licensing goons only work certain hours during the week, as discussed in a previous article.
• TV Licensing goons have no special legal rights or authority. They are just another cold caller to a person's home and can be treated as such.
• TV Licensing goons cannot be trusted. They receive a financial incentive for selling licences and "nabbing" evaders, which has resulted in several of them fiddling the books and stitching up innocent householders. TV Licensing goons have been convicted of work-related crimes up to and including rape (see here, here and here for the tip of the iceberg).

If you've found this article useful please consider liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter or downloading our free ebook.