Well, well, well - this is a turn up for the books. TV Licensing appears to have adopted a slightly more conciliatory tone in its latest reminder letter, soon to be landing on a doormat near you!
The letter, which we have reproduced in full below, has a pastel blue colour scheme instead of the angry red normally associated with TV Licensing threatograms. It has the bold heading: "Gentle reminder. Your home is unlicensed."
It continues with the following:
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Dear Sir/Madam,
Our database shows that this address doesn't have a TV Licence.
That means it is currently against the law to watch or record TV programmes on any channel, or to download or watch BBC programmes on iPlayer - whether you're using a TV, desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, games console, digital box or DVD/VHS recorder or anything else.
Of course, we want to help you get licensed so you can enjoy TV legally.
It only takes a minute to get covered.
- Buy a licence at tvlicensing.co.uk/pay or by calling 0300 790 6079. You can choose to pay the full fee at once or spread the cost with Direct Debit. Turn over to find out more.
If you don't need a licence we'd like to stop writing to you. Please let us know at tvlicensing.co.uk/noTV or by calling 0300 790 6079. We may confirm this with a visit.
If you've just moved in and you have an existing licence at your old address, you can move your licence at tvlicensing.co.uk/update
What happens if you don't respond.
95% of properties in the UK have a TV Licence. In fairness to those which do have a licence, we follow up on those that don't. So unfortunately, if we haven't heard from you by [date], your address will be passed on to [name] Enforcement Division for investigation.
Yours faithfully,
[Name]
Customer Services Manager
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Even though it lacks the accusatory tone and threatening language associated with a normal TV Licensing threatogram, there remain a couple of veiled threats about "we may visit" and "checking up" on unlicensed properties.
We remind readers that anyone who does not legally need a TV licence is under no legal obligation at all to communicate or co-operate with TV Licensing. Indeed doing so, as experience regularly shows, is often a total waste of time. Our advice is to ignore TV Licensing completely - bin its caustic missives unopened; identify cold-callers to your home and never engage with anyone suspected of being from TV Licensing.
Despite its regular claims to the contrary it is very unlikely, particularly during the current coronavirus restrictions, that TV Licensing will visit an unlicensed property. It prefers to threaten people via their letterbox instead of via their doorstep, because it is cheaper and generally more effective.
In the unlikely event that TV Licensing does visit, we'd draw your attention to our earlier post outlining its rights of access.
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