TV licence

[Yellow Fang]

The BBC have started sending me threatening letters. Big men may knock on my door day or night, and if I pretend not to be in, they'll come back. Oooh, like I'm so scared. I don't watch telly or iplayer. I spend my time more constructively here, YouTube or trolling the Telegraph comments sections. I don't even have any reception since broadcast went digital. And they ruined Dr Who. I'll tell them that.

 

[HMS_Dave]

The BBC have started sending me threatening letters. Big men may knock on my door day or night, and if I pretend not to be in, they'll come back. Oooh, like I'm so scared. I don't watch telly or iplayer. I spend my time more constructively here, YouTube or trolling the Telegraph comments sections. I don't even have any reception since broadcast went digital. And they ruined Dr Who. I'll tell them that.

Ignore them. They'll ignore you when you say you don't watch telly. In their tiny minds they don't understand how anyone could possibly not want to watch TV... They may send a goon out. The goon is not required to come in, although they'll ask to. They can't suspect you're watching telly, they need proof. So, as long as you're not watching it or iplayer, they're just contributing to global warming and waste with stupid, piddly letters...

 

[Arrowfoot]

The BBC have started sending me threatening letters. Big men may knock on my door day or night, and if I pretend not to be in, they'll come back. Oooh, like I'm so scared. I don't watch telly or iplayer. I spend my time more constructively here, YouTube or trolling the Telegraph comments sections. I don't even have any reception since broadcast went digital. And they ruined Dr Who. I'll tell them that.

All you need to do is fill up the declaration form.

 

[MontyVeda]

you have two options, both already stated

a: fill out the I don't watch TV form
b: ignore the letters

 

[annedonnelly]

The form's online isn't it? Probably quicker to fill it in than post on here :-) I get one every now & again.

 

[PeteXXX]

Here you go
No TV. Goodbye

 

[roley poley]

The radio licence was abolished in 1971..£1-5s I wonder how many people listened to the Goons on the BBC and felt guilty about non-payment...I would fill the form in it's easy enough and keeps 'em happy

 

[Chris S]

All you need to do is fill up the declaration form.

That's what I did when I was living in a flat about 10 years ago. I still got the letters and a visit (when I was out).

 

[Chris S]

Big men may knock on my door day or night, and if I pretend not to be in, they'll come back.

They can't search your property unless they are accompanied by a police officer with a search warrant.
They can't enforce a debt on you without a court order. That would require them to prove that you had a TV in the first place.

 

[Chris S]

All the BBC national radio stations have their own newsreaders reading the news on the hour. Presumably they've got their own news teams behind them as well. I doubt if a privately funded broadcaster would waste money like that.

 

[byegad]

When I married the first Mrs Byegad we hadn't got a pot to piss in. So no TV.
Every 2 months we'd get a threatening letter from them. After a year we got sick and I wrote a snotty letter which went into some detail as to where they could stick their demands.
Six months went by, and no letter. Then they started again......

 

[Craig the cyclist]

They can't search your property unless they are accompanied by a police officer with a search warrant.
They can't enforce a debt on you without a court order. That would require them to prove that you had a TV in the first place.

No, it actually covers a whole range of devices, not just a TV (my son is at Uni and none of the house share have a TV, but they have to have a TV licence), at least two of which I imagine the OP has. Obviously he has a computer or tablet of some sort, possibly a smart phone too.

"This applies to any device you use, including a TV, desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, games console, digital box or DVD/VHS recorder."

 

[Chris S]

Sorry, I should have said TV receiving equipment.

 

[MontyVeda]

No, it actually covers a whole range of devices, not just a TV (my son is at Uni and none of the house share have a TV, but they have to have a TV licence), at least two of which I imagine the OP has. Obviously he has a computer or tablet of some sort, possibly a smart phone too.

"This applies to any device you use, including a TV, desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, games console, digital box or DVD/VHS recorder."

you don't need a TV licence for a tablet, smart phone, games console, laptop, etc... you don't even need one for a TV if you don't watch TV on it.

 

[MontyVeda]

When I married the first Mrs Byegad we hadn't got a pot to piss in. So no TV.
Every 2 months we'd get a threatening letter from them. After a year we got sick and I wrote a snotty letter which went into some detail as to where they could stick their demands.
Six months went by, and no letter. Then they started again......

Pretty much the same with me. I just ignore them these days, but the bi-monthly letters are fewer and further between now.