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TV License Threats And Intimidation

Archie | 06.10.2013 23:47 | Repression | Social Struggles | Technology

I do not watch television but am receiving threatening letters.

Can anyone advise me how to deal with constant phone calls and letters threatening to investigate and prosecute me for not having a TV license, even take me to court and have me fined for a thousand pounds.

How do you 'prove' you don't watch television? I have spoken politely many times to people over the phone and explained that I do not watch television, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Please help!

Archie

Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

This worked for me

07.10.2013 00:11

Like you, I got sick to death of all the threats. I hadn't had a TV for ten years at that point and resented the arsehats at TV Licensing writing to me at all. Eventually, I wrote a long and angry letter telling them that I detested TV and wouldn't waste my money on one, that I found their letters threatening and that I felt I was being harassed. If this continued I would report them to the police as being in breach of Section 5 of the Public Order Act - the bit they use against protestors that says they're causing 'harassment, distress or alarm' to someone.

Whether I could actually have done any such thing is doubtful but it certainly worked. I got a very apologetic letter back stating that it was not their intention to cause me any distress and that they would write to me again in two years to check that it was still me at that address. It's been about six years since then and I don't recall getting anything at all from them in that time.

Give it a try. Good luck. :-)

Many Thanks!

07.10.2013 01:00

I will try that and hopefully they will leave me in peace.

Your suggestion is very much appreciated.

Archie

Me too.

07.10.2013 13:21

I also wrote an angry letter telling them I wouldn't watch tv even if they paid me. I had the same response from them saying they would write to me again in two years. So this seems to be standard procedure. That was about five years ago and I haven't heard from them since. Don't let these idiots worry you Archie.

Rob

How do you 'prove' you don't watch television?

07.10.2013 22:36

I'm not in Britain, we don't have the silly equivalent of this (didn't have a radio tax either).

You MIGHT try inviting them to come do a home inspection so they could attempt to find the TV that they are claiming you might be watching but you claim you do not. That of course only applies if you don't have one (for example, we here DO have a TV set used to view videos and DVDs but it isn't hooked to an external antenna or satellite dish and given our location that would be an absolute necessity to have any chance to receive a TV signal so we'd be pointing that out).

Question -- back in the days when for you folks it was a radio tax, how did people demonstrate to the authorities that they had no radio?

MDN

@MDN

08.10.2013 05:45

The only way it can be proven to the licensing authorities' satisfaction is by allowing them on the premises to look. As I don't allow people I don't want in my home through the door, that's out.

Here in the UK, it used to be the case that if there was no ariel and hence no possibility of picking up a signal, that was proof enough that any TV in the house wasn't being watched. Whether this is the case now, who knows? In these days of digital and smart TVs it might be that signals are broadcast in a different way - the technology is way over my head.

The license fee is only for watching the BBC - if someone could invent a TV that blocked BBC signals it'd sell like hot cakes.

Implied right of access, and crime.

08.10.2013 06:17

Write a letter to the BBC (aka TVL) informing them that you have removed any right of access to your property which is implied by you having a path, front door, letterbox, doorbell and so on. This will apply to all of their employees and representatives. After this, their commission driven door visits will officially become harrassment.

There are several websites which deal with this, including "BBC resistance" . TVL is the BBC, only the logo is different, seen some good billboard images with the letters digitally changed... makes a big psychological difference.

The legislation changed a few years ago, the statutory 'crime' (revenue trigger) is now "watching or recording live tv broadcast". This includes any device, be it tv, phone, computer, mp3 player. *Think about how this affects a warranted search*. Warrants are rare, but also consider BBCTVL insisting that IP or cable tv providers hand over evidence of users receiving live broadcast. This would be under the authority of investigating and enforcing 'crime'.

hare

try lettter

16.10.2013 20:15

> Can anyone advise me how to deal with constant phone calls and letters threatening to investigate and prosecute me for not having a TV license, even take me to court and have me fined for a thousand pounds.

How do you 'prove' you don't watch television? I have spoken politely many times to people over the phone and explained that I do not watch television, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Please help!

Strange,,, I just followed their instructions and literally only hear off them once every 2 years or so. I just wrote a letter - wasnt a big deal. I have a TV these days, so maybe thing have changed.

You don't need to "prove" you haven't a TV - and they don't actually ask you do so.
Try doing in writing rather than on phone (its what it said on my 'warnings')

steff

Me too

16.10.2013 20:53

Me too, I am regularly getting threats from these thugs.

I am being threatened with Court action.

Court action for what, it never says.

I refuse on principle to replay to their threatening letters.

What are they to take me to Court for, refusing to reply to their letters?

Do not reply, if you reply, they have your name.

It goes without saying, I do not have a TV, never have had, and do not want one.

I have better things to do with my life than sit like a mindless moron in front of a TV.

Keith

I concur

23.10.2013 10:40

I too have been harassed for many years by the licensing police.

I've used a combination of the above methods. However, I have rarely opened a letter from them, until one arrived in a plain envelope...which was only after I'd been returning their mail for a year, with a variety of messages scrawled across the front.

They have never had my name, and have always addressed the envelope with "the Occupier"...so I've mostly returned them with a note saying: "Not known at this address, return to sender", and I do not accept callers to my door, without prior arrangement, so they are unlikely to ever successfully doorstep me.

They have since ceased to harass me, as the last envelope I returned, threatened to report them to the police for harrassment, at which point they sent me an apologetic letter, like those mentioned in previous comments.

Returning their mail unopened, gives the added bonus of costing them for the postage, as Royal Mail should (theoretically at least) charge for their return.

Michael Souris

UK Indymedia