The Great TV Licence Scam

[shaunbhoy]

My TV Licence runs from 1st July to 30th June.
I have for a number of years now been paying for it monthly.
Now the way that the TV Licensing people work it is that they take double payments for the first 6 months (so that the full licence is paid for by December), and they then attempt to take half-sized payments from january onwards, with the net effect being that I would ostensibly be starting to pay for my 2017-2018 Licence around halfway through my 2016-2017 licence period.
For a bit of fun, I habitually cancel the direct debit around Xmas time when the whole fee for the current year has been paid.
This results in a variety of different responses. The licence is in my wife's name as it goes, but they always ring MY number to enquire, as I actually pay the bill.
They insist upon speaking to my wife, and I insist on explaining to them just why I have cancelled any further payments until 1st July. I usually manage to include something about "Would you actually start to pay for a mortgage on a property 6 months before you moved in?"
That tends to take the wind out of their sails a bit.
They then generally ask for my wife's number, to which I reply "Yes of course I DO have a number for her, but due to Data Protection restrictions, I am unable to pass it on to you".
Point is, what a bloody nerve trying to extort money months in advance of it even starting to fall due, and threatening people with Debt Collection Agencies should they not cough up!! Grrrr

<rant over>

[doconline]

I wonder how much money they have collected for advance payments from people who have died and whether this gets refunded to the estate without it being chased up?

[ladymuck]

I wonder how much money they have collected for advance payments from people who have died and whether this gets refunded to the estate without it being chased up?

Isn't that why over 75's get a free licence? Or has that perk ended?

[WTFH]

Not much of a rant, more proof of the kind of person you are.

[WTFH]

Isn't that why over 75's get a free licence? Or has that perk ended?

Nope, still there:
Official TV Licensing website - Over 75 TV Licence

[NotAllThere]

My TV Licence runs from 1st July to 30th June.
I have for a number of years now been paying for it monthly.
Now the way that the TV Licensing people work it is that they take double payments for the first 6 months (so that the full licence is paid for by December), and they then attempt to take half-sized payments from january onwards, with the net effect being that I would ostensibly be starting to pay for my 2017-2018 Licence around halfway through my 2016-2017 licence period.

Exactly as described here: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-fo...ect-debit-pay1

For a bit of fun, I habitually cancel the direct debit around Xmas time when the whole fee for the current year has been paid.
This results in a variety of different responses. ...
Point is, what a bloody nerve trying to extort money months in advance of it even starting to fall due, and threatening people with Debt Collection Agencies should they not cough up!! Grrrr

<rant over>

If you opt for yearly payments, you pay it all in advance. If you opt for quarterly payments, you "pay as you go", and you pay £1,25 a quarter for the privelege. If you opt for monthly payments, the cost of spreading the payments is paid for out of making advance payments.

When you opted for monthly payments, you agreed to published payment schedule. You agreed to make the payments, so when they don't get their dosh, naturally they pursue you for the legal debt you owe, according to your contract with them. As a contractor, I would have thought you understand what contracts are, and understand them before agreeing to them.

I wonder how much money they have collected for advance payments from people who have died and whether this gets refunded to the estate without it being chased up?

You get refunded for each full 3 months left on the license. It would need to be chased up, but that's true for any regular payment previously made by the deceased. Official TV Licensing website - How we work out refunds

[shaunbhoy]

Not much of a rant, more proof of the kind of person you are.

You say that like it is a BAD thing.
I expect you are just the sort of meek rollover type so typical of your entitled generation. You certainly come across that way. Limp!

[WTFH]

The Great TV Licence Scam

You say that like it is a BAD thing.
I expect you are just the sort of meek rollover type so typical of your entitled generation. You certainly come across that way. Limp!

Nope, I'm not limp. You also seem to confuse those who are meek and those who think they are entitled. Is English not your first language?

I pay my TV licence annually, not monthly.
I also don't wind people up or deliberately cause confusion "for a laugh" and then blame them when they try to resolve the problem.

Why not put the licence in your name, or get your wife to pay it?
- nope, too much like hard work for a wastrel.
Why not read the terms and conditions to what you signed up to?
- nope, the poor little snowflake doesn't want to, he wants to blame someone else for his failure to read.

[vwdan]

Nope, I'm not limp. You also seem to confuse those who are meek and those who think they are entitled. Is English not your first language?s

I pay my TV licence annually, not monthly.
I also don't wind people up or deliberately cause confusion "for a laugh" and then blame them when they try to resolve the problem.

Why not put the licence in your name, or get your wife to pay it?
- nope, too much like hard work for a wastrel.
Why not read the terms and conditions to what you signed up to?
- nope, the poor little snowflake doesn't want to, he wants to blame someone else for his failure to read.

You're not really a "Fight The Power" kind of guy then, are you? The TV License is essentially compulsory now - so on that basis, I think we owe it to ourselves to make life a little hard work for our masters. I'm not anti the concept of the license, but I do hate the way in which they conduct themselves.

I had huge amounts of fun with the bellends while we were renovating (but not living in!) our new house. The letters were incredibly threatening and designed to look like court documents (Complete with "You should bring this letter to court with you" as the headline. I was particularly impressed that their enforcement agent apparently came and failed to notice that the living room didn't have a floor (Quite literally - we were replacing the joists and reconstructing the dwarf wall at the time).

I took huge amounts of joy in winding them the **** up due to their belief that, on the basis of having a house, then we MUST require a TV license. They are also now under no confusion as to whether they're allowed to step foot on my property.

[WTFH]

You're not really a "Fight The Power" kind of guy then, are you?

Yes, I will fight the power, but I won't create a petty fight because I am too lazy to read.