TV licence harrasment. How to fend yourself?

[maxima]

I am getting letters from TV licensing saying that they want me to explain why do I use the premises for the company and not paying TV licence. The address they send is my home address. The company registered address is with NW. I dont use my home for work. And the home licence is paid.

I understand that their strategy is to scatter a potential client with mud and then let him clean himself waiting if he slips or make a mistake so they can quickly check the pockets.

I am not interested in arguing here capitalism vs socialism, freedom vs ordered society. I am asking for practical advice - how to stop the harrasment?

If I answer their letters the game will take into another level and then up and up. This is designed for it. So I am ignoring the letters so far (I dont use my home for work and I dont use TV for work and the TV I have is already paid by individual licence).

I dont want some stinky individual sitting in the bush next to my house every morning trying my nerve system.

What my options are?

[SueEllen]

1. Put the letter in the bin.
2. If you receive more put them in the bin preferably unopened if you know it's for your business.
3. When they come round to your house in about 3 years time put the chain on the front door, tell the guy to wait on the doorstep and then show them your TV license.

Unfortunately it's virtually impossible to get Crapita to realise that you already have a TV license.

There are plenty of stories of people who don't have a TV fighting to get Crapita to realise they don't have one for years. They simply don't believe people don't have TVs.

There are also stories where one person in a household has a TV license in their name and they chase up another person in the household up for a year due to them buying tv equipment.

On the plus side TV licensing also have no legal authority to enter your house unless you invite them in. Also as the guys work on bullying and threatening people you should never let them into your house.

BTW they hassled us when one of our parents died until we sold the house and wouldn't except that the person who lived in the house had died because I was a student on the electoral roll there.

[Old Greg]

Ignore the letter. If they ever turn up at your house ask to see their warrant. If they do not have one, tell them they are trespassing on your property and that if they do not leave immediately, you will use reasonable force to remove them.

[kingcook]

I have been TV licence free since June 2006, and i have a TV that gets used daily (*)

I stopped their threat letters by withdrawing implied right of access (WOIRA). Google it.


(*) For playing DVD's and playing gaming consoles

[hyperD]

I am getting letters from TV licensing saying that they want me to explain why do I use the premises for the company and not paying TV licence. The address they send is my home address. The company registered address is with NW. I dont use my home for work. And the home licence is paid.

I understand that their strategy is to scatter a potential client with mud and then let him clean himself waiting if he slips or make a mistake so they can quickly check the pockets.

I am not interested in arguing here capitalism vs socialism, freedom vs ordered society. I am asking for practical advice - how to stop the harrasment?

If I answer their letters the game will take into another level and then up and up. This is designed for it. So I am ignoring the letters so far (I dont use my home for work and I dont use TV for work and the TV I have is already paid by individual licence).

I dont want some stinky individual sitting in the bush next to my house every morning trying my nerve system.

What my options are?

The telly tax is purely an optional tax nowadays: it's unenforceable and an anachronism from a bygone era where network streaming, iPlayer and mobile devices weren't even on Tomorrow's World.

My previous post describes some of the things you can do - Google for more info - plenty out there.

Simply ignore TV Licensing - they are a private company (not enforcement despite their carefully worded faux threatening letters, which in itself are offensive for a private company to send) and the Capita salesman have as much right to nose about your house as the milkman and postman.

i.e. none.

For god's sake don't write, talk, or let them in your house. Capita plc (TV Licensing) still insist on the right to send the letters again after a year "just in case your status has changed".

So don't bother, ignore them and soon, the telly tax will be a thing of the past.

P.S Nobody has been prosecuted by evidence from TV detector vans nudge nudge, wink wink, hint, hint...

[TestMangler]

They even came round to my cafe and tried to get me to pay for a TV licence for that, despite not having a TV in it.

Their arguement was that as we advertised free WiFi, there would be 'machines capable of receiving TV pictures' on the premises and a TV licence was required. Unreal !!

To make matters worse it was a private company acting on behalf of TV licencing, MCPS and PRS and they went round nearly every commercial property on the island. I suspect they collected F*** all.

[MarillionFan]

They even came round to my cafe and tried to get me to pay for a TV licence for that, despite not having a TV in it.

Their arguement was that as we advertised free WiFi, there would be 'machines capable of receiving TV pictures' on the premises and a TV licence was required. Unreal !!

I hope you've paid for a Public music license though for your chip shop.

[TestMangler]

I hope you've paid for a Public music license though for your chip shop.

Thought you weren't responding to anything I said ?

Insult Removed. very unprofessional of me. But it's still not a chip shop.

[MarillionFan]

Thought you weren't responding to anything I said ?

Prick

Excuse me. Professional Forum.

Serious question. Have you paid for a PRS license? PRS for Music

If you play any form of music in your business, you need to pay for a public performance license? £300+ per year. Rip off in my opinion, but if you even play the radio you need to have a licence.

[TestMangler]

Excuse me. Professional Forum.

Serious question. Have you paid for a PRS license? PRS for Music

If you play any form of music in your business, you need to pay for a public performance license? £300+ per year. Rip off in my opinion, but if you even play the radio you need to have a licence.

Serious answer:

Yes, I do, and I completely agree 100% with you in this case. It's £363 just for having the radio on.

I've got a load of CD's etc for sale in the cafe from local and touring artists and only played them for a while as I had the copyright holder's permission to do so without royalty and I did it to upset the PRS rep that kept coming round, but the Mrs signed up with them while I was away 'cause she can't take the aggro