Reply to: TV licence harrasment. How to fend yourself?

[Wanderer]

And the justification that somehow the perception of a lack of adverts purports a sense of a quality has all but gone with programmes past and present such as Strictly Come Lap Dancing, Changing Rooms, Kilroy, Question Time and other assortments of soaps and lifestyle programmes.

I don't watch that either but it's called "light entertainment" and that's what millions of the license payers want to watch so that's what the BBC spend the license fees on.

Its charter for impartiality as state broadcaster is simply derisible, the Harman/Question Time incident being one of many, many documented examples.

Yeah, you are exactly right. I'll stick with Sky News and the News of the World. I'd much rather have Rupert Murdoch giving me his high quality, unbiased news reporting than the BBC which as we all know is in the pocket of the political parties.

[configman]

It's both a criminal and civil offence.

The police do f*** all if it's "just" letters from a company so your only redress is civil law.

Maybe I just got favourable treatment when I pressed for harrassment for DG salesmen but it was dealt with by the police and cost me nothing apart from a phone call escalating it through the complaints procedure when nothing was done initially.

[SueEllen]

Harassment is a criminal offence, therefore, reportable to the police. It did not cost me anything to get rid of pushy DG salesmen as it was a police matter.

It's both a criminal and civil offence.

The police do f*** all if it's "just" letters from a company so your only redress is civil law.

[configman]

If you have legal training and the time then yes as you can do it yourself.

If you haven't got legal training then don't waste your money.

I think the woman who took on British Gas spent about £12,000 on solicitors fees to stop them harassing her (and us).

In this case Crapita can be ignored as unlike the utility companies they don't have the legal right to break down your door as you don't have any of their equipment or a supply on your premises which could harm your neighbours.

Harassment is a criminal offence, therefore, reportable to the police. It did not cost me anything to get rid of pushy DG salesmen as it was a police matter.

[SueEllen]

Thank you guys. Is it fesible to bring the harassment charges against them?

If you have legal training and the time then yes as you can do it yourself.

If you haven't got legal training then don't waste your money.

I think the woman who took on British Gas spent about £12,000 on solicitors fees to stop them harassing her (and us).

In this case Crapita can be ignored as unlike the utility companies they don't have the legal right to break down your door as you don't have any of their equipment or a supply on your premises which could harm your neighbours.

[hyperD]

You're right as always d000hg. It's unenforceable due to its anachronistic nature.

Ignoring the fact that outside the UK, the BBC operates as a commercial TV service like any other, the company already runs ads. Dozens of them. At the end of every programme on all its radio and TV stations, Auntie runs ads for other programmes coming up later.

And the justification that somehow the perception of a lack of adverts purports a sense of a quality has all but gone with programmes past and present such as Strictly Come Lap Dancing, Changing Rooms, Kilroy, Question Time and other assortments of soaps and lifestyle programmes.

Its charter for impartiality as state broadcaster is simply derisible, the Harman/Question Time incident being one of many, many documented examples.

The way we view and pay for media is changing; it’s the nature of the beast.

In a moral world, you don’t force people to pay for things they don’t use under the threat of imprisonment and call those that challenge this injustice, uncivilised.

[d000hg]

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.

It may be unenforceable but that's not the same as anachronistic. Not while the BBC continue not showing 15min of adverts every hour.

In the civilised world you don't obey the law for fear of getting caught otherwise.

[hyperD]

Thank you guys. Is it fesible to bring the harassment charges against them?

As I said I paid the licence and I dont use the home for work so I dont really see why should I be subject of their bullying. If they believe I have to pay they should brought me to court. But they dont because if they study the case they find very quickly that they gonna lose.

So basically they are actually harassing me for money. And I dont want to live with chain on my door. I dont want to be accused of something I didnt do.

However I would prefer to file the case as an individual who living at that address.. I am not sure if this is possible to link the harassment to the private life...

I wouldn't bother, it'll cost you time and cash in the end.

Just ignore them and get on with your life.

Until enough people stop paying the licence fee, this is the sort of thing will carry on. Yes, it's wrong. Yes it's a pain, but there are worse things than that out there.

To be honest, if you do want to get your own back, simply cancel your home licence. The feelgood factor is worth it, knowing you're doing your part in removing this stupid tax.

[maxima]

Thank you guys. Is it fesible to bring the harassment charges against them?

As I said I paid the licence and I dont use the home for work so I dont really see why should I be subject of their bullying. If they believe I have to pay they should brought me to court. But they dont because if they study the case they find very quickly that they gonna lose.

So basically they are actually harassing me for money. And I dont want to live with chain on my door. I dont want to be accused of something I didnt do.

However I would prefer to file the case as an individual who living at that address.. I am not sure if this is possible to link the harassment to the private life...

[hyperD]

I have a direct debit paying my TV license on a rolling basis - should I cancel it at once?!

Your call, it's a totally optional tax to pay.

[Wobblyheed]

Licence - UK english
License - US english

[Jog On]

I have a direct debit paying my TV license on a rolling basis - should I cancel it at once?!

[psychocandy]

Although at risk of taking the thread off-topic, here's how I deal with double glazing salesmen: "Sorry, we rent this place and can't do any changes" even though we are the owners. That stops them in their tracks as even the most dense realises that there's no point trying to bully a tenant into buying double glazing.

Even further off-topic, I get rid of other pesky people with another trick. I put my cat's name when filling in "customer details" forms when buying anything. Take the example of the TV license people, if they came to the door enquiring based on getting information that my cat had just bought a telly the conversation would probably go like this:

TV: "Can I speak to Oliver please?"
Me: "Wait there, I'll see if he's free"
...
Me: "Sorry, he can't come to the door right now"
TV: "When will he be available?"
Me: "No idea, he's currently under the dining room table licking his bum, I'll ask him when he's finished"
(Close door and leave TV license guy open mouthed)

Works just as well with telephone spam from those companies who use that data to ignore the TPS notice.

I used to do that a lot i.e. use the cats name. Cat is eric so I used to put name as Eric Catona.

Another name is Bert E. B. O'locks

[craig1]

Invoice them for wasting company time or report it as a crime - harassment. I used harassment to report a Double Glazing company that kept knocking my door every 2 weeks and being abusive when I said I wasn't interested.

Although at risk of taking the thread off-topic, here's how I deal with double glazing salesmen: "Sorry, we rent this place and can't do any changes" even though we are the owners. That stops them in their tracks as even the most dense realises that there's no point trying to bully a tenant into buying double glazing.

Even further off-topic, I get rid of other pesky people with another trick. I put my cat's name when filling in "customer details" forms when buying anything. Take the example of the TV license people, if they came to the door enquiring based on getting information that my cat had just bought a telly the conversation would probably go like this:

TV: "Can I speak to Oliver please?"
Me: "Wait there, I'll see if he's free"
...
Me: "Sorry, he can't come to the door right now"
TV: "When will he be available?"
Me: "No idea, he's currently under the dining room table licking his bum, I'll ask him when he's finished"
(Close door and leave TV license guy open mouthed)

Works just as well with telephone spam from those companies who use that data to ignore the TPS notice.

[xoggoth]

I just ignored PRS letters. They phoned once and I shouted at them to stop wasting my time. Never heard any more.