ajm

My parents have a holiday home that remains unoccupied 99% of the time and used to pay for a TV licence at the property simply because the previous owners used to have one and reminders came through etc.

About 2 years ago my old man decided that he would let it lapse because it simply wasn't worth it. Since then, without fail, a letter arrives at the property and they go something like this...

1) Red letter, normal font: "Our records show that you havn't got a TV licence and you have been put on the list for a visit from our enforcement team"

2) Red letter, normal font: "Right that's it, our enforcement team are in the area, be afraid, very afraid"

3) Red letter, official looking "typed style" font: "It is now only a matter of time before our team kick your door in, renew now!!!"

4) Blue letter, normal font (good cop/bad cop routine ): "we have noticed your property has not got a TV licence. Did you know that you could be fined £1,000,000 etc etc"

5) Red letter again, normal font: "The management has now signed off a visit to your property, shiver in the shadows like the non TV licence paying scum that you are!"

then back to 1) again.

Truly unbelievable. They don't even know whether we have a TV or not! Out of all the agencies/companies I have come across, I have never seen such persistence or bullying letters as these! I wouldn't be surpised if they have spent a TV licence worth chasing shadows!

I have no idea if they actually ever HAVE visited, because obviously no one is ever there for long. The property is also in the middle of nowhere and my old man doesn't live in the country so they can whistle for it!

OllyK

Just post them back with "Return to sender" across it.

Brendan Hughes

My parents didn't have a TV for 20 years until very recently.

Just change your mindset - be grateful for free firelighting material in the cold months

paul-s

is there no option on the letter to respond with "i dont have a tv here so **** off!"

ajm

According to them: "you must write a letter to inform us if you don't have a TV"

According to my dad: "Bollox"

David Lock

Belmarsh at this rate or house arrest with no TV

ajm

I wonder if work still have to pay you if you are under house arrest?

speedking

I had TV-less friends in a similar position.

Do I have to write to say I don't have a dog? Do I have to declare that I don't go fishing? Why are the TVLA so different

warrenm2

Do bears s**t in the woods, is the Pope Catholic, is Tony Blair a slimey liar?

ChrisB

Is it true that the TV inspectors don't have any right of entry to your house? So if you don't answer the door, there's nothing they can do...

paul-s

being that he's not there 99% of the time it shouldnt be that hard to not answer the door

hedgehog

My granny was most upset to get similar letters as she had never owned a TV in her life and the letters all talked about £1000 fine and implied that she had to pay this fine as she was guilty. Being very elderly she wanted to do the right thing but couldn't quite get her head around the fact that she had done nothing wrong as the letters all looked so official. A letter had been written to the TV licencing people telling them that she didn't have a TV but it made no difference.

I wrote to the TV licencing people pointing out that my granny was very elderly, that I was writing on her behalf and that she did not have a TV. I outlined that their actions were likely to be deemed harassment by any reasonable person and indicated that if she received another letter I would be reporting them to the police and would expect action under the Protection from Harassment Act. I pointed out that this act made harassment a criminal offence and asked that they supply me with the name of the person responsible for the letters so I could ensure that the correct person was arrested.

Within a few days I had a rather humble letter of apology and my granny never received another communication from them.

Under the current administration there are many organisations who are encouraged to criminalise the law abiding citizen but in many cases their position is, at best, somewhat dodgy in the eyes of the law.

kbsub

As long as you dont dont let them see the TV , If /when they come round there is nothing they can do , just don't answer the door

GC8

NEVER REPLY !

That will flag you for closer attention!

Jerome

I there is a telly in this holiday home, make sure it cannot be seen from any windows - even upstairs. It is not unknown for these TV Inspectors to come equipped with a ladder to look in the upstairs windows.

TV Licensing justify their aggressive approach by saying that around 98% (IIRC) of households have a TV. Not much consolation for the hundreds of thousands of people that have to choose whether to endure the unrelenting pressure or just pay up and be done with it.

AdiM

I've seen these letters before and some friend of a friend ( who was knocking on a bit ) was getting very worried about it all, even though they did not have a TV !!

I'd let them come round and look suitably foolish !

zesty

Was a bloke talking on my local radio station a while back about a job he used to do, driving around in a van with aerials on the roof etc so people would think it was a tv detector van, only thing was the van was completely empty. Wouldnt suprise me if that were true.

Vegescoob

Same situation. We move between 2 houses, take TV with us. Ring and tell them each time and get floods of letters. Typical useless government agency with no facility in their system for anything out of the ordinary. Still, plenty of "none jobs".

Synthesiser Patel

A friend of mine had a visit, and had an old broken TV in the house. The inspector spotted it and said "you have an illegal TV in your house". My frien picked the TV up and threw it out of an open window where it smashed to pieces on the pavement outside. "I haven't now" he told the inspector, who fled in wide eyed terror!

He heard no more about the matter.

BOB.T

PMSL, we should all do that for a laugh!

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

When I bought my first flat I moved in as close to the end of the month as possible. So when I phoned up for the TV licence they gladly took my money, then started the cover from the start of the month! WTF? Thet doesn't happen with the car insurance FFS. Anyway when i moved into my next property I thought I'd hang it out abit and get my month back. Anyway the letters came through, and I promptly forgot to renew. Since it said 'To the occupier' I kind of gathered that these threats of court etc really were'nt going to be carried through.

Sure enough, the letters kept coming, getting more severe each time. Finally on the 6th letter, firmly quaking in my boots I was about to get the licence when the next letter came through - a repeat of mild reminder letter 1. And thus the cycle began

If only they had'nt swindled me out of a months worth of licence, they wouldn't have had to bother Royal mail for the next 32 months

Anyway I have a licence now, before you all start

gsm1

I've got an empty property and have had a crapload of similar letters from TV Licensing. They sent an inspector around and even after I showed him the inside of the house with all the ripped up walls and wires hanging out they still keep sending the bloody letters. They've even sent recorded delivery letters, had another 2 in the last month.

ajm

You should stick all the letters on a wall like a little grotto, psycho style.... then, next time the inspector comes round, lead him into the room and, as he stands there aghast, start laughing hysterically and beat yourself around the head.

oh and get it on tape!

gsm1

Oh and also..I don't know if they've changed the law since but I was once visiting family and an inspector called. I opened the door and admitted we were watching TV thnking there was no problem with the licence. The guy then asked for my details and eventhough I told him I didn't live there he said it didn't matter and that my details would do, almost as if it was just a formality. Then he asked to see the licence. When we found the licence it was 12 days or something out of date and the inspector went off making no fuss about it. Next thing - I get a letter to attend court!

dr_ming

Even better: tape the letter to a breeze block wrapped in brown paper and take it to the post office 'return to sender'. I found that this approach soon gets you removed from mailing lists, so maybe it'll work for the TV license tossers.

Jerome

That kind of thing happens quite a bit. Often the babysitter or some other house guest gets done. It is an offence to watch an unlicensed TV regardless of whether you live there etc.

Leslie

Did they really use those words in the letters? I would copy them and send them to the daily press complaining about the thuggish harassment. Just embarass them as much as possible. That really is beyond the pale!

Les