BBC license fee to go up by £15. Will you keep paying it?

[Cousin Jack]

Many years ago, when we bought our first house we had an old TV. It expired, and we did not replace it (we had higher priorities and a limited budget).

It took an age to persuade the system we were not cheating, several visits to the house, and a detector van parked up nearby for a week.

[gremlin]

The BBC licence has been used over the last 30 years to keep Attenborough in cryogenic stasis when he's not presenting Big, Blue Earth 17.

Stop paying and they switch his machine off. Your choice.

[Count Steer]

I realised that for the first 20+ years of married life and 4 different properties we never had a TV* and in that time had 1 letter about not having a licence. Replied to it, never heard from them again.

* Not because we couldn't afford one, just didn't want one. In the end I got one and a VHS player 'cos I wanted to watch fillums - we moved from a place with 3 or more cinemas within walking distance and several more a couple of tube stops away out to the sticks.

[Skub]

Many years ago, when we bought our first house we had an old TV. It expired, and we did not replace it (we had higher priorities and a limited budget).

It took an age to persuade the system we were not cheating, several visits to the house, and a detector van parked up nearby for a week.

Likewise. When my da was in hospital and unlikely ever to be home again,he was bombarded with letters threatening prosecution. I contacted them on 3 occasions and yet the letters still arrived. The BBC are despicable in the manner they treat those not in their net.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Many years ago, when we bought our first house we had an old TV. It expired, and we did not replace it (we had higher priorities and a limited budget).

It took an age to persuade the system we were not cheating, several visits to the house, and a detector van parked up nearby for a week.

Likewise. When my da was in hospital and unlikely ever to be home again,he was bombarded with letters threatening prosecution. I contacted them on 3 occasions and yet the letters still arrived. The BBC are despicable in the manner they treat those not in their net.

Pretty much my experience too, except as above said Dad had already passed by this point.

I suspect they have a little light which goes on saying "this person used to have licence but doesn't any more" and once you're on their radar it's hard to get off. Faceless machines churning out letters, again as above I'd be surprised if a real person actually gets involved before the postman who picks up the letter.

I wonder how many of the people who cause that light to come on are genuinely dodging it. 'cause if you were illegally viewing without a licence you'd also say you don't have a TV, wouldn't you?

[Mussels]

As I said, apathy rules.

Well, that and underfunded/understaffed/DGAF councils.

How many people are offering to pay extra tax to properly run these services for example?

We're all as guilty as everyone else. Want a level of personalised and diligent service, don't want to pay for it. It's similar with banks, how many people pay their bank for the services they offer and yet you all want 24/7 service everywhere in the world. Then you wonder why you get chewed up by a faceless machine.

What I'd like is a way to make these departments accountable. In Yambo's case they are repeatedly trying to defraud people and if caught out they still try to make it sound like they are right. Any company or person caught doing that would end up explaining themselves to a judge.
Government departments seem to have carte blanch to act illegally.

[Yorick]

Many years ago, when we bought our first house we had an old TV. It expired, and we did not replace it (we had higher priorities and a limited budget).

It took an age to persuade the system we were not cheating, several visits to the house, and a detector van parked up nearby for a week.

Likewise. When my da was in hospital and unlikely ever to be home again,he was bombarded with letters threatening prosecution. I contacted them on 3 occasions and yet the letters still arrived. The BBC are despicable in the manner they treat those not in their net.

After my wife died, I got a bill from B.T. to Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx (Deceased)

I went mad and sent it to a National newspaper. I got grovelling apology.

[Mr. Dazzle]

As I said, apathy rules.

Well, that and underfunded/understaffed/DGAF councils.

How many people are offering to pay extra tax to properly run these services for example?

We're all as guilty as everyone else. Want a level of personalised and diligent service, don't want to pay for it. It's similar with banks, how many people pay their bank for the services they offer and yet you all want 24/7 service everywhere in the world. Then you wonder why you get chewed up by a faceless machine.

What I'd like is a way to make these departments accountable. In Yambo's case they are repeatedly trying to defraud people and if caught out they still try to make it sound like they are right. Any company or person caught doing that would end up explaining themselves to a judge.
Government departments seem to have carte blanch to act illegally.

Cool.

What ya gonna do to make that happen?

I agree, but as I've said on loads of threads, we're all getting the treatment we deserve.

[Mr. Dazzle]

The whole thing is pretty despicable, I obviously shrugged it off, but faced with an onslaught of these letters I can genuinely see some old dear being so afraid that she'll pay it rather than spend the money on food or heating.

In a similar sort of vein, I (reasonably) often get marketing material from Anglian Water trying to flog me insurance against burst pipes. The letters come in brown envelopes with "IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR WATER" or something like that written on them, then the letter inside looks very much like a bill saying my pipes are fucked.

It's all a sort of reverse "lets have a look at what you could have won" sort of hting, telling me how bad it could all go.

I actually complained to the ASA about it, twice, which is half a rung up from doing fuck all and chucking it in the bin. But yeah, some (lots) of companies are c*nts in this regard.

[Count Steer]

Perhaps they have a list of who is a left wing sympathiser/defender and then they just send them one letter and leave them alone, meanwhile the rest of us clearly get bombarded with quite unpleasant threatening letters.

Or maybe they operated differently in the 70s and 80s rather than having 'political detector vans' roaming the streets detecting how you voted.

[Rockburner]

Many years ago, when we bought our first house we had an old TV. It expired, and we did not replace it (we had higher priorities and a limited budget).

It took an age to persuade the system we were not cheating, several visits to the house, and a detector van parked up nearby for a week.

Likewise. When my da was in hospital and unlikely ever to be home again,he was bombarded with letters threatening prosecution. I contacted them on 3 occasions and yet the letters still arrived. The BBC are despicable in the manner they treat those not in their net.

I "think" the TV licence is actually collected by another organisation, ie NOT the BBC themselves, the monies are then parcelled out to the BBC under the governance of some committee.


So - it's not the BBC themselves that are chasing the fees.

[Rockburner]

The whole thing is pretty despicable, I obviously shrugged it off, but faced with an onslaught of these letters I can genuinely see some old dear being so afraid that she'll pay it rather than spend the money on food or heating.

In a similar sort of vein, I (reasonably) often get marketing material from Anglian Water trying to flog me insurance against burst pipes. The letters come in brown envelopes with "IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR WATER" or something like that written on them, then the letter inside looks very much like a bill saying my pipes are fucked.

It's all a sort of reverse "lets have a look at what you could have won" sort of hting, telling me how bad it could all go.

I actually complained to the ASA about it, twice, which is half a rung up from doing fuck all and chucking it in the bin. But yeah, some (lots) of companies are c*nts in this regard.

We get those once a month from Portsmouth water. (well - the insurance company pretending to be Portsmouth water).


I really must get around to returning them to their return address, affixed to a suitable heavy object....

[Skub]

I "think" the TV licence is actually collected by another organisation, ie NOT the BBC themselves, the monies are then parcelled out to the BBC under the governance of some committee.


So - it's not the BBC themselves that are chasing the fees.

It's done for them,though and it's their duty of care,so I'll heft that big brush of tar and hit it right up their over noshed corporate jowls.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Perhaps they have a list of who is a left wing sympathiser/defender and then they just send them one letter and leave them alone, meanwhile the rest of us clearly get bombarded with quite unpleasant threatening letters.

Or maybe they operated differently in the 70s and 80s rather than having 'political detector vans' roaming the streets detecting how you voted.

I don't know how militant they were then, but clearly unfortunately today it appears to be acceptable practice to harass people to this sort of unpleasant level.

People talk about the erosion of freedoms, aggressive government tactics, passive and overt surveillance, etc, I'm not sure how true it all is because perhaps it's like the boiling frog and it's happened slowly, so I don't know if it was always thus or if I just notice it more now, but it feels like the state wants more control now than it used to.

They probably want as much as they ever did, it's just more practical for them to get it now.

[MrLongbeard]

cause if you were illegally viewing without a licence you'd also say you don't have a TV, wouldn't you?

No, its got sod all to do with owning or using a TV, if my TV didn't face the front window I'd not pay a penny and continue to watch other live TV broadcasts from other broadcasters.

[Mr. Dazzle]

cause if you were illegally viewing without a licence you'd also say you don't have a TV, wouldn't you?

No, its got sod all to do with owning or using a TV, if my TV didn't face the front window I'd not pay a penny and continue to watch other live TV broadcasts from other broadcasters.

Yeah exactly...ignoring whether or not you agree with the licence concept for a moment, you'd lie about having a TV if asked (I'm assuming?). The only reason you don't is because the answer is obvious to the outside world?

[Count Steer]

The whole thing is pretty despicable, I obviously shrugged it off, but faced with an onslaught of these letters I can genuinely see some old dear being so afraid that she'll pay it rather than spend the money on food or heating.

In a similar sort of vein, I (reasonably) often get marketing material from Anglian Water trying to flog me insurance against burst pipes. The letters come in brown envelopes with "IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR WATER" or something like that written on them, then the letter inside looks very much like a bill saying my pipes are fucked.

It's all a sort of reverse "lets have a look at what you could have won" sort of hting, telling me how bad it could all go.

I actually complained to the ASA about it, twice, which is half a rung up from doing fuck all and chucking it in the bin. But yeah, some (lots) of companies are c*nts in this regard.

We get those once a month from Portsmouth water. (well - the insurance company pretending to be Portsmouth water).


I really must get around to returning them to their return address, affixed to a suitable heavy object....

It's probably HomeServe, based in Walsall. It started in the UK as a joint venture involving the relative minnow South Staffordshire Water. I was involved with them around the time on a billing system thing in the early 2000s iirc and the boss (think he was MD, Brian something Edit: I remembered Whitty) was putting all their spare cash into a mega call centre and said to me 'Water? Pfft...we're going to 'leverage' our skills and move into the home emergency market'. I paraphrase, but that's exactly what they did. So every time a letter flops through the door offering insurance on my water supply - and everything else - I say 'Thanks Brian, you ' as I chuck it in the recycle.

Your utility people probably sold them their customer data. They're as well.

[DefTrap]

I have to say I'm way more annoyed by the succession of pisstaking Home Secretaries who are desperate to make this awful Rwanda scheme happen. It will absolutely fail and it you will be able to value it in millions-of-pounds-per-relocated-immigrant, it will be that bad. That's a far better example of terrible government decisions, foolish policy, wasting of money, inhumane and nasty politics. The funding of the Beeb has stayed across generations and all sorts of governments - trying to dress it up a symbolic of a drastic change in government controlling policy is bollocks.

[Count Steer]

I have to say I'm way more annoyed by the succession of pisstaking Home Secretaries who are desperate to make this awful Rwanda scheme happen. It will absolutely fail and it you will be able to value it in millions-of-pounds-per-relocated-immigrant, it will be that bad. That's a far better example of terrible government decisions, foolish policy, wasting of money, inhumane and nasty politics. The funding of the Beeb has stayed across generations and all sorts of governments - trying to dress it up a symbolic of a drastic change in government controlling policy is bollocks.

My dear boy, you just don't understand how many £millions a failing government will spend of our hard earned cash in order to 'send a message' - not to the boat people, obvs - but to the voters. In fairness, they probably saved most of it by cutting overseas aid in order to exacerbate the problem that they'd like to be seen to be 'doing something about'.

Edit: But should probably be in another part of the forum. Which it now is.

[mangocrazy]

It's probably HomeServe, based in Walsall. It started in the UK as a joint venture involving the relative minnow South Staffordshire Water. I was involved with them around the time on a billing system thing in the early 2000s iirc and the boss (think he was MD, Brian something Edit: I remembered Whitty) was putting all their spare cash into a mega call centre and said to me 'Water? Pfft...we're going to 'leverage' our skills and move into the home emergency market'. I paraphrase, but that's exactly what they did. So every time a letter flops through the door offering insurance on my water supply - and everything else - I say 'Thanks Brian, you ' as I chuck it in the recycle.

Your utility people probably sold them their customer data. They're as well.

Severn Trent Water (doubtless assisted by Homeserve) are also guilty of trying the same con trick.