Published on 12, July, 2020
I haven't watched television for more than 20 years, and wrote to TVlicensing several times in the past, despite the fact they have no right to expect this, but they are sending me distressingly threatening letters. Does anyone else have this problem and have you found a way of getting rid of them?
Well thank you all for taking the trouble to reply. I will give the suggestions some thought. :)
The "detector vans" were always made up, TV sets don't give out some signal they can pick up, all they did was drive around looking for the telltale light shining out from people watching TV at addresses that didn't have a license, they would then take pictures through the window and attempt to blag themselves access to further prove it.
There is a procedure for declaring that you don't have a TV. http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/telling-us-you-dont-need-a-tv-licence
I would try using their declaration form and sending it by recorded delivery.
Do you have a diagnosis of ASD that defines you as disabled or covered by the Equality Act? If so then have you told them that and that you feel that they are harassing you? They should be more sympathetic if they understand that you have a genuine reason for being particularly distressed by their treatment of you.
They will send out letters that sound alarming but they won't want to be seen dragging a disabled person through the courts.
Pay the fee is sadly the only way of getting them off your back. If not them their computer is convinced that everyone wants a TV (despite the endless diet of repeats and rubbish), and that you must be licence dodging.
I can relate my experience in as different context. Twenty five years ago I moved house. My predecessor's surname was one letter different in spelling, and it was she - Mrs, to my being Mr. I notified them that I needed my licence changed to that address, but the system kept overruling my request.
I kept getting reminder letters addressed to my predecessor chasing her for non-payment, which I had to forward, which meant I was getting letters from her solicitor telling me to sort it out.
This went on for nearly a year, during which no doubt I risked prosecution for not having a licence. What was happening it turned out midway through this was that the computer rejected the name change as an operator error!
But this sort of thing must happen often, even people with exactly the same name must arise. They seem incapable of resolving such situations. The truth is all you are likely to be dealing with is short termers in a call centre.
They do have detector vans still, I believe. So really they would only prosecute you if the van detected a signal. However that can be difficult for people in flats and maisonnetes, or houses converted into flats.
It boils down to the fact that TV licencing thinks anyone who doesn't have a TV is missing out, not to mention all those idiot opitcal cable and satellite dish companies sending you their poisonous adverts several times a month telling you what you're supposedly missing.
Unfortunately between them and TV licensing it is not about people, or a public service, but making lots of money.
Keep a written record including copies. And regularly get someone to sign an affidavit that you don't have a TV in the house. The way these people work you cannot rule out them trying to prosecute you so you need to have all the evidence you can.
Its a shame that civilised society boils down to "you must have a TV....how can you live without a tv?" -- easy... there's nothing on TV worth watching!