TV License / Anyone Cancelled ?

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Currently building 2 new houses.
Have to get addresses sorted with local authority to enable service connections.
As soon as the addresses were registered we started getting letters from TV licencing for one of the houses but not the other.
Having previously spent hours of my life trying to get through to them that building sites do not need TV licences I wasn't keen to phone them. Noticed that on their threatening letters that it was possible to notify them that a TV licence was not required. So went online & registered the house in question as not needing a licence - and I have their reference number to confirm it.
The threatening letters continue - they have started an investigation - they are taking us to court - they are sending a hit man - etc, etc. Letters arrive approx every couple of weeks. Yet we have received nothing for the second house on the site:dk:
 
I did. Long time ago. I never watch live tv. We use a firestick with cinema apk on it for streaming purposes. More than enough for my family. Anyway i watch all the important sport events in my brother's-in-law house which lives two blocks away. We had letters coming from TV licencing for about two years. I gave them couple of calls and it stopped in one point.
 
I object to HAVING to have a tv licence to watch channels other than the bbc. to me it is akin to having to buy a copy of the guardian just to be able to buy a copy of the sun (other newspapers ?? are available)
 
We cancelled Sky TV around 6 months ago. We then paid more attention to what we watched live vs on demand with our Firestick. Upshot was most of what we watched was on demand, so we cancelled the TV License. I was pleased to do so, as I find the BBC business model outdated and not fit for purpose IMHO
 
Got a warning letter today that we didn't have a license and will be "paid a visit" as "investigation begun".

You couldn't make ig up, this is the behaviour that annoys me.
 
Got a warning letter today that we didn't have a license and will be "paid a visit" as "investigation begun".

You couldn't make ig up, this is the behaviour that annoys me.
Does writing back saying "the family Rottweiler & Doberman are looking forward to your visit" constitute a threat?
 
No, and hopefully no-one! See:

While I don't necessarily agree that I should have to pay for a TV Licence if I choose not to watch the BBC, the law has a different view and despite what people think a TV Licence is still a requirement if you watch (or record) any live broadcast on any over-the-air channel.

When it comes to streaming services, people are often aware of the licence requirement to watch the iPlayer, but very few seem to know that the requirement also applies if you watch or stream programmes live on another online TV service such as ITV Hub, All 4, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Now TV, Sky Go, etc. Importantly, the device you use is irrelevant, the requirement exists whether you stream a program live to a desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, tablet, games console or TV set.

Is it fair or reasonable? My view is that it isn't - but that's what the law says.

I would love to cancel my TV license but am confused as to what I can watch without one.
 
In today's present sub contract culture and payment by result its not surprising this sort of behaviour is prevalent as many of these organisations employ questionable practices
wikipedia

TV Licensing contractors and subcontractors​

Capita​

A major contractor is Capita.[18] Capita is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the TV licence fee.[16][19]

It is expected that Capita will earn £1.10bn – £1.55bn from its contract with the BBC if it runs its maximum 15 years from July 2012.[5]




Capita's TV Licensing Headquarters is based at India Mill, Darwen, Lancashire.

The services carried out by Capita on behalf of the BBC include dealing with TV licence queries, processing TV licence applications and payments and the maintenance of the licence database.[20] Enforcement tasks include visiting addresses, identifying people watching TV without a licence, taking statements, and achieving prosecutions of TV licence evaders.[21][22][23] TV Licensing debt collection is carried out by Akinika,[24] which is a debt collection agency owned by Capita.[25]

Capita's TV Licensing headquarters is at India Mill, in Darwen, Lancashire.[26] Capita employs a number of subcontractors for part of its TV Licensing operations – one important one being Computer Sciences Corporation which provides and modernises the required IT infrastructure.[5] Since 2004, Capita has undertaken a proportion of TV licensing administration at locations outside of the UK and "has progressively increased the amount of work processed overseas each year".[5] However, as of 2013, Capita has not set up any overseas call centres to carry out TV Licensing work and it would need the BBC's permission to do so in the future.[5] Some of Capita's TV Licensing work is carried out in Mumbai, India[27] but after reportage in Panorama about scammers from India, the Indian office of Capita was closed permanently.

 
I would love to cancel my TV license but am confused as to what I can watch without one.

Anything that is not broadcast live over the air excluding BBC iPlayer.

That does not mean a live event.
It means if itv are broadcasting a 1970 Coronation Street episode on one of its live channels you cannot watch or record it.

Pretty simple once you understand you can stream anything you want on Prime, Netflix, Disney+ etc. but you cannot stream iPlayer as this needs a license.

You also can't watch a live event being broadcast on Prime etc. such as tennis, football........
 
Anything that is not broadcast live over the air excluding BBC iPlayer.

That does not mean a live event.
It means if itv are broadcasting a 1970 Coronation Street episode on one of its live channels you cannot watch or record it.

Pretty simple once you understand you can stream anything you want on Prime, Netflix, Disney+ etc. but you cannot stream iPlayer as this needs a license.

You also can't watch a live event being broadcast on Prime etc. such as tennis, football........

So I cant watch anything unless I pay someone, either license or Disney, Netflix, Amazon etc.?
I will stick to TV License and Freeview which at least wont make some faceless corporation richer. Oh, wait one............
 
So I cant watch anything unless I pay someone, either license or Disney, Netflix, Amazon etc.?
I will stick to TV License and Freeview which at least wont make some faceless corporation richer. Oh, wait one............

Entirely incorrect. 😉

The 4od service is the biggest free streaming service in the UK (they advertise this fact).
Then you can add itvhub and Five that offer more free services.

I used the Prime, Netflix examples as many of use these as our primary source of streaming.
 
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So I cant watch anything unless I pay someone, either license or Disney, Netflix, Amazon etc.?
I will stick to TV License and Freeview which at least wont make some faceless corporation richer. Oh, wait one............
You can make your own soap opera for free though - just need to get the family on board.
Episode #1: A big row over why there's no TV in this house.
 
Our tv viewing has been declining over the past few years and has now reached a point where it's seldom switched on from one week to the next, so I've been toying with cancelling our licence and, thanks to this thread, I've now done it. It's not easy to navigate your way through the endless loops and dead ends on their web site, but eventually I found myself able to download a completed PDF form for a refund (strangely headed 'PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL'), which then had to PRINTED off, SIGNED and then POSTED to their office in Darlington. They sure don't make it easy!
 

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