The Present Occupier has received this latest missive from the folks at TV Licensing:
We have reason to believe your address is unlicensed. Your details have been passed to a TV Licensing Enforcement Officer who will be visiting your street soon.
Below this is a table that states, “Amount due: �116.00″ and “Payment due: IMMEDIATELY”. In tiny print below it reads, “If you have recently purchased a license, please ignore this letter”, and you have to read to the bottom of the page for, “Please see reverse for important TV Licensing Information, including exclusions and how to pay.”
In effect this is an invoice, not dissimilar to the one sent out by Nodots, who the ASA upheld a complaint against. In that case,
The Authority considered that, although the smallprint on the mailing stated “Should you not want a Qname, please disregard the invoice”, the invoice section of the mailing did not make clear enough that it was merely a marketing communication offering an Internet service. The Authority concluded that the mailing was misleading.
By these standards, the TV Licensing letter is certainly misleading. It is also obnoxious and threatening. But what can you expect from goons paid to extract protection money?
Related Link: I came across a TV Licensing Mini-FAQ that explains when you need a TV license and when you don’t, and how TV Licensing try to obfuscate this information.
Previous Episodes: Not Owning A TV Licence Is A Crime; TV Licence Update; TV Licence Update 2.
Update:
Unfortunately, the ASA has concluded that the fraudulent demand for immediate payment does not constitute advertising; consequently, it doesn’t fall under their remit. I shall be debating the point politely with them, as they have no rights to send me *any* material, nor do I intend to jump through their hoops only to be treated as a liar at the end of it.
Ah well. Trading Standards are next on the list as a potential weapon.
What do we actually pay a licence for? is a)for all broadcasts as per the wireless telegrphy act or b) for JUST bbc products, if the latter is there a way to avoid bbc delivering thier products(as many milkmen manage to achieve every moning without threat of fines and jail!)or do i have to sacrifice Emmerdale, corrie and the bill just because i dont want to pay for the drivvel on bbc(of which i would rarely get the oppertunity to watch due to long hours at work and the missus having the remopte control even if i wanted to!)
Unfortunately, according to the law, you have to buy a license to view any broadcast television, including ITV, cable and satellite. TV Licensing like to let you think you need a license just to own a TV, but this isn’t true. You’re allowed to have a TV hooked up to a DVD player, VCR or computer without needing a license, just as long as you don’t view broadcast TV.
If you want to do this, I’d suggest not connecting the aerial – otherwise you won’t be able to prove your innocence.