Rob's Blog

I’ve just been phoned by TV Licensing. They’ve been trying to phone me for a while (I know because I googled the incoming number) but I usually answer to silence so I hang up. This time I listened to the silence for about 20 seconds before someone came on the line.

Anyway, my attitude to TV Licensing is this: I do not do business with them, therefore they are strangers. I don’t give out information to strangers on the telephone. The conversation went like this (paraphrased from memory):

TVL: This is just a courtesy call about your TV license at [old address]
Me: Okay.
TVL: I notice that your direct debit was cancelled in July last year.
Me: Okay.
TVL: Why was that?
Me: I don’t live there any more. [I slipped up here. I meant to say, "I no longer require a TV license for that address".]
TVL: When did you move out?
Me: I really don’t remember exactly. [I should have said, "none of your business", but was trying to be polite.]
TVL: Okay, what’s your new address?
Me: I don’t see why you need to know that.
TVL: Okay, fair enough. But we need to know whether you are licensed at your new address.
Me: I am licensed at my new address. [I should have said, "that's not my problem."]
TVL: Okay. Well, you may be due a refund on your old license because you were paying monthly, and therefore 6 months in advance.
Me: But you don’t think I owe you money?
TVL: No you don’t owe us money.
Me: Well, I’m not interested in any refund.
TVL: Okay, it’s your money, but I just wanted to let you know.

That was about it. To give them credit, they didn’t pressure me for information or threaten me. I suppose it’s legitimate for them to call me as I did previously do business with them (so it’s not quite a *cold* call). But they did seem surprised that I was so defensive. Most people probably just hand over any information asked to strangers who call from official sounding organisations.

See my previous encounters with TV Licensing.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 10:40 am and is filed under Authorised Theft, TV Licensing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.