Tv Licence?

[The Old Git]

I'm looking forward to telling them what a useless shower of twats they are if they come knocking on my door.

[Miss Take]

You do realise that it's this thread that has caused the crackdown don't you? Don't you?

[The Old Git]

You do realise that it's this thread that has caused the crackdown don't you? Don't you?

 

Doesn't bother me, I have a license, I've always had a license, and yet I still get their crappy, threatening, insulting letters each year. They're totally incompetent.

[%age]

The BBC read this, this thread on manxforums?

 

Great!!

 

You dirty filthy fascists bastards for persistently sending an old lady who has never missed paying her licence, threatening and despicable nasty letters Don't blame it "on the computer", rather learn how to program and use the bloody thing. BBC incompetence at its most typical.

 

And whilst I am at it, can you fire Jonathan Ross for all the smutty disgusting unfunny embarrassing comments he makes. And Graham Norton too for that matter. That way you'll save us all few million quid.

 

And Manx Radio costs us £30 a household, how about taking that out of our licence fee.

 

edited to add:

 

"Bastards"

 

 

(There, I feel a little better now.)

[Lost Login]

As I understand, most people in IoM have satellite, so coverage would probably be unaffected. Perhaps Sky could put in a block and scramble the signal for the sake of a few thousand in IoM, but it would be a big exercise effecting millions in the UK. They wouldn't block unless they had to - and they don't do this for the Irish either. Maybe the BBC could pressure Sky to produce special set top boxes for IoM - but I guess there'd be workarounds as well. Ultimately Westminster might legislate to make having such 'unauthorised' receivers in IoM illegal - just like they have with broadcast receivers in a property without a TV licence.

I would guess that it would be very easy to Block as it is very easy for Sky to add or remove channels to your card, pay per view events.

 

I occasionally watch S4C, Wales's version of Channel 4, it is not a channel that was immediately available when I first had Satelite TV, you had to ring up and ask for it to be "unblicked" at no cost. The BBC could do this easily if they wanted, i.e. to get the BBC channels you would have to ring up and give your TV license no. This could be cross referenced to your address etc. Equally it could be done via the internet. Either way it is no big deal.

 

Ultimately there is no "fair" way to pay for TV except if it is basically metered and you pay per programme. Sky is in my opinion a rip off- it charges an extorniate amount & gets advertising revenue. BBC it can be argued is unfair as you have to pay a license for it whether or not you watch the BBC. ITV gets its Revenue from advertising and therefore I am paying a premium for goods to cover the TV advertising costs wether or not that TV programme.

[TerryMcCann]

There is no way the BBC will encrypt transmissions on satellite in the foreseeable future.

 

They are just about to launch freesat and part of the strategy is that you will be able to use a non Sky box (ie one without a card slot) so encrypting the channels ain't gonna happen.

[The Old Git]

BBC incompetence at its most typical.

 

It's not actually the BBC who administer the license system, it's Capita

[%age]

To the panel that elected to use Capita - BBC incompetence at its most typical.

[Albert Tatlock]

I saw the 'TV Licence Crackdown' article in the Courier this week.

 

I love the logic "We appreciate that there are some people who genuinely struggle to pay the licence fee, and that's why we offer a range of flexible payments' - as though that someone changes the amount of money they rob off people. And as for all that (best read out in a cylon voice) 'Our database allows us to see unlicenced addresses at the touch of a button so there is really nowhere for evaders to hide' rubbish...all it does is scare the sh1t out of honest pensioners - which is handy really, as I was reading it on the loo at the time.

 

 

 

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[Skeddan]

If there are genuine complaints about the manner of collection of the licence fee - as there seems to be - then the way of dealing with this is to make a complaint to the BBC Trust.

 

The functions of the BBC Trust under the BBC Charter include (S.24 at p.8):

m) ensuring that arrangements for the collection of the licence fee are efficient, appropriate and proportionate.

The contact information is:

 

BBC Trust Unit, Room 211, 35 Marylebone High Street, London W1U 4AA.

 

They can also be contacted via email at: trust.enquiries@bbc.co.uk

 

You can also contact them via the webpage at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/contact/index.html

[The Old Git]

The other option is to make a complaint under the Data Protection Act as they seem incapable of keeping accurate data.

 

If all of us who have licenses and have received letters saying we don't have a license complained to the Data Protection Registrar then they make take notice and Capita might have to do something about their useless database that they seem so proud of.

[BigDave]

Would be a good idea, however I think they'll only take action if personal information held about you is incorrect. A yes or no flag for a licence isn't personal data.

[Tugger]

would guess that it would be very easy to Block as it is very easy for Sky to add or remove channels to your card, pay per view events.

 

Nobody would be more delighted than Sky to hear that the BBC is not being paid. They would probably prefer to give you bonus channels than block you

[The Old Git]

Would be a good idea, however I think they'll only take action if personal information held about you is incorrect. A yes or no flag for a licence isn't personal data.

 

I think accusing me of breaking the law on the basis of the inaccurate data they hold on me is personal.

[Skeddan]

The other option is to make a complaint under the Data Protection Act as they seem incapable of keeping accurate data.

 

If all of us who have licenses and have received letters saying we don't have a license complained to the Data Protection Registrar then they make take notice and Capita might have to do something about their useless database that they seem so proud of.

Could be an option perhaps. Still I'd think the most effective approach would be if everyone who has been unduly harassed, intimidated, hounded etc. complained to the BBC Trust. They are required to ensure licence fee collection is 'appropriate and proportionate', given that, I'd think possibly they might do something about this.

 

If the BBC Trust got 10-20 letters/emails I'd imagine that would be sufficient for them to sit up and take notice. Apart from anything it is not 'efficient' (in fact highly inefficient and wasteful sending out letters and paying for postage, stationary etc. to make a pointless demand). They are also under an obligation to safeguard the interests of licence fee payers etc. etc. so I think would be sympathetic and take action if the collection agency are currently acting in a heavy handed way. In fact they would be required to ensure proper service standards are met under their good governance obligations. Heavy handed inappropriate collection methods reflect badly on the BBC (as can see from here) - and if this is what their contractor is doing, then they might be grateful for having this brought to their attention.

 

If the BBC provide a means for making complaints which is easy to access (email, letter, phone fax, etc.) and no one makes use of this to lodge a complaint or bring this to their attention, then I don't think the BBC can be really held to blame over this. If people just want to gripe while not actually wanting any change - fine, carry on longtailing. Otherwise if people want to actually do something about it, then the way to do it is pretty straightforward: take it up with the BBC.

 

One way to go might be to gather individual complaints here in the thread (perhaps agree the wording of these comments to be a little less outrightly abusive - still strongly worded, but without some of the bad language), and compile them into a single letter/email (perhaps sent by the mods with real names and details of the complainants added). A kind of petition if you like. It would probably save having to write a number of separate letters and be administratively easier to deal with and make more immediate impact with the BBC Trust as a 'body' of complaints on the topic. Just a suggestion.