23 Comments

  1. I just RTS them all, address inaccessible. Or addressee unknown if addressed to Theo Cupier.

    Means it costs them some money.

  2. Bradford Clowncil have started doing the same thing in Council Tax arrears. I missed a couple of payments when I changed banks. Funnily enough I work for Bradford Clowncil and I didn’t notice the missing payments because I’d done a lot of overtime and received my back dated payrise.

    I made what I thought was a reasonable offer between now and the new bill being issued. Nope, Enforcement Officers will be calling and taking possessions. I work out of the same depot, chocolate fireguard. As the only things of value i own is my Dads 70s vinyl…good luck with that.

    And at the same time as applying to Government to increase CT by 14.99%

  3. No. Keep all copies and any other correspondence to provide a paper trail documenting the harassment. That way you can take them to court and/or take other measures against them to demonstrate their activities and unreasonable behaviour.

    Note that nowadays, you have to prove your innocence so keep records of visits, letters etc..

    • I’m not taking them to court. It would be expensive and time-consuming, and the odds would be stacked against me. The only way court action would be an option is for someone like the Black Belt Barrister to take them on pro bono with a class action.

  4. A great business where you get paid for people who use your competitors. Imagine if Sainsburys got paid by Aldi customers.

    • Yes indeed, notice that first bullet point.

      ?Watch or record live TV on any channel, not just the BBC.

      Even they acknowledge that not needing a licence to watch non BBC output is a reasonable assumption. Not having to pay for a service that you don’t use is what most people would expect, hence the fact that this has to be specifically pointed out. Of course the technology needed to make BBC programing only available to those who wish to pay for it has been around for decades. That would be the arrangement if I was in charge.

  5. Willing to be corrected but, as I understand it, recording programmes from tv channels, other than BBC or iPlayer, is NOT an offence. I seem to recall a court case many years ago, where someone was prosecuted for recording tv programmes on a VHS tape recorder, and it was thrown out, with the practice being described as worded something similar to “time management viewing”.
    Would also challenge the comment about recording programmes from pay per view sites as long as it’s not BT.
    Meanwhile, the letters do come in handy, helping me to light the soon to be banned wood burning stove.

    • When I first cancelled it, yes. However, they want you to keep doing it, and I’m under no obligation to do so. Also, there is evidence that doing so merely encourages them and makes a visit more likely. I can’t confirm this myself, but that’s what I’m hearing. To draw a parallel, I do not have to keep going online to tell the relevant authorities that I don’t need a rod license. It’s absurd. The general advice from those who seem to be experts in the matter (Chilli Jon Carne and BBB) is to blank them. Have no contact. They are door-to-door salesmen and get the same treatment as other examples of the type.

      • Yes that’s correct and the situation is absurd, but when I went for three years without a licence, I just notified them once a year, and I never had any visits or threatening letters.
        I only bring it up because it might save you some frustration to go down this route

        • I’m not sure that frustrated is the right thing here. I find it pretty outrageous that they can behave in this manner. Ignoring them is easy enough. I am publicising here for the same reason that others do on their YouTube channels. As Stoney said, it’s all bluster. People need to know that.

          Something that has occurred to me is that they have been very aggressive very quickly. Most people seem to report a letter a month and no visits for years. Since the end of October, I’ve had four letters and an attempted visit. The last letter was barely a week after the visit. They seem to be upping the ante.

        • I’ve not had a licence since the early 1990s and I’ve had two visits both in the 1990s. One was escorted by Plod as well. I just ignore them and I fobbed them both off when they turned up. Was asking Plod how I could get a chaperone for my business but he refused to engage just like I did with the TV guy.

    • I did initially but they took no notice. I would recommend anybody thinking of cancelling just to stop the direct debit or whatever and totally ignore anything thereafter.

      Unless you let them in, or perhaps they see a TV through a window, there is no way they can obtain any evidence, hence the advice to blank them.

      • I don’t have a TV, so they won’t see anything through the window. The problem with talking to them is that pretty much any modern computer, phone or tablet can be used to receive broadcast TV, so blanking them is the only way to deal with them. There is a video on YouTube of someone speaking to them, and they got a warrant on the basis of that conversation because he had a computer and admitted that any computer could receive broadcast TV. The silly sod dug his own grave. Ignore the letters and say nothing other than ‘no thanks’ and shut the door if they call round.

        • Was that the one in the north east somewhere?

          If it is, as far as I’m concerned, I’d almost say he deserved it for trying to be such a smart arse (There was an earlier one – same voice and accent – making a point of hurling all the usual abuse at the droid on the doorstep and getting into a battle of wits – real clash of the titans! – which may well have been enough for the warrant).

          As you say, if they do get a warrant and get in, it’s pretty well a slam dunk if find any sort of any device.

          I think letters like these intimidate – carefully worded so to do – many of the elderly in particular, and exploit the willingness of decent people to assist in what they assume to be clarifying a situation.

          The slightest hint of anything will be deliberately misinterpreted.

          Any then there are the these fuckwits who can’t resist “putting them in their place” with pretty well the same result.

          No response. If everybody did this. The boy buggering commune would be well and truly up shit creek in a fortnight.

          It’s SO depressing that people won’t!

          • I don’t recall exactly where it was, but I was almost screaming at him to shut the fuck up and close the door. He gave them enough to come back with a warrant. I agree, the clever twats aren’t clever at all. Likewise, issuing a WOIRA. Just don’t engage. All the best advice is saying the same thing.

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