TV Licence - How Did They Get My Name

JGEP

Hi all,

Ok so, guilty as charged, I haven't paid my tv licence. Not for any particular reason, I had intended to but put it on the back burner over the summer (wedding expenses took priority!).
I just received a letter from the inspector with a form to complete stating whether I had a tv or not, do I have a licence, what is the licence number, etc.

The thing is, the letter I received previously saying the inspector had called was addressed to "The occupier" but the most recent letter was addressed to me personally. I'm going to pay the licence fee as I had always intended but what I'm curious about is how they got my name in the first place.

I have a UPC account and recently signed up to Irish Water and registered for the Water Grant. Is it legal for any of these bodies to give out my details or is this not a breach of Data Protection?

Any information would be appreciated, just want to satisfy my curiosity

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

aujopimur

Parish priest I'd say.

JGEP

Fred Swanson wrote: »

The postman is the most likely culprit.

Yeah most likely, live in an apartment so could even have looked into the letterbox. Just found the timing with the Irish Water/grant registering quite coincidental.

Gatling

Upc

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Peregrinus

Your name isn't a state secret. If you have a reason to want to know who lives in a particular house, it's generally very easy to find out, in a completely lawful way. Just ask around - neighbours, postman, the guards barracks - until somebody suggests a name, and then confirm the suggestion by cross- checking in the phone book, the electoral register, etc. And of vourse even before doing any of this An Post are generally well-positioned to know who lives where. They deliver the mail, after all.

Zambia

JGEP wrote: »

Hi all,

Ok so, guilty as charged, I haven't paid my tv licence. Not for any particular reason, I had intended to but put it on the back burner over the summer (wedding expenses took priority!).
I just received a letter from the inspector with a form to complete stating whether I had a tv or not, do I have a licence, what is the licence number, etc.

The thing is, the letter I received previously saying the inspector had called was addressed to "The occupier" but the most recent letter was addressed to me personally. I'm going to pay the licence fee as I had always intended but what I'm curious about is how they got my name in the first place.

I have a UPC account and recently signed up to Irish Water and registered for the Water Grant. Is it legal for any of these bodies to give out my details or is this not a breach of Data Protection?

Any information would be appreciated, just want to satisfy my curiosity

If you get post to your house with your name and address on it, and the dept that delivers that post is the same as the one that inspects TV licences.

2 + 2 =4

ibarelycare

The exact same thing happened me last week OP! TV licence letter came addressed to me rather than the occupier.

I'm with UPC, Irish Water, registered for the Irish Water grant. But I know that they wouldn't have been able to get my name from any of those because of data protection laws.

I was living in an apartment for 3 years and we got many TV licence letters addressed to "The Occupier" but never to our names, even though we obviously got other post delivered there.

Ah well, got away with it for long enough

paul71

ibarelycare wrote: »

The exact same thing happened me last week OP! TV licence letter came addressed to me rather than the occupier.

I'm with UPC, Irish Water, registered for the Irish Water grant. But I know that they wouldn't have been able to get my name from any of those because of data protection laws.

I was living in an apartment for 3 years and we got many TV licence letters addressed to "The Occupier" but never to our names, even though we obviously got other post delivered there.

Ah well, got away with it for long enough

Electoral register?

ibarelycare

paul71 wrote: »

Electoral register?

I'm not registered there.

tricky D

Postman - it's part of their job.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Zambia

Fred Swanson wrote: »

They get a bonus payment for assisting the inspectors.

30 pieces of silver?

paul71

Zambia wrote: »

30 pieces of silver?

Or fair reward for a job well done.

Makood

If you don't wish to pay for "RTE" then return the form you got in the post and state on it that there is no TV on the premises-Don't ignore it though or you will end up in court.

slimjimmc

Makood wrote: »

If you don't wish to pay for "RTE" then return the form you got in the post and state on it that there is no TV on the premises-Don't ignore it though or you will end up in court.

Better make sure there is no TV on the premises first, otherwise you'd be committing the offence of making a false declaration.

Makood

slimjimmc wrote: »

Better make sure there is no TV on the premises first, otherwise you'd be committing the offence of making a false declaration.

I wouldn't be so worried about making false declarations in this case. One of the only times I am prepared to do such a thing.

Damn this is legal discussion-I thought it was After Hours

Pappacharlie

As a former TV licence inspector I can tell you that postmen do not give information about occupants of particular addresses. There are ways of finding out without the postman knowing. That's all I can say on the matter. By the way the TV inspector has to see the TV in order to prosecute.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Pappacharlie

When is data data? If its not in electronic format then its not data.??

Gongoozler

Ffs, boards won't let me quote your post, but I Barely Care, if you start paying it now they'll back date the charges, just so you're aware.

Fuzzy Clam

The inspectors seem to have names without necessarily knowing where they live.
Last year an inspector called to me looking to know where 2 neighbours lived. One was dead about 2 years and the other, at least 9.

Grab All Association

JGEP wrote: »

Hi all,

Ok so, guilty as charged, I haven't paid my tv licence. Not for any particular reason, I had intended to but put it on the back burner over the summer (wedding expenses took priority!).
I just received a letter from the inspector with a form to complete stating whether I had a tv or not, do I have a licence, what is the licence number, etc.

The thing is, the letter I received previously saying the inspector had called was addressed to "The occupier" but the most recent letter was addressed to me personally. I'm going to pay the licence fee as I had always intended but what I'm curious about is how they got my name in the first place.

I have a UPC account and recently signed up to Irish Water and registered for the Water Grant. Is it legal for any of these bodies to give out my details or is this not a breach of Data Protection?

Any information would be appreciated, just want to satisfy my curiosity

You now have 5 options

Ignore the letter- You may be brought to court and fined

Say you have no TV - If found to have one I imagine the penalty imposed by the court would be a lot worse than just not buying one.

Pay the €160 for a license - depending on circumstances €160 can be a lot of money to give out in one week.

Sign up for DD payments.

http://www.anpost.ie/NR/rdonlyres/DBFB92D0-3C40-4349-9003-F936D0B12F9B/0/TVLicenceDirectDebitApplicationandMandateforms.pdf fill this out and pay €13.33pm photocopy it and post it. Be sure to get a certificate of postage (free) once you have this filled out they shouldn't bring you to court and if they do the court will throw the case out as it takes 2-3 weeks to set it up.

Get rid of your TV

selous

If the postman has 500 to 800 address' on his delivery do you think he knows the first and last name of everyone in each one and can pick the name of the property owner or lease holder from them??? the bugger would want to be Keith Barry or suchlike.

ibarelycare

Gongoozler wrote: »

Ffs, boards won't let me quote your post, but I Barely Care, if you start paying it now they'll back date the charges, just so you're aware.

Back date to when? How will they know when I got a TV?

JGEP

Pappacharlie wrote: »

As a former TV licence inspector I can tell you that postmen do not give information about occupants of particular addresses. There are ways of finding out without the postman knowing. That's all I can say on the matter. By the way the TV inspector has to see the TV in order to prosecute.

Grab All Association wrote: »

You now have 5 options

Ignore the letter- You may be brought to court and fined

Say you have no TV - If found to have one I imagine the penalty imposed by the court would be a lot worse than just not buying one.

Pay the €160 for a license - depending on circumstances €160 can be a lot of money to give out in one week.

Sign up for DD payments.

http://www.anpost.ie/NR/rdonlyres/DBFB92D0-3C40-4349-9003-F936D0B12F9B/0/TVLicenceDirectDebitApplicationandMandateforms.pdf fill this out and pay €13.33pm photocopy it and post it. Be sure to get a certificate of postage (free) once you have this filled out they shouldn't bring you to court and if they do the court will throw the case out as it takes 2-3 weeks to set it up.

Get rid of your TV

I'm here nearly 2 years but the previous tenants were here for 4/5 years before that so if I do pay will I get backdated for that?

Although I may actually have an option 6!
I'm currently looking to move out of the area and am just waiting for the right house in the area I'm looking.

I don't want to pass my bill onto the landlord so I suppose I could respond with "No TV" and be gone before any follow up and if there is a follow up he can say the last tenant (me) didn't have a tv and no one could prove otherwise. Any flaws in the plan?

Grab All Association

JGEP wrote: »

I'm here nearly 2 years but the previous tenants were here for 4/5 years before that so if I do pay will I get backdated for that?

Although I may actually have an option 6!
I'm currently looking to move out of the area and am just waiting for the right house in the area I'm looking.

I don't want to pass my bill onto the landlord so I suppose I could respond with "No TV" and be gone before any follow up and if there is a follow up he can say the last tenant (me) didn't have a tv and no one could prove otherwise. Any flaws in the plan?

No you won't have to pay arrears but you might have to pay two months depending on what date you apply and how long it takes to set up the direct debit.

Zambia

paul71 wrote: »

Or fair reward for a job well done.

Mate I jest, even though i doubt there is something that complex in place.

As in posties being given a list of addresses they want names for.

Zambia

Pappacharlie wrote: »

As a former TV licence inspector I can tell you that postmen do not give information about occupants of particular addresses. There are ways of finding out without the postman knowing. That's all I can say on the matter. By the way the TV inspector has to see the TV in order to prosecute.

Ah ha ....:-)

In your your time as a TV licence inspector did you develop a very tough skin.

I once recall having been tardy in my licence fee for a few months and as it happened one day I was throwing out the box for the TV.

I opened the door to find the licence inspector. I am standing there with the old CRT box. I just looked at him and said.

"FFS mate I just plugged it in are you f**kers Jedis or what..."

He laughed, I laughed and I went inside and paid my licence fee.

Most ridiculous tax in Ireland by the way but that's anther story.

selous

I was telling a postman about this thread this morn,

He said it was them,:eek: but only gave the names of the tight holes who didn't tip at Christmas, and gave the names to Irish water who didn't tip 2 years or more,:rolleyes:

Sinister or wha???:D

gizmo555

Fred Swanson wrote: »

Probably by breaching the data protection act.

Data Protection Act (S.8) says data which could not otherwise be disclosed may be, if it's "required for the purpose of preventing, detecting or investigating offences, apprehending or prosecuting offenders . . ."

As it's an offence to have an unlicenced TV, they're covered.

Miaireland

He she could have asked one of your neighbours your name. Or most likely from the POst Office.

Markcheese

Zambia wrote: »

Ah ha ....:-)

In your your time as a TV licence inspector did you develop a very tough skin.

I once recall having been tardy in my licence fee for a few months and as it happened one day I was throwing out the box for the TV.

I opened the door to find the licence inspector. I am standing there with the old CRT box. I just looked at him and said.

"FFS mate I just plugged it in are you f**kers Jedis or what..."

He laughed, I laughed and I went inside and paid my licence fee.

Most ridiculous tax in Ireland by the way but that's anther story.

He could hardly have disputed the fact that you'd only just bought a Telly - (yes you may have had one before but he couldn't prove it )

Discodog

Pappacharlie wrote: »

As a former TV licence inspector I can tell you that postmen do not give information about occupants of particular addresses. There are ways of finding out without the postman knowing. That's all I can say on the matter. By the way the TV inspector has to see the TV in order to prosecute.

I discussed this with my postman before he retired. He told me that they were issued with a list of addresses & had to enter the names. Since then another postman has told me exactly the same thing.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Discodog

Pappacharlie wrote: »

As a former TV licence inspector I can tell you that postmen do not give information about occupants of particular addresses. There are ways of finding out without the postman knowing. That's all I can say on the matter. By the way the TV inspector has to see the TV in order to prosecute.

Also the last part is true is theory but not in practice. A friend of mine was done on the sworn evidence that the inspector saw a television. The window has black out blinds. Several of us tried every angle & it was impossible to see in.

gerard2210

As a postman we are not given a list of addresses for T.V licence purposes. We do update the geo directory every 12-18 months.

GrayFox208

I have a plan OP... But you're going to need some chloroform.

newacc2015

gerard2210 wrote: »

As a postman we are not given a list of addresses for T.V licence purposes. We do update the geo directory every 12-18 months.

Why is it that in Germany you have to have your name on the postbox, but no in Ireland?If you were at an apartment block in Germany everyone has their name on their letterbox. No one does it here

gerard2210

newacc2015 wrote:

Why is it that in Germany you have to have your name on the postbox, but no in Ireland?If you were at an apartment block in Germany everyone has their name on their letterbox. No one does it here

Ireland is a small country compared to German. Everybody knows everybody in Ireland.

GrayFox208

gerard2210 wrote: »

Ireland is a small country compared to German. Everybody knows everybody in Ireland.

Jesus Ger how are you. Is your mammy well?

Discodog

gerard2210 wrote: »

As a postman we are not given a list of addresses for T.V licence purposes. We do update the geo directory every 12-18 months.

Same thing ?

gerard2210

Not too bad Gary, are you still going out with that one from up the road?

Saw you in the hairdresser's last week, nice haircut, very trendy.

gerard2210

Discodog wrote:

Same thing ?

Not quiet. Only rural postmen need to update the geo directory to keep their duties up to date. Town duties don't need to be updated because the addresses are unique.
So TV inspectors don't get names from the postman.

Discodog

gerard2210 wrote: »

Not quiet. Only rural postmen need to update the geo directory to keep their duties up to date. Town duties don't need to be updated because the addresses are unique.
So TV inspectors don't get names from the postman.

Does the geo directory add names to addresses?

I find it strange that a man that I have known for years would lie.

gerard2210

Discodog wrote:

Does the geo directory add names to addresses?

As far as I know they only need to put a name with an address for a rural address. If you live in a town/ city and have a number on your door your address is already unique.

Discodog

gerard2210 wrote: »

As far as I know they only need to put a name with an address for a rural address. If you live in a town/ city and have a number on your door your address is already unique.

So, if people in rural areas now find that the TV license letters are addressed to them personally, it's the Postman that supplied the name.

GerardKeating

Discodog wrote: »

So, if people in rural areas now find that the TV license letters are addressed to them personally, it's the Postman that supplied the name.

Not directly, the "PostPerson" updates the GeoDirectory. The GeoDirectory has more that one use, one of the many uses is for the TV Licence assassin Squad.

JGEP

GrayFox208 wrote: »

I have a plan OP... But you're going to need some chloroform.

What does that smell like?

foggy_lad

Cable providers are obliged to notify the department of people whom they supply services to. Shops selling televisions and video/DVD recorders with tuners also have to inform on their customers.