Tv licence

RPGGAMER · 11-04-2007 08:28AM #1

any expert/wise opinions on avoiding paying a tv licence?

i am subscribing to sky and don't want to pay it. can an post get my name off sky?I got a letter that inspectors would visit. then a letter a few days later saying i could pay it in five days. its a house divided into 3 apts. in a student area.

ps: i have read all the other posts about sponging, detector vans etc.

MarkR · 11-04-2007 08:36AM

If you've read all the previous posts about TV licences, why are you asking the same question all over again?

For quick reference, here are the terms from the an post site.

Terms and conditions
Any person in occupancy at an address where a television set is held is legally responsible for the licensing of the television set regardless of ownership of either the premises or the set itself.

Under the Wireless Telegraphy Legislation it is a prosecutable offence to be in possession of an unlicensed television set. Fines for a first offence can be up to €635.

You'll note that it doesn't mention that people who don't want to pay are exempt. Neither is your student status, or even that you are renting.

If you want to risk a fine though, off you go.

Lump · 11-04-2007 10:25AM

It's a TV License..... you pay for having a TV regardless of who you recieve the signal from.

Also there's loads of threads about this already!

John

aidan_walsh · 11-04-2007 11:27AM

RPGGAMER wrote:

any expert/wise opinions on avoiding paying a tv licence?

Don't be cheap?

Slippin Jimmy · 11-04-2007 11:57AM

aidan_walsh wrote:

Don't be cheap?

That's the best adice you will ever get lol. Just out of interest, if you are renting a house, does the landlord pay for the licnce or would it be you that has to pay for it?

Lump · 11-04-2007 12:12PM

A house isn't a TV.....

Mossy Monk · 11-04-2007 01:59PM

RPGGAMER wrote:

any expert/wise opinions on avoiding paying a tv licence?

i am subscribing to sky and don't want to pay it. can an post get my name off sky?I got a letter that inspectors would visit. then a letter a few days later saying i could pay it in five days. its a house divided into 3 apts. in a student area.

ps: i have read all the other posts about sponging, detector vans etc.

<SNIP> Why is Sky in bold letters. What do you want? A medal?

MOD EDIT: Easy on the personal abuse, Mossy!

aidan_walsh · 11-04-2007 02:02PM

DonnybrookGhost wrote:

That's the best adice you will ever get lol. Just out of interest, if you are renting a house, does the landlord pay for the licnce or would it be you that has to pay for it?

The tenant pays, not the landlord AFAIK.

Slippin Jimmy · 11-04-2007 02:11PM

aidan_walsh wrote:

The tenant pays, not the landlord AFAIK.

Okay thats grand. I thought that the tenant wpold have to pay alright. Thanks very much.

Jimoslimos · 11-04-2007 02:42PM

RPGGAMER wrote:

any expert/wise opinions on avoiding paying a tv licence?

well you could start by getting rid of your tv :rolleyes:

Slippin Jimmy · 11-04-2007 02:49PM

any expert/wise opinions on avoiding paying a tv licence?

Yeah stand outside your local TV shop looking in the window and kindly ask them to change the channel when wanted.

humanji · 11-04-2007 02:50PM

[QUOTE-Lump]A house isn't a TV.....[/QUOTE]

AFAIK the license isn't for the tv, but for the house to have a tv.

11-04-2007 02:52PM

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/consumer-affairs/media/tv_licences/

Lump · 11-04-2007 02:57PM

humanji wrote:

AFAIK the license isn't for the tv, but for the house to have a tv.

The point I was making is that just because he owns the house, doesn't mean he'll have a license!

John

Tony Danza · 11-04-2007 09:34PM

RPGGAMER wrote:

any expert/wise opinions on avoiding paying a tv licence?

Don't go down to your local post office and don't give them money for a tv license should do the trick.

copacetic · 11-04-2007 09:39PM

humanji wrote:

AFAIK the license isn't for the tv, but for the house to have a tv.

small but important point, each 'household' needs to have a license if they have a TV tuner. so in this example each apartment needs a license assuming they all watch TV and it is whoever is living in each apartments responsibility to get a license.

shoegirl · 11-04-2007 09:49PM

RPGGAMER wrote:

any expert/wise opinions on avoiding paying a tv licence?

i am subscribing to sky and don't want to pay it. can an post get my name off sky?I got a letter that inspectors would visit. then a letter a few days later saying i could pay it in five days. its a house divided into 3 apts. in a student area.

ps: i have read all the other posts about sponging, detector vans etc.

Inspectors visit if there has ever been a license payer at the address, or if its an obvious target - areas with a lot of rented homes are a particular target as they know tenants tend to move around a lot.

You cannot stop the inspector calling and once they see a light on they will keep knocking for about 20 minutes, and will come back every few days and do the same until either you answer to them or pay up. There is no way out of it, though I am not sure if Sky have actually started handing over customer lists.

The law is now changed anyway, it used to be the case if you had a TV set you had to pay the fee, now if you have a satellite dish or aerial on the roof you are supposed to pay it even if you do not have a tv or any kind of receiving device.

In fairness the idea is that the money is ploughed back into freely available non-subscription content and the cost of broadcasting it, my problem with the TV licence fee is that if you live in a rural area quite frequently the terrestrial signal is almost zero so even paying a license fee doesn't give you reception.

To be honest, as one of those people whose been forced back onto Sky for even basic reception, I'd be far happier to pay double the licence if it guaranteed me watchable reception, instead of paying the license (for nothing) and then having to pay the likes of Sky to actually get reception.

Having said that, the license costs little more than half of what Sky rips you off for, so if you can afford Sky, you can afford to pay the license.

RPGGAMER · 12-04-2007 08:03AM

great thanks for your responses

sweetie · 12-04-2007 08:34AM

why not leave sky and subscribe to ntl and use the money saved on your license?

Lump · 12-04-2007 08:40AM

Many shops etc hand over details if you buy a TV/Aerial/PVR.... I bought a freeview box from argos the other year and got a letter saying "We understand you recently purchased some TV equipment, but there is no license in you name"

(That was in England, but I assume it's the same in Ireland)

John

Slippin Jimmy · 12-04-2007 11:10AM

sweetie wrote:

why not leave sky and subscribe to ntl and use the money saved on your license?

Exactly, ntl would still work out that bit cheaper than sky.

Many shops etc hand over details if you buy a TV/Aerial/PVR.... I bought a freeview box from argos the other year and got a letter saying "We understand you recently purchased some TV equipment, but there is no license in you name"

(That was in England, but I assume it's the same in Ireland)

John

Are they allowed to do that?

Mossy Monk · 12-04-2007 12:34PM

Lump wrote:

Many shops etc hand over details if you buy a TV/Aerial/PVR.... I bought a freeview box from argos the other year and got a letter saying "We understand you recently purchased some TV equipment, but there is no license in you name"

(That was in England, but I assume it's the same in Ireland)

Never happened when I bought a tv.

Lump · 12-04-2007 02:43PM

Mossy Monk wrote:

Never happened when I bought a tv.

I bought it online, so maybe that was different, they had delivery dates, address etc.

John

Lump · 12-04-2007 02:43PM

DonnybrookGhost wrote:

Exactly, ntl would still work out that bit cheaper than sky.

Are they allowed to do that?

Freedom of information I guess

John

Nevyn · 12-04-2007 02:52PM

A form is filled out when you buy the tv and it is sent in to the inspectors.

byte · 12-04-2007 07:41PM

Lump wrote:

Many shops etc hand over details if you buy a TV/Aerial/PVR.... I bought a freeview box from argos the other year and got a letter saying "We understand you recently purchased some TV equipment, but there is no license in you name"

(That was in England, but I assume it's the same in Ireland)

John

The same doesn't apply over here.

Nightwish · 12-04-2007 10:04PM

Having worked in both uk and Irish argos stores, its the law in the UK to take the customers details when buying any product relating to a tv (remote control, dvd player etc). These details are passed on for licence purposes. Ireland doesnt do anything of the sort, as you know seeing as I doubt anyone buying an aerial has ever been asked for their address. I dunno why the UK use that method anyway, about half the people I served in the UK would just give their parents address, or an address of someone who they knew who had a licence.

faceman · 12-04-2007 10:12PM

Nightwish wrote:

Having worked in both uk and Irish argos stores, its the law in the UK to take the customers details when buying any product relating to a tv (remote control, dvd player etc). These details are passed on for licence purposes. Ireland doesnt do anything of the sort, as you know seeing as I doubt anyone buying an aerial has ever been asked for their address.

Some stores do it in ireland.

Cant believe we have another License thread. I think that auto advice should be given in any of these threads. Just dont pay it, the state wont mind or follow up on it. :rolleyes:

Tv licence

Comments