Tv Licence Letter.

bonzodog2 · 10-12-2016 3:07am

I've just got the 3rd letter addressed to "The New Resident". Haven't bothered to open it. I don't have a TV. The previous letter said an inspector had called and "observed evidence of a television set at the premises". Its a 1st floor apartment......

Atari Jaguar · 10-12-2016 3:10am

bonzodog2 wrote: »

I've just got the 3rd letter addressed to "The New Resident". Haven't bothered to open it. I don't have a TV. The previous letter said an inspector had called and "observed evidence of a television set at the premises". Its a 1st floor apartment......

Them boys are divils for climbing.

But seriously they will use ladders.

And can't you be done for having a satellite dish or Roof aerial because you have the capacity to receive a tv signal?

Cdosrun · 10-12-2016 3:42am

Has anyone tried to phone them to say yes I do have it.?
You will not get an answer.
I got the letter today but I have a license.
I got a latter last month aswell.
Happy Xmass Anpost.

JupiterKid · 10-12-2016 6:39am

I was away for 5 weeks over the summer when my TV licence expired. I was sent three letters by An Post, each one more threatening than the last. The last letter was titled "legal notice." Of course I paid up but it was ridiculous the degree of intimidation - what if a vulnerable and very anxious person got these?

B*stards!!:mad:

The Raptor · 10-12-2016 6:54am

Micky8728 wrote: »

Hi. Received a letter this morning in post from Tv Licence crowd. Pretty much saying an inspector visted recently and we werent there. Then says "further action will be taken unless a Licence is purchased immediately".Should I be worried? Really cant afford it atm. And dont have abank account to do it by direct debit.

So if you weren't there, how did they get to ask you if you had a licence or not?

That's an absolute nasty letter to receive. You're at fault if you're not there.

Wanderer78 · 10-12-2016 8:01am

kyote00 wrote:

Funny how people took to the streets over Water charges but not this BS....

It's even funnier how people took to the streets over our housing/homeless crisis and the calamity that is our public health care system, oh wait.....

Riva10 · 10-12-2016 8:17am

super_furry wrote: »

How do you not have a bank account?

Bertie Aherne our ex-Taoiseach did'nt have a bank account and see what happened him.:D

Atari Jaguar · 10-12-2016 8:52am

JupiterKid wrote: »

I was away for 5 weeks over the summer when my TV licence expired. I was sent three letters by An Post, each one more threatening than the last. The last letter was titled "legal notice." Of course I paid up but it was ridiculous the degree of intimidation - what if a vulnerable and very anxious person got these?

B*stards!!:mad:

I don't think they care.

uck51js9zml2yt · 10-12-2016 9:05am

Riva10 wrote: »

Bertie Aherne our ex-Taoiseach did'nt have a bank account and see what happened him.:D

He got a load of speaking gigs which paid him lots of money.

Op get rid of the TV.

nice_guy80 · 10-12-2016 9:51am

If you have a tv and just watch DVDs and stuff off the hard drive do you need a licence?

mansize · 10-12-2016 9:55am

nice_guy80 wrote: »

If you have a tv and just watch DVDs and stuff off the hard drive do you need a licence?

Yes. If you have a tv you must have a tv licence

The Raptor · 10-12-2016 10:18am

nice_guy80 wrote: »

If you have a tv and just watch DVDs and stuff off the hard drive do you need a licence?

Apparently so because it can receive a signal. Just having a TV that can pick up the signal means you have to have a TV licence. It's stupid.

What if you have an old fashioned TV where you can't pick up a signal because everything went digital and you need a saorview box? What if you don't have a saorview box?

mansize · 10-12-2016 10:20am

The Raptor wrote: »

Apparently so because it can receive a signal. Just having a TV that can pick up the signal means you have to have a TV licence. It's stupid.

What if you have an old fashioned TV where you can't pick up a signal because everything went digital and you need a saorview box? What if you don't have a saorview box?

you still need to tv licence

Advbrd · 10-12-2016 10:22am

super_furry wrote: »

How do you not have a bank account?

Bertie?

Atari Jaguar · 10-12-2016 10:23am

The Raptor wrote: »

Apparently so because it can receive a signal. Just having a TV that can pick up the signal means you have to have a TV licence. It's stupid.

What if you have an old fashioned TV where you can't pick up a signal because everything went digital and you need a saorview box? What if you don't have a saorview box?

You still need it because it's capable of receiving saeorview should you decide to buy a box.

You can cut out the aerial port on your TV but then you can get a Sky box so you need a licence

Funnily enough, I could have a sky box and PC monitor connected with HDMI, I wonder if I then need a licence.

mansize · 10-12-2016 10:26am

Atari Jaguar wrote: »

You still need it because it's capable of receiving saeorview should you decide to buy a box.

You can cut out the aerial port on your TV but then you can get a Sky box so you need a licence

Funnily enough, I could have a sky box and PC monitor connected with HDMI, I wonder if I then need a licence.

yes. The sky box and monitor would count. It would be an interesting one to argue before a judge.

Atari Jaguar · 10-12-2016 10:33am

mansize wrote: »

yes. The sky box and monitor would count. It would be an interesting one to argue before a judge.

Very much so.

Considering that PC monitor doesn't actually receive a signal it's the box that retrieves the signals. By that logic it should be an aerial, cable and sat licence. Mind you, if you were on Vodafone or Eir TV, you could just hide the box in the attic if you got a knock at the door from a licence inspector and then phone and say TV? I don't have one.

IPTV has no dishes or anything. Sure technically virgin media is the same just put the box up somewhere. Obviously Sky uses the big dish but same again just say it was there when you moved in. I don't think they have any jurisdiction to ask for bills to prove it.

One thing that should be amended is if a landlord supplies a TV to a tenant it should be the landlord paying the license. If I move into a house with a TV there and don't have a bit of interest in watching (or in my case it was an old portable with no chance of getting signal anyway) I shouldn't have to foot the bill and I don't imagine landlords would be happy for their TV to be thrown out or they wouldn't be willing to take it back.

Oodoov · 10-12-2016 10:40am

mansize wrote: »

The fine is unlikely to be that high. Why cant you get a licence? They are not that expensive tbf

Since when isnt 160 quid expensive?

If it wasnt expensive say circa 30 euro i'd consider paying it but 160 for a load of complete s h it? No thanks

mansize · 10-12-2016 10:53am

Oodoov wrote: »

Since when isnt 160 quid expensive?

If it wasnt expensive say circa 30 euro i'd consider paying it but 160 for a load of complete s h it? No thanks

€160 is about €13 a month- that's not expensive

Teyla Emmagan · 10-12-2016 11:02am

You should get a free bank account OP. There are loads of them that don't charge fees. And how are you paying your bills? Because most suppliers will give you a few quid off if you sign up to pay by DD. It sounds like that few quid would go to good use in your house.

smjm · 10-12-2016 11:12am

mansize wrote: »

€160 is about €13 a month- that's not expensive

As my Dad always used to say: it's a lot of money if you haven't got it!

biko · 10-12-2016 11:16am

Micky8728 wrote: »

Never wstch the TV myself. My son watchs rte junior sometimes.. Just dont want to recieve a summons and then 1000 fine

Then the kid should pay the fines.

Nollog · 10-12-2016 11:18am

mansize wrote: »

€160 is about €13 a month- that's not expensive

By netflix standards rte should be 4k then :pac:

timthumbni · 10-12-2016 11:21am

Micky8728 wrote: »

Hi. Received a letter this morning in post from Tv Licence crowd. Pretty much saying an inspector visted recently and we werent there. Then says "further action will be taken unless a Licence is purchased immediately".Should I be worried? Really cant afford it atm. And dont have abank account to do it by direct debit.

If they haven't your name then ignore it. And if you ever do answer the door to any of these morons then DO not, I repeat DO not give them your name or sign anything.

Say you are just working at the house and ask them if they want their drive tarmaced boss, along with saying you have some very reasonably priced power tools and saucepans for sale if they are interested. They won't return.

Being from Norn Iron I have no idea what sort of ****e RTe puts on but if it's anything like the BBC then I'm not surprised you don't want to pay it. The Brixton Broadcasting Corporation is a cabal of out of touch leftie luuvie types that would find it extremely hard to get a wage packet if it wasn't for the legalised extortion that is the TV license.

smjm · 10-12-2016 11:36am

Micky8728 wrote: »

Letter was addressed to myself. Closed my bank account months back because i never used it and I kept getting charged fees. Thr bills are piling up this month. This is the last thing i needed:-(

Ask a relative or friend to store the tv for you until you're able to afford the licence. In the meantime, tell your youngster it's broken, or in for repairs, or that someone borrowed it. Not easy, especially heading towards Christmas, but it's better than the fear of the courts. I hope your situation improves soon. Good luck!

mailforkev · 10-12-2016 11:45am

How do you manage without a bank account?

The savings you'd receive by paying all your utility bills by direct debit via a bank account would probably nearly cover the €13 a month for the tv licence.

retalivity · 10-12-2016 11:54am

Sell the tv.
Get a computer, if youve not already gotten one, doesnt need to be something crazy expensive.
Stream everything.

GiantTcr · 10-12-2016 12:05pm

Micky8728 wrote: »

Hi. Received a letter this morning in post from Tv Licence crowd. Pretty much saying an inspector visted recently and we werent there. Then says "further action will be taken unless a Licence is purchased immediately".Should I be worried? Really cant afford it atm. And dont have abank account to do it by direct debit.

If you live in a house, you should. Living in an apartment, it's normally easier to get away with. I closed the door in the face of the license inspector and was then sent another letter from "J. Brady" saying they will come back with the gardai and seize the TV so I paid up. You can file the letter away in the green bin, but they will eventually get the money out of you. You can arrange a payment scheme with the post office if you are short on cash.

GiantTcr · 10-12-2016 12:07pm

timthumbni wrote: »

If they haven't your name then ignore it. And if you ever do answer the door to any of these morons then DO not, I repeat DO not give them your name or sign anything.

Yeah a long time ago in Bethlehem. This no longer works. I never gave my name when they were at the door, nor when I finally paid up. They can and will return with the Gardai.

Losty Dublin · 10-12-2016 12:12pm

Micky8728 wrote: »

Hi. Received a letter this morning in post from Tv Licence crowd. Pretty much saying an inspector visted recently and we werent there. Then says "further action will be taken unless a Licence is purchased immediately".Should I be worried? Really cant afford it atm. And dont have abank account to do it by direct debit.

I guess you never activated your bank card after all.

http://www.boards.ie/ttfthread/2057564887/1#post98835167

Agent Coulson · 10-12-2016 12:12pm

Don't pay it get your fine don't pay that go to prison for a few hours to clear the fine simples then repeat every year.

Or pay it.

suicide_circus · 10-12-2016 12:17pm

As I've said before, the manner in which people are pursued over the tv license is a reflection of the relationship between RTE and Sean na Bhlogina citizen

mansize · 10-12-2016 12:18pm

suicide_circus wrote: »

As I've said before, the manner in which people are pursued over the tv license is a reflection of the relationship between RTE and Sean na Bhlogina citizen

If the TV licence collection is privatised and G4S take over you'll know all about ruthlessness

Wanderer78 · 10-12-2016 12:20pm

mansize wrote:

If the TV licence collection is privatised and G4S take over you'll know all about ruthlessness

Me loves neoliberalism!

smjm · 10-12-2016 12:23pm

Losty Dublin wrote: »

I guess you never activated your bank card after all.

http://www.boards.ie/ttfthread/2057564887/1#post98835167

The OP said they closed their account a few months back

Letter was addressed to myself. Closed my bank account months back because i never used it and I kept getting charged fees. Thr bills are piling up this month. This is the last thing i needed:-

suicide_circus · 10-12-2016 12:33pm

mansize wrote: »

If the TV licence collection is privatised and G4S take over you'll know all about ruthlessness

If we're privatising why not go the whole hog? I'm sure the stars in Montrose will keep getting the big bucks

Wanderer78 · 10-12-2016 12:36pm

suicide_circus wrote:

If we're privatising why not go the whole hog? I'm sure the stars in Montrose will keep getting the big bucks

They might actually, privatisation isn't as amazing as you d think

The Backwards Man · 10-12-2016 12:49pm

1) Adopt an elderly person

2) Sign your house/lease over to them

3) Free TV licence

_Kaiser_ · 10-12-2016 12:53pm

mailforkev wrote: »

How do you manage without a bank account?

The savings you'd receive by paying all your utility bills by direct debit via a bank account would probably nearly cover the €13 a month for the tv licence.

Just on the DD angle... I have found Irish companies (Bord Gais, Meteor/Eircom, Vodafone to name the bigger ones) shockingly poor when it comes to DD management.

When they inevitably and frequently screw-up it takes weeks of chasing them to sort it out, generally only refunded by "credit on your next bill"

As a result I only allow DD access by bills of a fixed known amount (eg: Sky). The rest I pay myself through the Mybills site. A little more hassle for me, but at least I control what's being taken from my account.

timthumbni · 10-12-2016 1:38pm

GiantTcr wrote: »

If you live in a house, you should. Living in an apartment, it's normally easier to get away with. I closed the door in the face of the license inspector and was then sent another letter from "J. Brady" saying they will come back with the gardai and seize the TV so I paid up. You can file the letter away in the green bin, but they will eventually get the money out of you. You can arrange a payment scheme with the post office if you are short on cash.

They will seize the TV????? What TV? How did they know you have a TV. They sent you a letter saying they would come around with the Gardai. Do you really think without a name and without definite knowledge you even had a TV the gardai would send 2 0f their top detectives around to your door. Would they have a warrant? Whose name would the warrant be against? Maybe it's different down there but you would think that the gardai would have more important things to do.

Threatening letters are just letters. If they haven't your name and they cannot say for sure you have a TV then said letters should be filed in the bin. You caved in to these threatening letters as most do. That's how they work. Once you pay and they have your name then they have you for life.

nullzero · 10-12-2016 1:40pm

Do you live next door to a nosey auld fella with a mustache and a Jack Russell in his arms?

mansize · 10-12-2016 1:42pm

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Just on the DD angle... I have found Irish companies (Bord Gais, Meteor/Eircom, Vodafone to name the bigger ones) shockingly poor when it comes to DD management.

When they inevitably and frequently screw-up it takes weeks of chasing them to sort it out, generally only refunded by "credit on your next bill"

As a result I only allow DD access by bills of a fixed known amount (eg: Sky). The rest I pay myself through the Mybills site. A little more hassle for me, but at least I control what's being taken from my account.

I've had no issue with An Post DD. It's a fixed amount tbf

_Kaiser_ · 10-12-2016 1:52pm

mansize wrote: »

I've had no issue with An Post DD. It's a fixed amount tbf

Well I have had lots of issues with Irish suppliers over the years - an example would be how eMobile/eircom kept screwing up the monthly mobile bill - either not taking it at all, or taking the incorrect amount over almost a year.

Each time I'd have to call them as the 2 accounts I had would be automatically suspended, would waste 45 minutes on the phone explaining it to the agents and their managers until they finally saw the screw-up at their side (but couldn't explain why it was happening), apologised and issued a month's credit as goodwill.

Still kept happening though and when it was still locked out one month despite being several hundred Euro in credit enough was enough.. at that stage I got Eircom corporate and Comreg involved.

Similar story with Vodafone this time last year actually. They billed me twice in one month and much time was wasted with their callcentre in Egypt (I think it was) but to no avail. It was only when a letter came through the door from the Collections team (seems that they weren't told about the subsequent credits/refunds) that I got an actual phone number for the Irish-based switchboard (VF very much try to herd you towards one generic 1907 number) and sorted it out with the head of that department.

Now the only companies that get DD access to my accounts are for set, fixed amounts (that I monitor every month - can't understand folks who trust these things blindly) and since moving to PTSB I've found their online banking to be far better in that regard as you can directly refuse, or cancel a DD should it be necessary.

The Raptor · 10-12-2016 2:12pm

RTE should just have it as a subscription service. Thing is tried to force water charges onto us. There's no forcing people when it's subscription.

scamalert · 10-12-2016 2:19pm

well its a crap situation for op,but these are sent out every year same time usually,so not sure how he should be shocked to get letter for tv license since its not smth that was introduced yesterday, and been done for decades now.

Plus you dont need bank account to pay for it,any shop,PO office will take payments,so either cover 13e or smth for the month and explain your situation once inspector is back that your repaying in full once gotten money,if really desperate.

GiantTcr · 10-12-2016 2:41pm

timthumbni wrote: »

They will seize the TV????? What TV? How did they know you have a TV. They sent you a letter saying they would come around with the Gardai. Do you really think without a name and without definite knowledge you even had a TV the gardai would send 2 0f their top detectives around to your door. Would they have a warrant? Whose name would the warrant be against? Maybe it's different down there but you would think that the gardai would have more important things to do.

Threatening letters are just letters. If they haven't your name and they cannot say for sure you have a TV then said letters should be filed in the bin. You caved in to these threatening letters as most do. That's how they work. Once you pay and they have your name then they have you for life.

Eh... the TV in my house. It's visible if you look in the window. Have you you called their bluff? No. I didnt think so.

timthumbni · 10-12-2016 2:52pm

GiantTcr wrote: »

Eh... the TV in my house. It's visible if you look in the window. Have you you called their bluff? No. I didnt think so.

Well that's your problem in that it was visible. In your case you hadn't much choice I agree. For many that wouldn't be an issue.

And no, I currently do not pay for a TV license. I am no fan of the BBC and their legalised extortion for a non essential product that i neither need, nor want.

Riva10 · 10-12-2016 2:55pm

Benjamin Teeny Tomboy wrote: »

He got a load of speaking gigs which paid him lots of money.

But did he have a TV license

Atari Jaguar · 10-12-2016 3:10pm

Mr.S wrote: »

I would say the majority of people can actually afford it, just don't want to.

In the OPs case that seems to be untrue.

05eaftqbrs9jlh · 10-12-2016 3:17pm

biko wrote:

Then the kid should pay the fines.

It somehow always comes down to the freeloading youths.

smjm wrote:

Ask a relative or friend to store the tv for you until you're able to afford the licence. In the meantime, tell your youngster it's broken, or in for repairs, or that someone borrowed it. Not easy, especially heading towards Christmas, but it's better than the fear of the courts. I hope your situation improves soon. Good luck!

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life. Could you please be MORE law-abiding.

GiantTcr wrote:

Yeah a long time ago in Bethlehem. This no longer works. I never gave my name when they were at the door, nor when I finally paid up. They can and will return with the Gardai.

Never answer your front door unless you know who it is. It's actually easy. Or friends and family all know to give us a ring en route. It's totally rude to invade someone's home without advance warning anyway unless you're intending to put the d up them.

Tv Licence Letter.

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