TV licensing enforcement agency

[xraanswerban]

Hi there, can anyone tell me how to contact the TV licensing enforcement agency. The threatening letters they send out have no contact address / phone number / email address. My brother has no television in his home, but he has an aerial on the roof, this had been installed before he moved in. Having had trouble with the enforcement agency via their threatening letters and many arguments [when they phoned him] for a number of years he thought all was well as he has NO TV in the house, untill he noticed that his aerial cable had been cut at the gutter line dragged from the wall and left in a heap on his path, now I wonder who did this criminal damage? Can you help please. == Ray ==

[LoftyLottie]

Grrrr. Don't get me started on this. All I can advise is to totally ignore all the threatening letters, etc. That's what we have done. Let them send someone round just to find out that they are idiots and your brother has no television.

I phoned them to say there was no television but they said after six months they would check again. After six months they were told there was no television and then all the threats started. Now apparently they are sending round Enforcement Officers.

They told me they assume everyone has a television. When someone moves they automatically send a TV licence reminder addressed to the Occupier ready for the person who moves into the house. This is what happened in my case. If they come round they will be offered a cup of tea and I shall feel very smug!!!

[LoftyLottie]

As for what has happened to the aerial cable, it does make me wonder? Has he notified the police?

[gobbledegeek]

The TV Licensing authority are well known for 'harrassing' people with no TV. The address will be in their computer as one in which no TV is registered - their dumb computer believes that everyone in the country must watch TV and therefore your brother is probably considered some kind of freak.
I'd just bin the letters, there's nothing they can do unless they actually detect a TV being used in the house.
I very much doubt it was they who cut the aerial cable though!

[LoftyLottie]

I have often wondered if they are acting legally. Surely it should be that they send a letter asking if the household is using a television, not one asking why they haven't got a licence? I would be interested to know from any legal buffs if there are acting within the law.

Our latest and final warning says that despite repeated reminders, we have neglected to comply and have not purchased a licence. I really can't see that this falls within the law?

[LoftyLottie]

I hope you don't mind xraanswerban. I have drawn attention to your question in 'Law', as it is something that has been bugging me for ages.

[tonymclark]

I think it is still the case that if you buy a TV or TV equipment ( like a DVD player ), you have to give your name and address at the shop. It may be that someone bought a TV and gave your friends name and address.
This happened to me when someone used my name and address ( with spelling mistakes ) and I had a letter saying that they noticed I had perchased such-and-such an item and that I didn't have a licence ( I did, but it was in my correctly spelt name ). My guess is that it was the friend of my then house-mate, who didn't have a licence.

[xraanswerban]

Hi there LoftyLottie, the police don't want to know, they have too many customers as it is!
These so called people [criminal thugs] think they can do what they like.
The police will only take action after the TV thugs have smashed their way into a property and caused a lot of damage.
Also I will look on the Law site. thank you.
Hi gobbledegeek, I am 90% sure that they cut the cable!
thank you for all your answers, xra

[ajmmac]

re answer from tonymclark--you only require a licence if the device can receive tv signals--a dvd player cannot and if u were to connect it to a pc monitor without the pc having a tv signal receiver then no licence would be required.

[KatiePrice]

Hi, about your aerial wire being cut... I once owned a house that was empty due to being renovated but it still had the aerial on the roof. I was getting threatening letters from the licencing people and just kept ignoring them, then one day I noticed that the aerial wire had been cut. I just assumed that it was kids or a jealous ex-boyfriend but you seem to have shed light on who was to blame! If only I had put 2 and 2 together and got 4 not 6 I would have done something about it!

[Bedsit-Bob]

ajmmac says "you only require a licence if the device can receive tv signals"

Correction, you only need a licence if you are actually using the device, to watch or record live TV broadcasts.