This is a question for a friend, not me, honest!
She thinks it's worth the risk of a fine in order to save the £11 a month or whatever it is. I just wondered if anyone knows how keen the TV licensing people actually are at checking addresses where no licence is registered? ie, what are her chances of getting caught?
2006-09-17 01:02:17 · 25 answers · asked by Anonymous in Consumer Electronics ➔ TVs
Extremely high, the TV licencing people search on a database of all houses in postcode districts and see the ones that haven't paid their licence fee, they then pay a visit to see if the house is occupied, they have equipment to check if a TV is switched on in the house from outside and then low and behold you are bang to rights and looking at a £1000 fine.
That is if presuming when they knock at the door they haven't either been able to see or hear the TV while at the door or outside the house.
Your friend will be caught its not an if its a when.
2006-09-17 01:03:51 · answer #1 · answered by g8bvl 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The chances are very high - as many people have said. So the good advice is to pay for it asap. But to make the bitter pill sweeter ask her to consider this:
BBC is one of the best broadcasting corporations in the world. I normally hate high taxes and being ripped off at every turn, but here you really get contribute to something very worthwile. BBC makes some of the best science, educational, news and nature programmes in the world. The guys are at times not afraid to stand up even to the goverment (have a look at Fox news for comparison). And there are their educational projects, the Proms music festival, a number of world class orchestras. That's what the licence in this country pays. I compare it to my native country, where I also had to pay TV licence, but was getting no broadcast after midnight and then teleshopping throughout morning and early afternoon. Without the back up from licencing the BBC would probably be less likely to push for technological advances in technology like Digital TV i HDTV.
BTW - I have no personal business interest or involment in BBC whatsover.
2006-09-17 11:47:21 · answer #2 · answered by Abelard 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
She will get caught without a doubt. I had a visit this week!
I do hold a TV licence in my name but in June, I asked a friend to purchase a TV for me from Argos as he works right next door to the shop. He gave my address but his name. It appears that when the TV licence people did a check, they found a TV licence in my name but assumed I had moved. There was not a TV licence for my address in my friends name so they assumed he had moved in and had not bothered to get a licence.
I too enjoyed waving the valid licence in front of the TV detector man but still had to explain how a TV set was purchased for the property in my friends name.
The point is, it took only TWO MONTHS between the TV purchase and the visit of the TV detector people.
2006-09-17 08:49:06 · answer #3 · answered by Electra 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is all on computer. Every address in the country is on computer and it is simple to check if a TV licence has been purchased for any address they care to look at. It is then only a matter of time (not very long) before there is a knock on the door.
2006-09-17 01:06:36 · answer #4 · answered by kytho 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its the database of addresses that dont have a licence that will catch her out. Also whenever you buy a new TV the shop has to inform the licence gestapo of your address
Modern Plasma, LCD, and PC T.V's are virtually impossible to detect from outside the house, and the licence gestapo have no legal right of entry.
So, its probably best just to pay up, and have nothing to worry about, although this is a high and unjust tax.
2006-09-17 02:21:56 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The chances are very high, it's all on computer & as soon as she stops paying, they will be onto her, any letters that are sent out are computer generated so it won't even be an actual person that catches her out. £1000 is a bit steep for a tv licence don't you agree? I think that's the going rate for the fine WHEN she gets caught.
2006-09-17 07:29:37 · answer #6 · answered by stumpymosha 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
5 in 100
2006-09-17 01:11:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
i don't have a t.v licence and that i have not been stuck. yet I in basic terms get the possibility to observe an hour or so of television previous due at evening. sturdy success . you'll destroy out with it for a lengthy time period in case you in basic terms watch slightly of t.v is what i'm saying. they are going to recognize the whole circumstances to capture human beings staring at with no licence as they don't look stupid i.e even as the soaps like coronation highway/Eastenders/emmerdale is on. in the course of the day in case you watch with no licence you're upping your odds of having stuck as well. do not enable the bas@ards capture you. P.S you do not ought to enable an inspector in for your position to envision for a television. Take no word of each person who says otherwise.
2016-11-27 19:58:39 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Very high
The licensing authority send reminders to all residential addresses without a licence every 4 months or so.
2006-09-17 01:07:11 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'll never forget the day the bloke knocked on my door demanding to see my TV licence. I calmly told him to wait a minute, and came back and waved it in his face with a big smile. He was so crestfallen!
2006-09-17 01:11:54 · answer #10 · answered by philr999 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋