Students !  Save £135.50 every year !

 

Do not buy a TV LICENCE

until you have read this !

 

You will get lots of threatening letters from TV Licensing (TVL), trying to force you to buy a TV Licence.

£135.50 is a lot of money (about 60 pints of lager) !  Don’t pay unless you really want to !

 

You do not have to reply to letters or phone calls from TVL, whether you have a TV or not.

 

You do not have to let “TV Licensing Officers” into your house / room.  They have no right of entry.

You do not have to say anything to them, even to confirm your identity.

Even though they use the word “Officer”, they are definitely NOT like policemen - they are just employees of a private company called Capita – do not be afraid of them !

 

The best way to avoid paying is to say nothing.  Do not respond at all to any of their letters / phone calls / visits.

Put it in the bin ….. Put the phone down …. Don’t answer the door !  Do not say who you are.  Do not say or sign anything.

 

TVL prosecutions for not having a TV Licence depend on -

- either people owning up – “It’s a fair cop” – DO NOT OWN UP !

- or someone from TVL seeing your TV – DO NOT LET THEM SEE THE TV !

 

NO EVIDENCE = NO PROSECUTION !

 

Ignore threats of search warrants.  They are never used in practice.

These are expensive to arrange, and a magistrate would need to see some initial evidence that you have a TV.

 

TV Detector Vans do not exist – it is all made up !  They are just vans with “TV DETECTOR VAN” on the side …. clever stuff, eh !  No one has ever been prosecuted using evidence from TV Detector Vans.

 

No-one has ever been prosecuted for watching TV over the internet, or using a mobile phone.

 

If you buy a TV, you will be asked for your name & address by the retailer.  This is to send to TV Licensing, for them to check that you have a TV Licence.  Always give a false address.  This may have to be a real address, since they may ask for a postcode and a house number, tp put into a database.  If you give an address that does not exist, they will say, “Computer says No”.

 

If you move house / flat, do not tell TV Licensing.

 

For more info, see  www.tvlicensing.biz (there is a special page for students) or www.savethepound.fsnet.co.uk/tvl.htm

 

Happy viewing !  From “Uncle Beeb”.  August 2007.  Please pass on / copy.