TV licensing...

[mercalia]

Hi,

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/02/2 ... ulnerable/

"Capita, to whom the BBC has outsourced its licence fee shakedown efforts, has been found to be targeting vulnerable people as part of an aggressive bonus scheme for its collectors.

An investigative report by the Daily Mail has found Capita to be offering bonuses of up to £15,000 a year to its 330 enforcement officers, who have orders to each catch 28 licence fee evaders each week."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39138601

"The firm said Andy Parker would step down later this year once a replacement had been found.

The news came as it revealed that annual pre-tax profits had fallen 33% to £74.8m.

Capita has also been under fire over the way it collects the TV licence fee.

Capita, which collects the fee on behalf of the BBC, is now under investigation by the corporation after allegations that its collectors targeted vulnerable people, spurred on by an aggressive incentive scheme."

I must admit those that have called at my house haven't shown any aggressive tactics. One wouldn't even come up the drive...although I was splitting would with a wood maul at the time!

ah thats the tactic, open the door with a hammer in one hand

[mjr]

I have been told by a "man down the pub" who is sometimes right about things that they can collect rough viewing figures from the echo to the TV broadcasts. True or Myth?

Myth. The viewing figures now come from paying me and others to fill out viewing diaries online and other things like that.

That's is hardly accurate statistics. Old people are less likely to have computers and probably watch more telly.

Note "rough viewing figures". I assume they weight the collected data from this and other methods and less computer-connected groups are more likely to be offered paper diaries or viewing monitoring boxes or doorstep surveys.

[Mick F]

We got the bi-annual "No Licence Needed" claim form through the post yesterday.
When we've received it in the past, I've gone online and made the declaration like a good boy. Email confirmation sent from them in return.

I feel this time, that I'll ignore this one and see what happens.

No doubt we'll get a red reminder.

[pwa]

We got the bi-annual "No Licence Needed" claim form through the post yesterday.
When we've received it in the past, I've gone online and made the declaration like a good boy. Email confirmation sent from them in return.

I feel this time, that I'll ignore this one and see what happens.

No doubt we'll get a red reminder.

Will they let you use the internet from your new residence at Princetown?

[Tiberius]

We got the bi-annual "No Licence Needed" claim form through the post yesterday.
When we've received it in the past, I've gone online and made the declaration like a good boy. Email confirmation sent from them in return.

I feel this time, that I'll ignore this one and see what happens.

No doubt we'll get a red reminder.

My mate (no telly) did just that.

He received twelve letters over a two year period. Each subsequent letter contained stronger and stronger wording as to what would happen if he was caught watching live TV etc. A number of the letters actually gave a date as to when an inspector would call, but over the two years, no one called.

Two and a bit years in, and inspector did call. My mate simply told him that he didn't watch live television programmes on any device and that he didn't own a television (all true) He also refused to let the inspector enter his property.

That was approximately twelve months ago and he has not heard anything since.

The whole thing is a nonsense. You inform them that you don't have a TV/watch live programmes and that should be that UNTIL the situation changes. I don't have a gun or a dog, but I don't have to tell someone every two years that I haven't got a gun or a dog.

FYI....I do have a TV and a license, but if my wife ever leaves me (as if) she can take them with her......

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
I am surprised he answered the questions at all, I don't unless its prearranged appointment, I don't even open the door.
Wait for the bailiff..................

P.S. My local water supplier, tried threatening me, I wrote to them after a red letter and said I will see you in court and doupt very much they had anyone with broad enough shoulders. That's the words I wrote!
They sent round a little old bloke to change my meter fitted previously in record time on contract on bonus and duff
They wanted a grand a year for two people.

Best way to save water don't flush loo often, 25 % is flushing loo.....................

[Mick F]

I don't have a gun or a dog, but I don't have to tell someone every two years that I haven't got a gun or a dog.

I've been searching for a good analogy, and that is it!
Thanks.
I don't have a gun, I don't go fishing, and I don't have a telly!

Why do we have to prove a negative?
It's up to them to prove the positive.

It's like being up in court and having to say, "Not guilty, mi'Lord" and then having to prove it whilst the prosecution sit back and listen.

.

[kwackers]

I don't have a gun or a dog, but I don't have to tell someone every two years that I haven't got a gun or a dog.

I've been searching for a good analogy, and that is it!
Thanks.
I don't have a gun, I don't go fishing, and I don't have a telly!

Why do we have to prove a negative?
It's up to them to prove the positive.

It's like being up in court and having to say, "Not guilty, mi'Lord" and then having to prove it whilst the prosecution sit back and listen.

.

Most people have a tv.
Almost nobody has a gun or a fishing license.

That's why you don't fill a form in every two years to say you don't have a gun or a fishing license because they odds are you don't need one.

Now if you do have a gun then you have to license it every 5 years or tell them you don't have it.
It's not a huge stretch to imagine that if nearly everyone had a gun then they'd be keen to know why you didn't. Perhaps even having to periodically tell them you don't and if you were being obtuse at providing that proof I'd imagine they'd mark your card. (Particularly if the environment was such that large numbers claimed not to own one but actually did.)

As analogies go it's a poor one.

[Mick F]

I don't think it's a poor analogy.
It's the principle of the argument, not the similarity.

[Stevek76]

We got the bi-annual "No Licence Needed" claim form through the post yesterday.
When we've received it in the past, I've gone online and made the declaration like a good boy. Email confirmation sent from them in return.

I feel this time, that I'll ignore this one and see what happens.

No doubt we'll get a red reminder.

I've been ignoring them since about two or three years after I moved into my current house (the point at which the previous owner realised they were still paying for the TV license ).

I never bothered telling them I didn't need one, just put the monthly hollow threats they mail to 'The Legal Occupier' along with the small mountain of other junk that gets put through my door in the fire lighting pile. About three times there's been a little note saying they'd visited but I wasn't in. This has always been during working hours on a weekday so I've yet to even hear a knock. If I happen to be in one day and actually bother to answer the door I'll simply provide them with the same 'no thanks' response I provide to any other unsolicited sales person.

I'm under the impression they still might come knocking even if you tell them you don't need one, so what's the point?

[kwackers]

I don't think it's a poor analogy.
It's the principle of the argument, not the similarity.

Without similarity there simply isn't a principle or at least one you can use.

[Mick F]

Therefore, I don't understand the term "analogy".

analogy | əˈnalədʒi |
noun (plural analogies)
a comparison between one thing and another, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification: an analogy between the workings of nature and those of human societies | [mass noun] : he interprets logical functions by analogy with machines.
• a correspondence or partial similarity: the syndrome is called deep dysgraphia because of its analogy to deep dyslexia.
• a thing which is comparable to something else in significant respects: works of art were seen as an analogy for works of nature.
• [mass noun] Logic a process of arguing from similarity in known respects to similarity in other respects: argument from analogy.
• [mass noun] Linguistics a process by which new words and inflections are created on the basis of regularities in the form of existing ones.
• [mass noun] Biology the resemblance of function between organs that have a different evolutionary origin.

[kwackers]

Therefore, I don't understand the term "analogy".

You understand analogy, it's the fallacy of reference you're having issues with.

The basic premise of the things you're trying to compare have such different conditions that any comparison is meaningless.

[mjr]

Almost nobody has a gun or a fishing license.

That's why you don't fill a form in every two years to say you don't have a gun or a fishing license because they odds are you don't need one.

Really? I think it's because gun and fishing licences haven't been contracted out to a company of [inappropriate word removed] mongers who have decided that it's cheaper to send offensive scary letters out to anyone who doesn't meekly do their work for them.

[kwackers]

Almost nobody has a gun or a fishing license.

That's why you don't fill a form in every two years to say you don't have a gun or a fishing license because they odds are you don't need one.

Really? I think it's because gun and fishing licences haven't been contracted out to a company of <i>[inappropriate word removed]</i> mongers who have decided that it's cheaper to send offensive scary letters out to anyone who doesn't meekly do their work for them.

You can't contract anything out when there's no money in it.

As I said very few people have either license so basically nobody cares and there's not much money to be made.
The license fee otoh is fairly widely ignored, there's loads of cash to be recovered. (Estimated at 6-7% evasion)
I know a few folk who've been collared for not having one and I'm struggling to think of anyone I know who doesn't have a tele (so far zero).

Now if they'd apply the same zealousness to speeding and other traffic misdemeanours then I'd be truly happy.