Why is the TV Licensing authority persecuting this pensioner?
This is another indictment against outsourcing giant Capita, which collects TV licence fees on behalf of the BBC.
Capita recently had to drop an appeal against a court ruling of maladministration after it advised the Department for Work and Pensions that a claimant did not deserve the Personal Independence Payment. She was dead within four months.
Now it seems the firm has perpetuated the 22-year-long harassment of Derek Cheesbrough, who gave up watching television in 1997 but has received an intimidating letter demanding that he pay his licence fee every month since.
A pensioner who gave up watching “rubbish” television 22 years ago has blasted TV Licensing for sending him 100 “intimidating” letters.
Fed-up Derek Cheesbrough wrote to officials in 1997 telling them he would no longer be watching the box as he thought he was “one of those clever people who could be selective and switch off”.
But he claims that he had a letter telling him he was breaking the law within a week.
Mr Cheesbrough, of Plymouth, Devon, has now received his 100th monthly warning – each one advising him of the consequences of illegal viewing.
Who is responsible for giving contracts to this firm and do they ever check its record first?
Source: Pensioner without TV gets 100th letter from TV Licensing
Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Here are four ways to be sure you’re among the first to know what’s going on.
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (in the left margin). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
I haven’t had a TV Licence for over a decade, the reason: I don’t watch the ordure that passes as 21st Century television “entertainment”. To recap on the law – a TV Licence is needed to watch “live” or nearly live broadcasts and catch-up TV on BBC iPlayer. No licence needed to watch catch-up TV from ITV Hub, All4, Channel 5, Netflix, Amazon Prime and so on. The Radio Licence was abolished in 1971 so no licence needed to listen to the radio whatever the source, including BBC Sounds (formerly Radio iPlayer).
TV Licensing’s Threat-o-grams are full of “If”s and “may be”s and “could be”s (I’m holding one at the moment). Best thing to do with them is shred them, use as cat litter or light the fire. NEVER respond to their letters otherwise Capita will know that the address is “live”.
TV Licensing’s doorstepping “goons” are well trained to extract information in order to fill in the notorious TVL178 “Record of Interview ” which after being signed by the victim, is subsequently “modified” in order to secure a prosecution which carries a bounty of £20.
Remember, should a TV Licence goon doorstep you and claims they are there to help to set up your TV Licence, just say “not needed here, goodbye” and shut the door. TV Licensing will then won’t have the information needed for to apply for a Search Warrant or mount a prosecution.
This really isn’t new, back in the late 70s my then boyfriend got rid of his (rented) TV and told the relevant authorities. In a period of about 6 months we had 4 letters and 2 visits by detector vans demanding to know why we had no licence. “Because we don’t have a TV” didn’t seem to satisfy them. (Bear in mind there was no internet then either). In the end we gave up, bought a TV and got a licence, the harrassment then stopped.
This awful company should be stripped of all government contracts
Nothing unusual in this behaviour from Capita, they do this to everyone who does not have a licence. I am not saying they should treat people in this manner though. I have never owned a TV so once I set up home away from my parents – over 30 years ago – I have received a letter every month, in the four different locations I have lived. I refuse to contact Capita as I do not have a contract with them. They also do the occasional visit and expect to ‘just pop into your lounge to have a look’. I ask to see the warrant. They never have one.
The BBC/government just do not understand that not everyone wishes to watch drivel or be brainwashed.
Crapita hay so enconsed in government’ council’s even car parks now who ever owns these is doing well off the taxpayers they say they got highly trained HCP oh that help dwp whose fit for work yet get it wrong time and time again hmmm even advicing decision makers so perhaps our MPs should look into this company and who owns it you bet a hedge fund or pension fund will do now who site on these edge funds you bet some of those awarding contracts to them
I send their letters back to them not known at this address. In years gone by I used to fill the envelope with junk mail after steaming it open then send it back to them. I don’t want anything to do with the BBC who I call the Paedo channel. In 37 years I have had their tax for only 5 years when I had BT vision.
If you cancel the tax and are just one day into a quarter then they only refund the money for the remaining months after the quarter, if cancelling in the last quarter then no refund, the son watched TV for the remaining months of that quarter and if the goons had turned up I would have said the licence was still valid as they didn’t pay the remaining months of a quarter, that would have being my argument to the court that if they take the money then you can watch until that quarter is up, but I doubt they would have taken it to court in case they lost and had to pay me.