TV Licence - ALL TV licence discussion/queries in this thread.

zg3409

There is a good chance they will not be summonsed, however there is a reasonable chance they may get a name and summonse that person. If they get a name from a neighbour, or by asking someone who answers the door, or seeing a bill in the porch etc. Then a garda would arrive with a summons for a named individual, and then the real trouble starts. Then it would be a court appearance, a civil/criminal record, a fine (possibly 500 euro) and the need to pay 160 for a licence and if the fine was not paid jail. A record may mean no visa for australia, USA etc.

Yes they cannot summons "the occupier" but who's name is the ESB, cable, gas, etc. If there is anyones name linked to anything, even a driving licence, car parked in driveway, tenants agreement registered with the tenancy board, they could possibly get that, even by looking at a bill on the floor through the glass, or saying hello to the postman and grabbing the letters.

If they did get a name, at this stage, they might just go straight to summons. It's not like you were not warned a licence was needed.

Generally in ROI, at the stage you are at, if you get a licence they do not persue back dating it, in the UK they persue backdating even if you purchase today.

If you are asking how to break the law then I am not offering suggestions.

Capt'n Midnight

zg3409 wrote: »

however there is a reasonable chance they may get a name and summonse that person.

An Post do the license collection.

They a database of names and addresses from the post that's delivered.

Unless there was some data protection law that prevents them using that dats.

Pawwed Rig

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

An Post do the license collection.

They a database of names and addresses from the post that's delivered.

As far as I know they cannot use it. Would they really have a database of names & addresses or just addresses?
We have been in apartment for 8 months and have received loads of mail. Also our name is on the postbox downstairs but only ever got the licence letters to 'The Occupier'.
The previous post about criminal records is scare mongering. There will be many chances to pay it before it gets to that stage. If you pay it as soon as they get your name then that is time enough.

Pawwed Rig

Why you pay the licence fee

http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0327/378730-rte-pay-presenters/

Isn't this worth €160 per year?

tinytim2

I pay a TV licence because I am living at the address for a long time and I was feed up with the hassle of the house calls from ''post man always knock twice''
What enjoy now is watching iplayer on RTE & CHANNEL 4.
Does anybody know how to watch BBC & ITV iplayer without buying another licence.:eek:

nacho66

Anyone knows from experience how much time one has to pay the fee? I mean how many reminders would they send and over the course of how many months before they either impose a penalty or send an inspector?

ezra_pound

tinytim2 wrote: »

I pay a TV licence because I am living at the address for a long time and I was feed up with the hassle of the house calls from ''post man always knock twice''
What enjoy now is watching iplayer on RTE & CHANNEL 4.
Does anybody know how to watch BBC & ITV iplayer without buying another licence.:eek:

MOD EDIT: No discussing circumventing regional restrictions

AngryGoldfish

I'm pretty sure I know the answer already, but I wanted to ask here to be sure.

I have a TV that I use for gaming and Netflix. I haven't tried hooking it up to a broadcast signal because I'm not interested in it, but it's a traditional TV so I imagine it has the capacity. We have a TV downstairs that is analog and will be dumped soon. Does this mean I still have to pay the licence? It seems incredibly unfair to the minority who use a TV for uses other than television. Some people use them as web browsers or PC monitors.

The Cush

AngryGoldfish wrote: »

I'm pretty sure I know the answer already, but I wanted to ask here to be sure.

http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/GeneralTemplates/AboutUsStandard.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID=%7bB189200C-C2C8-4628-B409-AA84916995E3%7d&NRORIGINALURL=%2fAnPost%2fFAQs%2fTV%2bLicence%2bFAQs%2ehtm&NRCACHEHINT=Guest#DigitalQuestion

AngryGoldfish

Yeah, read that. I just wanted to ask to be sure. Thanks.

etymon

Hey,

I called An Post after they put a letter through our box to tell them that we don't have a TV and they asked for my name. I gave it to them no problem and they are sending out a 'declaration' for me to sign that we don't have a TV. Then a friend told me that he did that and got a summons in the post to go to court where he spent a day sitting around and the judge almost fined him even though he had no TV!! Apparently all they want is your name and then they can try to prosecute you?
I would prefer if the inspector could come in and give the place the once over but we have missed him twice now as we are usually on shift 8-6. I asked the woman on the phone when he could call but she said they don't make appointments, they only call unannounced. Which makes sense I suppose.

Should I sign this declaration when it arrives or just leave it? Want to avoid a day in court. Regretting I bothered to call them now.


ps should probably say we don't have a TV, just two laptops.

greens

I received a letter named to the occupier that I have to pay for a licence because they did observe evidence of TV set. However, I am going to leave Ireland after about 2 months " the end of July". Should I buy the 12 months licence or there are another options less than 12 months ?
What about if I asked the landlord to take the TV?

Bob24

etymon wrote: »

Hey,

Should I sign this declaration when it arrives or just leave it? Want to avoid a day in court. Regretting I bothered to call them now.

It was a few years ago, but I did signed that form and they haven't tried to do anything dodgy. Of course I indeed have no TV and I am quite happy for an inspector to come and verify this if they want to.

Gringo180

Hi guys can anybody help me here, I am filling out a household benefit form for the mother and there is a section that needs me to put down her tv licence number, anybody know how I can find out what it is? Cant find the tv licence form from last year anywhere either.

Fuzzy Clam

Gringo180 wrote: »

Hi guys can anybody help me here, I am filling out a household benefit form for the mother and there is a section that needs me to put down her tv licence number, anybody know how I can find out what it is? Cant find the tv licence form from last year anywhere either.

If she's previously had a licence, ask the post office. They should have it.

styo

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

On that basis he could equally rule that a monitor should be licenced ..... because it too can have a tuner attached ..... and much more easily by plugging in a STB.

I guess it all depends on the wording ...... if it is "capable" of receiving then the tunerless TV would not require a licence ..... but if the wording is 'designed for' then it probably would require a licence ..... but a judge could decide it doesn't and it would essentially be broken and not as it was designed

Whether it is worth the chance to an individual to go to court on the matter or not, is a personal decision.

actually i've asked the tv license folk this question.

it comes down to what the product was designed for. if it was originally designed as a tv, then it's a tv whether you remove the tuner or not. basically if you remove the tuner, then because it was designed to make use of a tuner, and a tuner can be put back in, thus it is a tv.

the answer is obviously to sell your tv and make your next purchase a monitor without a tuner in it by design.

it seems a rather arbitrary rule, but that is the rule.

Johnboy1951

styo wrote: »

actually i've asked the tv license folk this question.

it comes down to what the product was designed for. if it was originally designed as a tv, then it's a tv whether you remove the tuner or not. basically if you remove the tuner, then because it was designed to make use of a tuner, and a tuner can be put back in, thus it is a tv.

the answer is obviously to sell your tv and make your next purchase a monitor without a tuner in it by design.

it seems a rather arbitrary rule, but that is the rule.

Of course that is what they will say ...... but the courts would be the ultimate deciders if one wanted to chance it

If I have an old house without roof .... it did have one .... is capable of having another put on .... according that logic it would still be a 'house' in all its meaning even though it is uninhabitable at present, and subject to all the nice new taxes on such dwellings ..... but not the case ....

So the judge could decide that as the TV is not capable of what it was designed for it is no longer a TV, just as the house without a roof is no longer a dwelling.

It would make an interesting court case .......

Sam Russell

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

Of course that is what they will say ...... but the courts would be the ultimate deciders if one wanted to chance it

If I have an old house without roof .... it did have one .... is capable of having another put on .... according that logic it would still be a 'house' in all its meaning even though it is uninhabitable at present, and subject to all the nice new taxes on such dwellings ..... but not the case ....

So the judge could decide that as the TV is not capable of what it was designed for it is no longer a TV, just as the house without a roof is no longer a dwelling.

It would make an interesting court case .......

Only for the lawyers. The law is quite explicit and leaves little doubt.

As for buildings, the roof off would remove the liability for rates (when we had rates) but that is a different law.

Antenna

The Cush wrote: »

The TV licence is a tax for the posession of a TV set whether you use it to receive Irish TV channels or not. If it is broken or only has an analogue tuner it can be repaired or upgraded with a Saorview/cable/satellite STB to display a TV channel.

.

Though the same could be said for computer monitors - many can be connected directly to a Saorview/cable/satellite STB, yet monitors do not require a licence.
In fact it is more feasible to use a Saorview box with such monitors than the old TVs with only an RF input (where a modulator also has to be used, no Saorview approved box has one built in)

hippo2472

So the license inspector came the other day, I panicked. I gave half a fake name (I gave my correct first name but a different second name). So today I received a letter informing me to pay up. However I am moving out (rented accommodation) in two and half months and obviously don’t want to be stuck paying for the full 12 months. The letter was address to the name I gave and it says I must pay in seven days otherwise An Post will institute legal proceedings against the name on the letter.

So my question is, can I only pay for 3 months? Or can I wait this out until I move out in two/three months? Anybody got any similar experiences like this?

Bob24

You can't pay for 3 months. However I believe if you move you are entitled to transfer your license to you new address. So you can pay for 12 months and use the first 3 at your current address and the last 9 at your new address.

shruikan2553

You have to get 12 months at a time but can transfer it to new address when moving. It was 6 months until we heard anything from them after getting a letter that sounds like that.

The Cush

An article in the Star today indicates that a new Bill to go before the Dáil soon will force UPC and Sky to hand over their subscriber lists so that the TV licence fees can be collected from those evading payment.

The Broadcasting (Television Licence Fees Recovery) Bill 2012 was introduced in the Dáil last Nov.

shruikan2553

The Cush wrote: »

An article in the Star today indicates that a new Bill to go before the Dáil soon will force UPC and Sky to hand over their subscriber lists so that the TV licence fees can be collected from those evading payment.

The Broadcasting (Television Licence Fees Recovery) Bill 2012 was introduced in the Dáil last Nov.

Skipping over the whole data protection and handing out your details but dont they offer online streaming for subscribers? Or you got a better offer for a package like with UPC it was cheaper to get phone and broadband even though I wouldnt connect the phone so just because they think I have something doesnt mean I do. They would still have to prove I have a TV

Sam Russell

I know in the UK and in France you have to give your details when buying a TV. I'm surprised it has taken this long for our sleepy government to come round to this.

Elmo

Sam Russell wrote: »

I know in the UK and in France you have to give your details when buying a TV. I'm surprised it has taken this long for our sleepy government to come round to this.

You are supposed to here also, TV sellers should provide details to An Post.

Minister Rabbittee should sort out Saorview here first before going for Licence Fee defaulters.

Also I assume that Companies would only have provide details of those customers with a TV sub and not those on Phone and Broadband only.

Bizzare legislation when new legislation will need to be enacted for the new Broadcasting/Media Levy. :rolleyes:

KetchupKid

I got rid of the old telly last year when the Saorview switchover occurred since prior to that we only got RTE 1 & 2 and my old TV licence expired at the end of December. I've been getting these TV licence bills in the post almost hoping they would send someone around only to see we have no TV. Anyway the GF just bought a new saorview telly in Tesco last night, so I know we need a bloody TV licence, but I'm not going to pay for the past 6 months. Do I just get a new licence at the Post Office effective today?

Also if I get a new 12 month licence now, will it still be valid in January when the new secret TV licence system goes into effect?

zg3409

KetchupKid wrote: »

Do I just get a new licence at the Post Office effective today?

Yes. I would also recommend you get a setup for the free UK channels too, but off topic.

Also if I get a new 12 month licence now, will it still be valid in January when the new secret TV licence system goes into effect?

I never heard of a January date for this. If it does happen the details would not be clear yet so anything could happen.

SPDUB

KetchupKid wrote: »

, so I know we need a bloody TV licence, but I'm not going to pay for the past 6 months. Do I just get a new licence at the Post Office effective today?

They will likely try to backdate it from when the old licence ran out so at the very least I would bring the receipt for the new tv

ThunderZtorm

So, I have a funny story.

A couple months ago, some bloke rang my bell, and told me a letter would be coming my way soon. I had no idea who he was or what he was doing, but he got my name and off he went.

Couple of weeks ago, I then got a TV license letter. I thought "now that's odd" since I don't own a TV in any way, shape or form. I decided to ignore it, as surely it couldn't be for me.

Today then I get a letter that I've been prosecuted for something - apparently not paying TV license even though I don't own a TV. So what's the story here? I guess the strange bloke who rang the bell was a TV inspector, but he never asked me about a TV or if he could see inside or anything?

So what am I to expect now - I guess I should call An Post and go all "but I don't have a friggin' TV, so go away already"?