TV Licence

Re: I just thought I'd mention

I have seen a total of 1 scene of Fair City in the past 2 or 3 years and it was the most cringemaking TV I have ever seen. it was a couple of weeks ago, some girl parked her car and got out to talk to some guy. I think it might have been a car dealers, can't be sure.

I felt a bit queezy so I had to turn it off. We're not just talking Bad Soap here. We're talking Weapon of Mass Destruction Bad. If they beam it into every Home in Iraq, Saddam will come out begging to be taken to America.

-Rd
 
Re: I just thought I'd mention

Yeah...RTE make some classy programmes alright :|
 
Re: I just thought I'd mention

Interesting report.

Does RTE carrying a story like that count as News or Advertising??? It's certainly less annoying and more informative than any of the ads I've seen/heard.

:)

-Rd
 
The Minister for Communications was quoted recently as saying “there is really is no excuse for not having a TV Licence for your home”. Except, apparently, if you pay your fee by direct debit and An Post don’t bother to send one out to you.

Last year I started a direct debit arrangement from my credit card to pay the TV licence. My licence expired at the end of August and they deducted payment from my credit card on 2 September but as yet no licence has arrived.

A phone call a number in Birr two weeks ago, provided as the contact point on the confirmation of our direct debit arrangement, yielded a response to the effect of 'It'll just be going out in the post now, there's a bit of a delay in getting them out.' I emailed An Post and RTE last week but got no replies from either. A phone call to a different part of the An Post sponge yesterday got a reply to the effect that ‘they don’t seem to be getting them out’ and a promise that a duplicate licence would issue by Wednesday (No, I don’t care what happened to the original although maybe someone should. After all it is a document with a value of €150. )

Naturally it is a tad annoying that one hundred and fifty euro has been added to my credit card bill without delivery of the licence. I have other direct debit arrangements for phone and electricity and can think of no instance where a charge was made before written notification was received. Obviously direct debit arrangements are more efficient for everyone, but if the goods are not delivered then trust in the system breaks down. And bear in mind that An Post are promoting themselves as a bill pay service. At this stage I’m sorry I gave them my credit card details.

Has anyone else had problems with direct debit payments to An Post?
 
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I refuse to click on the above RTE link, such is my disgust at the TV licence.

They still haven't returned my email enquiring if I needed a licence for my wire clothes hangers. The legislation suggests that this is the case.
 
TV tax and An Post

I see that An Post are to refuse to collect the TV tax because it is inconsistent with their stated aim to become more consumer focused. Well done An Post! Better late than never.

AJA Pale
 
Tv license

After I've read 5 pages of this posting I think I've understood. Basically the law about TV license incorrectly formulated. In other words it should look something like this:
The state would like to get some amount of money as a new tax on every device capable to receive radio signal (presumably TV), every year of course.
Which means if buy/have such a device you must agree to pay a tax afterward on it no mater that is it a TV set or VTR. They've made it wrong in explanation on how it'll be used (mentioning RTE and everything else, if they say that it’s going to be money for better road infrastructure it’ll not make any diff). Tax is introduced, we need to pay, or else it's breaking a law. Stupid but true.
Good example would be cigarettes. Cigarettes a way expensive here but tax included in the price and that’s the end of story. If I’d be excluded and then somebody will go around to collect the tax you haven’t paid for each carton you bought then the State would get anything back.
I don’t pay TV license myself. I think this law just stupid. It needs to be reviewed. Thanks.
 
Summons for no TV License

After reading all the debate about whether you should pay a TV license or not. Is irrelevant when you have been summons. I was at a lost what to do at the time. So I’m going to share my experience with you.

Last February I received a summons through registered post. I was disgusted. The inspected called round in the previous August, we had only moved into the house that month. I stupidly gave my correct name and explained I'm in a house share and I'll get one as soon as possible. It was November for one reason or the other by the time my housemates cough up. So I was disgusted to get summons a few months later. I thought it was mistake. As the inspector did say I would have time. But wasn’t too specific.

Being a law abiding citizen I fretted and worried about my court date. I didn't know if I would need representation. I had to take a time off work. Sick at the prospect of having to pay a 600 euro fine. I search the internet for help. All there was the recurrent debate on what a waste of money it was and how to avoid getting detected. No use to someone going to court. I had read a case study where this is one crime that women out do men on.

So I turned up for court in my suit. Working in IT I’m used to casual attire, so it is a shock to the system wearing a suit. It was TV license day in court. There was a wall of names of people summons for that day. I guess 600 names from the D7 area. About 50 % or more of the cases were struck out as the summons could not be served. Guess people did not collect the registered post or used false names or had moved on. Again of the remaining cases quite a number the people didn’t bother to turn despite being served. They were fined 100 euros plus 15 euros costs. I think An Post had a bulk discount with the legal team. The 100 euro was based on revenue lost by the TV License. Not bad! Remember I was worried about the 600 euro fine. I had my defence all rehearsed in my head.

So, most of the other people who did turn up were people who were from ‘disadvantage’ areas, judging by their appearance, accent and ‘sob’ stories. That could be unfair, but that was my impression. I would have more fitted in sitting with the solicitors. Of the people who did turn up and only managed to get the TV license a week before. This was May. They were only fined 50 euros plus cost. The judge was good to be giving a discount to people who had no TV license for 10 months.

One guy’s case was thrown out because he said he was refused to renew his license at the PO because he has told by the post mistress that he couldn’t do it without renewal form. The judge accepted this.

So by time my name was called, I wasn’t too worried. Judge took one look at me and realised I could afford fine and didn’t want to hear any defence. For the period of not having a TV license 3 months I was fine 30 euro plus costs or 5 days default. Only afterwards did I find out that meant you end up in the Joy if you don’t pay it.

Moral of story. Give false names! So it’s that time of the year again and I will be making sure it is paid up. As I don’t want to be off again to court.
 
Summons

Good report- Convicted- it tells us a lot about the system . I imagine the judge and the other fellows , was that the career they dreamed about ?!
 
Moral of story. Give false names!

Hi Convicted,

Thanks for sharing your story with us.

I agree with the moral of your story. When I was sharing a house in the eighties and nineties we ALWAYS bought a tv licence. However, we NEVER used our own name on the licence. We learned from bitter experience that the summons goes to the last poor sod who had the decency to pay. We always got a little pleasure out of making up anagrams of our names when it came to tv licence time. We never got to win the car in the late late draw.

ajapale
 
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