Thursday 1 January 2009

Unwanted mail

TV Licensing have written to “The Present Occupier” at my Dad’s address. Dad died in April, aged 86. The age at which TV Licences are free is 75.

OFFICIAL WARNING – THIS PROPERTY IS UNLICENSED

“You are hereby notified that we have authorised officers from our Enforcement Division to visit your home, as our records show there is still no TV Licence for this address and as yet we have received no response from you to our previous communications.

If evidence is found that you watch or record television programmes without a valid licence, our officers may interview you under caution. Your statement will then be taken in compliance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and you may be prosecuted. If found guilty….”

I had two thoughts when I read this:

  1. It is perhaps a little heavy handed
  2. Have they not heard of the Bereavement Register?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about your father.

TV Licensing won't have heard about his death - they'll have noticed his licence wasn't renewed and gone onto autopilot. That's just the way they work I'm afraid. It's pretty sad that they feel the need to intimidate recipients of free licences in the same heavy handed way they do everyone else.

The BBC isn't as cuddly as the Auntie Beeb image they'd have us all believe.

Ann Cardus said...

With hindsight I think TV Licensing did know. Their letter was addressed to "The Present Occupier."
I wonder, had their enforcement officers turned up, what they would have done. Sneaked a peek through the living room window looking for evidence?
It's odd. They were issuing threats without knowing who they were threatening.