I recently needed to buy a TV for the first time and wanted to spread the costs over 12 months. When I checked what payments were to be taken from my bank account it turns out I was expected to pay for the first licence in six months. And for the second year's licence I had to start paying 6 months in advance.
To put it simply in the first 12 months I am expected to pay 18 month's worth of fees. This seems like sharp practice to me. If you wanted to spread the cost of your motor insurance over 12 months - many of us do - and you then found out you had to pay 18 month's premiums in the first year I think you might shop elsewhere. With TV licencing we don't have that luxury.
I wrote to the Licencing Authority and was told that this was to help me catch up - I wasn't behind. They then said it was all about helping to keep costs down - I pay more in a year than the licence costs. They finally said that it was all because of official government legislation. Basically they wouldn't help.
I wrote to Mark Thompson at the BBC who simply passed my email to the Licencing Authority and I received the same justification from them as before.
I wrote to my MP and they got back to me within 24 hours saying that they would take up the matter with the Chief Executive of the Licencing Authority - still waiting to hear.
I wrote to Ed Vaizey who is the minister responsible for TV licencing - I have nothing from him.
Nobody that I contact can tell me how the first year's costs are justified and the licencing authority just say they are doing what the government tells them to.
How can this be fair or ethical when those of us who need to keep our costs down are being charged more for this service?
To put it simply in the first 12 months I am expected to pay 18 month's worth of fees. This seems like sharp practice to me. If you wanted to spread the cost of your motor insurance over 12 months - many of us do - and you then found out you had to pay 18 month's premiums in the first year I think you might shop elsewhere. With TV licencing we don't have that luxury.
I wrote to the Licencing Authority and was told that this was to help me catch up - I wasn't behind. They then said it was all about helping to keep costs down - I pay more in a year than the licence costs. They finally said that it was all because of official government legislation. Basically they wouldn't help.
I wrote to Mark Thompson at the BBC who simply passed my email to the Licencing Authority and I received the same justification from them as before.
I wrote to my MP and they got back to me within 24 hours saying that they would take up the matter with the Chief Executive of the Licencing Authority - still waiting to hear.
I wrote to Ed Vaizey who is the minister responsible for TV licencing - I have nothing from him.
Nobody that I contact can tell me how the first year's costs are justified and the licencing authority just say they are doing what the government tells them to.
How can this be fair or ethical when those of us who need to keep our costs down are being charged more for this service?