Is this fraud?

Hi all

Il start off by saying im not realy a big thread starter here Im more just the odd post while flicking through kind of guy.

Its a question that iv got so im sorry if Iv started this in the wrong area.

I had the police knock at my door today for a fine for not paying TV license. I wasn't in but they didn't believe my girl friend and said they had a warrent for my arrest and told her they were allowed in because of my arrest warrent. The fine was only an old tv license but the police told my girl friend that I had 1 hour to pay the fine our they would come in the early hourse of the morning and smash my door in and take me away. My GF explained to them that would be harsh infront of my children over a TV fine.

Anyway I got home and rang the number that one of them had left to contact him. I told the guy that I was ringing to sort out a fine because I didn't want them smashing my door in in the early hours of the morning and taking me infront of my kids. I asked Am I obliged to pay this fine? and he replied yes. So I asked under what law and he stuttered and replied eeerr its under section 5 something something.

I then said it was about out of order that they are threatening me like this over money for the BBC. And I asked again what law was it that im obliged to pay this money or go into court with you? I just want to know for when I contact my solicitor. And he replied you don't need to get a solicitor.
So I said but its my rights your threatening to come smash my door in and drag me to court so I want to know what law obliges me to Either pay this money now or it gives you the right to drag me their? And he stuttered again and said I can't remember off the top of my head but we are going around in circles now and if you don't want your girlfriend to worry about your front door getting kicked in then Id just pay us. So I told em to come in an hour and il pay. They came with in 20mins and I didn't have enough time to prepare more of an argument so I just paid up.

Could anyone offer any advice on weather its legal or not and if I could do anything about it? Please.

I know If I owe money I should pay But its the tactics they have used to collect the debt I don't like. Plus its only a TV license,Its not like iv stole anything or ever signed anything to agree to paying that. They do product placment in their shows now anyway so that should cover the the fee in my opinion.

Did they not send you a letter about the court date? You are given the option to attend and state your case or simply send the letter back acknowledging fault, you give them your ingoing and outgoings and they make a decision without you. You get's your fine, you pay's it and all's peachy, if you don't they just send the Baliffs around.
Never heard of the Police going after anyone, let alone like that or for that, the Baliffs just take your stuff.

Are you sure they were real Police? Sound's like you've been had chummy.

You can pay your court fine in regards to TV license here. www.direct.gov.uk...

But by the sounds of it Baliffs have pretended to be coppers and did you out of the cash.

If your story is legit - congratulations on allowing your government the amount of power it now possesses. Whose fault is that?

If not - you might have some fraudsters coming to your house to shake you down. Happens in the US.

I guess the most obvious question is, do you have a TV in the house that you have not paid the TV tax on? Yes or no?

Originally posted by Suspiria
Did they not send you a letter about the court date? You are given the option to attend and state your case or simply send the letter back acknowledging fault, you give them your ingoing and outgoings and they make a decision without you. You get's your fine, you pay's it and all's peachy, if you don't they just send the Baliffs around.
Never heard of the Police going after anyone, let alone like that or for that, the Baliffs just take your stuff.
Are you sure they were real Police? Sound's like you've been had chummy.

edit on 25-4-2012 by Suspiria because: (no reason given)

It was the police they had handcuffs and allsorts And iv got a note here they left for me to ring with a court number on it and everything.
I didn't have a court letter but i had a note posted through my door a few months ago that said I had a warrent for my arrest unless I contacted them and paid the said amount. I just ignored it. Not the right thing to do maybe But it had no info about why I owed it and I didn't want to ring incase they came and arrested me, if that makes sense

Originally posted by AwakeinNM
If your story is legit - congratulations on allowing your government the amount of power it now possesses. Whose fault is that?
If not - you might have some fraudsters coming to your house to shake you down. Happens in the US.

Not only me. You can't stand upto them on your own. I have a family and if I took a stand on my own and got thrown in the slammer, No one would know about it nothing would change and id be away from my family for how ever long they choose.
I do try to defend but it can be intimidating against your own govt/police.

Originally posted by schuyler
I guess the most obvious question is, do you have a TV in the house that you have not paid the TV tax on? Yes or no?

Yes I do. but even if I didn't but had a TV ariel up or access to a pc they can still charge you. Thats what I was told by them anyway. Besides if its not actually a law or im not obliged to go to court for it then he still shouldn't of said it to scare me into paying. Thats the main thing that bugged me.

I hadn't even known about "TV LIcenses" until recently reading it here on ATS. I told a friend about it and he said, "No they eff'n don't have that. There is no way they have that in the UK... That's ridiculous."

I said, "No seriously, you need a license to watch TV"

Then he asked me where you take your driver's test for the TV license..

The police can only take action if the fine was for a CRIMINAL act. If the court fined you and you dont pay I would assume that makes it criminal.

Your mistake was when you allowed the bbc to take you to court in the first place.

THE BBC LICENCE INSPECTORS HAVE ZERO POWERS. IF THEY ARRIVE ON YOUR DOORSTEP TELL THEM TO PEE OFF. IF THEY SEND YOU LETTERS THROW THEM IN THE BIN.

I KNOW BECAUSE I DONT HAVE A TV BUT HAVE BATTLED WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY THINK I SHOULD ALLOW THEM IN TO MY HOME TO SATISFY THEMSELVES THAT I DONT WATCH TV.

Are you sure they were not bailiffs pretending to be police?

Originally posted by boncho
Then he asked me where you take your driver's test for the TV license..

LOL

I keep telling people if we were to stop watching the tv they would give to us for free, they NEED us to be watching it so that we can be programmed.

Originally posted by schuyler
I guess the most obvious question is, do you have a TV in the house that you have not paid the TV tax on? Yes or no?

You only need to buy a licence if you watch tv as its being broadcast. You can have a tv in the house for the purpose of watching dvd etc and no licence is required.

I think its fraud that you're required to have a license to watch over the air broadcasts. I am not in the UK so I can't comprehend that. I know if they came knocking here on my door threatening me like that id say where's your court ordered warrant. If they showed me one, I would change my demeanor and talk about a mutual resolution. If not, I would say either go get one, or don't come back- and slam the door.

Originally posted by VoidHawk

Originally posted by schuyler
I guess the most obvious question is, do you have a TV in the house that you have not paid the TV tax on? Yes or no?

You only need to buy a licence if you watch tv as its being broadcast. You can have a tv in the house for the purpose of watching dvd etc and no licence is required.

Ah, good point. Thanks. As I understand it, they have these trucks that roam neighborhoods which can pick up on TV transmissions. So, OP, you DO have a TV. Do you use it to watch "broadcast" shows as opposed to DVDs and the like?

Originally posted by calnorak
I think its fraud that you're required to have a license to watch over the air broadcasts. I am not in the UK so I can't comprehend that. I know if they came knocking here on my door threatening me like that id say where's your court ordered warrant. If they showed me one, I would change my demeanor and talk about a mutual resolution. If not, I would say either go get one, or don't come back- and slam the door.

Like you said, you can't comprehend that. You're not in the UK so you're not subject to UK law. That you say you would have a lot of bravado in the US is rather beside the point since we don't have that kind of law. The real issue is what you would and could do if you lived in the UK, had a TV, and didn't pay the tax. Remember now that you can't effectively quote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to them.

Originally posted by schuyler
. As I understand it, they have these trucks that roam neighborhoods which can pick up on TV transmissions. So, OP, you DO have a TV. Do you use it to watch "broadcast" shows as opposed to DVDs and the like?

Your understanding is correct, however...Nobody has ever been convicted on evidence supplied by one of the vans/trucks (we call them vans) and when the bbc were asked via the FOI act to provide proof that the vans actualy can "detect" they were allowed to refuse this information. Several bodys of people in the uk set up watch dog opperations and followed the detector vans. No equipment was ever seen inide the vans and the vans spent most of their time parked in public places like supermarket car parks or they parked near schools when parents would be picking up their children.

My own experience through not having a tv has proven to me that the BBC assume you are guilty and fool people into thinking they have to prove their innocence.