I had a TV Licensing inspector knock on my door early one morning back in 1993. Student house. He said he’d been round the back and looked in and seen the television before knocking on the door. He could’ve been fibbing though.
I have had them come to mine a few times as I have had hand written letters in the post box.
Interesting, I wasn’t sure if they were even real or maybe there’s just a couple of them 
Will keep my eyes open since I would like to give one an ear full about harassing innocent people
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Watch the videos on YouTube.
I’d never open the door to them, tbh never open the door to anyone unless I am expecting someone.
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I got one not that long ago that they were starting court proceedings!
I just use the online thing to tell them I don’t need a license. Keeps them quiet for a while.
My front doorbell is disconnected. It’s amazing the number of cold callers that press the bell, get no response and move on. Very few people think to knock as well. 
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Just seen the enforcement letter, the “reminder of the law” section is incorrect “it is illegal to watch or record…no matter what device you use” - if it’s battery powered, not attached to an aerial or mains (so laptops qualify) and the place could be a “second home” or “student accomodation” then you don’t need a licence ( http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/second-home-aud8 and http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/watching-online-and-on-mobile-devices-TOP14 ).
Personally, I do pay for the TV licence and apart from Dr. Who and about 30 minutes of Radio 4 a fortnight, we don’t really consume any content which would come under the regulations (the BBC News website is one of the main reasons I keep paying though).
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Exactly, I can’t think of another subscription service that if you don’t subscribe to it, they harass you and accuse you of being a thief.
But it’s so easy to steal, you say? Their fault - that’s what encryption is for.
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I currently have a tv licence but thinking of getting rid of it and stop watching live tv as I barely watch it anyway
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Go for it - you can get all the entertainment you need on Youtube or Netflix (or just renting movies on iTunes/Amazon) without needing a license.
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My Sky dish broke recently and i realised i was completely watching Netflix/YouTube content and not watching live TV at all. So i haven’t bothered getting the sky dish repaired, cancelled my sub and tv license.
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Anyone else agree its ridiculous to pay TV license even if you sub to sky or virgin?
It’s always been a bone of contention that the BBC TV license was so broadly applied (and still is despite streaming services becoming the go-to options for so many).
Having said that - the BBC is unrivalled by a mile, world-wide, for its breadth of service, particularly in its radio services.
It must surely change - but not rapidly, I suspect.
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I don’t get why paying for Sky or Virgin makes a difference.
I barely use BBC services any more but at the same time I’d be disappointed to see it go away.
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There have been discussions on this before I think.
I can see the argument for and against but having travelled to a ton of places over the years and seen the TV, particularly news, I am incredibly glad for the calm, relatively unbiased (relatively), well regarded global services that the BBC provide.
Even if I don’t watch it that much, I would not want to see that go in favour of a totally privatised service that honestly can ruin TV and news in general.
Personally I value the fact that there are shows and news segments on the BBC that commercial channels wouldn’t touch for profit reasons but are valuable for some people.
I spend far far more a month on coffee, and spend more on Netflix per month and probably watch the BBC as much as Netflix (and it provides way more than I watch). I see the BBC in the way I see any other national service - we pay in to collectively have a service, not paying for exactly what we use personally.
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It would be more understandable to be able to pay quarterly or every 6 months. But paying £160 when i’m unemployed and don’t watch TV is not good
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You can pay it monthly.
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Ah so you can, if you pay via direct debit.
If you don’t watch TV you just let them know and you don’t pay it.
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