Back in the day, I used to pay for my TV licence, by direct debit monthly. Then for a few years, when I became 75, the licence fee was abolished. Not long after, the BBC reneged on the deal struck with the government to provide free licences for the over 75s, in exchange for an increase in the four billion pounds each year they were already enjoying. So when I got the demand for my licence last year, (please pay annually or in six instalments by direct debit) I wrote to them and said, as they'd gone back on their promise, I was going to revert to paying monthly, but this time I was going to pay by cheque. They sent the letter and the first couple of cheques back, which I just stuck in the handy pre-paid envelope they kindly supplied and were expecting me to use to send a cheque for £157 (just a tick in a box of just a card they enclosed) and returned them to them. I've continued to send cheques for £13.13 each month (well in advance) and they've been cashing them. They knew they had no choice. They can hardly sue me for, "causing a bit of clerical inconvenience,"(my intention), Today I received a letter from them, "welcoming me to the 75 plus payment plan" together with this card. I'm told I can take it to any paypoint and pay my £26.26 on my debit card from February 1st. for six months. Because they think we're all senile,. they also enclosed this handy sheet where I can enter the payments in case I forget to make them, or forget that I have. I'm amazed they can think up so many ways, other than the content and quality of a lot of their programmes, to insult your intelligence. "I put it down to them employing too many graduates devoid of any common sense." It's all gone in the bin. They are still going to get the cheques for £13.13 each month.
Infuriating, Riley. I had better leave it with that, as this sort of thing winds me up. Well, I will comment on one thing though— the hiring of kids toting diploma’s without practical experience. This is the source of a great deal of irritation to co- workers and customers alike. Not only that, but the absence of experience and people knowledge eventually will hurt the business seriously. I have seen that happen over here at least. Why, I can remember when I was young...........
Our eldest son an early retired consultant engineer, also says the problem with graduates these days is that they've never made anything, all they've ever seen is drawings. He served an appreticeship with GEC in Trafford Park Manchester, where they made huge turbines and switchgear for power stations all over the world. So has both academic and practical experience.
Riley, I am not following this. Your payments are L13 but the bills are all for L26? And the dates on the payment form make no sense. What am I missing here?
How do you mean? I and any person who lives in a home, from a bed-sit to a mansion in the UK have to pay £157.50 a year if they own a TV set that can receive BBC TV programmes. (one home, one licence) The BBC want you to pay this annually, or in the case of over 75s, in six installments by direct debit. Back when I used to previously have to pay for a licence, you could pay monthly, by direct debit. What they are trying to do is reduce the amount of clerical work. I'm making them take my cheque to the bank each month, (thriough sheer bloodymindedness) There's an organisation of over 75s with thousands of members, called "Silver Voices," who are collectively, trying to make collecting the money difficult because they reneged on an agreement. I don't belong to it, I like to stay independent. But the BBC always have an excuse for their over manning and waste (they wasted over £100M on a failed computer system, that money could have been spent on programmes).
