TV Licence dispute- Help

[congming88]

I renewed my TV licence on-line last November and have e-mail and documentary proof of having done so (Expiry Date:30 Sep 2010)
At the beginning of this month I began receiving letters advising me that I was unlicensed, demanding payment and threatening prosecution if this was not forthcoming.
I called 'Capita' , the private company that collects TV License fees to find out why I was sent these letters.
I was advised that due to a "technical error" on their system, the funds had not been transferred from my bank to them. (They claimed to have sent a letter back in December 2009 informing me of this. I received no such letter.)
I was advised to visit my bank and check that this was the case.
Yesterday I did so only to be told that I would hve to pay 2 ponds for a statemnet from that period since immediate records go back only 6 months.
On a point of principal I called Capita asking them to send this fee since the fault was theirs and I was already out of pocket for phone and petrol. Their Customer Service Team member advised me that I would have to pay this and apply for reimbursement in writing. I told him I would do this if I had it in writing that they would honour this arrangement. He said that I would have to put this request in writing!
This comes at the end of a week that has seen my wife being doorstepped at our home by a Capita agent armed with a chip and pin machine requesting payment and threatening prosecution if this is not forthcoming. (My wife explained the situation and politely refused.)

I would be grateful to hear from someone who knows my rights and can advise me of my legal position regarding this matter.
Many thanks in advance...

[jackthehat]

Where did I say he had to produce anything to satisfy Capita ?

Inputting the details he has on his TV Licence tells him that it is 'invalid' which could be a glitch, or could mean that it hasn't been paid for and was issued in error. I merely said that, if I were congming88, I would make sure that payment had been made and then sit back and let Capita get on with it.

Perhaps I should have used 'Department A' and 'Department B' to help the hard of thinking to grasp the intent of my post..............?

[congming88]

Just to reiterate folks: I have a TV Licence. The question is whether or not I have paid for it.
I am annoyed that I have to prove whether or not I have paid.
Also, how many months' bank statements will I have to check in order to clarify this?
I am hoping that this is a one-off error on the part of Capita, but I certainly will not be paying for my TV licence using this method ever again.

Incidentally, the £2 is not and was never the issue. I am angry that I am having to pay for Capita's mistake whatever the cost. What should have been a £142.50 TV licence has now probably cost me somewhere in the region of £150 and Capita refuse to take responsibilty for this.
Who knows how many people up and down the country are having to go through this rigmarole...? Capita need to get their act together!

[nogginthenog]

If i had your problem i would phone my bank and tell them i made a payment on ( get the date of your licence ) and tell them the firm say you have not payed. They would then check and make sure the payment was made. Don't listen to some on here about the £2 payment they like to make people feel tight. If you have payed the licence don't show it to any of the licence people and if you were lucky and got to court it would be like winning the lottery. The BBC would offer you money to not go to the papers. Good Luck

[congming88]

Thanks nogginthenog.
I appreciate your advice and will probably follow this course of action.
I'll keep you posted...
Regards and thanks,

congming88

[Skyline D]

You shouldn't have to pay the £2 quite simply because you should already have the bank statements for that period. If you don't (and presuming you are a British taxpayer) then you've already broken the law and certainly it isn't the company's problem to pay £2 to replace statements you don't have since they are entitled to presume you would have them.

At the end of the day, either you've paid for this licence or you haven't. If you haven't then you need to pay now. If you have then obviously you don't and Capita need to sort it out. Digging your heels in over a £2 statement that you shouldn't actually need to get is helping no-one.

[boxtops]

That's quite a point skyline - congming, why can't you just look back at your bank statements (unless I've missed something in the thread) and look for yourself to see if the payment's gone out of your account? If it's less than a year ago then you should still have your statements anyway?

[Bedsit-Bob]

Pumbah says "Why, if the payment in November failed, did they not contact you then? Why no follow up letter in, say, February? Why has it taken 10 months to chase this"

That does seem odd.

When my licence expired, at the end of December 2009, I received a "Renewal Overdue" letter, just 18 days later, and have been receiving monthly Threat-O-Grams ever since.

Based on that, the OP should have received about 10 such letters.

[Bedsit-Bob]

Skyline D says "If you don't (and presuming you are a British taxpayer) then you've already broken the law"

In what way broken the law?

It's not illegal to shred your own bank statements.