Stage Manager,

When I lived on my own in a flat in Llandudno, I took the decision that I could not justify a license fee on my unemployment/sickness income and my own usage of tv (don't get me wrong I do enjoy tv but there is little I really "must" watch - I think at that time, I missed live sport more than anything).

I got frequent nasty letters from the licencing authorities who seem to be under the impression that one can not possibly survive without TV. The last one I recieved bothered be enough to phone them... I invited them round to inspect my premisis but was told something like "that would defeat the object" (the implication being that I would hide my tv for an arranged appointment).

I then questioned the threatening letters to which I got "well you don't have to open them". I said I had to be concerned where there appears to be a possibility of legal action against me. I also asked if it was OK for them to waste my time and worry me in this way. The reply to this was a blunt "Yes". My response to that was to make another phone call to them just saying "Hello, a member of your organisation has said it is OK to waste 5 minutes of my time so I'm phoning you to do the same...".

I'm not really sure how things would have turned out longer term as I moved out of the flat and to Norfolk a few moths later but I was on the verge of considering the possiblity of wasting more money by looking for legal aid and taking action over what I considered to be harassment had matters continued.

Jon