Post by Teddy Bear on Oct 10, 2010 18:22:00 GMT
Always mindful to make good use of the licence fee 
or perhaps realising that the agents TVL employ to hunt down evaders are not the brightest of the bunch, they have decided to bring out a 964 page manual informing their staff of what phrases might be used by somebody who is angry or complaining.
Here's some examples:
KEY PHRASES TO LOOK OUT FOR
* I will sue
* Your failure
* I resent the tone of your
* I object most strongly
* Lack of courtesy
* Sort yourselves out!
* I have written several times before
* When will you people listen?
* I am extremely angry
* I demand an apology
* Who do you think you are?
* I intend to take this matter further/to my MP/to the press/to my solicitor
Can you imagine during a phone conversation with an agent when he or she puts you on hold while they scour the manual to see if something you said might indicate that you were angry with them? I suppose sarcasm would be lost on them.
You may well think they must come from another planet if they need something like this, and who knows - you might well be right. It just about sums up how absurd and ridiculous the BBC have become.
or perhaps realising that the agents TVL employ to hunt down evaders are not the brightest of the bunch, they have decided to bring out a 964 page manual informing their staff of what phrases might be used by somebody who is angry or complaining.Here's some examples:
KEY PHRASES TO LOOK OUT FOR
* I will sue
* Your failure
* I resent the tone of your
* I object most strongly
* Lack of courtesy
* Sort yourselves out!
* I have written several times before
* When will you people listen?
* I am extremely angry
* I demand an apology
* Who do you think you are?
* I intend to take this matter further/to my MP/to the press/to my solicitor
Can you imagine during a phone conversation with an agent when he or she puts you on hold while they scour the manual to see if something you said might indicate that you were angry with them? I suppose sarcasm would be lost on them.
You may well think they must come from another planet if they need something like this, and who knows - you might well be right. It just about sums up how absurd and ridiculous the BBC have become.
TV licensing staff issued manual in detecting when customers are angry (as if 'when will you people listen' isn't obvious enough)
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:17 PM on 10th October 2010
If someone calls you an 'idiot', a 'shambles' or 'useless', it's pretty obvious that they are unhappy with you.
So it's hard to understand why TV Licensing bosses have bothered issuing staff with a manual advising that customers who use these words are likely to be making a complaint.
Other indications that a viewer may be unhappy, apparently, are the use of capital letters or the phrases, 'When will you people listen?', 'Who do you think you are?' and 'Sort yourselves out!'
TV Licensing
TV Licensing workers have been told to look out for tell-tale phrases such as, 'I am extremely angry'
The document also reveals quirks in the rules about who needs a licence - the Queen, prisoners and diplomats do not, but all other Royals and prison officers who live in the grounds of a jail do.
The 964-page official handbook, which was released following a Freedom of Information request, sets out in detail how the fee should be administered.
A large section is dedicated to dealing with complaints, including prepared answers to regular objections about the BBC's 'offensive' programmes and the aggressive tone of licence fee warning letters that could 'shock' elderly people.
Staff are advised to look out for particular 'keywords' suggesting a customer is protesting about some aspect of the £145.50-a-year fee.
These include: 'compensation', 'complaint', 'disgraceful', 'disgusted', 'incompetent', 'appalling', 'furious', 'intimidation', 'mistakes', 'harassment', 'rude', 'threatening', 'outrageous', 'upsetting', 'unacceptable and swear words.
The guide also lists warning phrases, such as 'I am extremely angry", 'I demand an apology', 'lack of courtesy', 'your failure' and 'I will sue'.
The document adds: 'Remember underlining of key words and phrases or the use of bold or capital letters designed to make certain parts of a letter stand out is also an indication of a complaint.'
Officials are given stock answers to common criticisms of the licence, including 'The BBC is producing poor programmes, some are offensive, I am only going to pay a proportion of the fee' and 'If an old person had received this letter they would have been very shocked'.
The TV licence fee has been a growing source of irritation for the British public in recent years, with some people unhappy about the threatening behaviour of licence-fee collectors and the perceived bias of the BBC.
In 2008, there was a large backlash against the corporation after its employees Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand broadcast a prank call to elderly actor Andrew Sachs on their Radio 2 show, with many subscribers refusing to pay their TV licence fee until the pair were sacked.
The two main companies contracted by the BBC to administer the TV licence received 35,000 complaints in 2008 and 37,000 in 2009, according to the TV Licensing website.
The manual, known as the TV Licensing Ask Helpscript, discloses that the Queen is exempt from paying the fee but other members of the Royal Family are not.
Prisoners do not need a licence for TVs in their cells or other communal areas because prisons are subject to Crown exemption.
But a licence is required by prison officers who live in jail grounds and have a TV in their accommodation or for a staff social club on the premises.
The document also notes: 'Diplomats enjoy immunity from prosecution. If they choose not to buy a TV licence, TV Licensing cannot enforce the law against them.
'Embassy buildings also have diplomatic protection and TV Licensing cannot enforce the law if the embassy chooses not to buy a TV licence.'
The BBC Trust announced last month that the licence fee would be frozen at £145.50 for at least a year because of the financial pressures on viewers.
A TV Licensing spokeswoman said: 'There are more than 25 million licences in force.
'In 2009-10 complaints totalled 29,900, representing 0.1% of all licence holders, which was a 16% decrease on the previous year.
'Complaint numbers are published each year in TV Licensing's annual review.'
She added: 'The Government is responsible for setting the level of the licence fee and defines who needs a licence.'
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:17 PM on 10th October 2010
If someone calls you an 'idiot', a 'shambles' or 'useless', it's pretty obvious that they are unhappy with you.
So it's hard to understand why TV Licensing bosses have bothered issuing staff with a manual advising that customers who use these words are likely to be making a complaint.
Other indications that a viewer may be unhappy, apparently, are the use of capital letters or the phrases, 'When will you people listen?', 'Who do you think you are?' and 'Sort yourselves out!'
TV Licensing
TV Licensing workers have been told to look out for tell-tale phrases such as, 'I am extremely angry'
The document also reveals quirks in the rules about who needs a licence - the Queen, prisoners and diplomats do not, but all other Royals and prison officers who live in the grounds of a jail do.
The 964-page official handbook, which was released following a Freedom of Information request, sets out in detail how the fee should be administered.
A large section is dedicated to dealing with complaints, including prepared answers to regular objections about the BBC's 'offensive' programmes and the aggressive tone of licence fee warning letters that could 'shock' elderly people.
Staff are advised to look out for particular 'keywords' suggesting a customer is protesting about some aspect of the £145.50-a-year fee.
These include: 'compensation', 'complaint', 'disgraceful', 'disgusted', 'incompetent', 'appalling', 'furious', 'intimidation', 'mistakes', 'harassment', 'rude', 'threatening', 'outrageous', 'upsetting', 'unacceptable and swear words.
The guide also lists warning phrases, such as 'I am extremely angry", 'I demand an apology', 'lack of courtesy', 'your failure' and 'I will sue'.
The document adds: 'Remember underlining of key words and phrases or the use of bold or capital letters designed to make certain parts of a letter stand out is also an indication of a complaint.'
Officials are given stock answers to common criticisms of the licence, including 'The BBC is producing poor programmes, some are offensive, I am only going to pay a proportion of the fee' and 'If an old person had received this letter they would have been very shocked'.
The TV licence fee has been a growing source of irritation for the British public in recent years, with some people unhappy about the threatening behaviour of licence-fee collectors and the perceived bias of the BBC.
In 2008, there was a large backlash against the corporation after its employees Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand broadcast a prank call to elderly actor Andrew Sachs on their Radio 2 show, with many subscribers refusing to pay their TV licence fee until the pair were sacked.
The two main companies contracted by the BBC to administer the TV licence received 35,000 complaints in 2008 and 37,000 in 2009, according to the TV Licensing website.
The manual, known as the TV Licensing Ask Helpscript, discloses that the Queen is exempt from paying the fee but other members of the Royal Family are not.
Prisoners do not need a licence for TVs in their cells or other communal areas because prisons are subject to Crown exemption.
But a licence is required by prison officers who live in jail grounds and have a TV in their accommodation or for a staff social club on the premises.
The document also notes: 'Diplomats enjoy immunity from prosecution. If they choose not to buy a TV licence, TV Licensing cannot enforce the law against them.
'Embassy buildings also have diplomatic protection and TV Licensing cannot enforce the law if the embassy chooses not to buy a TV licence.'
The BBC Trust announced last month that the licence fee would be frozen at £145.50 for at least a year because of the financial pressures on viewers.
A TV Licensing spokeswoman said: 'There are more than 25 million licences in force.
'In 2009-10 complaints totalled 29,900, representing 0.1% of all licence holders, which was a 16% decrease on the previous year.
'Complaint numbers are published each year in TV Licensing's annual review.'
She added: 'The Government is responsible for setting the level of the licence fee and defines who needs a licence.'