A 93-year-old army veteran was 'beside himself' after being told his TV licence was being cancelled - because he underpaid his bill by just one penny. George Sirrell told his granddaughter Michelle Foster he fears licensing bosses are going to 'turn his TV off' and hound him at his door after receiving a letter warning that he'd underpaid.
It threatened to 'cancel' his licence and ban him from watching live TV unless he pays the 1p he owes before February 24 - a date which George claims had passed before the letter was delivered. It's believed the great-great-grandad didn't notice his monthly fee was increasing from £13.88 to £13.89 in October so only began paying the hiked fee in November.
The penny has been outstanding on his account since but because he's continued to pay monthly via his licence payment card, he ignored a warning letter last month thinking it was sent in error. Furious Michelle, 42, believes it's 'ridiculous' licensing authorities would cancel his licence over a one pence piece and branded it 'an embarrassment'.
The mum-of-two explains George has lived on his own since his wife died 12 years ago so the TV is 'all he's got' when she, his four great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren can't visit. In a scathing complaint email sent on March 2, Michelle demanded an apology and explained bosses should be 'ashamed' for leaving George upset and worried.
After being contacted by journalists, TV Licensing apologised to the family but said that, while it was automatically generated, the letter had been sent as the 'payment plan had not been adhered to'. TV Licensing confirmed George's licence had not been revoked as the payments were now 'up to date' - but Michelle said they had not made the extra payment of the 1p so it remains unclear how this occurred.
Michelle, from County Durham, said: "When I saw it I just thought it was ridiculous. He's beside himself over a penny and he thinks it's too late to make it right. He's really worried about it. He thinks they're going to turn his TV off and the thought of an enforcement officer at the door is scary.
"He can't go anywhere so the telly is all he's got most of the time. I don't want him to get stressed. The letter they sent wasn't very nice. It has a bad undertone. I think it's disgusting to send out letters to pensioners with that tone.
"I think they should take into account his age and the amount. I'm hoping they can sort it out before they send someone around his house to demand the 1p. He's always had a TV licence and he's never missed a bill. He's worked hard all his life. I think it's ridiculous that he has to pay for a TV licence at his age anyway."
George, who worked in road maintenance after a stint in the army, is taken by his brother to the post office on the 15th of every month to use his TV licence card and pay the fee. Michelle says her grandad received a letter last month telling him he hadn't paid his TV licence but she reassured him that it must take a while for it to be logged as he did pay.
She explains he thought the 1p increase began in November rather than October and that's where the error occurred. Michelle says the way her grandad has been treated provides a 'perfect' example of why the licence fee should be abolished.
The TV licence was free for all over 75s until 2020 and is now only available without charge for those on Pension Credit. Michelle's Facebook post said: "Can we just all take a moment to look at this. This is my grandad's [letter] and he is 93.
"A veteran who struggles to get about these days. Every month he goes to the post office and pays this and has always done so. He got this letter last week. They've cancelled his licence because he owes them a penny. A f**ing penny. A 93-year-old is worried sick now because he thinks he's breaking the law. Over a penny."
The letter from the TV licensing authorities said: "Dear Mr Sirrell, we have not received the last 3 monthly payments for your TV Licence. Please pay £0.01 before 24 February 2023 to get back on track with your plan. If we have not received this amount by the above date, we will have to remove you from the 75+ Plan and cancel your TV Licence. This is in accordance with section 364(5) of The Communications Act 2003.
"This means you will no longer be licensed to watch or record programmes as they're being shown on TV or live on an online TV service, or to download or watch BBC programmes on demand, including catch up TV, on BBC Player."
Michelle revealed that after being contacted by journalists, TV Licensing Customer Relations emailed her to 'apologise for any distress caused by this matter'. It read: "The letter received was due to a number of payments being missed and there was an outstanding balance on the account.
"Whilst I can appreciate that the amount outstanding was only 1p, I should explain that this would still generate an automatic letter as the payment plan had not been adhered to." We would advise that maintaining payments according to the issued payment schedules will prevent further similar letters from being issued to the address."
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The letter went on to say that the payments are now up to date so the TV licence will not be cancelled - despite Michelle nor George having made the additional payment of 1p.
A TV Licensing spokesperson said: "We can confirm that the customer's TV licence has not been revoked or cancelled. The letters he received were automatically generated because of late payments, but this has now been resolved and the account is up to date. We have also contacted his granddaughter to offer further assistance."
