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kah5217
Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 270
Location: Ibaraki
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 Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 3:58 am Post subject: The NHK man |
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| Everyone has been warning me that someone from NHK is going to come around and make me sign some kind of contract. I've also heard that a lot of people, Japanese included, don't pay. I don't want to sign anything I can't understand. Have any of you had experiences with this? How much is it, and what happens if you don't sign? |
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OneJoelFifty
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 463
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| Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 4:36 am Post subject: |
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| It's similar to the TV licence payment in the UK. Think it works out a bit more than �1,000 a month. Just tell the guy you don't have a TV. Nothing will happen. |
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kah5217
Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 270
Location: Ibaraki
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| Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 5:47 am Post subject: |
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| Not sure the "I don't have a TV" thing would work, this is a Leopalace. |
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marley'sghost
Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 6:43 am Post subject: |
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| The "I'm sorry, I don't speak Japanese." thing might work though. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 7:30 am Post subject: Re: The NHK man |
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| kah5217 wrote: |
| Everyone has been warning me that someone from NHK is going to come around and make me sign some kind of contract. I've also heard that a lot of people, Japanese included, don't pay. I don't want to sign anything I can't understand. Have any of you had experiences with this? How much is it, and what happens if you don't sign? |
I'll pass on advice I heard from a reliable, but anonymous source.
"Say you don't have a TV. If he asks, tell him that neither your phone, your PC nor your car can receive TV signals. Stick to your story. If he tells you that all LeoPalaces have TVs, show mild surprise and complete indifference to the missing item. Don't let him in."
I'm passing this advice on for your reference only, because I will not advocate illegal behaviour, but I should mention that the NHK law is one of those curious Japanese affairs: a law which attracts no penalty for infringement.
In my own experience, as a non-TV owner who does not welcome door-to-door vendors into his home, they gave up after two or three visits. |
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kah5217
Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 270
Location: Ibaraki
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| Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 8:35 am Post subject: |
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Oh, he's not coming in. I have a security monitor.  |
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OneJoelFifty
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 463
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| Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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| kah5217 wrote: |
| Not sure the "I don't have a TV" thing would work, this is a Leopalace. |
I was in a LeoPalace my first year in Japan, it worked for me. |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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kah5217
Joined: 29 Sep 2012
Posts: 270
Location: Ibaraki
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| Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:27 am Post subject: |
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| Well he showed up tonight. Tried to explain who he was and what he wanted but I didn't understand except the "do you watch TV" part. I said no since I can't understand it, he gave me a pamphlet and left. |
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Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:55 am Post subject: |
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"Terebi ga arimasen. Panfuretto wa, kekkou desu."
Problem sorted. "Kekkou desu." works with ANYONE who comes to your door offering Japanese culture paraphernalia/assorted cults/Jesus/newspapers. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:08 am Post subject: |
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| Mr_Monkey wrote: |
"Terebi ga arimasen. Panfuretto wa, kekkou desu."
Problem sorted. "Kekkou desu." works with ANYONE who comes to your door offering Japanese culture paraphernalia/assorted cults/Jesus/newspapers. |
A word of warning.
I've been instructed to say "irimasen" ("I don't need it") rather than "kekkou desu" to telephone sales people, because the meaning of the phrase "kekkou desu" is so context sensitive that it can be deliberately misinterpreted. If they record it, they can claim you entered a contract. (I doubt it would stand up in court, but that's not the point....) |
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Mr. Leafy
Joined: 24 Apr 2012
Posts: 246
Location: North of the Wall
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:26 am Post subject: |
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Telling the guy you don't have a TV is rather annoying to me because for years and years I didn't have a TV and said so when they came. Of course they didn't believe me when everyone else is lying. I got so tired of them coming around that I was tempted to let the guy in to see for himself. After 8 years in the same place I think they finally believed me.
Also, from what I've heard, 'the NHK guy' is often a university student on a part-time job, not someone out to get you, so don't give him too hard of a time. Dunno if this is true or not.
Two expressions similar to 'kekko desu' can mean 'want it' or 'no thanks' but for non-native Japanese speakers the difference in pronounce is small and difficult to get right. My Japanese teacher had us role-play shopping and buying phone contracts and we were never sure what our 'customer' was saying. |
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Mr_Monkey
Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 661
Location: Kyuuuuuushuuuuuuu
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| Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Pitarou wrote: |
A word of warning.
I've been instructed to say "irimasen" ("I don't need it") rather than "kekkou desu" to telephone sales people, because the meaning of the phrase "kekkou desu" is so context sensitive that it can be deliberately misinterpreted. If they record it, they can claim you entered a contract. (I doubt it would stand up in court, but that's not the point....) |
Fair enough, although I did say "people who come to your door."
I've never - in ten years - heard it used with the copula to mean anything but "stop bothering me". |
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stumptowny
Joined: 29 May 2011
Posts: 310
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| Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 4:19 am Post subject: |
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[quote="kah5217"]Oh, he's not coming in. I have a security monitor. :)[/quote]
thank god. the rest of us have no doors. NHK walks in at will for the rest of us |
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Cool Teacher
Joined: 18 May 2009
Posts: 930
Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D
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| Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 9:04 am Post subject: |
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| kah5217 wrote: |
| Oh, he's not coming in. I have a security monitor. |
He might look at is and say, "I thought you said you had no TV!" 
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