Fine for Dartford crossing

[FloofPaws]

Hi
I used the Dartford crossing a few weeks ago. I was a few days late in paying, phoned up expecting to be told I had a fine or such, but the online system charged me £5.50, so thought that was that
About a week later I got a fine through the post, it said the charge was £2.50, but it was now £37 due to unpaid crossing, except I did pay it and they accepted it, not only that they charged me £3 more than it was actually costing, which is fine e as I was late in doing it, but surely they can't then decide to charge me a fine, no mention of the £5.50 I had paid online / any advice?

Did you definitely pay for the correct registration number?

I had an issues recently with a mistyped registration number and a parking ticket.

Is there an appeals process where you can send your evidence that you paid?

I submitted screen grabs from my parking app, the signage on the street etc.

It was the parking enforcement company who pointed out that I'd typed my registration with a zero instead of the letter O. I've had the car for 3 years and it's always been like that on the RingGo app. Guess I've just been lucky before not to get a ticket!

I’m surprised they fined you to be honest, was it your first offence? We forgot to pay over the summer - realised too late. Received a letter through the post - I was expecting a hefty fine. However it said due to it being our first non payment ( we live in the north and use it once in a blue moon to go to France) that they charge was just £2.50 if we paid. It would increase obvs if we ignored it.

My brother on holiday from Canada in a hire car (& knew nothing about this system) tried pay 24 hrs too late, rang for ages on multiple occasions & for no-one to reply, he was hoping to pay, with 1 day late fine if required. Finally he paid the amount allowed on the app. My other brother who crosses frequently helped him.
2 months later he got a whopping fine. which is Outrageous, probably deliberately cashing in on the fact it was a hire car, & "the tourist would not be able to fight it."

@Ladybug6757755 - I have had a reminder many years ago so that's probably why I've not had a reminder this time around. I think I'll contest it because they took my payment and even added
Money to it. £3 extra, if that doesn't accommodate the few days I forgot (menopausal brain) then why is it so much more expensive at that
Point to them be charged again on top of that 😵😵‍💫

I’ve had fun and games with the Dart Charge over the years and I’m sure they have been on WatchDog. I once did 4 crossings (in the same car) made 4 payments and got 4 receipts. But they only allocated 3 of these payments, and even though they acknowledged I’d made 4th, they just couldn’t/wouldn’t apply it. It took a LOT of time to get sorted out.

I was late paying after the pandemic. We had had an account but because we hadn't used the crossing for a year due to lockdown etc the account was first suspended then closed.

During the period it was suspended using the crossing would reinstate it. It was only 48 hours after the crossing that I had a think and went back through my emails. Upon finding my account was closed I went on line and paid albeit late. I got a fine but it was rescinded after I showed I had paid,

The current charge is £2.50 reduced to £2 for account holders.

There is an appeal process similar to that for parking on Council land ie to a properly independent tribunal.

There is, or was, an issue affecting hire cars as if a payment is made and there are outstanding charges for previous crossing the payment is applied to the oldest unpaid charge. Herr Brunn, on his way to Gatwick in his hire car fails to pay, The car is then hired to Mrs Smith who pays her £2.50 on line but the payent is allocated to Herr Brunn's crossing.

By the time the Hire Company have added their charges Mrs Smith's bill is quite big!!

How the hell can you know nothing? There are multiple signs as you approach the crossing telling you to pay on line. Admittedly there's nothing for the digitally excluded about other ways to pay but I don't see how you can be totally ignorant of the need to pay.

How the hell can you know nothing? There are multiple signs as you approach the crossing telling you to pay on line. Admittedly there's nothing for the digitally excluded about other ways to pay but I don't see how you can be totally ignorant of the need to pay.

I think the signs say “Dart Charge, pay online by midnight tomorrow” or something similar. Which is not necessarily clear enough.

Are you sure you paid on the official website? I don't think the fee for any vehicle is £5.50.

Im pretty sure and I've got a payment on my
Credit card - I'll check
More tomorrow when I contest it

Bromptotoo.

I think thats a bit unfair

He realised there was a charge. He paid, albeit late
He wasn't used to driving in the rammed, narrow roads in SE England, in a car he wasn't familiar with, on the opposite side of the road.

& personally I dont think its clear at all.

Maybe they issued the letter before you phoned and paid and it just took a while to get through the system.

The letter would have gone to europcar/whatever other hire company.

The letter was written 5 days after I paid it

@FloofPaws

That was my experience too when I paid late.

I guess the cameras capture the VRNs as the vehicles cross the line. Payments made up until the deadline are matched to those records and the file containing those VRNs with no matching payment are sent to enforcement. Enforcement get the keeper data on line from DVLA and send Charge Notices accordingly.

If the keeper asserts late payment and there's a good cause the Charge Notice will be withdrawn.

It is supremely clear. Mike's before the crossing, loads of signage and once you're through loads more.

The only people I have sympathy for are the digitally excluded

It does but there are also other signs setting out the Charge operating times and tariffs. It was a toll crossing 50+years ago when my Father used it en route to Dover for holidays in France.

Obviously some people don't get it but I'm pretty sure I would understand the concept even abroad where signs are not in my first language.

@FloofPaws I know this is an old thread but did you work out what had happened? We are about to cross and I have been charged £5.50 for one class b crossing which doesn't seem right. I've got a screenshot which says "dartcossing" and an email from till charge limited.

Hmm. I think I have now worked this out. I paid via dartcrossing.co.uk which I thought was the official site but is actually a "convenient online platform for paying Dartford Crossing tolls and parking fees, along with an additional service charge" hence the extra £3. Live and learn, eh?