Dart Crossing Account Closure during Covid-19
I’ve had a Dart Charge Account since the automated system came into effect a few years ago.
Although we only use the bridge and tunnel once each way a year to go to France for our annual early summer holiday, we haven’t been able to go away this year due to the Covid Lockdown so we have received an Email that our Dart Account has now been closed as it hasn’t been used for twelve months ! This action is despite the account having a Credit balance of over £12 available which Dart now intend to keep to cover their overheads etc.
While I accept that this action is covered in the small print of their T &C’s I am cross that they have taken advantage of the Covid situation to take my money unreasonably. They have said that the only way to stop this happening is to send them another £10 to keep the account open until we are able to use the crossing in June 2021.
I have emailed them to complain formally approx. 10 days ago but so far have received only an automated acknowledgment.
Has anyone else experienced this problem and has it been resolved ? Can the C&MC help in any way ?
Comments
-
If, by sending them another £10, you can keep your account open, I'd do that, then in another few weeks close the account completely. That way you'll get all your money back.
I closed our account earlier this year, as we had intended going the Portsmouth-Caen route, and therefore wouldn't use the account for over 12 months. I got all my money back, mind you, it was less than £10, but still better in my pocket than theirs!
As for whether CAMC can help in any way, I'd doubt it. There is no member offer in conjunction with Dart Charge, so can't see any reason for them to intervene. At the end of the day, it IS in their T&Cs, I know, as I studied them very carefully last year, in relation to cancelling the account.
1 -
Way back last year the Dartford Crossing contacted me about my account that had become dormant because we had not used it for a while. As it was unlikely that I would use it in the immediate future I contacted them and asked them to close the account. They sent me a refund on the credit balance. Not sure why they have changed their policy regarding refunds?
David
1 -
Thanks for the heads up.
Could well happen to us. Ours was last used in January and it may not get used before next January. It's a bit like mobile Pay as you go, if you don't make a paying call for a certain period, they disable the number and keep the credit. Happened to my mum who rarely used hers.☹️
1 -
Must admit that I prefer to pay the dart charge as I go.
Sometimes I might use it travelling in one direction but on returning home via a different route not use it at all. Again I may well use it in both directions for the same outing. Because of this and the fact I may not use it every year, I PAYG.
0 -
We have had it about 5 years and it has generally been used about twice a year. I put the BinL on it, for when they visit us from France, saves him having to mess about. Only ever put £10 on, then run it right down, before topping up. Just ignore the occasional automated warning, re your account is getting low. It does save about 50p a crossing but that was not the reason for opening. The first time we used the system, I did just pay for a single crossing, for some reason I didn't get a receipt, so if they had said I hadn't paid, which has happened to some, it would have been difficult to prove.
0 -
Thank you for the replies so far.
Setting up the account originally while living so far away was probably for the novelty value & because it was something less to worry about while en route to the Continent etc.
Whilst one may have been able to close an account in the past, without penalty, it seems that more of the Dart Charge operation is automated & their computer software is going to decide what its going to do without fear or favour, without any human intervention.
I have of course checked around the Net for other people’s experiences such as on MoneyExpert & it seems that many, many people have found it to be extremely poor. Like me, emails were ignored and phone calls to Customer Services were met with a couldn’t care less attitude & take it or leave it etc. Promises of action leading to nothing and a wall of anonymity don’t help either.
Basically, we’ve been penalised by trying to be efficient and Administrators who can’t think of care have opted to ignore the many effects of this pandemic by not allowing any leeway by extending their inactivity limits.
I have emailed them for a third time to see what happens, I may try a phone call as well, even the C&MC or my MP.... Dart Charge must be making quite a few £ out of this 😡0 -
It seems they have changed their policy somewhat, probably as a result of covid. It’s about 15 months since our account was used and yesterday I received an email from them. It said that as my account had not been used for over a year it had been marked for closure in 90 days. If I wanted to keep it open I could make a crossing, go online and tick the box asking to keep it open, or request closure and a refund. As it only has just over £4 credit, I decided to wait and see what another year brings and ticked the box to keep it open until 13/3/22.
More amazing was the fact I remembered about and managed to locate this thread. It was via Google though not CT.😂
1 -
I'd forgotten what it was about but was attracted to read it by thoughts of the Dartmouth/Kingswear ferry across the River Dart 😁
0 -
Thanks for the heads up and reminder about this, we'de been debating whether to use this route as we are hopefully heading for the SE in June and decided to break the journey mid way and use the crossing. I then discovered it's a 50/50 split on the route length and we'd have to leave money in an account we might not use. We had been dithering about what to do on the M25 merry go round! I think we'll take the two minute longer route, abandon the crossing idea and unfortunately cancel the stop over.
There, just for once an old thread is useful!!
0
