DART charge

wallacebob
wallacebob Forum Participant Posts: 89
edited January 2016 in Caravan & Motorhome Chat #1

I know some others fell foul of the new Dartford Crossing charge last year by mistake. I did, and promptly paid up a week later on receiving a letter. The letter said due to some early confusion amongst motorists if I paid my £2.50, they would waive the
fine for a limited time. You had to read the notice carefully to understand that tho'. Some people just paid the fine unknowing. That was July 2015.

Today I had another letter saying I hadn't paid the fee, and I now owed £107.50. A quick phone call cleared it up; "computer glitch". How many people may pay this fine in fear or ignorance? There seem to be many payment issues with the DART charge, so beware. 

Comments

  • MichaelT
    MichaelT Forum Participant Posts: 1,874
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #2

    I set up an account to automatically top up when the balnace faills below £10 and have had no issues at all also get a discount to £1.67 a trip.  Admittedly if you onoy use it once a year then probably not worth it but we use it 6 or 7 times a year and have
    found it great.  Even went straight thru last weekend with no hold ups a real first for us!!

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited January 2016 #3
    The user and all related content has been Deleted User
  • TJ49
    TJ49 Forum Participant Posts: 39
    edited January 2016 #4

    Last year we went from the NorthWest to Dover via the M40 and round the bottom end of london to avoid the dart-charge, and came back the same way with no real problems,

    When we arrived in Calais in June there was a srtike and we were diverted to Dunkirque where it was chaos.

    On our next trip to Europe we will seriously consider going from Southampton or Portsmouth. Anywhere to avoid the dartford crossing and dover-calais.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #5

    No car ferries to Europe from Southampton. Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth.

  • RangeRoverMan
    RangeRoverMan Forum Participant Posts: 125
    edited January 2016 #6

    I signed up as well. No problems at all. I don't understand why some people are so frightened of it.

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,867 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2016 #7

    We have set up an account for the Dartford Crossing even though we might only use it a couple of times a year. The alternative way of paying seems a bit hit and miss.

    As far as using alternatives to Dover-Calais. For many of us that route remains the most convenient simply because of the sheer number of crossings available. For many years we have used the Tunnel which we find very smooth and easy to use. From where we live we could as easily go to Portsmouth which is a good route and about the same distance but only three services a day to Caen. 

    David

  • rjb
    rjb Forum Participant Posts: 118
    edited January 2016 #8

    I pay as you go live in Kent and never had problem

  • commeyras
    commeyras Club Member Posts: 1,853 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2016 #9

    Cyberyacht; surely you should have put ' but there are from....' after Southampton!

  • TJ49
    TJ49 Forum Participant Posts: 39
    edited January 2016 #10

    I do not intend to 'sign-up' just to use it once a year. I try to limit who has my email etc and thereby limit the junk email.

    We have, sometimes. used the motorways in Italy and France and never had a problem paying at the pay booths.

    Why the couldn't they have a least one pay booth in each direction for people like me,

    The Europeans who aren't aware of the charge and just drive through. I did hear that those who don't pay are caught at Dover !

  • KenAndKathleenReay
    KenAndKathleenReay Forum Participant Posts: 61
    edited January 2016 #11

    Signed up for an account from the start. We live 300 miles from Dartford crossing, so, not really likely to be a regular user. It has worked just fine, apart from one small glitch (duplicate charge) which was sorted with an EMail. There is no fee for setting
    up an account. If Spam to your EMail address is a worry, just set up another EMail address for this use only. I really cannot see what the problem is.

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,145 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2016 #12

    I would rather have the money in my account and pay as and when

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #13

    Cyberyacht; surely you should have put ' but there are from....' after Southampton!

    Saving pixels. Wink

  • MichaelT
    MichaelT Forum Participant Posts: 1,874
    1000 Comments
    edited January 2016 #14

    I do not intend to 'sign-up' just to use it once a year. I try to limit who has my email etc and thereby limit the junk email.

    We have, sometimes. used the motorways in Italy and France and never had a problem paying at the pay booths.

    Why the couldn't they have a least one pay booth in each direction for people like me,

    The Europeans who aren't aware of the charge and just drive through. I did hear that those who don't pay are caught at Dover !

    Write your comments here...I suspect there would be a queue and this would block the road and cause traffic jams which is the reason they did away with the toll booths in the first place.