So, forgot to pay my Dartford Dart Charge….😟

I’ve never bothered to set an account up as I virtually never use the crossing

Anyway…

Crossed twice during same day but even after setting a reminder on mobile I forgot to pay, idiot!…. Only remembered 4 days after and paid the £5.

Expected letter came today, £70 but only £35 if paid within 14 days…. Plus £2.50 crossing charge.

Now, here is my concern. It only asks for £2.50, inferring I might get another letter demanding more money for the other crossing back made that day?? Both crossing took place during the daytime.

Totally my fault but will I get another letter soon asking for more money?

(Moot point, but I’ve paid the £5 for that day yet they still want £2.50 for the crossing? Guess the letter was sent before I paid the £5?)

Thanks for info guys.

Phone them up and confess your sins, they let you off your first crime. Offer to pay for the next one at the same time, though I’m not sure you can until you ge the code from the letter.

My OH did similar a couple of months ago, like you she had paid but too late, phoned them up and they cancelled the charge but they said she still had 2 pay for the 2 crossings in order to clear the PCN, the money she had already paid got marked down as credit against her next two crossings.

Ok thanks guys, I’ll give that a try. Fingers crossed.👍

Just set up a payg account too for the future. Anyone noticed how their site is permanently in Alfa testing??

Definitely phone and grovel.

I had similar, although I do have an account, I was in a hire car and totally forgot to pay as I’m so used to it happening automatically.

I just had to pay the £2.50 or whatever they charge. Plus the £60 from the hire car co for passing on the fine 🙄

I can echo everyone else, first missed payment (I think I paid 24hrs too late) I called and they cancelled the fine and took the crossing charge, what I’d payed already stated as credit against a future crossing. When I’ve forgotten to to pay since I’ve had to pay the fine. I also don’t use it enough to make another bloody account that I’ll forget the details to because I don’t use it enough.

I freekin hate that crossing system. Back in the good old days you paid there and then and it was done with….now you have to bloody remember. So after a hideous long day on the road you get home have dinner, a couple of beers etc etc and of course forget the stupid crossing then get a fine through the post. I got rinsed at work when I bemoaned it and they all said it was just me and they would never be so careless or forgetful then after a while I started to hear others telling of their woes caught by the dart system…oh the schadenfreude.

Thanks for the continued info lads.

Anyone got 2 separate letters for separate crossings on the same day then?

@donks why don’t you set up an account?

Apart from the hire car issue I reasonably regularly drive through without worrying.

Daft system, went over last summer, had every intention of paying it when we camped that night but no phone signal. Never did pay it, a few threatening letters arrived, duly ignored, eventually they went away.

Thanks for the continued info lads.

Anyone got 2 separate letters for separate crossings on the same day then?

Yeah I did, forgot to pay and got 2 letters through for the 2 crossings on the same day, both said that as it was my first time I just needed to pay the £5. Logged in and the penalty was showing as £5 owed.

@tau11pau1

I’m beginning to suspect I might have had the discretionary offer in the past, hence why not getting it this time. My memory is rubbish.

bob_summers

Member
Daft system, went over last summer, had every intention of paying it when we camped that night but no phone signal. Never did pay it, a few threatening letters arrived, duly ignored, eventually they went away.

I won’t be ignoring it mate. A member of my family ended up coughing up nearly £700 by doing that. Not entirely his own fault as the warming letters are being kept from him but I won’t go into that.

Anyway, I’ll be paying, just a case of how much…

Ahh, yeah I think you only get the ‘pay the £2.50’ offer the first time.

It is easy to forget, I live in Kent and don’t use the crossing that much, I’ll set up an account once I have my new car.

Yeah, Kent here too yet virtually never go across the river. Was just dropping my lad to Stansted. Doh!

I get hit in the opposite way, I only ever use the crossing when I drive down to Kent for a boozy weekend with friends.

So I pay in advance, then inevitably cross the bridge late/early when the charge isn’t in force. Then I don’t travel for long enough that the bastards steal my £5 as iirc credits only remain for year.

Still it’s less hassle/cost than a fine…

Never did pay it, a few threatening letters arrived, duly ignored, eventually they went away.

A good mate did the same and loved telling his story about how he “didn’t even open the letters just binned them and then they stopped”

Until he applied for a mortgage and was told about his CCJ. He doesn’t tell that story as much anymore 👍

If it’s your first time then appeal and they will probably let you off the fines. SO if I were you pay the £2.50 and appeal saying you didn’t fully understand the process. I’ve had experience of this. Last year I went through but forgot to pay within the 24hr period. Remembered about 2 days later and paid the £2.50. When I got home the fine was waiting for me so I emailed them to clarify what the situation was and if I needed to still pay the fine as I had paid the £2.50 before the fine was issued. By the time I got a response a larger fine came through for non/late payment. I called them, explained the situation. They were really helpful and told me to appeal and as it’s my first offence the chances are the appeal will be successful. The appeal process time takes longer than the fine tie limit but they said to ignore that because the fact I’ve lodged an appeal it puts the process on hold so no drawbacks to appealing.

Sure enough the appeal went through and I was let off any fines. This year I paid up for three passages for the two trips I have done this year as you can pay in advance.

Happened to me maybe 18 months ago. Visiting friends in London for the weekend, so did an out-and-back over consecutive days. The drive back home was hell, took me like seven hours to get from London to Lancashire, and I was so spangled when I got home that I simply forgot.

I suddenly remembered about four days later and immediately paid online. Thought nothing more of it until I got a letter through the post (not two) maybe six weeks later demanding the payment (which I’d already made) and the non-payment fine.

I rang them up, but unlike others’ experience here I was told there was absolutely nothing she could do and I’d have to write to contest it. This I did, and I got a very condescending reply basically saying they’d let me off this time but wouldn’t do so again.

First one they let you off and you pay over the phone. Second you have to pay a fine.

I paid going over and forgot to pay coming back. Thought it was like Wales where you only used to pay going west. They were very understanding.

If your first time it’s always worth appealing. No downside to it. If you’re successful then you will be let off the fines, if not then you’ll just pay the fines. Worth trying your luck. You can lodge an appeal over their website so don’t need to talk to anyone.