Dart charge - don't forget to remove sold cars from account

kittyscavern

Not sure if this has been posted here before, I couldn't find a similar thread. Just a word of warning about the Dartford Crossing charge. If you have an account and you sell your car remember to remove it. We have one family account with all our cars on it. Husband sold his car and I forgot to remove it. New owner has been making journeys and I've ended up with a bill which Dart won't refund. Not really the new owner's fault because I have also found out that you can't add a car if it's already on another account. There's no system in place to alert the existing account holder that someone else has tried to add the car - this would have been an excellent prompt! I'm fortunate that I am only about £15 out of pocket but others may not be so lucky.

payandisplay

Thanks for the Heads up. That's an easy one to overlook.

[Deleted User]

Surely this applies to any toll road for example the Tyne Tunnel too. Although I believe you have to top your account up first rather than receive a bill in the post.

POPPYOSCAR

kittyscavern wrote: »

Not sure if this has been posted here before, I couldn't find a similar thread. Just a word of warning about the Dartford Crossing charge. If you have an account and you sell your car remember to remove it. We have one family account with all our cars on it. Husband sold his car and I forgot to remove it. New owner has been making journeys and I've ended up with a bill which Dart won't refund. Not really the new owner's fault because I have also found out that you can't add a car if it's already on another account. There's no system in place to alert the existing account holder that someone else has tried to add the car - this would have been an excellent prompt! I'm fortunate that I am only about £15 out of pocket but others may not be so lucky.

Good post.

I would never of thought of that.

Is there anything on the website to advise of this? if not then there should be.

ffacoffipawb

Deleted_User wrote: »

Surely this applies to any toll road for example the Tyne Tunnel too. Although I believe you have to top your account up first rather than receive a bill in the post.

New Runcorn Bridge too, the Mersey Gateway, and the old Silver Jubilee Bridge when it reopens (not tolled previously).

Gary2Seven

I have the opposite issue - I can't register my new car as the previous owner has not de-registered the Dart people won't do anything about it!

So I have to keep checking in case he/she does remove as I will then get fined.

db298

I just got bitten by this too

Turns out the new owner has been crossing regularly since June, and eating away at my account balance which I was forced to have because DART force you to put a minimum of £10 as soon as there is less than £10 in. That means they are always sitting on up to £20 of your cash...

I assumed that because vehicle registration and DART are both at .gov.uk that when I transferred ownership of the vehicle, it would automatically be removed from the DART crossing account. Turns out not

Geodark

Deleted_User wrote: »

Surely this applies to any toll road for example the Tyne Tunnel too. Although I believe you have to top your account up first rather than receive a bill in the post.

Tyne tunnel doesnt (yet) use registration recognition - you need a device in the window of the car. Either that or pay cash.

agrinnall

db298 wrote: »

I assumed that because vehicle registration and DART are both at .gov.uk that when I transferred ownership of the vehicle, it would automatically be removed from the DART crossing account. Turns out not

That assumes a level of joined up thinking and technology that is rarely, possibly never, found in UK government systems.

DoaM

Indeed. If you change address you need to inform DVLA twice ... once for V5C document and again for driving licence ... and this is the same government entity! (Same place but slightly different postal addresses).

Nodding_Donkey

db298 wrote: »

my account balance which I was forced to have because DART force you to put a minimum of £10 as soon as there is less than £10 in. That means they are always sitting on up to £20 of your cash...

No they don't, just turn off auto top up and all that will happen is you get a reminder email when it goes under £10