Tyne Tunnel Unpaid Toll Charge after less than 48 hours to pay online

mpmatthew

Last weekend I travelled up to the North East with my 4 month old to meet his family for the first time. On Saturday afternoon we used the Tyne Tunnel, which I haven't used in years, and didn't realise until I got there that they've gotten rid of the toll booths and replaced them with an online payment system.

I had enough on my plate with a long journey and a young baby, but tried to pay 930am Monday morning. At that point I realised that the Tyne Tunnel operator only gives you until midnight the day after you travel to pay the toll. I tried calling the number of the website but it's just an automated payment service with a message telling you cannot make a payment for a journey made before yesterday. Contacted their Twitter account and they told me I'd missed the deadline and will have to deal with the Charge Notice. The fine could be up to £100 (for a £1.90 toll!).

This seems to me a ridiculously short window to pay, especially given you can't pay in person. Aren't there rules governing how long you should be given before incurring a fine? And what regulator can I appeal to if/when my complaint and appeal against the charge is rejected from Tyne Tunnel (I will appeal when I get the letter)?

TLDR, had less than 48 hours to pay a toll online that you can't pay at the tunnel itself, and will now be fined for missing the deadline, what are my rights here?

jimjames

Exactly the same with Dartford tolls. Have you made the payment?

k3lvc

mpmatthew said:

Last weekend I travelled up to the North East with my 4 month old to meet his family for the first time. On Saturday afternoon we used the Tyne Tunnel, which I haven't used in years, and didn't realise until I got there that they've gotten rid of the toll booths and replaced them with an online payment system.

I had enough on my plate with a long journey and a young baby, but tried to pay 930am Monday morning. At that point I realised that the Tyne Tunnel operator only gives you until midnight the day after you travel to pay the toll. I tried calling the number of the website but it's just an automated payment service with a message telling you cannot make a payment for a journey made before yesterday. Contacted their Twitter account and they told me I'd missed the deadline and will have to deal with the Charge Notice. The fine could be up to £100 (for a £1.90 toll!).

This seems to me a ridiculously short window to pay, especially given you can't pay in person. Aren't there rules governing how long you should be given before incurring a fine? And what regulator can I appeal to if/when my complaint and appeal against the charge is rejected from Tyne Tunnel (I will appeal when I get the letter)?

TLDR, had less than 48 hours to pay a toll online that you can't pay at the tunnel itself, and will now be fined for missing the deadline, what are my rights here?

Why is 'by Midnight the next day' a ridiculously short time to pay ? It takes less than a minute on the online system on your phone and you had at least 1,440 of those minutes to choose from

Most people have missed a toll payment in the new age - whether it's Dartford, Congestion Charge or now Tyne Tunnel - it's an annoyance/expensive but not the end of the world and will almost guarantee that you don't do it again

And if I were you I'd forget any regulator appeal - you agreed to make the payment as you drove up to the tunnel - not having someone there to take your payment from you is not against any rules

mpmatthew

jimjames said:

Exactly the same with Dartford tolls. Have you made the payment?

I tried to pay Monday morning but because I had missed the deadline any payment would have gone towards future journeys. So now all I can do is wait for the fine to come through.

mpmatthew

Yeah I suppose it's my fault for prioritising my four month old son instead of focussing on the more important matter of paying a toll fare. It's not that I forgot to pay, I just didn't think I would be fined if I did it the next working day, and I had more important things to do before I could get around to even thinking about doing it.

TadleyBaggie

It would only be £100 if you fail to pay 28 days after you receive your notice, if you pay within 14 days it is reduced to £30.

Once you get your notice you can appeal vis this link:  https://payyourtoll.tt2.co.uk/payutcn/

Sandtree

mpmatthew said:

Yeah I suppose it's my fault for prioritising my four month old son instead of focussing on the more important matter of paying a toll fare. It's not that I forgot to pay, I just didn't think I would be fined if I did it the next working day, and I had more important things to do before I could get around to even thinking about doing it.

So your son was awake for over 24 hours and his family didnt want to spend any time with him to give you 2 minutes to pay the toll? Feels more like looking for excuses than prioritising your son.

Its one to chalk up to experience and pay the reduced fine for prompt payment... in case your son ever does have a nap you can prepay for future journeys and get a 10% discount for doing so. 

TripleH

I made the mistake regarding the congestion charge once. Woke up middle of the night realising I hadn't paid it, it felt sick to pay the extra. I had no reason to forget either.

Sadly it is a case of pay the penalty and move on.

That is the issue with these charges, frequent users setup automatic accounts but they won't change the rules for infrequent users because it is a nice earner for them.

mpmatthew

OK it seems that the concept of a parent being busy enough to put off doing something for a day doesn't register with some of you. Suppose I have to accept a certain level of forum-noise to get any help.

To those who tried to answer my questions without blaming me for a very easy mistake to make, thank you!

MEM62

mpmatthew said:

 Aren't there rules governing how long you should be given before incurring a fine?  

Yes, there are and it is midnight after the day you passed through the tunnel.  Tight deadlines for payment are common for such charges (Congestion charges, ULEZ, Dartford Tunnel etc) and forgetting to pay is an expensive mistake.  

DB1904

mpmatthew said:

Yeah I suppose it's my fault for prioritising my four month old son instead of focussing on the more important matter of paying a toll fare. It's not that I forgot to pay, I just didn't think I would be fined if I did it the next working day, and I had more important things to do before I could get around to even thinking about doing it.

Not really relevant though, the thread could be summed up as you used the tunnel didn't pay and now want a way round not paying the fine.