Dart Charge multiple PCNs

dh1981

I am very good at forgetting to pay tolls etc, but I know I paid these and luckily have evidence.

The sequence of events:

27 December
4pm crossing 1
5pm paid £5 to cover 2 crossings 
6pm crossing 2

30 December 
5pm crossing 3
6pm paid £5 to cover 2 crossings
10pm crossing 4

9th Jan
Receive 2 PCNs by mail for crossings 1 and 2
Log on to appeal and see there are 4 PCNs. Double check I paid and used the correct registration etc. Appeal all 4.

11th Jan
11am crossing 5
12pm paid £5 to cover 2 crossings - but notice that its only giving me the option to pay for future crossings. I tried multiple times and it seems its not registered my crossing so not allowing me to pay for it. I pay £5 anyway and do a screen video of the payment as evidence. I can only assume this also happened on the previous payments.

12th Jan
10am crossing 6

I don't really understand whats happening. The registration is definitely correct - I've checked multiple times and the PCNs include the same reg.

What I can't understand is, even if I'd technically missed the first payment as it wouldn't allow me to pay for it, I then paid for 2 crossings which would have covered journeys 2 and 3, and then 2 more which would have covered journey 4 (and 5 - but no PCN for that yet). So at the most I should have received 1 PCN.

I know there's been a lot of problems with the Dart Charge, but I can't find anything online about this specific problem.

Awaiting 2 more PCNs probably.

Keep_pedalling

Have you contacted them about this?

As you seem to be a regular user why not set up an account, so you pay automatically and save 50p per crossing? 

dh1981

I'm not usually a regular user. It's been years since my last crossing.

I have now set up an account, which I think I may have done years ago before the company that manages the crossing changed.

I have just tried to contact them as I've checked the payment reference for my crossings at the weekend and they have not been used against any crossings - but I can't attach my screenshot as it says it must be a jpeg (or a could of other file types). It is a jpeg, but it's still giving me the error message 

dh1981

Also, when you pay for future crossings, should the crossing be the same day?

Edit: just realised the credit expiry date is next year, and not the day I paid. Which means this makes less sense but at least its not me messing it up.


I may have messed up somewhere, but I can't really see how. Maybe with this last crossing, as I paid the day before the crossing. But that wasn't the case for all the other crossings.

dh1981

The whole thing is infuriating.
I just realised my crossing was only yesterday, so I would still be able to pay for it today and avoid a 6th PCN. But I can't, as there is no record of my crossing!!

kinger101

It's worth phoning them up.  If you are calm and polite, they may be lenient.  First time I crossed I forgot to pay the next day, but they let we pay without penalty when I called a few days later.

jimjames

kinger101 said:

It's worth phoning them up.  If you are calm and polite, they may be lenient.  First time I crossed I forgot to pay the next day, but they let we pay without penalty when I called a few days later.

I dont think it's a case of them being lenient. The OP has paid so the PCNs aren't valid and would be cancelled if it went to court. There is clearly some system issue that isn't linking vehicle to payment.

OP - is there anything in your registration that could be misinterpreted? 0 for O for example or any other letter/number combination? 

dh1981

jimjames said:

kinger101 said:

It's worth phoning them up.  If you are calm and polite, they may be lenient.  First time I crossed I forgot to pay the next day, but they let we pay without penalty when I called a few days later.

I dont think it's a case of them being lenient. The OP has paid so the PCNs aren't valid and would be cancelled if it went to court. There is clearly some system issue that isn't linking vehicle to payment.

OP - is there anything in your registration that could be misinterpreted? 0 for O for example or any other letter/number combination? 

I don't think so - and in any case, the PCN is showing the correct reg.
I have sent an online enquiry for journeys 4 and 5, as the payment ref is showing as no crossings used against it.

I have called today as I had to cross twice again yesterday. I had set up an online pay as you go account by then anyway, but my online account isn't showing any crossings. They assured me on the phone that the payments would be taken/crossings shown by midnight on the day following the crossings. But there was a system error yday and it may take longer. And helpfully, the call was disconnected when he was going to look into my other crossing issues.

I haven't bothered calling back, as I see no value in a verbal 'everything will be ok', he didn't even take my registration details. I'll await an email response. My online account is still showing no crossings.

dh1981

I've had a response to my online enquiry.
It's not helpful in the slightest.

It says that they can confirm I have am overpayment of £5 which can be used for future crossings.

No crossings shown in my account yet.

Okell

dh1981 said:

I've had a response to my online enquiry.
It's not helpful in the slightest.

It says that they can confirm I have am overpayment of £5 which can be used for future crossings.

No crossings shown in my account yet.

You should try posting on FTLA as I think they are now considered the best forum on Local authority and Dart PCNs

READ THIS FIRST - **BEFORE POSTING YOUR CASE!**, This section is for council, TFL, Dart/Mersey/Tyne etc. cases

dh1981

Good news (I think), after several emails where they clearly weren't understanding the issue and kept saying the payments weren't made in time and directing me to the phone number to pay the PCN, I have now received an email saying they are cancelling the PCNs for Decemeber.

Worryingly, they don't mention anything about Jan - but I haven't actually received any PCNs for those crossings so far. So hopefully its resolved. I have asked for confirmation about the Jan crossings.