TfL Congestion Charge - User Error
Discussion
So I bought a new car recently and drove into London's Congestion Charge zone. The next day I logged onto the TfL website to pay the charge. I thought it best to set up an account as I do drive to London from time to time and, assuming it worked in the same way as the Dart Charge, I followed all the steps I encountered on the website - I entered my card/ bank details, I registered my vehicle, paid the charge and got a receipt via email. I thought I was now covered for future use of the car in the CC zone.
A month or so later, I went to London twice inside a few days and thought nothing of the Charge. I have now received two penalty charge notices.
I phoned their helpline to find out what had happened. Apparently setting up an account and entering vehicle details and payment info is just to make payment on a 'by visit' basis and I had missed the option to set up Auto Pay and so had not paid for these later visits at all.
I have looked at the website again (while paying 2x £80 fine) and have now found and set up auto-pay, but I really think that the website could be much clearer on the subject. I was only able to see the Auto Pay option on the first page, which also offers the option to open an account (which I chose at the time) Being asked clearly if you do or do not wish to set up Auto Pay while entering bank details would have made sense to me, and would have prevented my problem. I was definitely not trying to avoid paying, I thought I had made sure that I would be paying, but instead cocked it up.
I accept that I have made a mistake and not read everything properly, and have now paid the penalty, so it is too late to appeal but I really feel hard done by when I have been caught out by a badly designed system.
Has anyone else had this problem? Is it worth emailing TfL about this (if nothing else to get the website looked at) or am I just too incompetent to operate a computer and deserve all I get?
<insert Daily-Mail-sad-face-pic here>
A month or so later, I went to London twice inside a few days and thought nothing of the Charge. I have now received two penalty charge notices.
I phoned their helpline to find out what had happened. Apparently setting up an account and entering vehicle details and payment info is just to make payment on a 'by visit' basis and I had missed the option to set up Auto Pay and so had not paid for these later visits at all.
I have looked at the website again (while paying 2x £80 fine) and have now found and set up auto-pay, but I really think that the website could be much clearer on the subject. I was only able to see the Auto Pay option on the first page, which also offers the option to open an account (which I chose at the time) Being asked clearly if you do or do not wish to set up Auto Pay while entering bank details would have made sense to me, and would have prevented my problem. I was definitely not trying to avoid paying, I thought I had made sure that I would be paying, but instead cocked it up.
I accept that I have made a mistake and not read everything properly, and have now paid the penalty, so it is too late to appeal but I really feel hard done by when I have been caught out by a badly designed system.
Has anyone else had this problem? Is it worth emailing TfL about this (if nothing else to get the website looked at) or am I just too incompetent to operate a computer and deserve all I get?
<insert Daily-Mail-sad-face-pic here>
Aye London is a pain in the ass. I'm sure by tomorrow morn you will have have a dozen locals jumping down your neck claiming you should just KNOW what whims TfL are taking that day. Fact of the matter is, a big C on the road isn't a standard road sign, and I don't understand how they are allowed to charged a FPN upon people who pass it.
Last time I visited London I came VERY close to getting the £80 fine you got. Mainly because I had no idea how the C charge worked. I had just assumed you would get a notice in the post requesting you pay the £10ish charge if you went into London, I never realised I had to go onto a site and sign up for some subscription service before visiting the city.
It was only a week after my visit a friend told the C charge was as it is, I consider myself lucky as, completely by chance, I had turned off down a side street & parked about 2 junctions before the congestion charge. The whole way the charge worked really rubbed me the wrong way, and is part of the reason I doubt I will return again to the city willingly.
Last time I visited London I came VERY close to getting the £80 fine you got. Mainly because I had no idea how the C charge worked. I had just assumed you would get a notice in the post requesting you pay the £10ish charge if you went into London, I never realised I had to go onto a site and sign up for some subscription service before visiting the city.
It was only a week after my visit a friend told the C charge was as it is, I consider myself lucky as, completely by chance, I had turned off down a side street & parked about 2 junctions before the congestion charge. The whole way the charge worked really rubbed me the wrong way, and is part of the reason I doubt I will return again to the city willingly.
You could try a letter, but I doubt you'll get anywhere, they are not very forgiving.
I do feel for non locals who drive in London, there is so much to contend with. Different parking schemes across boroughs is a pet hate, they all use different providers so you need multiple accounts set up to pay by phone. Different boroughs have different rules, Camden has a two hour limit with no extension allowed. Westminster has 4 hours and you can add another 4 hours if needed. The City, has 4 hours but you can't add another 4.
Wait until next April when the 'T Charge' comes in, lots of diesel drivers will be getting an unexpected charge.
I do feel for non locals who drive in London, there is so much to contend with. Different parking schemes across boroughs is a pet hate, they all use different providers so you need multiple accounts set up to pay by phone. Different boroughs have different rules, Camden has a two hour limit with no extension allowed. Westminster has 4 hours and you can add another 4 hours if needed. The City, has 4 hours but you can't add another 4.
Wait until next April when the 'T Charge' comes in, lots of diesel drivers will be getting an unexpected charge.
limpsfield said:
Monkeylegend said:
It's not as if the congestion charge is a well kept secret though. It's been around since 2003 ish, and people must have been living under a log if they hadn't heard of it.
That wasn't his point.I too have made the mistake mentioned in the OP
I detest it. While accepting that there are great big signs telling you that you are entering the zone i find it pathetic that the website doesn't tell you that you need to pay for any given day, but instead gives you the option for several days regardless of whether or not you went in. The dartford crossing set up is so much better run.
Monkeylegend said:
limpsfield said:
Monkeylegend said:
It's not as if the congestion charge is a well kept secret though. It's been around since 2003 ish, and people must have been living under a log if they hadn't heard of it.
That wasn't his point.I too have made the mistake mentioned in the OP
As I said, luckily I had booked parking at the London Victoria NCP, which, as it turned out, had my GPS redirecting me about 2 junctions before the start of the C zone.
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