SANEF toll charging rip off

[normal bloke]

Yes, skiing is expensive but not the way I try to do it....vehicle = Skoda estate....not flash or quick but loads of space for family, luggage, etc. Stayed in mates' flat, prepped own food, drank crap wine, etc.....

Big Tony went by me (and others) at a mahoosive speed differential so yes in my opinion he was driving like a tt to make up for lost time. And if he skied like he drove they'd have been a lot of fighting in the ski lift queues. To be fair, there were a lot like him, mainly in Range Rovers. However the best one was a young bloke and his girl in a '90s red Citroen AX.....flat out all the way. Airbags? ABS?

So we're agreed then the admin charges are not actually all that bad BUT I've probably been pinged with the wrong tariff for the car?

[Hi]

Sounds like the wrong tariff to me, I have had a sanef tolling thing for a few years. I don't remember having to pay a setup fee nor postage and I pay approx £5/year charge for having the tag. It costs me about £100 to get to the south of france, which tallies up with what the internet would suggest.

I like having it as it's less hassle and quicker, If I'm using the motorway out there then it's because I'm in a hurry, if not I will use the back roads as I like the scenery.

[anonymous-user]

I am constantly amazed at UK/European prices, and what is wasted on admin/hidden taxation, living in Asia my prepaid/top up toll tag box broke last week after 15 years of use, will pick up a new one next time I have the opportunity, cost will be around 20 pounds, one off no monthly fees, If I'm lucky and there is an offer on then the box can be free if you put 25 pounds into it.

[hunton69]

I've driven to the three valleys on many occasions over the last 15 years in all sorts of vehicles the only problem I have experienced was driving a Dodge Ram with a lift kit the auto tolls kept putting me in class 2 due to it's height.

Always try and drive on Sundays or mid week if possible as the tolls are not so busy.

Off on Wednesday in a A8L 600 miles to a tank split 4 ways is cheap and the first tank is courtesy of the company.

[5potTurbo]

Like others here, I only pay €2/month for the months I use the tag, then standard toll fees on top.

[ModMan]

andrewrob said:

I bought mine from APRR although that was a couple of years ago. They charged £20 for the transponder (including delivery) then its just €1.50 each month you use it
Was well worth the money as we were travelling to Nice so plenty of toll booths and skipped some very large cues

Last week I almost bought the APRR tag but got distracted and never completed the purchase. However today I've gone to try and do it again via aprr.fr and selecting the "Occasional" option but I can now no longer complete the process as it says it's not valid for the UK on the 2nd screen where I enter my details. Last week there was a credit card link that's vanished. Have I just missed out on the cheap alternative and have to go via the UK company now?

[audidoody]

I get charged €2 only for the months I that I use it. All other toll costs remain the same as if you did;t have the dongle.

Wouldn't be without it Massive convenience.

Did you buy it from the UK web site?

www.saneftolling.co.uk

Edited by audidoody on Tuesday 16th February 15:44

[nutsytvr]

normal bloke said:

Went skiing in Val Thorens on Boxing Day to 2nd Jan. Worked out the cost to fly wife, me and two boys versus driving and it was a no-brainer at least in terms of cost. I'd also always fancied driving down.....if anyone has experienced Grenoble airport departures on the way home during the skiing season, you'll know what I'm talking about.

At first glance, buying a SANEF toll tag before you go looks to be a pretty smart thing to do....you can join the "fast queue" at the the tollbooths and most have a 30Km/hr queue whereby you can drive through without stopping. This is especially satisfying after you are constantly overtaken by "Big Tony" (in his 520d with M5 bodykit) and all his pals in their Range Rovers flashing you to pull over all the way down there. BT obviously hadn't bought a tag so he must have been a bit miffed everytime he had to pass us again a 20 minutes after leaving a tollbooth LOL.

However you know what the French are like. If they can charge the Brits for anything and everything they will, so here's what they do......
Application fee EU12.00
Annual management fee EU7.20
(calendar) monthly service fee EU12.00
refundable tag deposit 20.00
next day tag delivery EU12.00
foreign exchange finance charge EU5.06
actual toll charges EU179.60

total cost EU247.86 of which EU68.26 is purely for administration
Remember that if your journey crosses over two calendar months, you'll get pinged for two months admin charge.

You couldn't make it up!

My advice to future travellers is to pay the tolls as you arrive, save on the admin and wait for what.....an extra 4-6 minutes over the entire journey, there and back??
That is unless you revel in winding up blokes like "Big Tony".....which was actually quite fun, especially for the boys.

Why didn't you buy it from SanEF UK in Harrogate? I have one, and the charges are nothing like you quote:
€20 deposit on tag
Free delivery
€5 monthly charge for use in any calendar month
Standard French toll charges
DD on my UK bank account, with € to £ at current market exchange rate.

If you use French autoroutes, it is a no brainer. No wife hanging out of window to reach the pay machine, or if you are on your own no getting out and running round. Best of all, if wife is with you, no need to wake her up at every toll booth.
Paul

[Slippydiff]

andrewrob said:

I bought mine from APRR although that was a couple of years ago. They charged £20 for the transponder (including delivery) then its just €1.50 each month you use it
Was well worth the money as we were travelling to Nice so plenty of toll booths and skipped some very large cues

Hmmm, I can see that could cause a lot of damage on the autoroute if you hit it at speed, definitely worth avoiding.

[andrewrob]

Slippydiff said:

andrewrob said:

I bought mine from APRR although that was a couple of years ago. They charged £20 for the transponder (including delivery) then its just €1.50 each month you use it
Was well worth the money as we were travelling to Nice so plenty of toll booths and skipped some very large cues

Hmmm, I can see that could cause a lot of damage on the autoroute if you hit it at speed, definitely worth avoiding.

haha think I must have been slightly distracted when writing that!

[tr7v8]

Just checked mine & Tag, deposit & all the other bits including currency fee was £29. I then paid a further 24 Euro because I left the tag in the car when I sold it & had to get a replacement.

[surveyor]

leyorkie said:

Two types of account based on having a French bank account
Regular user 1.25€ per month
Occasional user 1.6€ per month when used.
Many of the busy toll booths have dedicated lanes where you can drive through at 30 kph which is nice when it's busy

The French do trust you to pay after use. The M6 tag and Dartford Crossing have to be pre loaded and the English just like to earn interest on my cash

I think the OP has spent a too much on his holiday and taking it out on the toll system.
However don't get me started on burger and chips for 20€ on top of a mountain or the price of beer, coffee et

APRR will let you have a tag based on a debit/credit card so you pay the same as french. System get's a little confused on postcode, but there is help available on-line.

The staff themselves are very helpful and usually reply to my pigeon French emails in very good English. Make a note of your password or the postcode you use. It's hard to get a reset without one of these

http://www.aprr.fr/fr

[ModMan]

surveyor said:

APRR will let you have a tag based on a debit/credit card so you pay the same as french. System get's a little confused on postcode, but there is help available on-line.

The staff themselves are very helpful and usually reply to my pigeon French emails in very good English. Make a note of your password or the postcode you use. It's hard to get a reset without one of these

http://www.aprr.fr/fr

Are you sure about this? I've just tried for the "Occasional" tag and on the second screen at the bottom it doesn't support payment if you're located in the UK it says. A couple of weeks ago I am sure it had another payment method (Credit/Debit) but it seems to have vanished.

[surveyor]

ModMan said:

surveyor said:

APRR will let you have a tag based on a debit/credit card so you pay the same as french. System get's a little confused on postcode, but there is help available on-line.

The staff themselves are very helpful and usually reply to my pigeon French emails in very good English. Make a note of your password or the postcode you use. It's hard to get a reset without one of these

http://www.aprr.fr/fr

Are you sure about this? I've just tried for the "Occasional" tag and on the second screen at the bottom it doesn't support payment if you're located in the UK it says. A couple of weeks ago I am sure it had another payment method (Credit/Debit) but it seems to have vanished.

I think your right. Looks like they are cracking down on it,

[myvision]

This is what you get on the back of the bill.