Dart Charge Account Inactive
Discussion
Got the following email from Dart Charge Customer Services
[b]Your Dart Charge account has been inactive for 12 months.
In accordance with our terms and conditions, your account will be closed if it remains inactive for a further 90 days. You can keep your account open by topping up your balance or by making a crossing in a vehicle which is linked to the account.[/b]
If you have any queries, please contact us on 0300 300 0120 between 5:00am and midnight daily. [/b]Alternatively, email customerservice@dartford-crossing-charge.service.gov.uk [/b]
It sounds like they are going to close the account and keep the balance or I have to add funds or make a crossing. I called them I didn’t have to add any money and don’t have to make a crossing and they can just mark the account as active. Why can’t they just say what they mean rather than dicking about.
[b]Your Dart Charge account has been inactive for 12 months.
In accordance with our terms and conditions, your account will be closed if it remains inactive for a further 90 days. You can keep your account open by topping up your balance or by making a crossing in a vehicle which is linked to the account.[/b]
If you have any queries, please contact us on 0300 300 0120 between 5:00am and midnight daily. [/b]Alternatively, email customerservice@dartford-crossing-charge.service.gov.uk [/b]
It sounds like they are going to close the account and keep the balance or I have to add funds or make a crossing. I called them I didn’t have to add any money and don’t have to make a crossing and they can just mark the account as active. Why can’t they just say what they mean rather than dicking about.
Seems a common theme with multiple operators, simply mark the account inactive and keep the money.
I have two cars and only occasionally use the Dart crossing so will have to check to see as I'm sure the advance payment on one of them is probably approaching a year.
Similar happened when I tried using an old olympic oyster card that had £20 on it, hadn't used it in a while due to using phone/contactless and when I lent it to a friend who was visiting it didn't work.
TFL said there was nothing that could be done as it hadn't been used for too long and I should have got a 'visitor' oyster card as they don't expire, they must make millions from doing this.
I have two cars and only occasionally use the Dart crossing so will have to check to see as I'm sure the advance payment on one of them is probably approaching a year.
Similar happened when I tried using an old olympic oyster card that had £20 on it, hadn't used it in a while due to using phone/contactless and when I lent it to a friend who was visiting it didn't work.
TFL said there was nothing that could be done as it hadn't been used for too long and I should have got a 'visitor' oyster card as they don't expire, they must make millions from doing this.
Morning
bit of a bump, but was there a resolution to this? I find myself in the same situation: I would not unnecessarily drive to Dartford just to cross for fun, or add money to an account I already use infrequently....
Yet I have a planned crossing later today, and despite having paid them sufficiently already for some crossings, I suspect I will have to set up a new account (or just pay the standard charge)
To make myself feel slightly better, I have fired off a passive aggressive e-mail to the helpdesk about wanting "my" money back, but I suspect their computer has been programmed to say "no".
Ian
bit of a bump, but was there a resolution to this? I find myself in the same situation: I would not unnecessarily drive to Dartford just to cross for fun, or add money to an account I already use infrequently....
Yet I have a planned crossing later today, and despite having paid them sufficiently already for some crossings, I suspect I will have to set up a new account (or just pay the standard charge)
To make myself feel slightly better, I have fired off a passive aggressive e-mail to the helpdesk about wanting "my" money back, but I suspect their computer has been programmed to say "no".
Ian
Ian Geary said:
Morning
bit of a bump, but was there a resolution to this? I find myself in the same situation: I would not unnecessarily drive to Dartford just to cross for fun, or add money to an account I already use infrequently....
Yet I have a planned crossing later today, and despite having paid them sufficiently already for some crossings, I suspect I will have to set up a new account (or just pay the standard charge)
To make myself feel slightly better, I have fired off a passive aggressive e-mail to the helpdesk about wanting "my" money back, but I suspect their computer has been programmed to say "no".
Ian
Yeah, I had this. When I made my next crossing, the account was reactivated and available funds were reinstated.bit of a bump, but was there a resolution to this? I find myself in the same situation: I would not unnecessarily drive to Dartford just to cross for fun, or add money to an account I already use infrequently....
Yet I have a planned crossing later today, and despite having paid them sufficiently already for some crossings, I suspect I will have to set up a new account (or just pay the standard charge)
To make myself feel slightly better, I have fired off a passive aggressive e-mail to the helpdesk about wanting "my" money back, but I suspect their computer has been programmed to say "no".
Ian
That's odd. Was that a change to their T&Cs?
I literally cross the bridge once every couple of years.
What doesn't make sense to me is having the minimum account balance is £10 for something that costs £2, which really just encourages people to fund the account unnecessarily, considering they have already recouped the tolls to fund the construction.
I thought they were overal quite a reasonable provider, with their grace period etc. I was worried when I got a mail saying I owed them money, after I registered after crossing without actually funding the account, to find I was simply £1.70 overdrawn where they'd deducted the toll.
Although I find any prepay service where your funds can expire an absolute disgrace. Especially ones where topping up certain amounts is incentivised with a credit bonus etc. Suffered this fate with spare mobiles and car shares, only for small amounts but I simply won't prefund any account unless absolutely necessary. Except the online greetings card services, which would take the utter mickey if you topped up to send a birthday card one year to find your credit had expired by the next year's birthday.
I literally cross the bridge once every couple of years.
What doesn't make sense to me is having the minimum account balance is £10 for something that costs £2, which really just encourages people to fund the account unnecessarily, considering they have already recouped the tolls to fund the construction.
I thought they were overal quite a reasonable provider, with their grace period etc. I was worried when I got a mail saying I owed them money, after I registered after crossing without actually funding the account, to find I was simply £1.70 overdrawn where they'd deducted the toll.
Although I find any prepay service where your funds can expire an absolute disgrace. Especially ones where topping up certain amounts is incentivised with a credit bonus etc. Suffered this fate with spare mobiles and car shares, only for small amounts but I simply won't prefund any account unless absolutely necessary. Except the online greetings card services, which would take the utter mickey if you topped up to send a birthday card one year to find your credit had expired by the next year's birthday.
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