Dartford Crossing has no toll booths now, how this affects YOU !

[Justin Smith]

If you do a bank transaction online and it costs the bank X to process it.

Doing the same transaction by phone to a call centre costs them approximately 10X.

Doing it in a branch costs them approximately 100X.

 

I'd imagine the costs are broadly similar for others. It's no surprise that they all want us to do as much online as possible.

 

I run my own business* and would vigorously dispute those figures, but the point is, when we`re talking government services (and the Dartford crossing is an essential part of our national road network) they have no right to force people to access those services in ways they may not want to. Particularly if it involves the public in extra expenditure.

 

* Which ironically does most of it Online but we don`t make it any harder for people to order on the phone or in the shop if they wish.

 

---------- Post added 01-12-2014 at 13:04 ----------

 

I prefer to conduct transactions online using a smartphone, such as shopping, banking, boarding passes, cinema tickets, etc.

 

71% of adults have a broadband connection, fixed and/or mobile, baring some technological disaster that figure will surely increase.

 

 

http://media.ofcom.org.uk/facts/

 

I do enjoy the irony of some complaining about online usage using an internet based forum.

 

If people wish to use technology or not that`s entirely up to them. If a private company wishes to make it awkward for customers to use them if they don`t want to use a technology that`s also up to them. But if it`s the Government, or a quasi governmental company, or a business providing effectively a licenced service (like the utilities for instance) they have no right to force people to use something they don`t want to have.

[hyper]

It's no more discrimination than requiring that people be able to afford the crossing in the first place.

 

Discrimination is about inherent characteristics that cannot be changed. Ie, your sex, sexuality or age. You have no choice about any of those.

You have a choice about what phone to have

Apparently not it would seem - that's if you want to continue to engage in and use modern facilities. The only choice you will have is whether its Samsung or Apple

[Anna B]

I know people who work with the elderly. They say it's a nightmare trying to sort things out for them because they have little knowledge of tech. These are not old people suffering from dementia but fully functioning old folk who are trapped in a world that is changing so fast they can't keep up, and they haven't got the money to spend on tech either. These are snailmail and phonecall people who now feel disenfranchised in the world.

 

A lot of them are housebound. It's sad because they are the very people who would be helped by new tech, (online shopping springs to mind,) but they need an awful lot of help to get to grips with it. When they can't even get help to get up and dressed in the morning what chance is there of that happening?

[Hot As Sun]

All tolls for roads/bridges/crossings should be abolished.

 

---------- Post added 01-12-2014 at 13:34 ----------

 

On the general subject of requiring gadgets to do the rudimentary things in life, I agree with the sentiments of the OP; my daughter wouldn't be able to do a large portion of her school homework without a computer, internet access, Microsoft Word and a printer. The school just assumes you have all these things.

 

She also used go to Beavers/Cubs and we wouldn't have been able to open the correspondence from them without Microsoft Word on the computer!

Edited December 1, 2014 by Hot As Sun

[tinfoilhat]

But I don`t want a smart phone ! And why, in order to access Government services, should I have to buy one ?

 

---------- Post added 01-12-2014 at 09:15 ----------

 

 

I mean a smart phone, to me they`re all the same.....

 

---------- Post added 01-12-2014 at 09:19 ----------

 

 

You are correct. But the point of this thread is the Dartford Crossing is just the thin end of the wedge. That`s why it`s relevant to everyone in Sheffield. People are already second class citizens if they`re not Online, before long they`ll be second class citizens if they haven`t got a Smart Phone. And that`s to access Government services..... Did I hear the other day that all school kids must have a Smart Phone at school ? If that`s true that`s an absolute outrage.

 

Justin Justin Justin - calm down. As I said in my second post, you don't need a smart phone. Pay here in real money http://www.payzone.co.uk/Store-Locator

 

Aaannndddd breathe.............

[dosxuk]

* And I really really don`t want an Smart Phone. The thought of being permanently connected to the internet and all my E Mails fills me with dread....

 

If only there was a way of owning a smart phone and not connecting it to your email account...

[altus]

I run my own business* and would vigorously dispute those figures

 

You can vigorously dispute my imagining that the costs are broadly similar for others if you like but those figures where what I was told when I used to work for a bank.

 

, but the point is, when we`re talking government services (and the Dartford crossing is an essential part of our national road network) they have no right to force people to access those services in ways they may not want to. Particularly if it involves the public in extra expenditure.

 

As long as they always provide reasonable alternatives, which they seem to be doing in this case, I don't see a problem with them encouraging people to use technology to save costs. As for extra expenditure, even if you're paying by post you still have the cost of the envelope and stamp - so it's swings and roundabouts as far as that is concerned.

[SnailyBoy]

All tolls for roads/bridges/crossings should be abolished.

 

---------- Post added 01-12-2014 at 13:34 ----------

 

On the general subject of requiring gadgets to do the rudimentary things in life, I agree with the sentiments of the OP; my daughter wouldn't be able to do a large portion of her school homework without a computer, internet access, Microsoft Word and a printer. The school just assumes you have all these things.

 

She also used go to Beavers/Cubs and we wouldn't have been able to open the correspondence from them without Microsoft Word on the computer!

 

Google docs opens Word documents.

[barleycorn]

If people wish to use technology or not that`s entirely up to them. If a private company wishes to make it awkward for customers to use them if they don`t want to use a technology that`s also up to them. But if it`s the Government, or a quasi governmental company, or a business providing effectively a licenced service (like the utilities for instance) they have no right to force people to use something they don`t want to have.

They are providing a variety of means by which you can pay, including over the phone and at payzones in various shops. Furthermore, you have the option of using an alternative route, you are not forced into using the crossing.

 

jb

Edited December 1, 2014 by barleycorn

[Cyclone]

Google docs opens Word documents.

 

More importantly, so do free office suites like libre office, and they don't require an internet connection (you used to be able to find the installs on magazine CDs).