Dartford crossing,rip off?

[ukdobby]

I've gone the other way round the M25 last 2 times from the tunnel,its worth £2.50 to save me doing it again.

It only 15 mile difference but it seems to take ages.

Edited May 18, 2015 by ukdobby

[Berberis]

If you don't like it - go a different way round? Easy

 

You're missing the point. These charges appear to be perilously ambiguous to create a situation where the customer is forced to pay more then they require. Plus if it is true that the bridge has since paid for itself and the promise was for the crossing to be free after this fact, people who use it have every right to feel somewhat short changed by the government.

[Vegas1]

You're missing the point. These charges appear to be perilously ambiguous to create a situation where the customer is forced to pay more then they require.

 

Well, not really, given the "2p debt after 6 crossings" scenario is based on a reduced rate of £1.67 per crossing anyway. The OP could pay the full £2.50 per crossing if he so chooses.

 

Would be more sensible to charge £1.66, mind. Maybe worth suggesting to them, if people dont tell them its an issue they wont ever look at it.

[Berberis]

Well, not really, given the "2p debt after 6 crossings" scenario is based on a reduced rate of £1.67 per crossing anyway. The OP could pay the full £2.50 per crossing if he so chooses.

 

Would be more sensible to charge £1.66, mind. Maybe worth suggesting to them, if people dont tell them its an issue they wont ever look at it.

 

Do you seriously think they do not know this?

[Vegas1]

Do you seriously think they do not know this?

 

I dunno. Do they not?

 

Most people who pay this reduced £1.67 will be very regular users and this will never really be an issue because they will carry on using the crossing until the end of time and carry on paying significant sums per month to do so that a higher than a tenner a top-up.

 

Very few people are going to use the crossing six times in a short space of time and then never again.

[Berberis]

I dunno. Do they not?

 

No business will be unaware of how pricing models work. This will be one of the most talked about subjects within the company at high level. They will know of the ambiguous nature of the 2p problem.

[Vegas1]

No business will be unaware of how pricing models work. This will be one of the most talked about subjects within the company at high level. They will know of the ambiguous nature of the 2p problem.

 

Why is it a problem?

 

Regular user crosses ten times in a week, gets charged £16.70, he/she pays (or pre-pays) £16.70 off account (or £66.80 per four weeks, depending on how they do it)

 

Where is the problem there?

 

As said before, very few people who are account holders are going to cross 6 times and then never again. And if they planned to do that, they would have had the good sense to pay 6 x £1.67 onto the account first, wouldnt they?

Edited May 18, 2015 by Vegas1

[Longcol]

I've gone the other way round the M25 last 2 times from the tunnel,its worth £2.50 to save me doing it again.

It only 15 mile difference but it seems to take ages.

 

It will take a lot longer as you hit the busiest section of the M25 around Heathrow.

 

The quickest way from the tunnel to Sheffield I've found is M25/M11/A1.

 

When going down I usually cross before 6am when it's free. I've paid £10 to Dart Charge because we went to France in Feb, are going again next month and again in August.

 

I think the crossing charges will be far less than 1% of the total cost of my holidays. It's also pretty cheap compared to the motorway tolls etc in France - eg the Mont Blanc tunnel costs €43 for a single journey.

[ukdobby]

It will take a lot longer as you hit the busiest section of the M25 around Heathrow.

 

The quickest way from the tunnel to Sheffield I've found is M25/M11/A1.

 

When going down I usually cross before 6am when it's free. I've paid £10 to Dart Charge because we went to France in Feb, are going again next month and again in August.

 

I think the crossing charges will be far less than 1% of the total cost of my holidays. It's also pretty cheap compared to the motorway tolls etc in France - eg the Mont Blanc tunnel costs €43 for a single journey.

 

I travel from Spain and miss the tolls,its 3 hours longer to Calais but £130 cheaper.

[old tup]

Ahrr the Dartford Crossing the bane of my working life as a class 1 truck driver I crossed it both ways most weeks!.I nearly always hit it at rush hour going down after a 4am start and at teatime the other way,a nightmare especially as you got tireder,back to subject before 2000 we were given an electronic tag to put in the windscreen so all you did was drive to the gate it gave a peeping sound and the gate opened,the firm was then charged!.This worked ok most of the time until on one occasion an agency driver forgot to pick his tag up for the Avon crossing,he drove to the gate and was asked for £10-80 I think it was at the time!.He refused and turned around and brought 24 tons of date stamped scones,donuts,muffins,breadcakes,teacakes ect.all the way back to Sheffield,the load all had to be scrapped as Tesco do not accept short dated codes!.Needless to say the driver was banned from Fletchers sine die,not the sharpest knife in the box I think!.