Ill start with how and what it has come to for me to post on here.

Around this time last year my nan went into end of life care at a pilgrims hospice in kent.

At the time I was temporarily living with my mum who lives in Hertfordshire for work.

There was no long term vision so I never changed my permanent address.

I do have a dart charge account but before working there and due to other reasons I hadnt actually been to Hertfordshire often thus using the dartford crossing, overlooking the fact Id got a new car since the last time I had been there.

As I also ride motorbikes and more often ride that and wouldnt pay dart charge manually.

When my nan went into hospice for end of life care

over the space of a couple of weeks there were five occasions i used my car and didn't pay the dart charge fee.

My dad would open my post delivered to his address,

but in the circumstances with his mum and my nan being so unwell and eventually passing away.

The fines were sent to equita.

This is where the trouble started...

Originally the five penalties added up to a sum of £10, but through equita LTD they amounted to £190 each!

Once I became aware of these I got in contact immediately and tried to resolve/explain the situation and set up a payment plan as id never had anything like this before.

I ended up having five separate 'accounts' with them,

I asked for have one set date a month for an individual payment to be paid by either standing order or direct debit to make things easier for both parties.

But they insisted this they couldn't do this so on five separate times of each month a different amount would need to be paid.

But being paid weeks, working long hours and with other financial commitments it was difficult.

One week with no warning I had missed a £20 by a day,

with no warning I had an enforcement agent at my dads door,

demanding 3 of the 5 accounts in full plus his £235 fee.

I ended up working nights paying him £100 a week.

I even payed him £175 while on holiday which was a birthday treat from my girlfriend.

After this and paying over £700 in such a short space of time,

I called the office number,

on hold for over an hour sometimes purely just to ask for a single payment date and a statement of all the money I had paid.

With no exaggeration there has been over 20 times I have been hung up on or spoken to either rudely, patronising and even aggressively I have been told they have no record of what I have paid.

At the end of November I called and made a payment which apparently cleared of my 'accounts' as the last two payments were made on the 25 and 29 of the month

I asked if anyone would be in the office to pay on those dates in December,

the lady on the phone told me there wouldn't but it would be fine to pay the end of the first week in jan. Which with luck was actually my pay day and all was well...

Until Jan 3rd 2018 when I received a call from the same enforcement agent I had paid hundreds of pounds in the summer saying he had visited the address demanding the full amount plus £235.

I had no warning, only recently I have received texts on the 24th and 28th as a reminder, but no one at equita was working!!! And i had been told friday the 5th would be fine.

Since they have continued to hang up, will not discuss anything as its not their problem its the enforcement agents. I even have a couple of phone calls recorded proving this. Yet I still have an agent demading now over £500!

Any ideas where I go???

Sorry for such a long threat but I thought it would be better to get it all in that reply filling the gaps later

Thanks

Also,

A point I have missed.

On four or five occasions asking for the statement and reciepts which they promised to send.

Every single time I have only received what seems to be a generic print out of that I owe them money, with no statement or payments!!

looks like you were purposefully set up to fail from day one

with each pcn being dealt with separately.

it was obvious it would, and so each got £235 added to it I bet!

post 12

https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?481780-DART-charge

It seems so, but to be honest like I said, I had never been in such a situation so rolled over busted my balls with work and paid.

what letters do you have from Equita?

you should have a warrant letter...

 

Around this time last year my nan went into end of life care at a pilgrims hospice in Kent. At the time I was temporarily living with my mum who lives in Hertfordshire for work. There was no long term vision so I never changed my permanent address.

 

I do have a dart charge account but before working there and due to other reasons I hadnt actually been to Hertfordshire often thus using the Dartford Crossing, overlooking the fact I'd got a new car since the last time I had been there. As I also ride motorbikes and more often ride that and wouldnt pay Dart Charge manually.

 

When my Nan went into hospice for end of life care, over the space of a couple of weeks there were five occasions i used my car and didn't pay the Dart Charge fee.

 

My dad would open my post delivered to his address, but in the circumstances with his mum and my nan being so unwell and eventually passing away. The fines were sent to Equita.

 

I ended up having five separate 'accounts' with them,

 

I am assuming from your post that ordinarily, you live in Hertfordshire, but due to your Nan's health, you moved into her home in Kent with your mother on a temporary basis.

I am confused about the Dart Charge account that you have and which vehicle is registered on the account. Is the Dart Charge account still operational?

As you had not been living at your usual address, to receive the Penalty Charge notices from Highways England, then you really should have submitted Out of Time witness statements for each of these penalties. You are still able to do so but from your post, it is really difficult to know which penalties are still outstanding etc. Hopefully, over the course of the day the position may be clearer.

What I suggest that you do is to call Dart Charge. I speak with them almost daily and they are most helpful. Their number is 0300 300 0120 and ignore all 'prompts' and wait to speak with an operator. You need to ask them for the date when each warrant had been sent to Equita. Whilst on the phone, ask whether there are any other unpaid Dart Charges that have not been sent to Equita. If there are others, ask what stage of enforcement they are at (Charge Certificate stage or Order for Recovery stage).

When you are on the phone, it would be a good idea to clarify the position about your Dart Charge. You can add a second vehicle to your account.

 

Originally the five penalties added up to a sum of £10, but through equita LTD they amounted to £190 each!

 

Once I became aware of these I got in contact immediately and tried to resolve/explain the situation and set up a payment plan as id never had anything like this before.

 

I ended up having five separate 'accounts' with them, I asked for have one set date a month for an individual payment to be paid by either standing order or direct debit to make things easier for both parties.

 

But they insisted this they couldn't do this so on five separate times of each month a different amount would need to be paid.

I really do think that you have grounds to make a formal complaint.

Regulation 11 of the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2014 was put in place to ensure that debtors who have multiple debts (in your case with 5 Dart Charge penalties) are not subjected to paying multiple 'enforcement fees'. Given that wherever practical, all debts for the same debtor should be enforced together, then common sense alone would tell you that there can be no sensible reason why each Dart Charge is not under one account and one payment arrangement set up.

There was a small article in the paper last week where Highways England said they have handed 200610 (200k) to Bailiffs to collect in the last year.

what letters do you have from Equita?

you should have a warrant letter...

I have received no paperwork from them in the last 6 months.

Purely relied on my own calander to make payments.

Origionally there were five individual letters stating the £190 each,

i got an awful hand writted note through the letter box the day the bailiff first came to my address.

The only other letters are the ones i have mentioned,

when i have asked for statements and receipts.

And got through this generic one.

I am assuming from your post that ordinarily, you live in Hertfordshire, but due to your Nan's health, you moved into her home in Kent with your mother on a temporary basis.

 

I am confused about the Dart Charge account that you have and which vehicle is registered on the account. Is the Dart Charge account still operational?

 

 

 

As you had not been living at your usual address, to receive the Penalty Charge notices from Highways England, then you really should have submitted Out of Time witness statements for each of these penalties. You are still able to do so but from your post, it is really difficult to know which penalties are still outstanding etc. Hopefully, over the course of the day the position may be clearer.

 

What I suggest that you do is to call Dart Charge. I speak with them almost daily and they are most helpful. Their number is 0300 300 0120 and ignore all 'prompts' and wait to speak with an operator. You need to ask them for the date when each warrant had been sent to Equita. Whilst on the phone, ask whether there are any other unpaid Dart Charges that have not been sent to Equita. If there are others, ask what stage of enforcement they are at (Charge Certificate stage or Order for Recovery stage).

 

When you are on the phone, it would be a good idea to clarify the position about your Dart Charge. You can add a second vehicle to your account.

My dads address in kent is where my car is registered, I moved to Hertfordshire temporarily for work, but soon after my nan (dads mum) became very ill from cancer. So i was then heading back to see her in the hospice.

The account i have with dart charge is still open, but with an old car. They would just charge me every time i used it.

Taking the advice earlier i have submitted 2/5 out of time witness statements with the 2 fines that are still under enforcement. I am currently waiting for someone at dart charge to get back to me with dates of the other 3 as they said over the phone with my circumstances I could be entitled to a refund if it goes my way as all out of time whitness statements will be using the same reason.

Written*

There was a small article in the paper last week where Highways England said they have handed 200610 (200k) to Bailiffs to collect in the last year.

The press report is here:

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dartford/news/bailiffs-sent-to-dart-charge-158414/

I was quite alarmed to read the figures (200,610) but on reflection, if you compare the figure for bailiff visits to the number of chargeable crossings made last year (of 99 million !!!!) it doesn't seem such a high figure after all.

I wonder wonder Wales are kicking themselves for their decision to scrap to fee for using the Severn Bridge at the end of 2018?

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jul/21/severn-crossings-tolls-to-be-scrapped-next-year

Only one person making money out of this and @ minimum compliance fee of £75 = £15m. OK so some will have the fees overturned & others will miss the compliance stage. Bailiffs must be rubbing their hands in anticipation.

PT this is what was intended from the beginning with the rule changes to much in favour of the EA's

the whole system needs a rethink