Watchdog advises Tyne Tunnel operator to change 'threatening' wording on fines

Tyne Tunnel bosses must handle complaints better following an outcry when it switched to cashless toll payments, a watchdog has said.

Consumer watchdog Transport Focus has said the Tyne Tunnel operator TT2 should be "more empathetic and less defensive" when dealing with complaints from drivers hit by fines.

It also suggested the company should change wording deemed “threatening” by drivers hit with fines for not paying their toll on time.

The watchdog was asked to conduct a review by operator TT2 following complaints about its switch to cashless payments.

It studied 40 complaint cases and published its findings this week.

The review urged TT2 bosses to be “more empathetic and less defensive” as well as criticising their use of “hollow” language in correspondence with the public.

TT2 said it had already made several changes to its appeals process and that more “customer-focused enhancements” are on the way.

What changes did the watchdog suggest?

• Enhanced signage warning drivers about the tolls, including for long-distance traffic on the A1

• Improvements to the company website, including making it easier to find the complaints section.

• Changing the wording deemed "threatening" by drivers hit with fines for not paying their toll on time.

The consumer watchdog’s report said that in many cases the company “did not demonstrate that it had listened to all the points being made by the complainant or that it truly empathised with the customer’s predicament."

It said that responses “tended to display little empathy” to first-time tunnel users unfamiliar with the toll and “did not always give a compelling reason” for rejecting appeals against unpaid fines.

The report did however acknowledge TT2's readiness to admit its failings.

The Tyne Tunnel’s old toll booths and barriers were removed in November 2021 when the river crossing introduced a new free flow system using number plate recognition cameras, in a bid to reduce journey times and emissions.

Motorists must now pay either online, with a pre-paid account, over the phone, or in shops with PayPoint counters by a deadline of midnight on the day after their journey.

The move sparked a slew of complaints about the new payment methods, enforcement notices threatening legal action, and fines being wrongly issued – in some cases to people living hundreds of miles away.

The report’s recommendations include making it easier to find the complaints section of TT2’s website, enhancing arrangements to apply discretion early in cases when drivers can show reasonable mitigating circumstances, and making correspondence with customers “more empathetic and less defensive”.

It states: “We felt that some of TT2’s template paragraphs, which dominate most responses, risk coming across inappropriately. For example, the closing assertion that insight from customers is valued rings hollow when all that precedes it seems dismissive of the concerns raised. 

“Some wording intended to be courteous can jar in some circumstances, for example ‘always happy to hear from our customers’ after advising that an appeal is likely to be rejected and then rejecting a complaint. 

“Where a complaint is found to be valid, an appeal is upheld or TT2 is reversing a previous position, customers want recognition of their concerns and an apology that feels genuine and explains the change of heart. TT2’s communications in these circumstances can come across as grudging.”

However, Transport Focus' report also found found “many elements of good practice” in TT2’s handling of complaints, including quick turnaround, and praised the company for its quick response to its concerns with some changes already made.

Chief executive of Transport Focus, Anthony Smith said: “While we saw many elements of good practice in the way TT2 dealt with complaints, we have recommended improvements in some areas. We are pleased to see that TT2 has responded quickly and already implemented several of these, with others in the pipeline.”

Understanding of driver circumstances was noted as well as examples of follow-up letters which made up for shortcomings in earlier handling of a case.

South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck said she was “pleased the review addresses the concerns raised to me by constituents and I will continue to work with TT2 to implement these recommendations”

TT2 Chief operating officer Shaun Simmons said: “We welcome the report and thank the Transport Focus team for their feedback and guidance.

"This has been an incredibly valuable exercise in our journey to continually improve our customer service for the drivers of the 1.6 million vehicles that use the tunnels every month.”

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