My stance is that I would not have boarded the train, had I known the ticket price was so high. I did not accept the UFN and left both copies in possession of the Guard. I made an audio recording of this with the cafe/bar attendant as a witness to it.
It is my view that I have not contracted with the train company as I did not have a ticket nor did I agree to a UFN. I gave my correct name and address as is requirement by law and asked the guard to send a bill for the service, which I intended to dispute. I now have received a letter telling me to pay the UFN, which in my eyes, is invalid.
I don't have a UFN as I wouldn't accept it, I want to know if I have the right to do this. To negotiate the price of their service.
My thinking was if I accepted the UNF then I accept the service fee. I do not accept the price offered to me for their service, around double what I had paid for the same train 10 minutes before that one. I even offered to get off at the next stop but there wasn't one.
I am (and was then) happy to pay them a fair amount, which I deem to be the amount I payed for the last ticket, but it seems they have set the price after the fact. Again I would not have boarded the train had I have known the price of the ticket. I would have gotten the next Coach for £20.
---- if it came to court I would not accept that I had knowingly contracted, with anyone on any point of the journey. I pasted the barrier in Leeds on my old ticket, then in a state of panic boarded the next train as I had a job meeting to catch in London. I would stand by my right as a consumer to choose, I don't believe I got that opportunity.
Is this becoming more clear? If the law is against me I will suck it up and pay, but if it doesn't say anywhere that I have to accept the UFN and that I have to accept any price offered, even though they had accepted my boarding without a ticket, I want to contest.