I was given a TFL Overground Penalty Fare Notice last Monday for quite a silly reason which goes:
I'm tapping in at Clapton, on my way to Liverpool Street.
It's 9AM Monday morning, and as expected rather busy.
The Oyster machine tells me I haven't got enough money
- negative balance
- I'm waiting for the machine to free up.
By now there's 2 minutes till the train comes,
I'm on my way to a funeral and don't really have time to wait around.
With around a minute to go,
the machine is finally free,
I see i have a negative balance of 40p and put in 40p to take it to 0 as that's all I have in coins and I don't want to break a note.
I finish up and by now the trains already in the station,
I tap in,
run down the stairs and catch the train.
When I get off at Liverpool Street,
the barriers don't let me through;
the guard has a look at my card on his machine and says I still have a negative balance and he's going to have to charge me a Penalty.
I tell him everything,
but he completely disregards it,
almost as if I'm not even talking and hands me the notice.
I check the online account a few hours later,
and somehow the 40p I put in hasn't been registered and that's why I was charged.
I've talked to a station guard and he says there's nothing more I can do about it and I should just pay the 40 quid and get on with it, surely there must be a appeal on the basis of check CCTV etc?
The other thing I've noticed is on the ticket it says I travelled on the Liverpool Street - Chesunt line
when it was the Liverpool Street - Chingford line -
could I get off based on a technicality here?
The Chesunt line dosen't even pass through Clapton.
Is there a point in appealing or should I just pay the money?
Thanks in advance for any help.