On the 9th June I had to attend an interview for a job in Colchester. I made my journey from Grays and decided to buy a travelcard as I thought this would cover my journey. I was wrong, as I boarded the train an inspector informed me that the ticket I had was not valid for the journey, instead of making me pay the excess he gave me a penalty fare. As I was not able to get home from Colchester (the inspector informed me I had the wrong ticket so there was no chance of getting home) I was forced to cancel the interview and went home from Harold Wood (and NOT Colchester as the penalty fare suggests). According to the Penalty Fare Rules “If a passenger travels on a train on which their ticket is not valid, it is more likely that the restrictions were not properly explained to them than that they are deliberately trying to avoid paying the right fare. We believe that it is up to the train operators to make sure that each passenger understands the restrictions which apply to the ticket which they are sold. Under rule 7, a passenger may not be charged a penalty fare if he or she has a ticket for the journey which they are making that is not valid on that train only because of a ticket restriction. In these cases, the passenger only needs to pay the excess fare, in line with the National Rail Conditions of Carriage.” Wouldnt this mean that i only have to pay the excess and not recieve an actual penalty fare? I have appealed twice and IAS have ignored the fact that I had didn't even realise that my ticket was not valid for that particular train. They have also ignored the fact that I didn't go to Colchester (I have proof- Had to phone the NHS, explain and cancel the interview). I would really appreciate any advice anyone could give me on the matter.