Didn't swipe in and Inspected at the other end..but let go...!!!

[vivvov]

Hello there

 

This could well be a very stupid question.

 

I got stopped today by a plainclothed ticket Inspector.

 

I'd travelled from Victoria when the mad rush was on, the escalators are out and the tannoy was blaring "purchase ticket at destination"...I got out at my destination and hadn't swiped my oyster card Victoria.

The Inspector checked my ticket on the platform and asked me why I wasn't exiting the station. I said I was and- because I was heading to the stairs (slowly because I had seen the amount of people and guessed that they were having a mass inspection at the top of the stairs) -the Inspector accepted my excuse.

He then checked my card, saw that I hadn't swiped in and asked me why I hadn't swiped in. I said that the tannoy in Victoria was blaring "purchase ticket at destination" and the barrier was open, so I'd done as directed. He replied "if you'd have said that at the top of the stairsnthey'd let you through". I said "OK" and- as we were walking up the stairs by then-he actually said "it's OK" to another Inspector who started to check my oyster card when it showed I hadn't swiped in at Victoria.

Paranoid by now, I went to the ticket office and tried to somehow pay and cover my back for the journey. The ticket office guy checked my ticket and said I shouldn't worry about it.

:jaw:Have I been very lucky or am I missing something here?

....did I somehow bumblingly provided the right answer to avoid having my collar felt or can I still get a horrid shock coming out of the blue through the post?

I've never been stopped before so I really don't have a clue.

 

Or have I been given a very big benefit of the doubt by a kindly Inspector..that seems a completely inappropriate combination of two words..kindly..inspector..paranoia and alarm bells. My paranoia says they checked my card and it's got all the travel info on it....

 

vivvov

[SRPO]

You must have passed the attitude test, if no details were taken by the inspector you have nothing to worry about.

[Old-CodJA]

Yes, absolutely right, as SRPO said.

 

It was your lucky day, the inspectors will have had very many more cases deserving of their attention where more serious fare evasion matters will have been detected.

 

It seems that you passed the 'attitude test' and so, they used their discretion to let it go and just remind you of what you should have done.

 

Just say a mental 'thank you' and remember that lightning is very unlikely to strike the same again.

[vivvov]

Thank you....

[Old-CodJA]

..that seems a completely inappropriate combination of two words..kindly..inspector...

 

Just had to comment on this bit.

 

If you had displayed that opinion or 'attitude' at the time I'm sure the result would have been different.

 

Why shouldn't an inspector sometimes be described as 'kindly'?

 

To suggest otherwise is about as relevant as describing all commuters as 'surly, arrogant fare evaders'.

 

Inspectors are human beings with a job to do too and after all, the only people that the majority of them usually have protracted dealings with are people who don't have a valid ticket!!.

 

It was your lucky day and I'm genuinely pleased for you.