Friend tried to buy a ticket found a guard and got a fine issued. She lost fine, then Final Notice +£20 a admin charge

[robert_harper_2000]

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w197/robert_harper_2000/Bulldog0001.jpg

 

Can they enforce this admin charge?

Basically she got on the train tried to buy a ticket and instead got a charge, lost her ticket and then gets this through the door.

 

Thanks!

[PPMAN159]

Not sure about the charge but you should have blanked out the name and address before posting the form on the site.

[dw190]

You should remove personnel details from the pic.

[PKea]

It may be early or am i missing the point,

You say she didnt buy a ticket , then got charged

then you say she lost the ticket (thought she didn't have one!)

 

Locally to me you are supposed to buy a ticket if the station is manned, if not you are supposed to buy at the earliest opportunity.

 

Paul:confused:

[robert_harper_2000]

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w197/robert_harper_2000/Bulldog0001.jpg

 

Details removed. Sorry!

She tried to buy a ticket found a guard and got a fine issued.

 

She then lost the fine and didn't pay the full amount she only paid £3.10 so had £16.90 to pay.

 

She then gets this through the door threatening court action and demanding a further £20 Admin-fee.

 

Just wondered if she could contest the admin fee as she just forgot! Poor girl lol

 

Surely Admin charge would have to be reasonable. This letter probably wouldn't have cost that much... ??

Also are they allowed to just send a letter charging you and threatening court action?

[PKea]

Robert

 

You still have the personal details on the file mate!

 

TO me it looks like the standard threatening letter you get from a DCA.

It say they 'will recommend their client to take court procedings' , not them, and that they will pass the matter back to the client - which to me reads that if you dont pay them, its not worth £30 for them to chase.

 

Thats my opinion though

 

Paul

[robert_harper_2000]

Well I will pay what I owe well she will but I think £20 is too much. Shall I send in the £16.50 and dispute the £20?

[racer1]

I had an issue once sortof similar.

 

Firstly - you are not allowed to buy the ticket on the train, the ticket must be bought in advance but this is not clearly advertised at all stations therefore in some cases it may not be enforceable. If ticket machines are not working and the ticket office is closed in London certainly you're expected to buy a permit to travel.

 

Back to the fine - about 18 months ago I was travelling back early one morning from my boyfriends in London (ie before we lived together) to my office. I had purchased a £30 ticket but as pulled into my station I was told it wasn't valid - it had worked fine through all automatic barries (tube etc) and there was nothing, and I mean nothing at all as spent hours (literally) searching station and net later, to say it wasn't valid. As I'd bought an open return as opposed to a return I presumed my ticket was valid.

 

Anyway train guard was rude and abusive and asked for an extra £50 to which I said go away! He refused to give me his name and all the other passengers started saying things to him like "why are you being so rude to the lady?" Anyway got off the train in Wilts and they wouldn't let me out of the station and said they'd call the police, I said ok then do so. They did, police didn't care and they issued me with a notice and off I went.

 

I ended up paying about £12 (which was the difference in fares), and refused to pay admin charge. In hindsight, if I had known about this site, I probably would've refused to pay anything full stop.

 

On an aside - my boyfriend had a similar situation at Kings Cross - he'd bought a travelcard from our local station and found coming home it wasn't valid between 4-7pm - as there was nothing advertised and ticket people on platform couldn't provide him with anything saying it wasn't valid (only verbally) he got on train and came home.

 

 

 

I think the lesson to be learnt is - buy your ticket before you travel but saying that if there are no adverts at the station and I only need a £1.50 ticket (ie an extension to my travelcard) I will buy the ticket on the train / at other station before going out of the gate - I pay over £3600 for a travelcard so won't argue over paying £1.50! The best one I have had though is when they try and refuse to take your money from you and only give you a penalty notice!

[Shoestring]

My view...the admin fee should be completely put aside and forgotten. It's just a try on.

 

Regarding buying a ticket before you travel, I think is open to some question. If the rail companies cannot provide staff or ticket dispensers that operate because they have cut back on overheads, then that is their decision and problem. You pay the guard or pay at your destination for the whole usual fare.

 

Shoestring

[racer1]

Yep agreed but if there is a permit to travel machine (where you put in 20p and get a little slip saying you've a permit to travel...) you must do this as otherwise they will slap you hard with penalty fares.

[Shoestring]

Yes, I forgot those bloody pesky machines...

 

I wonder if you were to drop a dollop of super glue onto your 20p coin if this would be considered criminal damage or a community kindness...

 

Shoestring

 

btw, is the 20p you pay for permission to travel deductible from the full amount of the fare? I know it's peanuts, but I wouldn't object to banking all those 20ps from around the nation. Must add up to a tidy sum over the course of a year.

 

I bet most people don't think to have it deducted from the full fare... money for old rope.

 

Shoestring

[robert_harper_2000]

They do take the permit off the fare. I told her to get a season pass!

 

But she went there and either had to miss the train and wait for the ticket desk queue to clear or try and get a ticket on the train. She risked it but did walk down to find the guard. He gave her a penalty ticket!

 

Do you think if I send a cheque for the £16.50 they would waive the £20? I';ll ask them to justify it shall I ?

[racer1]

I just sent my cheque - they never contacted me about the admin charge.

 

Season passes aren't bad depending on the journey / how frequently you have it - I know with mine (have a gold one with all the London zones plus to my station) as it's an annual gold season ticket I get a fair amount off travel to anywhere.

[robert_harper_2000]

sent a cheque for smaller amount not the admin

[racer1]

They might come back to you, they might not - in my case it's been 18 months (and I also made them aware that because of my situation I had contacted my local MP, my local council, the council local to where they're based and trading standards) and I never heard a peep.

[robert_harper_2000]

Is there a template to show them I mean business! lol

[racer1]

I don't think there is a template and my letters to MP etc were on my old computer, sorry - if I can find them I'll send them to you however I think I just returned the relevant bit of the slip with the cheque.