Ignorant Rail fare evasion- using rail card discount without knowledge of option being selected

[Venky124]

Hi,

On 6th December, I was asked a show a rail ticket by a revenue protection officer, for which I have had a job centre plus discounted rail ticket and doesn’t have a rail card. The officer looked into my previous transactions and notified that its been happening for a while. When asked I have explained that I’m not aware that the railcard has been selected before making the bookings all these days. One of my friends have shown me how we can add rail card when we have one and get a discounted ticket on the train line app to which im a new user. After that I started using the app and never noticed that rail card it getting selected every time (I observed later that once you select a rail card before booking a ticket it stays the same all the time unless you change or remove it). I explained the officer that I have no idea this is happening all the time as im new to using this app and just simply adding the stations and booking the tickets. Also, as per my awarness until then I thought that without adding rail card into my account in the app I cannot book a ticket when I add rail card discount just before searching for trains. The officer understood what I was explaining and asked me whether I was ignorant about this and thats the reason I couldn’t understand that I was paying a discounted fair all the time to which I responded with a yes. I didn’t know this is happening and only today I got a bit more clarity on what was happening and how to be careful and look at all the options before buying a ticket.

Now, I have received a letter from the train company (West Midlands Railway) to reply back. Please find the letter below.

Also, all the tickets I have been travelling are only between Birmingham New Street to Birmingham International and the original maximum ticket fare is between 5.90-8.60 only. Due to rail card discount adding up with me being ignorant there was a 50% discount every time. This has been happening from the past 3-4 months.

Please let me know how to reply back to the letter and should I include any of this discussion happened and how my unawareness caused this mistake. Please advise

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Ignorance is not an excuse I'm afraid. The experts will be along soon with some good advice

 

[Venky124]

Ignorance is not an excuse I'm afraid. The experts will be along soon with some good advice

Yeah, It is still a fault and I understand it. I'm ready to pay the fine and all the discounted fare costs. I said the same to thw officer for which she said that she can't have the calculated amount of fine ready and asked me to reply to the letter and then I'll get a fine. All I want is that the rail company doesn't take it to the court and settle this with a fine and ticket fares. I hope they'll consider that I didn't do this wantedly. Hence, asking for help on how to respond back.

 

[WesternLancer]

Yeah, It is still a fault and I understand it. I'm ready to pay the fine and all the discounted fare costs. I said the same to thw officer for which she said that she can't have the calculated amount of fine ready and asked me to reply to the letter and then I'll get a fine. All I want is that the rail company doesn't take it to the court and settle this with a fine and ticket fares. I hope they'll consider that I didn't do this wantedly. Hence, asking for help on how to respond back.

Hi - no, technically you do not want to pay a 'fine' because the fine is what you get when it has been to court and you have been found guilty (along with getting a criminal record) - what I think you need to aim to seek is an Out of Court settlement.

You may have been thinking of a Penalty Fare - but this is not an option for you as they opted not to issue you with a Penalty Fare.

How to reply to the letter you have received:

You need to follow the advice that @Hadders often gives as a general rule on how to reply - which I am copying here for your ease of reference:

It's an offence to board a train without a valid ticket. There are a few exceptions but these don't appear to be relevant in this case. What will happen next is that the railway company will write to you. [as per letter you have uploaded] The letter normally takes a few weeks to arrive and will say that they have received a report, are considering prosecuting you and asking for your version of events before deciding how to proceed. It is important that you engage with and reply to this letter. I suggest your response includes the following in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

Railway firms do often offer an out of court settlement to people who have not come to their attention before. There is no guarantee of this and they are within their right to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court should they decide to do so.

If you are offered a settlement the cost tends to be around £150 plus the outstanding fares. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

If you post a copy of what you intend to reply here, people will check it for you to see if you have it as good as it can be.

 

[30907]

You should be aware that a settlement is likely to cost you the full fare without discount for the journey(s) you have made, plus an admin cost of £100 or more

For future reference, this is the information about the railcard your friend advised you to pretend to have. I am sure you will be having words with them
https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/tickets-and-savings/railcards/jobcentre-plus-railcard

.

 

[Venky124]

Hi - no, technically you do not want to pay a 'fine' because the fine is what you get when it has been to court and you have been found guilty (along with getting a criminal record) - what I think you need to aim to seek is an Out of Court settlement.

You may have been thinking of a Penalty Fare - but this is not an option for you as they opted not to issue you with a Penalty Fare.

How to reply to the letter you have received:

You need to follow the advice that @Hadders often gives as a general rule on how to reply - which I am copying here for your ease of reference:

It's an offence to board a train without a valid ticket. There are a few exceptions but these don't appear to be relevant in this case. What will happen next is that the railway company will write to you. [as per letter you have uploaded] The letter normally takes a few weeks to arrive and will say that they have received a report, are considering prosecuting you and asking for your version of events before deciding how to proceed. It is important that you engage with and reply to this letter. I suggest your response includes the following in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

Railway firms do often offer an out of court settlement to people who have not come to their attention before. There is no guarantee of this and they are within their right to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court should they decide to do so.

If you are offered a settlement the cost tends to be around £150 plus the outstanding fares. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

If you post a copy of what you intend to reply here, people will check it for you to see if you have it as good as it can be.

Thank you for addressing my concern. I'll write down my response as per your suggestions and get the feedback from knowledgeable people like you and many other.
Apart from the response you have suggested should I briefly explain how my mistake has happened and it was not done wantedly and ask for an apology and then include these below lines.

It is important that you engage with and reply to this letter. I suggest your response includes the following in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

Please advise on this so I can start drafing an reply and get feedback for that as well.

Thank you!

 

[AlterEgo]

Thank you for addressing my concern. I'll write down my response as per your suggestions and get the feedback from knowledgeable people like you and many other.
Apart from the response you have suggested should I briefly explain how my mistake has happened and it was not done wantedly

You can try explaining that but I doubt they'll believe you. How convenient for you that your friend scrolled past all the railcards to the JobCentre one - the one with the biggest discount - and showed you how to add it, and you got 50% off all your rail fares "just by accident". Sorry but they weren't born yesterday and they, like me, are probably tired of hearing about how some possibly real or possibly fictional friend did it and the app just saved the settings.

Why would anyone show you how to add a railcard you weren't entitled to anyway?

Just search "job centre railcard" on the forum to find out what a popular and entry-level ruse this is.

Better to own your mistake and not include the explanation, which, whether it is true or not, doesn't make you look any better.

 

[Venky124]

You can try explaining that but I doubt they'll believe you. How convenient for you that your friend scrolled past all the railcards to the JobCentre one - the one with the biggest discount - and showed you how to add it, and you got 50% off all your rail fares "just by accident". Sorry but they weren't born yesterday and they, like me, are probably tired of hearing about how some possibly real or possibly fictional friend did it and the app just saved the settings.

Why would anyone show you how to add a railcard you weren't entitled to anyway?

Just search "job centre railcard" on the forum to find out what a popular and entry-level ruse this is.

Better to own your mistake and not include the explanation, which, whether it is true or not, doesn't make you look any better.

No, its not like that. He was showing me different variants of the rail cards available and how different each one are. He also suggeseted me that 25-30 rail card is the one I'll have to take if I wish to have one. Somehow the last one he was showing was the job centre plus card (I don't remember that but assuming that's how the settings were set and not changed later) But yes, I understand they may not accept what I'm gonna say.

I'll then just explain that I was ignorant of the settings in the app while booking the ticket which lead to wrong selection of the rail card and accept my mistake and mention that I understood the mistake and learned from it.

Also, after the incident I stopped using trainline app and switched to west midlands railway app (Suggested by the Revenue Protection Officier) to avoid any mistakes and confusions going further.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you for addressing my concern. I'll write down my response as per your suggestions and get the feedback from knowledgeable people like you and many other.
Apart from the response you have suggested should I briefly explain how my mistake has happened and it was not done wantedly and ask for an apology and then include these below lines.

It is important that you engage with and reply to this letter. I suggest your response includes the following in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

Please advise on this so I can start drafing an reply and get feedback for that as well.

Thank you!

well, you can offer a short explanation if it is the truth - but you need to add a bit more than the lines listed - for example if you have 'learned from the incident' say how and what you have done

eg - I have now bought the correct Railcard that applies to me to use in future travel (if you are entitled to one of course - sounds like the 25-30 one will work for you - if I were you I would buy that now as you can say that you have actively done that to prevent the problem arising in future),

and / or

I have now made sure to change the settings on my device to prevent it defaulting to a Railcard discount for a Railcard I do not have / the wrong railcrd

and

I now know to check my tickets carefully to ensure they are fully valid for use before I get on the train

and / or explain that you now understand how serious it is not to have paid the correct fare and you apologise for previous occasions when this has happened

and yes, changing to the WM rail app is a good idea and you could mention that as an action you took after the advice from the Revenue Protection Officer

The important thing to convince them is that you now know what you did was wrong (even if it was due to the error you have explained), that you will not do it again, and that you are prepared to pay the money owed in order to do the right thing and now put things right.

Make sure you do not miss their deadline to reply - if you have to post your reply you may want to ensure you get your post tracked or even next day delivery due to risk of delays in the post this time of year - you can get this by going to a post office.

Good luck with this.

 

[fandroid]

Also, after the incident I stopped using trainline app and switched to west midlands railway app (Suggested by the Revenue Protection Officier) to avoid any mistakes and confusions going further.

That's a good move. The railway company apps I use also require me to add in my Railcard every time.

 

[6Gman]

No, its not like that. He was showing me different variants of the rail cards available and how different each one are. He also suggeseted me that 25-30 rail card is the one I'll have to take if I wish to have one. Somehow the last one he was showing was the job centre plus card (I don't remember that but assuming that's how the settings were set and not changed later) But yes, I understand they may not accept what I'm gonna say.

I'll then just explain that I was ignorant of the settings in the app while booking the ticket which lead to wrong selection of the rail card and accept my mistake and mention that I understood the mistake and learned from it.

Also, after the incident I stopped using trainline app and switched to west midlands railway app (Suggested by the Revenue Protection Officier) to avoid any mistakes and confusions going further.

Given that there are staffed booking offices at both New Street and Birmingham International and you were uncertain about matters it might have been wise to use them.

You say this has been going on for 3-4 months; how many times in total have you used these tickets?

 

[Venky124]

Given that there are staffed booking offices at both New Street and Birmingham International and you were uncertain about matters it might have been wise to use them.

You say this has been going on for 3-4 months; how many times in total have you used these tickets?

I travel around 10 days a month. It must be 35+ journeys. I was in shock that I have been so ignorant all those days not checking the tickets properly. In the last 3-4 months there were times the Revenue Protection officers checked and scanned my tickets while I was in the train and they didn't say a word. So, I never got a doubt that I might be using wrong tickets until the day one of the officers noticied and explained on 6th Dec for which I got the notice.

well, you can offer a short explanation if it is the truth - but you need to add a bit more than the lines listed - for example if you have 'learned from the incident' say how and what you have done

eg - I have now bought the correct Railcard that applies to me to use in future travel (if you are entitled to one of course - sounds like the 25-30 one will work for you - if I were you I would buy that now as you can say that you have actively done that to prevent the problem arising in future),

and / or

I have now made sure to change the settings on my device to prevent it defaulting to a Railcard discount for a Railcard I do not have / the wrong railcrd

and

I now know to check my tickets carefully to ensure they are fully valid for use before I get on the train

and / or explain that you now understand how serious it is not to have paid the correct fare and you apologise for previous occasions when this has happened

and yes, changing to the WM rail app is a good idea and you could mention that as an action you took after the advice from the Revenue Protection Officer

The important thing to convince them is that you now know what you did was wrong (even if it was due to the error you have explained), that you will not do it again, and that you are prepared to pay the money owed in order to do the right thing and now put things right.

Make sure you do not miss their deadline to reply - if you have to post your reply you may want to ensure you get your post tracked or even next day delivery due to risk of delays in the post this time of year - you can get this by going to a post office.

Good luck with this.

Thank you so much! I'll include my explaination as per you suggestions and also buy the rail card now. It really helps a lot. I hope this will settle out of the court as this is a genuine mistake and I completely regret for being ignorant. Fingers crossed!

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

Some good advice has been given in this thread. If you post up a draft of your reply on the letter in this thread forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

I do think you need to be careful in the wording you use when you reply to the letter, and I would steer clear of trying to offer too much of an explanation and simply refer to what happened as something like an error of judgement.

I do find it strange that the Job Centre Plus Railcard was added 'in error'. Railcards are normally listed in the app either in alphabetical order or in order of popularity. The Job Centre Plus railcard is not at the top of either list, you have to actively search for it, but strangely it seems to be selected 'accidentally' more often than any other railcard. Interestingly the Job Centre Plus Railcard gives a larger discount than any other railcard....

 

[Venky124]

I have drafted my reply. Please read it and give any corrections/feedback or whether it is good enough to send it. Also, please let me know what will be the chances of this settling without the involvement of the court.

Thank you everyone!


Dear West Midlands Railway,



I am writing to offer my sincere apologies for not being able to produce a valid ticket during my recent journey. I am extremely sorry for any inconvenience or frustration that my actions may have caused, and I understand the importance of following the rules and regulations of the railway, importance of checking all the settings while booking a ticket online and also, I now know to check my tickets carefully to ensure they are fully valid for use before I get on the train.



I was ignorant of the settings in the app while booking the tickets which lead to selection of the rail card and the settings stayed same all the time which I did not notice which is my genuine mistake and I sincerely apologise for the mistake. After the incident, I now understand my mistake and learned from it. I wish to assure you that I have learned from this experience, and I am committed to ensuring that it does not happen again in the future.



Now, I have switched to West Midlands Railway app from Trainline app to book my tickets after the advice from the Revenue Protection Officer to avoid any confusions in future. I have now bought the 26-30 Railcard that applies to me to use in future travel. Also, I have now made sure to change the settings on my device to prevent it defaulting to a Railcard discount for a Railcard I do not have / the wrong railcard. I have understood how serious it is not to have paid the correct fare and I apologise for the previous occasions when this has happened.



I would be extremely grateful if you would give me the opportunity to pay the outstanding fares and your administrative costs in order to settle the matter without the need for court action. Please let me know the amount owed and the payment process, and I will make the payment promptly.



Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience caused and I hope that we can resolve this matter as quickly and smoothly as possible. I am assuring you that I’ll always make sure that I travel with a proper valid ticket every time.



Thank you for your understanding.



Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXX

 

[30907]

I was ignorant of the settings in the app while booking the tickets which lead to selection of the rail card and the settings stayed same all the time which I did not notice which is my genuine mistake and I sincerely apologise for the mistake.

I can understand that you do not wish to say that someone else set the app up, but as a result you are asking them to believe that you didn't know that choosing a railcard would apply a discount (let alone this particular one).
I would delete this whole sentence.

Now, I have switched to West Midlands Railway app from Trainline app to book my tickets after the advice from the Revenue Protection Officer to avoid any confusions in future. I have now bought the 26-30 Railcard that applies to me to use in future travel.

Excellent!

Also, I have now made sure to change the settings on my device to prevent it defaulting to a Railcard discount for a Railcard I do not have / the wrong railcard.

This reads as if you are trying to blame the app. It does not default to a discount that you have not selected - it retains your selection.

"I have changed the settings on my device to ensure that the correct Railcard discount is selected" would be correct.

Please excuse the robust line of comment - but it's what the train company will be thinking.

I would think that accepting the blame for your actions would be very likely to lead to them offering to settle.

 

[Haywain]

I think the letter is fine, other than you should say something in the first paragraph about accepting responsibility for what happened. My view is that the train company want to see that you've understood, apologised and made amends and your letter covers all those points with the change I suggest. I don't think they are going to go into the same level of detail about the meaning of certain word as some people on here are wont to do.

 

[spag23]

Apologising five times in the one letter is a bit excessive. Once (or maybe twice) is plenty.

 

[Venky124]

I think the letter is fine, other than you should say something in the first paragraph about accepting responsibility for what happened. My view is that the train company want to see that you've understood, apologised and made amends and your letter covers all those points with the change I suggest. I don't think they are going to go into the same level of detail about the meaning of certain word as some people on here are wont to do.

Thank you! will add your suggestion.

I can understand that you do not wish to say that someone else set the app up, but as a result you are asking them to believe that you didn't know that choosing a railcard would apply a discount (let alone this particular one).
I would delete this whole sentence.


Excellent!

This reads as if you are trying to blame the app. It does not default to a discount that you have not selected - it retains your selection.

"I have changed the settings on my device to ensure that the correct Railcard discount is selected" would be correct.

Please excuse the robust line of comment - but it's what the train company will be thinking.

I would think that accepting the blame for your actions would be very likely to lead to them offering to settle.

Thanks for the detailed suggestions. I will modify the letter according to your suggestions.
Yeah, adding the narrative about someone else helped me setting up the account will make the letter long and also I was thinking it may sound like justifying. Hence, I did not include those details.

 

[SteveM70]

Dear West Midlands Railway,



I am writing to offer my sincere apologies for not being able to produce a valid ticket during my recent journey. I am extremely sorry for any inconvenience or frustration that my actions may have caused, and I understand the importance of following the rules and regulations of the railway, importance of checking all the settings while booking a ticket online and also, I now know to check my tickets carefully to ensure they are fully valid for use before I get on the train.



I was ignorant of the settings in the app while booking the tickets which lead to selection of the rail card and the settings stayed same all the time which I did not notice which is my genuine mistake and I sincerely apologise for the mistake. After the incident, I now understand my mistake and learned from it. I wish to assure you that I have learned from this experience, and I am committed to ensuring that it does not happen again in the future.

Be very careful with the bit I've bolded. As it is, it's possible someone reading that will read that and think "stay the same as what? stay like that for how long?" and maybe starting probing more into your purchase history.

If I was you, I'd just apologise and not try and explain why it happened - they don't care about that, they want you to stop doing it in the future

 

[Venky124]

Be very careful with the bit I've bolded. As it is, it's possible someone reading that will read that and think "stay the same as what? stay like that for how long?" and maybe starting probing more into your purchase history.

If I was you, I'd just apologise and not try and explain why it happened - they don't care about that, they want you to stop doing it in the future

The revenue protection officer did check my last 10 ticket purchases and showed me the discount has been applied. She did ask me how often I travel for which I answered 2-3 days/week. That's the reason I have added the point you have highlighted. Now that you know more details, Please suggest me if I should remove that and simply apologies for the mistakes or is it fine to leave that sentance.

Thanks you!

 

[SteveM70]

The revenue protection officer did check my last 10 ticket purchases and showed me the discount has been applied. She did ask me how often I travel for which I answered 2-3 days/week. That's the reason I have added the point you have highlighted. Now that you know more details, Please suggest me if I should remove that and simply apologies for the mistakes or is it fine to leave that sentance.

Thanks you!

OK, that makes more sense but I'd still be inclined not to mention it

 

[Venky124]

Apologising five times in the one letter is a bit excessive. Once (or maybe twice) is plenty.

Okay! I'll try to be less repetitive. Thanks!

Welcome to the forum!

Some good advice has been given in this thread. If you post up a draft of your reply on the letter in this thread forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

I do think you need to be careful in the wording you use when you reply to the letter, and I would steer clear of trying to offer too much of an explanation and simply refer to what happened as something like an error of judgement.

I do find it strange that the Job Centre Plus Railcard was added 'in error'. Railcards are normally listed in the app either in alphabetical order or in order of popularity. The Job Centre Plus railcard is not at the top of either list, you have to actively search for it, but strangely it seems to be selected 'accidentally' more often than any other railcard. Interestingly the Job Centre Plus Railcard gives a larger discount than any other railcard....

I have added my draft of the reply. Could you please have a look and suggest improvements/Changes? Some of the members already given good suggestions.

Thank you!

well, you can offer a short explanation if it is the truth - but you need to add a bit more than the lines listed - for example if you have 'learned from the incident' say how and what you have done

eg - I have now bought the correct Railcard that applies to me to use in future travel (if you are entitled to one of course - sounds like the 25-30 one will work for you - if I were you I would buy that now as you can say that you have actively done that to prevent the problem arising in future),

and / or

I have now made sure to change the settings on my device to prevent it defaulting to a Railcard discount for a Railcard I do not have / the wrong railcrd

and

I now know to check my tickets carefully to ensure they are fully valid for use before I get on the train

and / or explain that you now understand how serious it is not to have paid the correct fare and you apologise for previous occasions when this has happened

and yes, changing to the WM rail app is a good idea and you could mention that as an action you took after the advice from the Revenue Protection Officer

The important thing to convince them is that you now know what you did was wrong (even if it was due to the error you have explained), that you will not do it again, and that you are prepared to pay the money owed in order to do the right thing and now put things right.

Make sure you do not miss their deadline to reply - if you have to post your reply you may want to ensure you get your post tracked or even next day delivery due to risk of delays in the post this time of year - you can get this by going to a post office.

Good luck with this.

I have added my draft of the reply. Could you please have a look and suggest improvements/Changes? Some of the members have already given good suggestions.

Thank you!

 

[WesternLancer]

Okay! I'll try to be less repetitive. Thanks!


I have added my draft of the reply. Could you please have a look and suggest improvements/Changes? Some of the members already given good suggestions.

Thank you!


I have added my draft of the reply. Could you please have a look and suggest improvements/Changes? Some of the members have already given good suggestions.

Thank you!

so is that amended draft now what is in your post #14 ?

 

[Venky124]

so is that amended draft now what is in your post #14 ?

This is the Amended reply after considering all the suggestions. Please provide your feedback.

Also, I have removed the below bolded part as suggested by some of the members.

"I was ignorant of the settings in the app while booking the tickets which led to the selection of the rail card and the settings stayed same all the time which I did not notice which is my genuine mistake and I sincerely apologise for the mistake."


Dear West Midlands Railway,



I am writing to offer my sincere apologies for not being able to produce a valid ticket during my recent journey. I am extremely sorry for any inconvenience or frustration that my actions may have caused, and I understand the importance of following the rules and regulations of the railway, and the importance of checking all the settings while booking a ticket online. Also, I now know to check my tickets carefully to ensure they are fully valid for use before I get on the train. I completely take the responsibility for what has happened.



After the incident, I now understood my mistake and learned from it. I wish to assure you that I have learned from this experience, and I am committed to ensuring that it does not happen again in the future. Now, I have switched to the West Midlands Railway app from the Trainline app to book my tickets after advice from the Revenue Protection Officer to avoid any confusion in future. I have now bought the 26-30 Railcard that applies to me to use in future travel. Also, I have changed the settings on my device to ensure that the correct Railcard discount is selected. I have understood how serious it is not to have paid the correct fare.



I would be extremely grateful if you would allow me to pay the outstanding fares and your administrative costs in order to settle the matter without the need for court action. Please let me know the amount owed and the payment process, and I will make the payment promptly.



Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience caused and I hope that we can resolve this matter as quickly and smoothly as possible. I am assuring you that I’ll always make sure that I travel with a proper valid ticket every time.



Thank you for your understanding.



Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXX

 

[WesternLancer]

This is the Amended reply after considering all the suggestions. Please provide your feedback.

Also, I have removed the below bolded part as suggested by some of the members.

"I was ignorant of the settings in the app while booking the tickets which led to the selection of the rail card and the settings stayed same all the time which I did not notice which is my genuine mistake and I sincerely apologise for the mistake."


Dear West Midlands Railway,



I am writing to offer my sincere apologies for not being able to produce a valid ticket during my recent journey. I am extremely sorry for any inconvenience or frustration that my actions may have caused, and I understand the importance of following the rules and regulations of the railway, and the importance of checking all the settings while booking a ticket online. Also, I now know to check my tickets carefully to ensure they are fully valid for use before I get on the train. I completely take the responsibility for what has happened.



After the incident, I now understood my mistake and learned from it. I wish to assure you that I have learned from this experience, and I am committed to ensuring that it does not happen again in the future. Now, I have switched to the West Midlands Railway app from the Trainline app to book my tickets after advice from the Revenue Protection Officer to avoid any confusion in future. I have now bought the 26-30 Railcard that applies to me to use in future travel. Also, I have changed the settings on my device to ensure that the correct Railcard discount is selected. I have understood how serious it is not to have paid the correct fare.



I would be extremely grateful if you would allow me to pay the outstanding fares and your administrative costs in order to settle the matter without the need for court action. Please let me know the amount owed and the payment process, and I will make the payment promptly.



Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience caused and I hope that we can resolve this matter as quickly and smoothly as possible. I am assuring you that I’ll always make sure that I travel with a proper valid ticket every time.



Thank you for your understanding.



Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXX

That looks good to me - good luck with getting things resolved!

 

[Hadders]

I agree the leter looks fine. Please let us know how you get on.

 

[Venky124]

I agree the leter looks fine. Please let us know how you get on.

Sure! posted the letter today. Hoping for positive resolution

That looks good to me - good luck with getting things resolved!

Thank you for your gudiance

 

[Venky124]

Hi,

I have received a reply letter from the train company today. They are proceeding with an out-of-court settlement with payments of £175 for their costs and £5.10 for fare avoided. I have also attached the letter for the reference.

Thank you everyone for your guidance and input in replying to the letter. I'm glad that they have offered the settlement after the reply.

Also, is there any chance that I get a discount on the payment if I pay early? I do not see such a thing and want to confirm. Please clarify

Once again thank you everyone on this thread!

 

[AlterEgo]

There is no discount for early payment, but you must pay by the deadline or they will prosecute you.

 

[Venky124]

There is no discount for early payment, but you must pay by the deadline or they will prosecute you.

Thanks for the clarification. I'll pay for that today!