Travel Irregularity Incident Report: Accidental Booking and Misuse of Railcard

[minato_o7]

Dear Rail Forum Members,

I'm reaching out because I've found myself in a bit of a pickle during my daily commute from Nottingham to Derby. Today, things took an unexpected turn. It seems I mistakenly booked tomorrow's ticket instead of today's. As luck would have it, when I tried to exit the station, I was stopped by EMR staff.

In my haste, I tried to explain my blunder, but things got even messier when they noticed that the ticket I presented had a railcard for the 16-25 age group. Here's where I really messed up—I don't actually qualify for that railcard, but I've been using it to save a few quid. I know, not my brightest move, and I'm kicking myself for it now.

In a panic, I pretended I didn't know about the railcard mix-up to avoid getting into trouble. But that only made things worse. They ended up filing an incident report because they found out I'd been consistently using the wrong railcard. And to add to the chaos, I realized I hadn't updated my address on the Train Pal app, so the info they had on me was outdated.

I'm really worried about how this could affect my future, especially with job applications on the horizon. The thought of it affecting my background check is keeping me up at night. I'm even scared I might end up facing legal consequences. I struggle with anxiety as it is, and this whole ordeal has me on edge.

I'm willing to pay any fines that come my way, but I'm not sure how serious this could get. I'm hoping you all might have some advice on how to handle this mess, minimize the fallout, and make sure I'm following all the rules. Any insights or guidance would mean the world to me right now.

Thanks for lending an ear to my troubles.

 

[AlterEgo]

Dear Rail Forum Members,

I recently encountered a travel irregularity incident that has left me feeling perplexed and anxious, and I seek guidance from this esteemed community on the matter.

For the past three weeks, I have been commuting from Nottingham to Derby station every morning. However, today's journey took an unexpected turn when I inadvertently booked tomorrow's ticket instead of today's. Upon exiting the station, I was apprehended by EMR staff. I promptly explained my mistake, but matters escalated when it was discovered that the ticket I presented bore a railcard designated for 16-25 age group, which I did not possess(i know this is foolishness from my part to svae some pennies but i feel so sorry now ans regrett it now). In a moment of panic, I falsely claimed ignorance of this discrepancy, a regrettable decision aimed at avoiding penalties.

Regrettably, a review of my transaction history on the Train Pal app revealed multiple instances where I had used the 16-25 railcard, despite originally possessing a Two Together Railcard. This lapse in judgment compounded my predicament, leading to the issuance of an incident report citing failure to carry the appropriate railcard.

Compounding my concern is the realization that I had neglected to update my address on the app, resulting in the provision of outdated information to the EMR staff. Despite furnishing accurate personal details, including my name and email address, I fear the discrepancy may have further implications.

As someone currently navigating the post-graduate job market, the prospect of this incident affecting my Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check weighs heavily on my mind. While I am prepared to accept any fines incurred as a consequence of my actions, I am uncertain about the potential criminal implications of this incident and its impact on my future endeavors.

I humbly seek your advice and insights on how best to address this situation, mitigate any repercussions, and ensure compliance with relevant regulations. Your expertise and guidance would be greatly appreciated during this challenging time.

Thank you for considering my predicament.

Well, first off, let's hope you aren't "navigating the postgraduate job market" using ChatGPT, as has been used to write this.

Your thread title suggests the use was accidental, but your post admits this was deliberate, so you should probably get your story straight before corresponding with the train company.

In summary, you've been fiddling your fares routinely by claiming discounts you knew you were not entitled to, and now need to negotiate with the train company to avoid being prosecuted for the offences.

Once the train company writes to you, you should post a copy of their correspondence in this thread (with your details removed) so we can see what, if any, offence or offences they are accusing you of.

Did the staff go through your Trainpal account with you at the time of the stop? EMR may well settle out of court, but it will cost you £100-200 in administration fees plus the full fares for every time you wrongly claimed the discount.

 

[minato_o7]

Than

Well, first off, let's hope you aren't "navigating the postgraduate job market" using ChatGPT, as has been used to write this.

Your thread title suggests the use was accidental, but your post admits this was deliberate, so you should probably get your story straight before corresponding with the train company.

In summary, you've been fiddling your fares routinely by claiming discounts you knew you were not entitled to, and now need to negotiate with the train company to avoid being prosecuted for the offences.

Once the train company writes to you, you should post a copy of their correspondence in this thread (with your details removed) so we can see what, if any, offence or offences they are accusing you of.

Did the staff go through your Trainpal account with you at the time of the stop? EMR may well settle out of court, but it will cost you £100-200 in administration fees plus the full fares for every time you wrongly claimed the discount.

Thanks for the reply, yah she did go through the trainpal account at that time. and i had both adult tickets and also the discounted one's with rail card 16-25. she saw both. i might have used the discounted tickets for 10 times. will they file a criminal offence on me. i am literally scared now

 

[Ducky88]

1. Does the train company have your current address? Because if the intent to prosecute letter gets delivered to the wrong address you may get prosecuted (because the time limit to reply is normally 7-14 days).
2. Using ChatGPT is okay but don't just copy and paste because reading the above was painfully obvious.
3. No point worrying now, its happened. wait for the letter.

others will have better advice i am sure

 

[minato_o7]

1. Does the train company have your current address? Because if the intent to prosecute letter gets delivered to the wrong address you may get prosecuted (because the time limit to reply is normally 7-14 days).
2. Using ChatGPT is okay but don't just copy and paste because reading the above was painfully obvious.
3. No point worrying now, its happened. wait for the letter.

others will have better advice i am sure

thanks for the reply, and i am sorry for directly pasting it from chat gpt. The train company doesn't have my current address now. what should i do now?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

The train company doesn't have my current address now. what should i do now?

According to their website, you can contact EMR at [email protected]. If the railway gave you anything (there's something which is commonly known as an 'MG11' that you may have been given) check that for a reference number to quote: it will also help to give
- your name
- your correct address
- when you were stopped (date and time)
- where you were stopped (by the sounds of things, the exit of Derby station)

That way, hopefully they can find your case and update your address so that they will keep in touch.

 

[minato_o7]

According to their website, you can contact EMR at [email protected]. If the railway gave you anything (there's something which is commonly known as an 'MG11' that you may have been given) check that for a reference number to quote: it will also help to give
- your name
- your correct address
- when you were stopped (date and time)
- where you were stopped (by the sounds of things, the exit of Derby station)

That way, hopefully they can find your case and update your address so that they will keep in touch.

Thanks a lot .I will try this way. Do you know what will be the judgement from the part of EMR in my case? will there be any criminal convictions?

 

[Skymonster]

EMR will write to you. If EMR does not receive a response from you the matter WILL go to court and a criminal conviction in your absence will be the result, which will eventually be linked to you when you when they track you down. That’s why its important to ensure EMR has your correct address - or at least an address at which you can receive mail in a timely manner.

Once you’ve received the letter - which could take some time to arrive - you will have an opportunity to respond, which will also be your main chance to encourage / persuade EMR to settle the matter out of court, and thus avoid conviction. This will involve you persuading EMR you have seen the error of your ways and have taken steps to ensure you won’t do it again. People on this forum will proof read your reply to EMR’s letter, but you can’t act on this until you receive that letter other than immediately contacting EMR to ensure the correct address is linked to your case.

Assuming you receive the letter and respond appropriately, it is likely but not guaranteed that EMR will offer you an out of court settlement which will avoid you being convicted and getting a criminal record. However, the settlement will probably involve EMR requiring you to pay the one-way anytime fare for each journey you made with the discount applied with no credit for the fares you did pay - because EMR will in all likelihood review your previous electronic purchases - plus an amount to cover EMR’s investigation costs which will likely add another £100-150+ to the total.

Assuming all that goes well and you pay the sum then demanded by EMR promptly, the matter will be done with and go away without conviction. But, you receiving the initial letter from EMR is on the critical path to this resolution. It also goes without saying that you MUST pay the correct fares going forward, as appearing on EMR’s radar again would not help matters.

 

[minato_o7]

EMR will write to you. If EMR does not receive a response from you the matter WILL go to court and a criminal conviction in your absence will be the result, which will eventually be linked to you when you when they track you down. That’s why its important to ensure EMR has your correct address - or at least an address at which you can receive mail in a timely manner.

Once you’ve received the letter - which could take some time to arrive - you will have an opportunity to respond, which will also be your main chance to encourage / persuade EMR to settle the matter out of court, and thus avoid conviction. This will involve you persuading EMR you have seen the error of your ways and have taken steps to ensure you won’t do it again. People on this forum will proof read your reply to EMR’s letter, but you can’t act on this until you receive that letter other than immediately contacting EMR to ensure the correct address is linked to your case.

Assuming you receive the letter and respond appropriately, it is likely but not guaranteed that EMR will offer you an out of court settlement which will avoid you being convicted and getting a criminal record. However, the settlement will probably involve EMR requiring you to pay the one-way anytime fare for each journey you made with the discount applied with no credit for the fares you did pay - because EMR will in all likelihood review your previous electronic purchases - plus an amount to cover EMR’s investigation costs which will likely add another £100-150+ to the total.

Assuming all that goes well and you pay the sum then demanded by EMR promptly, the matter will then go away. But, you receiving the initial letter from EMR is on the critical path to this resolution. It also goes without saying that you MUST pay the correct fares going forward, as appearing on EMR’s radar again would not help matters.

Thanks for the valuable input .Is there anyway i can change the address i have given them. i saw one way is to contact them through mail i have done

 

[Skymonster]

If you received some documentation when you were accosted (MG11) with a reference number on it, emailing EMR to update your address would be a good start. For double-cover, it may also be prudent to try to phone EMR’s prosecutions department - I assume it works normal office hours - with that same reference number to provide your correct address. But, as paperwork generated by staff at stations often takes some time to process, do not expect that a phone call will enable you to resolve the matter - other than it ensuring you receive a letter from EMR in a timely manner when its staff get around to processing your case.