Topic ID 4427
Monday - got the wrong train from old street and ended up at Hatfield. No big deal as I rang the missus to pick us up there. HOWEVER the FCC Hatfield demanded 20 quid to allow me to get out the station despite it being obviously a genuine mistake with no intent to defraud (I have a perfectly valid season ticket). They did say to avoid the fine I could get the train back into London and get a Hertford train. For so many reasons this suggestion struck me as incredibly stupid. Hey ho they have a monopoly so there is no point in them being nice to us...
Reply ID 63699
Happened to my sister a few months ago, she appealed the fine twice explaining it was a mistake with no intent to defraud. The upshot was the fine is a punishment for making a mistake it has nothing to do with whether or not there was intent to defraud.
Reply ID 63707
thanks Sarah - so its not worth appealing? Someone told me yesterday that when it happened to them they didn't have the money to pay the fine - all they had was a valid ticket to Hertford - so they didn't get any money at the station. In that case they sent an email to apppeal and they were let off. Sounds like FCC do whatever's easiest - there's no morals or logic to it!
Reply ID 63708
My sister was traveling alone, it was fairly late at night and the ticket inspector basically held her at the station saying she couldn't leave until the fine was paid. It didn't matter she had a valid ticket for a Hertford station and she offered to pay again for the journey she had taken by mistake (which I think would've been cheaper than the one she'd paid for!). As I said she appealed twice and lost, she even put it into dispute on her credit card and lost. We weren't surprised to find out that ticket inspectors can earn a minimum of 5% commission on every fine issued. You're right though they probably take the easiest option there are no morals or logic to the situation so I would appeal just to see what nonsense they come back with!
Reply ID 63712
This is outrageous! I'm sorry, late at night, holding you hostage, I would have called the Police and got them to sort it out. You have a valid ticket for goodness sake, which you pay a premium rate to use. We've all fallen asleep on the train, got the wrong one out of the platforms at Kings Cross etc, etc. its called human error and it happens, but never have I done this without having my ticket on my person. Write to your MP (they're trying to get brownie points at the moment) and kick up a fuss. Nobody should be detained unless you're an officer of the law and I find this really obnoxious [:(!]
Reply ID 63714
Believe me drama queen all of what you have said was put in writing in the appeals, they couldn't care less! They had their £20- case closed as far as they were concerned- that's the impression we got!
Reply ID 63721
Most strange. I was on a train a few months ago when a ticket inspector came into the carriage that I was sat in. He asked a rather large chap to see his ticket. The rather large chap was talking on his mobile phone and completely ignored the ticket inspector. The rather large chap then got off at the next station and the ticket inspector asked me & my friend for our tickets. My friend asked why he had not pursued the rather large chap as it was obvious he didn't have a ticket. The ticket inspector said it wasn't his job to go chasing after suspected fare dodgers. I suspect that ~Sarah~'s sister didn't look like she would have lamped the ticket inspector if she fancied it. Moral of the story appears to be: look big and nasty.
Reply ID 63725
are we getting a pattern here? My friend who didn't have to pay was 20's male and just bluntly said he just didnt have the money I was polite and tried to explain my pedicament and asked for their help. We don't wan't to encourage yobbishnes etc but fcc could be bringing it on themselves!
Reply ID 63732
quote:I think it is, or is he talking himself out of a job? I took the wrong train and ended up in WGC a couple of weeks ago, just after the times changed. I didn't bother asking the guard if he could open the gate for me since I knew it'd be trouble, so I just nipped through the barrier closely behind someone else.
Originally posted by JohnSmith
The ticket inspector said it wasn't his job to go chasing after suspected fare dodgers.
Reply ID 63733
A similar thing happened to me some years ago when travelling to York. I was actually DIRECTED onto a train at Kings Cross by a member of staff, but had to get off at Stevenage AND pay a fine because it turned out my ticket wasn't valid on that particular train! My biggest regret was that I was polite, paid up and did what I was told because I didn't want to make a scene and hold everyone else up. I tried to claim my money back but once they've got it, they don't give it back. If you don't get your money back Spooky, dare I suggest that you discretely make a few journeys without paying the full fare and claim you're money back that way?
Reply ID 63736
A penalty fare is not a fine and cannot be extracted from you. They are entitled to demand that you buy an appropriate ticket for the journey just taken In the case of a Penalty fare you are entitled to give a name and address (which will be checked by the RPI). The train company will then write to you and you have the option of paying or appealing. Have a look here:http://www.penaltyfareappeal.co.uk/. I have no connection with them and have never used their services
Reply ID 63776
This one has always baffled me! It is actually more expensive to travel to Hertford North than to Hatfield from London so isn't a Hertford North bound ticket valid to Hatfield?
Reply ID 63777
Spooky and Sarah - DON'T PAY THE FINE. You paid to travel on the train. The people that don't pay get prosecuted. Take it all the way to court and it will get revoked. It won't even get that far anyway.
Reply ID 63790
Good luck when they send you a summons.
Reply ID 63796
quote:Been there and got my money back. [:)]
Originally posted by exiled_in_Reading
Good luck when they send you a summons.
Reply ID 64384
A bit late picking up on this one - but exactly the same thing happened to me several months ago. Like spooky, I explained to the inspectors on duty at Hatfield that clearly I was not a fare dodger as I had a valid monthly season ticket. Unlike spooky however, they allowed me to leave the station provided I paid the single fare from Finsbury Park to Hatfield. I still thought that was a bit cheeky for a genuine mistake. As for telling you to travel back to London, surely then you'd be taking a second journey without a valid ticket !! Makes no sense to me.
Reply ID 64385
Had the same thing happen to me at WGC They wanted £20 to go over the footbrige to the platform where the fast trains go from but they said that I could get a Moorgate train back to London as that goes from the same platform. - Even though London-WGC is exactly the same price as London-Hertford. They gave me some b****x about people wanting to get home faster so they get the train to WGC and get somebody to pick them up as it is easy to get from WGC to Hertford. Eventually got the next train to Welwyn North (same platform) and just walked out of the station. (No Ticket Barriers there)
Reply ID 64467
I have in the past had to go to Hatfield in the late hours as from Kings cross there wernt any more hertford north trains running. I would have thought it was fine and you pass hatfield to get to hertford north? Or am I wrong on that?
Reply ID 64470
They seem to charge by route and don't have any flexibility, for instance I saw someone being fined yesterday because they were traveling via the Great Northern Route when they should have gone via the ThamesLink route (not sure where they were going) the person made the point its all the same company but the guard was saying its a different route and that's what counts. Although I thought that the Hertford Loop was part of the Great Northern Route - so who knows maybe its just a money making exercise, the train operators are not exactly known for being customer focused, I think anyone that's been crammed into one of those 1970's Hertford East/North trains for the last few years could testify to that. [V]
Reply ID 64473
I would say that the Hertford Loop is part of the Great Northern Route. Whenever there are problems on the main line, the main line trains are diverted via the Hertford Loop.
Reply ID 64481
True i think i remember seeing those blue east coast express trains going down there a few months back. I guess what people could do in theory is just go to Stevenage then go back down to Hertford as you dont need to go through ticket barriers to change platforms at Stevenage. Not sure how legal that is though, might mean a fine if you get caught!
Reply ID 64501
quote:I've been checked going through there before. It's fine; at least on a railcard.
Originally posted by Prime
True i think i remember seeing those blue east coast express trains going down there a few months back. I guess what people could do in theory is just go to Stevenage then go back down to Hertford as you dont need to go through ticket barriers to change platforms at Stevenage. Not sure how legal that is though, might mean a fine if you get caught!
Reply ID 64510
quote:How did you get home from Hatfield??
Originally posted by Gemma
I have in the past had to go to Hatfield in the late hours as from Kings cross there wernt any more hertford north trains running. I would have thought it was fine and you pass hatfield to get to hertford north? Or am I wrong on that?