Advice on the correct things I should send back to them

[PlatformEdge]

Hi there,

I got an email from West Midlands Trains saying that on 15/04/24 I could not product my 16-17 railcard when approached on a train from Bromsgrove to Longbridge. They said I was resold an adult ticket for the journey and mentioned that I claimed to have left my railcard at home.

However, none of this happened as I wasn't approached by anyone or resold anything and my 16-17 railcard is on my phone so I would of just shown it to them.

When I turned 18 in August, and my 16-17 railcard expired, I bought a 16-25 railcard. I have proof of the purchase dates of both railcards.

Can you advise on the correct things I should send back to them please?

Thank you

 

[Elecman]

Hi there,

I got an email from West Midlands Trains saying that on 15/04/24 I could not product my 16-17 railcard when approached on a train from Bromsgrove to Longbridge. They said I was resold an adult ticket for the journey and mentioned that I claimed to have left my railcard at home.

However, none of this happened as I wasn't approached by anyone or resold anything and my 16-17 railcard is on my phone so I would of just shown it to them.

When I turned 18 in August, and my 16-17 railcard expired, I bought a 16-25 railcard. I have proof of the purchase dates of both railcards.

Can you advise on the correct things I should send back to them please?

Thank you

Are you saying that you didn’t travel on the day in question or that if you did but you weren’t checked by the train company and couldn’t provide your railcard?

 

[Haywain]

none of this happened as I wasn't approached by anyone or resold anything and my 16-17 railcard is on my phone so I would of just shown it to them.

Did you travel from Bromsgrove to Longbridge that day?

 

[PlatformEdge]

Are you saying that you didn’t travel on the day in question or that if you did but you weren’t checked by the train company and couldn’t provide your railcard?

I did travel on the day but I wasn't checked by the train company

 

[Haywain]

I did travel on the day but I wasn't checked by the train company

OK, were you checked on another day? It seems strange that they would have your details and it relates to a journey you made with a railcard that you hold.

 

[PlatformEdge]

OK, were you checked on another day? It seems strange that they would have your details and it relates to a journey you made with a railcard that you hold.

I go on trains a lot so I'm not sure but from the 16/04 to 30/04 I was just travelling from my local station (on a different line) to Birmingham New Street and back.

 

[Elecman]

I did travel on the day but I wasn't checked by the train company

If that’s true, then someone else has given your details instead of thier own ( perhaps one of you ‘friends’ as they would have needed your name address and date of birth). In which case you need to reply to the train company telling them you weren’t stopped and spoken to and be prepared to provide a recent photo of yourself for them to cross reference with any description the staff member made of the person they stopped ( of body camera image Iv they recorded the incident)

 

[PlatformEdge]

If that’s true, then someone else has given your details instead of thier own ( perhaps one of you ‘friends’ as they would have needed your name address and date of birth). In which case you need to reply to the train company telling them you weren’t stopped and spoken to and be prepared to provide a recent photo of yourself for them to cross reference with any description the staff member made of the person they stopped ( of body camera image Iv they recorded the incident)

That's the thing, none of my friends know my email nor my address. I'll reply to them saying that I wasn't stopped. Thank you for your help!

 

[Elecman]

That's the thing, none of my friends know my email nor my address. I'll reply to them saying that I wasn't stopped. Thank you for your help!

Well if you weren’t stopped then someone obviously does know that information to provide it to the train company

 

[Haywain]

I'll reply to them saying that I wasn't stopped. Thank you for your help!

I would go slightly further and state what journey, if any, you made on the day in question as well.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Sep 2024 ==

I go on trains a lot so I'm not sure but from the 16/04 to 30/04 I was just travelling from my local station

Just to add that it seem odd that you wouldn't know if you made the journey in question or not.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hi there,

I got an email from West Midlands Trains saying that on 15/04/24 I could not product my 16-17 railcard when approached on a train from Bromsgrove to Longbridge. They said I was resold an adult ticket for the journey and mentioned that I claimed to have left my railcard at home.

However, none of this happened as I wasn't approached by anyone or resold anything and my 16-17 railcard is on my phone so I would of just shown it to them.

When I turned 18 in August, and my 16-17 railcard expired, I bought a 16-25 railcard. I have proof of the purchase dates of both railcards.

Can you advise on the correct things I should send back to them please?

Thank you

As people have said, it looks as if someone gave your details. Most likely it's someone who knows you and has those details, but it's not impossible that someone made up a name and address and stumbled on yours. However the railway got the details, they have now looked at your ticketing history which shows your legitimate use of the Railcard but as whoever they stopped couldn't produce a card so the railway think you didn't have a card.

When something like this happens, strictly it's up to the organisation (here, the railway) asserting something as fact to prove it, rather than for the other party (you) to disprove it. So you would be within your rights to ignore the email. But if you do that, most likely the railway will not let go, and you will get further emails and letters demanding money.

So it's worth co-operating to some extent. As others have said, a good route would be to provide evidence of what you look like (driving licences or passports are good for this: if your current/expired Railcard has a picture you could use that too). And if you can show that you weren't on the train where whoever gave your name was stopped, that would help: it sounds as if you were using trains that day, and that you buy tickets online so you should be able to bring up your record on line.

I would hope that will be enough for the railway to recognise that it's not you they want to talk to, but we will be here to advise if you want our help.

 

[Haywain]

none of my friends know my email nor my address

Anyone you've ever sent an email to has your email address and, most likely, your name.

 

[Egg Centric]

Was your ticket on your phone or printed? And if the latter, could someone have picked it up and attempted to reuse it? That would potentially explain them getting your details...

 

[pelli]

Given that the email you've received states (sic)

Whilst investigating your case and before we investigate further, we can see attached to your tickets you have applied a 16-17 and 16-25 Railcard we will need to see proof and proof of purchase between the date range of January 2023 and September 2024 and over 104 occasions so we can adjust amounts accordingly, or if necessary

if you had the appropriate railcard for all of those purchases then even if not required you might as well attach the requested evidence to reassure WMT that all the journeys you actually did undertake are above board.

 

[Haywain]

if you had the appropriate railcard for all of those purchases then even if not required you might as well attach the requested evidence to reassure WMT that all the journeys you actually did undertake are above board.

My view is that the message that "it isn't me" would become mixed by doing that, and therefore it is best to not do it.

 

[30907]

My view is that the message that "it isn't me" would become mixed by doing that, and therefore it is best to not do it.

Agree. At most, confirm that you held a railcard on that date.

If the train operator has been able to establish your travel history, I presume it would be just as easy for you to confirm that you actually travelled from A to B but not Bromsgrove to Longbridge on the date concerned.