Need Advice on Fare Dispute Chiltern Railways

[2025help]

Hi everyone,

I recently made a mistake while traveling from High Wycombe to London Marylebone. I purchased a ticket from Wembley instead of High Wycombe, and an officer in a fraud prevention uniform stopped me. At first, I panicked and lied about my journey, but I quickly admitted the truth.

The officer was quite rude and agitated, which made the situation more overwhelming. He asked for my ID, and I handed him my provisional driving license. However, the address on it is outdated—it’s from a relative’s house where I no longer live. I told him my new address in High Wycombe, but I’m not sure if he recorded it correctly. I was too scared to confirm this with him.

I deeply regret what I did and feel genuinely sorry for my actions. I never intended to break any rules, and I’m very worried about receiving a criminal record, which I want to avoid at all costs. Missing a letter because of an address mix-up could make things worse, and I’m feeling extremely tense about the whole situation.

Does anyone know if there’s a way to contact the relevant department to confirm or update my address? Or any suggestions on how to handle this would mean so much to me.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I truly appreciate any advice or support.

 

[tixy]

I would suggest setting up a redirection with Royal Mail to your new address. This will ensure you don’t miss any letters. The Train Company will write to you 1st detailing their side of events and their intention. I would advise at that point posting on here the letter (details redacted) so you can have solid advice on how to get the best end result. At that point you can state what your new address is now if the letter was sent to your old address.

In the meantime, I would suggest changing your address on your licence. The DVLA can fine you for not having the correct address.

 

[2025help]

Thank you so much for your advice! I just wanted to ask if anyone knows a tentative timeframe for when I should expect the letter. The incident happened on the 31st of December, 2024.





I’m trying to plan ahead and make sure I don’t miss it.

 

[tixy]

Unfortunately there is no timeline you can expect a reply in. The train company has 6 months to initiate prosecution but usually a reply comes after a few weeks. Please remember however that the prosecution department will have a backlog to work through after the Xmas period.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

If you're still in touch with the people at the old address, it might also be worth asking them to keep an eye out for any post that comes for you. If they're in another part of town then you can pop over and pick it up: if they're far away then you might want to ask them to open the letter and send you a picture of the contents.

(N.B. a quick google seems to be equivocal about whether <edit> doing your own redirection by getting the current occupiers to </edit> cross out the old address, write on the new and pop the letter back in the pillar box without a new stamp still works, or whether RM will now try to treat it as unstamped mail with everything that means for either not delivering or requiring a surcharge before delivery.)

 

[AlterEgo]

When you do write to them, don't frame short-faring like this as "a mistake" or claim you "never intended to break any rules". They catch loads of Wembley Stadium short farers; it's like shooting fish in a barrel for them - so they won't appreciate their intelligence being insulted.

The company will likely audit your ticket purchasing accounts to see if you have done this before, so it can take some time to hear from them.

 

[2025help]

If you're still in touch with the people at the old address, it might also be worth asking them to keep an eye out for any post that comes for you. If they're in another part of town then you can pop over and pick it up: if they're far away then you might want to ask them to open the letter and send you a picture of the contents.

(N.B. a quick google seems to be equivocal about whether <edit> doing your own redirection by getting the current occupiers to </edit> cross out the old address, write on the new and pop the letter back in the pillar box without a new stamp still works, or whether RM will now try to treat it as unstamped mail with everything that means for either not delivering or requiring a surcharge before delivery.)

Hi, I didn’t really understand the second part of your reply.

When you do write to them, don't frame short-faring like this as "a mistake" or claim you "never intended to break any rules". They catch loads of Wembley Stadium short farers; it's like shooting fish in a barrel for them - so they won't appreciate their intelligence being insulted.

The company will likely audit your ticket purchasing accounts to see if you have done this before, so it can take some time to hear from them.

Thanks for this! When I receive the letter, I’ll post it here so that I know what to write. Extremely tensed and anxious at the moment. Can’t afford a criminal record, and was wondering if they’ll agree to an out of court settlement.

Also, I can’t really tell the people at my old address about this, as it’s embarrassing. Will the letter envelope contain anything that’ll look bad for me? Otherwise I can ask them to forward it to me without opening my letter as they live in a town nearby, not in Wycombe.

Hi everyone,
I just came across an email address- [email protected]
If I email them here and send out my correct address is that going to work? Has anyone done this before?

 

[tixy]

Hi everyone,
I just came across an email address- [email protected]
If I email them here and send out my correct address is that going to work? Has anyone done this before?

It won’t hurt and they may do, but don’t rely on them updating anything before they send the letter. Be very brief with the email and don’t include anything about the incident as you may incriminate yourself without knowing it. Wait for the letter and post here for advice with a picture of the letter (redacted).

Something like this:

Hello,
I was stopped at High Wycombe (or stopped on the xxxxhrs train at xxxx) on the XX/XX/XX

When questioned, I gave my name as XXXX, my DOB as XXXX and my address of XXXX.

I am writing to confirm that I now reside at XXXX.

Please correspond with me at the above address moving forward.

To simplify things, I am also happy to communicate via email, which is XXXXX@

Kind Regards
XXXX

 

[2025help]

Thank you, that’s helpful!!

 

[Fawkes Cat]

If you're still in touch with the people at the old address, it might also be worth asking them to keep an eye out for any post that comes for you. If they're in another part of town then you can pop over and pick it up: if they're far away then you might want to ask them to open the letter and send you a picture of the contents.

(N.B. a quick google seems to be equivocal about whether <edit> doing your own redirection by getting the current occupiers to </edit> cross out the old address, write on the new and pop the letter back in the pillar box without a new stamp still works, or whether RM will now try to treat it as unstamped mail with everything that means for either not delivering or requiring a surcharge before delivery.)

Hi, I didn’t really understand the second part of your reply.

Sorry - I should have been clearer: from time to time, people here will suggest redirecting mail by just shoving the letter back in the post: to try and avoid confusion I was explaining why that probably won't work any more.

So please ignore it - by trying to make things simpler I've just made things more confusing!

 

[Hadders]

Hi everyone,

I recently made a mistake while traveling from High Wycombe to London Marylebone. I purchased a ticket from Wembley instead of High Wycombe, and an officer in a fraud prevention uniform stopped me. At first, I panicked and lied about my journey, but I quickly admitted the truth.

The officer was quite rude and agitated, which made the situation more overwhelming. He asked for my ID, and I handed him my provisional driving license. However, the address on it is outdated—it’s from a relative’s house where I no longer live. I told him my new address in High Wycombe, but I’m not sure if he recorded it correctly. I was too scared to confirm this with him.

I deeply regret what I did and feel genuinely sorry for my actions. I never intended to break any rules, and I’m very worried about receiving a criminal record, which I want to avoid at all costs. Missing a letter because of an address mix-up could make things worse, and I’m feeling extremely tense about the whole situation.

Does anyone know if there’s a way to contact the relevant department to confirm or update my address? Or any suggestions on how to handle this would mean so much to me.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I truly appreciate any advice or support.

Welcome to the forum!

Firstly, I would not describe what you did as a mistake. It sounds as though you deliberately intended to avoid paying your fare. A better way of describing what happened is an error of judgement.

Chiltern are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news for you is they are normally prepared to offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with their investigation, and who haven't come to their attention before. They will send you a letter in the next few weeks saying they have received a report, are considering prosecuting but asking for your version of events before they decide how to proceed. I suggest a short, concise reply mentioning:

- 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

Expect to have to pay the cost of the fares avoided at the full Anytime rate, with no credit given for the invalid ticket you did purchase. In addition you will have to pay an admin fee, typically around £150. Chiltern will likely audit your online ticket purchasing history and if this indicates further irregularities they will want to factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement figure.

As for the address, if you still have access to your relatives house then the best thing to do will be to tell your relative that a letter to you might get sent to their address and could they let you know when it arrives. Unless you have a case reference number then contacting Chiltern is unlikely to result in the address being updated.

When Chiltern's letter arrives, post a (redacted) copy of it in this thread along with your draft reply and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

 

[island]

(N.B. a quick google seems to be equivocal about whether <edit> doing your own redirection by getting the current occupiers to </edit> cross out the old address, write on the new and pop the letter back in the pillar box without a new stamp still works, or whether RM will now try to treat it as unstamped mail with everything that means for either not delivering or requiring a surcharge before delivery.)

There's a tick box on the Royal Mail surcharge stickers for "unofficial redirect" which tends to suggest the latter, though as with many things RM it comes down to the custom and practice at the individual delivery office.

 

[Haywain]

There's a tick box on the Royal Mail surcharge stickers for "unofficial redirect" which tends to suggest the latter, though as with many things RM it comes down to the custom and practice at the individual delivery office.

And is something you might get away with once or twice but not on a regular basis.

 

[ninhog]

On an unrelated note, it’s worth the OP being reminded that to not have the correct address on a driving licence makes it invalid.

Updating the address is free and can be done online.

 

[island]

On an unrelated note, it’s worth the OP being reminded that to not have the correct address on a driving licence makes it invalid.

Updating the address is free and can be done online.

It doesn't make it invalid but it is an offence to not update the address.

 

[ninhog]

It doesn't make it invalid but it is an offence to not update the address.

Thanks for correcting me. A fine of up to £1,000 can be applied.

 

[2025help]

Hi all, the letter arrived in my mailbox today. But it’s just this one page nothing else attached.

Can I get some advice, I drafted the letter.

Dear Fraud & Prosecutions Team,

I am writing in response to your letter dated 21st March 2025 regarding the alleged incident on 31st December 2024.

Firstly, I sincerely apologise for this. I
am sorry for what happened. I have learned the importance of always ensuring I have a valid ticket before traveling and I ensure this will never happen again.

If possible, I would be truly grateful for the opportunity to settle this matter out of court please.
I am more than happy to pay the outstanding fare along with any reasonable administrative costs.


Please do let me know how I can proceed.

 

[Elecman]

Hi everyone,

I recently made a mistake while traveling from High Wycombe to London Marylebone. I purchased a ticket from Wembley instead of High Wycombe, and an officer in a fraud prevention uniform stopped me. At first, I panicked and lied about my journey, but I quickly admitted the truth.

The officer was quite rude and agitated, which made the situation more overwhelming. He asked for my ID, and I handed him my provisional driving license. However, the address on it is outdated—it’s from a relative’s house where I no longer live. I told him my new address in High Wycombe, but I’m not sure if he recorded it correctly. I was too scared to confirm this with him.

I deeply regret what I did and feel genuinely sorry for my actions. I never intended to break any rules, and I’m very worried about receiving a criminal record, which I want to avoid at all costs. Missing a letter because of an address mix-up could make things worse, and I’m feeling extremely tense about the whole situation.

Does anyone know if there’s a way to contact the relevant department to confirm or update my address? Or any suggestions on how to handle this would mean so much to me.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I truly appreciate any advice or support.

You need to update your licence address as your committing an offence by not doing so

 

[2025help]

Hi, I did that already, after everyone here suggested me to do so!!

 

[John R]

Your letter is somewhat on the brief side. Whilst we don't encourage pages of repetitive (often AI produced) platitudes saying how you now understand the gravity of the situation and similar, there is a balance to be had, and yours falls a little too far in the opposite direction imo. The investigator reading your letter would probably think that you spent all of 1 minute thinking about it, and so haven't really put in the effort to warrant them offering you a settlement.

Mind you, we often debate just how good a letter has to be to get an offer of a settlement, so it would be interesting to see whether it was sufficient. But in your situation, I'd probably not want to be the guinea pig for this forum's research, and so I would suggest you try and add just a few more sentences to explain how sorry you are and you won't do it again.

 

[2025help]

Your letter is somewhat on the brief side. Whilst we don't encourage pages of repetitive (often AI produced) platitudes saying how you now understand the gravity of the situation and similar, there is a balance to be had, and yours falls a little too far in the opposite direction imo. The investigator reading your letter would probably think that you spent all of 1 minute thinking about it, and so haven't really put in the effort to warrant them offering you a settlement.

Mind you, we often debate just how good a letter has to be to get an offer of a settlement, so it would be interesting to see whether it was sufficient. But in your situation, I'd probably not want to be the guinea pig for this forum's research, and so I would suggest you try and add just a few more sentences to explain how sorry you are and you won't do it again.

That’s really kind of you to explain it to me. So grateful for your advice.

I rewrote it. Could you please let me know how this sounds or what changes to make? Thanks so much!


Dear Fraud & Prosecutions Team,

I am writing in response to your letter dated 21st March 2025 regarding the incident on 31st December 2024.


I sincerely apologise for this incident. I deeply regret travelling without a valid ticket and fully understand the seriousness of the matter. I appreciate the importance of fare compliance in ensuring the fairness of the railway system, and I take full responsibility for my mistake.

This experience has been a wake-up call for me, and I have learned the importance of always checking that I have a valid ticket before traveling. I can assure you that this will not happen again, and I will take extra care to ensure I always follow the correct procedures in the future.

I would be extremely grateful if I could resolve this matter out of court please. I am more than willing to pay the outstanding fare along with any reasonable administrative costs that have been incurred. Please let me know how I can proceed to settle this matter appropriately.

Once again, I sincerely apologise for my actions and any inconvenience caused. I truly appreciate your time and consideration in reviewing my response.

 

[John R]

I’d remove the bit about “always checking” you have a valid ticket, as that makes it sound like the problem arose because of an accidental omission, whereas it was actually blatant fare evasion. (However it reasonable to say that you will always ensure you have a valid ticket before boarding.)

Also drop the word “reasonable” re expenses. That suggests if you don’t like what they suggest you can negotiate or push back, when in fact you are in no position to do so.

 

[2025help]

Thank you so much for your help again!
How does this sound?

Dear Fraud & Prosecutions Team,

I am writing in response to your letter dated 21st March 2025 regarding the incident on 31st December 2024.


I sincerely apologise for this incident. I deeply regret travelling without a valid ticket and fully understand the seriousness of the matter. I appreciate the importance of fare compliance in ensuring the fairness of the railway system, and I take full responsibility for my mistake.

This experience has been a wake-up call for me, and I have learned the importance of boarding with a valid ticket before traveling. I can assure you that this will not happen again, and I will take extra care to ensure I always follow the correct procedures in the future.

I would be extremely grateful if I could resolve this matter out of court please. I am more than willing to pay the outstanding fare along with any administrative costs that have been incurred. Please let me know how I can proceed to settle this matter appropriately.

Once again, I sincerely apologise for my actions and any inconvenience caused. I truly appreciate your time and consideration in reviewing my response.

 

[BRX]

Can't you just say, I regret attempting to evade the correct fare? All this woolly wording makes it sound like you don't really accept you deliberately did anything wrong and just made an unfortunate "mistake".

I preferred your initial, more brief version. I think that sometimes the standard advice given in this forum leads people into writing way more than necessary and it ends up padded out with pointless waffle.

 

[Egg Centric]

Can't you just say, I regret attempting to evade the correct fare? All this woolly wording makes it sound like you don't really accept you deliberately did anything wrong and just made an unfortunate "mistake".

I preferred your initial, more brief version. I think that sometimes the standard advice given in this forum leads people into writing way more than necessary and it ends up padded out with pointless waffle.

As @John R says no one here knows for sure but we may as well stay with tried and tested formulas unless @2025help wants to be a guinea pig.

FWIW I suspect you could write more or less anything requesting an out of court settlement and so long as it was comprehensible and wasn't gratuitously offensive or arrogantly intransigent you'd get offered one (and maybe even those requirements are too much). But why take the risk?

 

[John R]

One final comment - I would replace "fare compliance" with "paying the correct fare". The former isn't really the type of language one would use, and does hint heavily at AI help.

Then from my perspective it's ready to go.

 

[Brent Goose]

FWIW I suspect you could write more or less anything requesting an out of court settlement and so long as it was comprehensible and wasn't gratuitously offensive or arrogantly intransigent you'd get offered one (and maybe even those requirements are too much). But why take the risk?

IIRC one poster included a paragraph complaining about the tardiness and overcrowding on the relevant trains which was seemingly not well received as they went straight to prosecution

 

[Egg Centric]

IIRC one poster included a paragraph complaining about the tardiness and overcrowding on the relevant trains which was seemingly not well received as they went straight to prosecution

Sure, that would come under the "arrogant and intransigent" bit

(Either way it's just a suspicion)

 

[2025help]

Hi all, I sent them the email on March 27th but haven’t received a response yet. Do they typically follow up with another letter, or should I expect a reply via email?

 

[30907]

Hi all, I sent them the email on March 27th but haven’t received a response yet. Do they typically follow up with another letter, or should I expect a reply via email?

Give it a while yet, they have a backlog.