Chiltern Railway - help

[zaphy]

last week I got on a chiltern railway train which I didn't have a ticket for from Solihull to Birmingham moor street (my fault) which would of been about 5 quid and when the inspector asked for my ticket I bought one on the spot which he saw after that he scanned the ticket and said you have invalid ticket since you have a ticket which the departure time is later on. Then he asked me series of question to which I cooperated with such as did you intended to not pay for the ticket to which I said yes and then he asked me another question which I dont remember but my reply was 'I didnt' which he wrote down on a form which he asked me to sign so I did. Now from what i have read is i will receive a letter of intention of prosecute and I have a decent chance of settling this out of court by paying admin fee and the fine but is it worth wile for me to pay a lawyer to reach out to them so the matter is resolved quickly as I don't want to have it on my mind or should I just wait for the letter to arrive and go on from there. also from what i remember this was my first time on any train by chiltern railways.

 

[WesternLancer]

last week I got on a chiltern railway train which I didn't have a ticket for from Solihull to Birmingham moor street (my fault) which would of been about 5 quid and when the inspector asked for my ticket I bought one on the spot which he saw after that he scanned the ticket and said you have invalid ticket since you have a ticket which the departure time is later on. Then he asked me series of question to which I cooperated with such as did you intended to not pay for the ticket to which I said yes and then he asked me another question which I dont remember but my reply was 'I didnt' which he wrote down on a form which he asked me to sign so I did. Now from what i have read is i will receive a letter of intention of prosecute and I have a decent chance of settling this out of court by paying admin fee and the fine but is it worth wile for me to pay a lawyer to reach out to them so the matter is resolved quickly as I don't want to have it on my mind or should I just wait for the letter to arrive and go on from there. also from what i remember this was my first time on any train by chiltern railways.

I would try to sort this out yourself with free advice from here.

You could ask a solicitor but their fees probably in the region of £300+. Ideally you’d need one of the firms that specialise in railway fares matters. That fee of course is in addition to any settlement fee they negotiate on your behalf.

So I guess it depends how much value you place on it hanging over you.

Ultimately it must be your decision as to what’s right for you and how you wish to spend your money.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

There's no need to use a lawyer at this stage. Chiltern are usually pretty reasonable to deal with these days as long as you co-operate with their investigation.

When their letter arrives post a copy of it in this thread (but do redact any personal details) along with a copy of your proposed reply and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

Should your reply to Chiltern's letter not result in a favourable outcome for you then that is when I would consider using a lawyer.

 

[zaphy]

Hi everyone I got the letter from Chiltern Railways and here my responses any feedback would be greatly appreciated here is my response

I am writing in response to the "Notice of Intended Prosecution" dated 13th November 2024, which I received from you on 18th December 2024. This relates to an incident that occurred on 9th October 2024, when I failed to purchase a valid ticket for my journey from Solihull to Moor Street.

I want to sincerely apologise for my failure to purchase a valid ticket for my journey from Solihull to Moor Street on 9th October 2024. I deeply regret my actions and the inconvenience this has caused to both Chiltern Railways and the other passengers.

I understand the seriousness of this matter, and I fully accept responsibility for not adhering to the terms of travel. There is no excuse for my mistake, and I am truly sorry for any disruption this may have caused. I recognise that train companies rely on the revenue from fares to provide a service, and I deeply regret failing to contribute appropriately on this occasion.

I deeply regret not purchasing a valid ticket for my journey. I fully understand the importance of buying a ticket before traveling, and I assure you this was an isolated mistake that will not be repeated.

I deeply regret the situation and am fully committed to resolving this matter as swiftly and respectfully as possible. I sincerely request the opportunity to settle this issue out of court, and I am prepared to pay the outstanding fare, along with any administrative costs, if required. I truly hope that we can come to an amicable resolution, and I would be grateful for your understanding and consideration in this regard.

Once again, I offer my sincerest apologies for my actions.I appreciate your understanding and hope that we can solve this matter out of court.

Yours sincerely,

 

[antharro]

Too much "deeply regret", and there's hint of AI in there. Try re-writing it so it still sounds formal, but a little more personable.

 

[John R]

Too much "deeply regret", and there's hint of AI in there. Try re-writing it so it still sounds formal, but a little more personable.

Agree, it’s far too stilted and repetitive. I’m not sure how not buying a ticket inconvenienced other passengers either, which is a good example of unnecessary verbiage that we often see in AI generated apologies.

The first paragraph could also be reduced to “Thank you for your letter of x, reference y.”

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Too much "deeply regret", and there's hint of AI in there. Try re-writing it so it still sounds formal, but a little more personable.

Agree, it’s far too stilted and repetitive. I’m not sure how not buying a ticket inconvenienced other passengers either, which is a good example of unnecessary verbiage that we often see in AI generated apologies.

The first paragraph could also be reduced to “Thank you for your letter of x, reference y.”

I'm going to differ from the advice here. I think that the letter is fine for what you want it to do - which is persuade the railway to let you settle out of court.

Looking at the letter as a piece of writing, I agree with the comments as ways to improve it - but the aim for the OP is to get the right result. And I think that the letter will do that as it stands without further refinement. So it's fit for purpose.

 

[zaphy]

thanks for the feedback heres my revised version

Thank you for your letter dated 13th November 2024, reference [insert reference number]. I am writing in response to the "Notice of Intended Prosecution" I received on 18th December 2024, concerning my failure to purchase a valid ticket for my journey from Solihull to Moor Street on 9th October 2024.

I would like to apologise for not buying a valid ticket for my journey. This was an oversight on my part, and I accept full responsibility for my actions. I understand the importance of purchasing a ticket before travel and recognise the impact this has on the operation of your services. I assure you that this was an isolated incident and will not happen again.

I am committed to resolving this matter as quickly as possible. I would appreciate the opportunity to settle this without court action and am willing to pay the outstanding fare and any associated administrative costs. I hope we can reach an amicable resolution, and I am grateful for your understanding and consideration.

Thank you again for your attention to this matter.

taken deeply regret out and made it more personal any more suggestions?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

thanks for the feedback heres my revised version

Thank you for your letter dated 13th November 2024, reference [insert reference number]. I am writing in response to the "Notice of Intended Prosecution" I received on 18th December 2024, concerning my failure to purchase a valid ticket for my journey from Solihull to Moor Street on 9th October 2024.

I would like to apologise for not buying a valid ticket for my journey. This was an oversight on my part, and I accept full responsibility for my actions. I understand the importance of purchasing a ticket before travel and recognise the impact this has on the operation of your services. I assure you that this was an isolated incident and will not happen again.

I am committed to resolving this matter as quickly as possible. I would appreciate the opportunity to settle this without court action and am willing to pay the outstanding fare and any associated administrative costs. I hope we can reach an amicable resolution, and I am grateful for your understanding and consideration.

Thank you again for your attention to this matter.

taken deeply regret out and made it more personal any more suggestions?

It might be better to say something like 'I wold be grateful if you would let me settle for the outstanding fare and any associated administrative costs' rather than 'am willing to pay the outstanding fare and any associated administrative costs' in that saying 'you're willing' suggests that you are doing the railway a favour when actually you want them to do you a favour. But that's a small point and I don't think that the railway would really have a problem with how you have worded it: apart from that, I think that it's fine.

 

[zaphy]

okay thanks will make that change and send it . I'll post a update when i get one