Greater Anglia penalty fare

[Sleepydog94]

On September 17th, I traveled back from Lowestoft to Romford, having purchased my tickets via Trainline. Unfortunately, I made an error in booking my return for the 18th (Monday) instead of the actual travel day, which was the 17th (Sunday). The ticket was checked from Lowestoft to Ipswich without any issues. However, upon reaching Ipswich, I couldn't locate my train and approached a ticket inspector on the platform for assistance. After examining my ticket, they noted the incorrect date and informed me that I needed to purchase another ticket from them, priced at around £75.

Regrettably, this additional expense was beyond my means, especially considering the significant cost of the original ticket for the 18th, which was already a substantial spend for me. When I expressed my inability to afford the extra fare, the inspector said they would issue a ticket and allowed me to go home. I provided my information and had the opportunity to submit a statement. In the statement, I clarified that the mistake was genuine and emphasized that approaching the ticket inspector for help was not in line with someone attempting fare evasion.

Recently, I received a letter stating an outstanding charge of £173.50, with an additional £175.00 penalty if not settled within 14 days. Unfortunately, this amount is beyond what I can manage. I sought advice elsewhere online and was advised to share this here upon receiving the letter for guidance.

I'm uncertain of the next steps to take in this situation. The Penalty Fare is attributed to Greater Anglia. Any insights or suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Bletchleyite]

You will need to beg, borrow or steal (well, not steal) to pay this, as it'll only go up if the case proceeds to Court.

 

[Sleepydog94]

You will need to beg, borrow or steal (well, not steal) to pay this, as it'll only go up if the case proceeds to Court.

Does my valid ticket for the day after mean nothing to Greater Anglia? I was under the impression this system is for fare dodgers not for general traveler whom make mistakes.
the ticket inspector said I can call and pay in instalments, but if i miss 1 then I'm straight to court. which can be possible, but does also scare me.

 

[AlterEgo]

Does my valid ticket for the day after mean nothing to Greater Anglia? I was under the impression this system is for fare dodgers not for general traveler whom make mistakes.
the ticket inspector said I can call and pay in instalments, but if i miss 1 then I'm straight to court. which can be possible, but does also scare me.

I’m afraid it means practically nothing. You do need to pay the settlement or it will go to court and you’ll be convicted of an offence. They won’t normally accept instalments I’m afraid. This is the cheaper and less disruptive option than going to court and being convicted of the offence.

 

[Sleepydog94]

I’m afraid it means practically nothing. You do need to pay the settlement or it will go to court and you’ll be convicted of an offence. They won’t normally accept instalments I’m afraid. This is the cheaper and less disruptive option than going to court and being convicted of the offence.

I see, thats very sad. is it worth contacting them and asking to do instalments or let them be aware of my financial situation? I'm unemployed and struggle to pay my £450pm rent so squeezing another almost £200 is really, really rough for me. I'm not sympathy baiting here I am just being open and upfront.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If your ticket for the day after is wholly unused and is a walk up fare (not an Advance fare) you can refund it less a £10 admin fee which will help.

Unfortunately instalments are never offered with these settlements. If you went to Court they may offer them, but the total sum will be much higher and depending what offence they prosecute you may get a criminal record.

So the recommendation is very much to find a way to pay this.

 

[Sleepydog94]

If your ticket for the day after is wholly unused and is a walk up fare (not an Advance fare) you can refund it less a £10 admin fee which will help.

Unfortunately instalments are never offered with these settlements. If you went to Court they may offer them, but the total sum will be much higher and depending what offence they prosecute you may get a criminal record.

So the recommendation is very much to find a way to pay this.

I think I'm far beyond the refund phase as this stop was 1 month ago. I did think of refunding but didn't want to some how shoot myself in the foot when it came to providing evidence in the future that I had a valid ticket of any sort.
I understand maybe this isn't the place for this question but what kind of criminal offence could they slap me with?

I might be able to grovel to some family members to cover this but lord knows. thank you.

 

[Iggy12a]

What ticket was held for the 18th? You said it was your return journey, so it is important to know if you purchased 2 Advance Singles in each direction or a more flexible return ticket.

 

[Sleepydog94]

What ticket was held for the 18th? You said it was your return journey, so it is important to know if you purchased 2 Advance Singles in each direction or a more flexible return ticket.

Through trainline i purchused Romford -> Lowesoft as anytime day single, advance single. and my return was 18th (i thought the 17th) advance single.

 

[30907]

Unfortunately, your ticket for the next day was only valid on the specific trains for which you booked.
If you had realised your mistake, staff at Lowestoft would have issued the appropriate "walk-up" fare which is the Offpeak Single at £58.10.

I doubt you would be able to argue with the prosecutions people that you should have been charged £158 not £173, but once you have settled with them you could write to customer relations and make that point.

As the conductor on the local train accepted your ticket, I think you could also claim that the fare due was from Ipswich or Norwich (wherever you changed) not from Lowestoft.

it won't make a huge difference to your finances, but I don't see any harm in asking, and you might get a goodwill gesture.

 

[Brissle Girl]

Does my valid ticket for the day after mean nothing to Greater Anglia? I was under the impression this system is for fare dodgers not for general traveler whom make mistakes.

The point is that you were found to be travelling without a valid ticket. You were offered the opportunity to resolve it there and then by purchasing a new ticket but declined to (the railway would probably use the word “refused” and wont be interested in the reasons why you refused to buy a new ticket). Having passed over that opportunity, it was inevitable that any subsequent resolution would be more costly, not least because of the administrative costs in handling the case.

 

[Sleepydog94]

The point is that you were found to be travelling without a valid ticket. You were offered the opportunity to resolve it there and then by purchasing a new ticket but declined to (the railway would probably use the word “refused” and wont be interested in the reasons why you refused to buy a new ticket). Having passed over that opportunity, it was inevitable that any subsequent resolution would be more costly, not least because of the administrative costs in handling the case.

Aye I understand sadly. Just a little bitter, too broke to pay the £70 upfront so I have to pay £175 in 14 days, which i dont think i can afford so i'll have to pay £350. just feels a lil scummy, like pay day loans or overdraft fees. But, it is what it is. I'm just going to contact IRCAS and let them know my situation and try to come to some agreement. Thanks all for their input.

 

[spotify95]

On September 17th, I traveled back from Lowestoft to Romford, having purchased my tickets via Trainline. Unfortunately, I made an error in booking my return for the 18th (Monday) instead of the actual travel day, which was the 17th (Sunday). The ticket was checked from Lowestoft to Ipswich without any issues. However, upon reaching Ipswich, I couldn't locate my train and approached a ticket inspector on the platform for assistance. After examining my ticket, they noted the incorrect date and informed me that I needed to purchase another ticket from them, priced at around £75.

Regrettably, this additional expense was beyond my means, especially considering the significant cost of the original ticket for the 18th, which was already a substantial spend for me. When I expressed my inability to afford the extra fare, the inspector said they would issue a ticket and allowed me to go home. I provided my information and had the opportunity to submit a statement. In the statement, I clarified that the mistake was genuine and emphasized that approaching the ticket inspector for help was not in line with someone attempting fare evasion.

Recently, I received a letter stating an outstanding charge of £173.50, with an additional £175.00 penalty if not settled within 14 days. Unfortunately, this amount is beyond what I can manage. I sought advice elsewhere online and was advised to share this here upon receiving the letter for guidance.

I'm uncertain of the next steps to take in this situation. The Penalty Fare is attributed to Greater Anglia. Any insights or suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Pretty sure that others may have said this already, but the £175 after 14 days is not a penalty.
If you accept to pay their £173.50, then the matter will be dealt with - otherwise it will go to court and they will ask for £175 (then you will also have a fine and a victim surcharge to pay). So the court option will be much more expensive (as well as possibly getting a criminal record)

The best solution now is to accept their offer of £173 and pay it (maybe borrow the money if you cannot afford it). Though ultimately the best solution would have been to pay the walk up fare offered, possibly by a credit card or similar if you had one (as it would have allowed more time to pay it). Then, once the £173 is paid, get the return portion of the Advance ticket refunded (if too late to refund through Trainline, contact your payment provider).

Also, just to clarify, the £173 is not a Penalty Fare, it is an out of court settlement. A penalty fare would have been issued at the time - if they take your details without you paying, this is actually being reported for prosecution.

 

[island]

(if too late to refund through Trainline, contact your payment provider)

No right to a refund arises via the payment provider here.

 

[furlong]

Recently, I received a letter stating an outstanding charge of £173.50, with an additional £175.00 penalty if not settled within 14 days.

The £100 increases to £175 - it's not £175 on top of the £100.

How much was the ticket for the 18th? If it was an advance it was changeable (for a fee) and around half the journey hadn't taken place yet, so even on a strict reading, a new ticket to Ipswich (£20), plus amending the date on the existing ticket to cover the rest of the journey might have cost less. But did you refuse to pay anything at all?

I've also never understood why tickets don't include the day of the week as well as the date. It would make this sort of error more noticeable as well as making fraudulent alterations more difficult.

 

[spotify95]

No right to a refund arises via the payment provider here.

Fair enough, thank you for correcting me.

Though my advice to the OP is still to make sure the asked amount is covered (£173) before the matter is progressed further, as it will be much more expensive to deal with if it ends up in the Court.