mark pryor
Member
- Joined
- 10 May 2018
- Messages
- 11
I have never used a forum like this before, and trust that I present the facts in the way that you would expect. GWR have given me until 17th May to respond.
On 17th March I travelled with a friend from Manningtree to Cardiff with a ticket bought from trainline app.
A GWR inspector (not the first person to look at the tickets) asked if I had a 15-25 railcard, which I don't, and I realised my mistake. My 4 children use trainline app on my phone and buy tickets. I didn't notice, but when it was pointed out I checked my ticket against my friend's and I had paid £73.25 return and my friend had paid £90 return. At once I admitted my mistake and offered to pay the difference of £16.75.
The ticket inspector did not offer me the option of paying the difference of £16.75, only to pay the full single fare from Paddington to Cardiff of £137.30, or a special discounted fare of £89. I declined to pay extra and so was given an Unpaid Fare Notice. After discussing the options with the inspector we agreed that I would take the UFN and dispute it, which I did on 21st March.
Since then in several emails with GWR Prosecutions I have been told to pay £137.30, then £187.30, then £137.30, then £103. The last amount being the difference between £137.30 (full fare) and the amount that I had paid for that part of the journey (Paddington to Cardiff) being £34.30.
From the moment my mistake was pointed out I have admitted my mistake and offered to pay the difference of £16.75 both in person to the inspector and by email. In a disingenuous way GWR have taken my offer to pay the difference as being my offer to pay £103.
Also it seems to me that GWR may not both threaten court action for my travelling on an invalid ticket and then use an amount from that invlaid ticket to calculate what I owe them.
Surely GWR Prosecutions should be pursuing non-payers of tickets, not a twerp like myself who's made a genuine mistake?
Being threatened with unreasonable legal action is intimidating, being offered a reasonable solution is good customer service. I can't be the only person to have made this mistake?
Mark Pryor
On 17th March I travelled with a friend from Manningtree to Cardiff with a ticket bought from trainline app.
A GWR inspector (not the first person to look at the tickets) asked if I had a 15-25 railcard, which I don't, and I realised my mistake. My 4 children use trainline app on my phone and buy tickets. I didn't notice, but when it was pointed out I checked my ticket against my friend's and I had paid £73.25 return and my friend had paid £90 return. At once I admitted my mistake and offered to pay the difference of £16.75.
The ticket inspector did not offer me the option of paying the difference of £16.75, only to pay the full single fare from Paddington to Cardiff of £137.30, or a special discounted fare of £89. I declined to pay extra and so was given an Unpaid Fare Notice. After discussing the options with the inspector we agreed that I would take the UFN and dispute it, which I did on 21st March.
Since then in several emails with GWR Prosecutions I have been told to pay £137.30, then £187.30, then £137.30, then £103. The last amount being the difference between £137.30 (full fare) and the amount that I had paid for that part of the journey (Paddington to Cardiff) being £34.30.
From the moment my mistake was pointed out I have admitted my mistake and offered to pay the difference of £16.75 both in person to the inspector and by email. In a disingenuous way GWR have taken my offer to pay the difference as being my offer to pay £103.
Also it seems to me that GWR may not both threaten court action for my travelling on an invalid ticket and then use an amount from that invlaid ticket to calculate what I owe them.
Surely GWR Prosecutions should be pursuing non-payers of tickets, not a twerp like myself who's made a genuine mistake?
Being threatened with unreasonable legal action is intimidating, being offered a reasonable solution is good customer service. I can't be the only person to have made this mistake?
Mark Pryor