On Good Friday this year, I was travelling to Turkey, so got a bus from Liverpool Street to London Bridge, and then took the Thameslink to Gatwick. The barrier let me through no problem. Around South Croydon, a ticket inspector comes up and asks me for my ticket. I used contactless on my phone to pay, so offered him my phone to scan. He did so, and it came up as declined, which was weird because the barrier let me through. He said it might be due to insufficient funds. I usually don't keep significant amounts of money in my current account because I've been a victim of fraud twice before, so it usually just stays in my Monzo pot and I transfer it as and when I need it. However, I always thought that rather than accept or decline it on the same day, it stays pending until the following morning when they attempt to take money out. Anyway, he read my my Miranda rights (bizarre), took down my details and told me I'd need to send proof of payment in the form of a bank statement. He let me off on my merry way, and I had a lovely 10 days in Turkey, the money coming out of my account to pay for the fare a few days later.
A few weeks back I finally get a letter from them asking to hear my side of the story. I tell them everything, send my bank statement (I'm attaching the letter I sent them), and get a response saying they're willing to settle out of court for £70. I send them back a letter asking their reasons for not accepting my proof as well as an annotated bank statement (with a nice big arrow coloured in with yellow and pink highlighter pointing to where it was paid). They reply saying that because the transaction says 'UNPAID FARES', it means I was travelling without a valid ticket.
I called TFL and told them my story, and they looked at my account, saw that the journey was indeed paid for and told me basically I'm in the clear. He said it was really weird they were still pursuing it, and that just because it says unpaid fares on my statement, doesn't mean I was travelling without a valid ticket. He agreed with me that they were a failing franchise who were trying to make a buck off me.
I also got in touch with a mate of mine who's a magistrate, and he deals with cases like this all the time, and he says it's pretty water tight as long as I have proof of payment.
All this makes me pretty confident I'd be able to win in court, but what do you think? Are there any problems with my case? Is there something I've missed? Is it worth letting them take me to court?
A few weeks back I finally get a letter from them asking to hear my side of the story. I tell them everything, send my bank statement (I'm attaching the letter I sent them), and get a response saying they're willing to settle out of court for £70. I send them back a letter asking their reasons for not accepting my proof as well as an annotated bank statement (with a nice big arrow coloured in with yellow and pink highlighter pointing to where it was paid). They reply saying that because the transaction says 'UNPAID FARES', it means I was travelling without a valid ticket.
I called TFL and told them my story, and they looked at my account, saw that the journey was indeed paid for and told me basically I'm in the clear. He said it was really weird they were still pursuing it, and that just because it says unpaid fares on my statement, doesn't mean I was travelling without a valid ticket. He agreed with me that they were a failing franchise who were trying to make a buck off me.
I also got in touch with a mate of mine who's a magistrate, and he deals with cases like this all the time, and he says it's pretty water tight as long as I have proof of payment.
All this makes me pretty confident I'd be able to win in court, but what do you think? Are there any problems with my case? Is there something I've missed? Is it worth letting them take me to court?
