lavenderhaze
New Member
Hi,
In October last year, I was stopped by a revenue protection officer on a Greater Anglia train from London to Stansted.
My ticket was checked, and it was discovered that my railcard (which I had bought my ticket with) was 9 days out of date.
On the spot, I offered to buy another ticket or purchase another railcard through trainline, but was shouted at by the revenue protection officer, who yelled 'stop right now, it's too late.'
I was incredibly intimidated by their behaviour, and allowed them to take my details. I was travelling home to accompany a very ill family member have a difficult round of chemo, and really wasn't in a good place. I wish now that I'd fought harder.
Months later, I received an offer for an out of court settlement of £100.
I was advised by a Greater Anglia customer service rep that I could file an appeal, and that my fine would not increase while my appeal was dealt with. I filed an appeal with IRCAS, and received no response. 14 days passed, and I then received notice that the fine had increased to £187, and that the next stage was court.
I have now paid the fine, but just contacted IRCAS to find out what became of my appeal. Apparently it was missed, and was not dealt with. They are now looking at my appeal, and will get back to me in the next 5 days.
My questions are:
- What was to stop me from purchasing a new valid ticket or rail card on the spot?
- Could IRCAS missing my appeal help me in any way?
- Do I have grounds for complaint? Frankly, I'm mystified about why my case immediately resulted in a prosecution, and not a penalty fare, or even the opportunity to purchase a new ticket — it was a very obvious genuine mistake. This ordeal has made a very difficult time for me even more difficult.
I would love any thoughts and advice from the community. Prosecuting passengers who have made very clear genuine mistakes is an incredibly aggressive way to deal with your customer body.
Thank you in advance!
In October last year, I was stopped by a revenue protection officer on a Greater Anglia train from London to Stansted.
My ticket was checked, and it was discovered that my railcard (which I had bought my ticket with) was 9 days out of date.
On the spot, I offered to buy another ticket or purchase another railcard through trainline, but was shouted at by the revenue protection officer, who yelled 'stop right now, it's too late.'
I was incredibly intimidated by their behaviour, and allowed them to take my details. I was travelling home to accompany a very ill family member have a difficult round of chemo, and really wasn't in a good place. I wish now that I'd fought harder.
Months later, I received an offer for an out of court settlement of £100.
I was advised by a Greater Anglia customer service rep that I could file an appeal, and that my fine would not increase while my appeal was dealt with. I filed an appeal with IRCAS, and received no response. 14 days passed, and I then received notice that the fine had increased to £187, and that the next stage was court.
I have now paid the fine, but just contacted IRCAS to find out what became of my appeal. Apparently it was missed, and was not dealt with. They are now looking at my appeal, and will get back to me in the next 5 days.
My questions are:
- What was to stop me from purchasing a new valid ticket or rail card on the spot?
- Could IRCAS missing my appeal help me in any way?
- Do I have grounds for complaint? Frankly, I'm mystified about why my case immediately resulted in a prosecution, and not a penalty fare, or even the opportunity to purchase a new ticket — it was a very obvious genuine mistake. This ordeal has made a very difficult time for me even more difficult.
I would love any thoughts and advice from the community. Prosecuting passengers who have made very clear genuine mistakes is an incredibly aggressive way to deal with your customer body.
Thank you in advance!
Last edited: