serenity7001
New Member
Hi everyone,
I purchased a ticket on 17th March to travel from Slough to London Underground Zone 1. This was purchased with a railway discount, making the ticket price £8.85. Unknowingly, my railcard had expired a few months prior to this. The inspector on the train asked for my railcard, to which I could only present my expired one. I understood that I was in the wrong in this situation and was hoping he would offer me the opportunity to buy a new ticket for full price. He didn't offer this opportunity however, and instead, printed me with a paper ticket (for free) to use for the rest of my journey.
The inspector told me that I would hear back via letter. Fast forward two months, I had the pleasure today of receiving a pre-court settlement offer from GWR. They are charging me a £94.55 fine - £4.55 for the outstanding far and the remainder for 'costs of recovering what you owe'. I have until 25/05/2021 to respond.
I have seen advice on older posts stating to pay the fine and chalk it up to experience. I was wondering whether there is anything I could do, as £94.55 is a hefty amount for a recent graduate with no employment as of right now.
The fine seems ridiculously high considering how small the outstanding amount was. Is this normal? Is it also valid for the inspector to not present me with an option to buy the ticket there and then? I would appreciate any advice you could provide!
I purchased a ticket on 17th March to travel from Slough to London Underground Zone 1. This was purchased with a railway discount, making the ticket price £8.85. Unknowingly, my railcard had expired a few months prior to this. The inspector on the train asked for my railcard, to which I could only present my expired one. I understood that I was in the wrong in this situation and was hoping he would offer me the opportunity to buy a new ticket for full price. He didn't offer this opportunity however, and instead, printed me with a paper ticket (for free) to use for the rest of my journey.
The inspector told me that I would hear back via letter. Fast forward two months, I had the pleasure today of receiving a pre-court settlement offer from GWR. They are charging me a £94.55 fine - £4.55 for the outstanding far and the remainder for 'costs of recovering what you owe'. I have until 25/05/2021 to respond.
I have seen advice on older posts stating to pay the fine and chalk it up to experience. I was wondering whether there is anything I could do, as £94.55 is a hefty amount for a recent graduate with no employment as of right now.
The fine seems ridiculously high considering how small the outstanding amount was. Is this normal? Is it also valid for the inspector to not present me with an option to buy the ticket there and then? I would appreciate any advice you could provide!