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DRAFT, opinions?
Dear Transport for London,
I am writing to address an incident involving the misuse of my younger **** Oyster card. I recently received a letter from the IAP regarding this matter and I appreciate the opportunity to provide my input.
I want to express my sincere apologies for the misuse of the Oyster card by our elder ****. It was never our intention for such an incident to occur, and we deeply regret any inconvenience or concern it may have caused.
At the time, my elder ****, who typically relies on her bank card for TFL payments, fell victim to a scam, rendering her unable to use her bank card for transportation expenses. Consequently, resorting to using ****** Oyster card, albeit without our knowledge or consent.
Since the incident, we have taken significant steps to address the situation and prevent its recurrence. We have engaged in thorough discussions with both of our ****, emphasising the severe repercussions of misusing someone else's Oyster card. Furthermore, I have personally purchased a specialised cardholder for my younger ****** to securely store all *** cards, including ** Oyster card, to prevent any future mishaps occurring to her maybe next time.
I want to reassure you that we do not condone or tolerate the misuse of transportation cards under any circumstances. We fullythe TFL system and adhee to its regulations. Rest asured, we have taken this incident seriously, and I can confidently affirm that such misconduct will never recur.
I humbly request your understanding and leniency in this matter. I kindly ask that you refrain from revoking my younger **** Oyster card privileges, as I assure you that she was not complicit in this incident, and both of my daughters have learned valuable lessons from this experience. Main use of the card from *** would be to go to and from school and home. We used to have car share arranged for ***** unfortunately it was staining our financial capability. Hence TfL transport would be *** only mode of transport.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I appreciate your consideration of our circumstances.
This reads like it was written by a computer! And written by a computer designed for a US audience! And full of grovelling verbiage.
Far too long ... eg "I appreciate the opportunity to provide my input" - of course you don't, you'd rather this wasn't happening. It sounds so false...
Too much detail. It just needs to say that the parents can confirm that younger sibling was unaware that big sister had taken their card and was using it. Younger kid and parents regret it, and will ensure it doesn't happen again, etc. And can younger sibling please be reissued with their card...
And sob stories about car sharing and financial situation won't make any odds, since they'll have heard it a hundred times before. If I was answering a letter like this, I'd far prefer it to be brief and businesslike, with a clear concise expression of regret (in simple accurate English) which sounds genuine, rather than a rambling one that sounds made up.
This reads like it was written by a computer! And written by a computer designed for a US audience! And full of grovelling verbiage.
Far too long ... eg "I appreciate the opportunity to provide my input" - of course you don't, you'd rather this wasn't happening. It sounds so false...
Too much detail. It just needs to say that the parents can confirm that younger sibling was unaware that big sister had taken their card and was using it. Younger kid and parents regret it, and will ensure it doesn't happen again, etc. And can younger sibling please be reissued with their card...
And sob stories about car sharing and financial situation won't make any odds, since they'll have heard it a hundred times before. If I was answering a letter like this, I'd far prefer it to be brief and businesslike, with a clear concise expression of regret (in simple accurate English) which sounds genuine, rather than a rambling one that sounds made up.
My parents would rather give their input, I dont see my they wouldn’t. Otherwise they wouldn’t get the chance to explain. You do know this letter isnt from my POV. Giving their input allows tfl to be more lenient with the blacklisting.
About the “sob story” perhaps you should read the full thread. The IAP have even asked me to include all I can
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anyone have any idea how long the iap may take to reply? also now i have the letter from my bank to prove i was scammed but i have already sent my letter in, shall i still post it?
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DRAFT, opinions?
Dear Transport for London,
I am writing to address an incident involving the misuse of my younger **** Oyster card. I recently received a letter from the IAP regarding this matter and I appreciate the opportunity to provide my input.
I want to express my sincere apologies for the misuse of the Oyster card by our elder ****. It was never our intention for such an incident to occur, and we deeply regret any inconvenience or concern it may have caused.
At the time, my elder ****, who typically relies on her bank card for TFL payments, fell victim to a scam, rendering her unable to use her bank card for transportation expenses. Consequently, resorting to using ****** Oyster card, albeit without our knowledge or consent.
Since the incident, we have taken significant steps to address the situation and prevent its recurrence. We have engaged in thorough discussions with both of our ****, emphasising the severe repercussions of misusing someone else's Oyster card. Furthermore, I have personally purchased a specialised cardholder for my younger ****** to securely store all *** cards, including ** Oyster card, to prevent any future mishaps occurring to *** maybe next time.
I want to reassure you that we do not condone or tolerate the misuse of transportation cards under any circumstances. We fullythe TFL system and adhee to its regulations. Rest asured, we have taken this incident seriously, and I can confidently affirm that such misconduct will never recur.
I humbly request your understanding and leniency in this matter. I kindly ask that you refrain from revoking my younger **** Oyster card privileges, as I assure you that *** was not complicit in this incident, and both of my *** have learned valuable lessons from this experience. Main use of the card from *** would be to go to and from school and home. We used to have car share arranged for ***** unfortunately it was straining our financial capability. Hence TfL transport would be *** only mode of transport.
I appreciate your consideration of our circumstances.
Another ChatGPT letter they will have seen a million times before.
AI has no feeling and cannot help you with much other than structuring a letter. This one isn't even addressed to the person who originally sent the letter! You need to correct that first of all.
Remove all the Americanised terms and spellings that the Ai has put in (we don't say "transportation" here in this context), all the silly flowery language like "confidently affirm" and "engaged in thorough discussions" - and realise from the outset this is a serious matter. You nicking your sister's Oyster card to evade fares does not cause TfL "inconvenience or concern" - it caused them to lose money because of your dishonesty.
You do not sign off a letter to someone deciding whether or not to prosecute you or remove privileges with "Warm regards" - this is not appropriate. It is "yours sincerely" as you are writing to a named person.
Another ChatGPT letter they will have seen a million times before.
AI has no feeling and cannot help you with much other than structuring a letter. This one isn't even addressed to the person who originally sent the letter! You need to correct that first of all.
Remove all the Americanised terms and spellings that the Ai has put in (we don't say "transportation" here in this context), all the silly flowery language like "confidently affirm" and "engaged in thorough discussions" - and realise from the outset this is a serious matter. You nicking your sister's Oyster card to evade fares does not cause TfL "inconvenience or concern" - it caused them to lose money because of your dishonesty.
You do not sign off a letter to someone deciding whether or not to prosecute you or remove privileges with "Warm regards" - this is not appropriate. It is "yours sincerely" as you are writing to a named person.
yes i mean my parents need to, i just meant it needs to be posted asap.
what about the tone do you suggest is changed? as I said my parents english vocabulary isnt the best.
are you able to edit the draft with what you think and send it like you did before?
if thats ok would be appreciated
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I am writing about the misuse of my younger **** Oyster card.
I want to express my sincere apologies for the misuse of the Oyster card by our elder ****. It should never have occurred and we regret the impact on TFL.
At the time, my elder ****, who typically relies on her bank card for TFL payments, fell victim to a scam, rendering her unable to use her bank card for travel. Unwisely she then took her younger sister’s (?) card without our knowledge or consent.
Since the incident, we have taken steps to prevent its recurrence. We have spoken with both of our ****, emphasising the severe repercussions of misusing someone else's Oyster card. I have bought a cardholder for my younger ****** to store all *** cards securely, including ** Oyster card. We intend that this will help to prevent any future recurrences.
I want to reassure you that we do not condone or tolerate the misuse of Oyster cards. We fully support the TFL system and adhere to its regulations. We have taken this incident seriously, and we intend that such misconduct should not happen again.
I would like to ask that you do not revoke my younger **** Oyster card privileges, as *** did not know what was happening and needs her card for school. TfL transport would is *** only mode of transport.
I appreciate your consideration of our circumstances.
I think we need to accept the reality is that if the parent has agreed to another family member (in this case the OP who got into these problems) to draft a letter that the parent will then sign this is what will happen. If, say, English is not the parents 1st language this is more likely and this is what is going to happen.
All the letter needs to say is for example:
EDIT - cross posted with @ikcdab 's better suggestion in post #189
I am the parent of x and am responding to our letter of .... reference number: I have questioned my child about this and they have assured me that they did not know their Oyster Card was used by another person (in this case another family member).
In the light of this I would be grateful if you could issue a replacement Oyster Card to x
Yours sincerely
I can not see that there is anything else to be said really.
OK, but the draft response is written about "my younger ****" not my son/daughter/child. It doesn't read like its coming from the parent.
Although the only part TfL will really care about is that it was taken without consent. They mainly want to know if it was being deliberately shared or if it was "stolen".
I am writing about the misuse of my younger **** Oyster card.
I want to express my sincere apologies for the misuse of the Oyster card by our elder ****. It should never have occurred and we regret the impact on TFL.
At the time, my elder ****, who typically relies on her bank card for TFL payments, fell victim to a scam, rendering her unable to use her bank card for travel. Unwisely she then took her younger sister’s (?) card without our knowledge or consent.
Since the incident, we have taken steps to prevent its recurrence. We have spoken with both of our ****, emphasising the severe repercussions of misusing someone else's Oyster card. I have bought a cardholder for my younger ****** to store all *** cards securely, including ** Oyster card. We intend that this will help to prevent any future recurrences.
I want to reassure you that we do not condone or tolerate the misuse of Oyster cards. We fully support the TFL system and adhere to its regulations. We have taken this incident seriously, and we intend that such misconduct should not happen again.
I would like to ask that you do not revoke my younger **** Oyster card privileges, as *** did not know what was happening and needs her card for school. TfL transport would is *** only mode of transport.
I appreciate your consideration of our circumstances.
I think we need to accept the reality is that if the parent has agreed to another family member (in this case the OP who got into these problems) to draft a letter that the parent will then sign this is what will happen. If, say, English is not the parents 1st language this is more likely and this is what is going to happen.
All the letter needs to say is for example:
EDIT - cross posted with @ikcdab 's better suggestion in post #189
I am the parent of x and am responding to our letter of .... reference number:
I have questioned my child about this and they have assured me that they did not know their Oyster Card was used by another person (in this case another family member).
In the light of this I would be grateful if you could issue a replacement Oyster Card to x
Yours sincerely
I can not see that there is anything else to be said really.
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anyone have any idea how long the iap may take to reply? also now i have the letter from my bank to prove i was scammed but i have already sent my letter in, shall i still post it or send a picture via email to support the point i made in MY letter to the iap
also now i have the letter from my bank to prove i was scammed but i have already sent my letter in, shall i still post it or send a picture via email to support the point i made in MY letter to the iap
But your parents need to use your names in the letter, not just "younger and older sister", that is why you two have names. I'm not saying to post your names here, but rather that the letter, when sent, needs to use your names.
But your parents need to use your names in the letter, not just "younger and older sister", that is why you two have names. I'm not saying to post your names here, but rather that the letter, when sent, needs to use your names.
Forum members have given good advice and there's probably not much more to add at this point in time. @r4miii please repoprt this post when you hear back from TfL and we will re-open the thread for you to provide an update.
The best course of action for you would be to plead guilty in response to the SJPN, as you will receive a “discount” on the fine imposed of 33% (as is standard of SJPN’s).
At this stage, there is no chance of avoiding prosecution, so the best you can do is to minimise the penalties imposed as a result of this.
Well, you're guilty of the offence, so you should plead guilty. As advised in the first replies, TfL prosecute for these offences and take a dim view of them.
The best course of action for you would be to plead guilty in response to the SJPN, as you will receive a “discount” on the fine imposed of 33% (as is standard of SJPN’s).
At this stage, there is no chance of avoiding prosecution, so the best you can do is to minimise the penalties imposed as a result of this.
Ok if i plead guilty will i just need to pay the fine? Or anything else? I have got in contact with the details that were on the other letters with this and they said i would just need to pay the fine unless i plead not guilty and they find out that i am guilty. Is this correct ?
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Well, you're guilty of the offence, so you should plead guilty. As advised in the first replies, TfL prosecute for these offences and take a dim view of them.
Single Justice as the case will be heard by a single magistrate as opposed to a standard hearing in front of a panel of three magistrates.
These were introduced for those pleading guilty to minor offences to streamline the justice system. If you plead guilty a single magistrate will read over the case and decide the appropriate sentence - NB it will be a fine & compensation.
Single Justice as the case will be heard by a single magistrate as opposed to a standard hearing in front of a panel of three magistrates.
These were introduced for those pleading guilty to minor offences to streamline the justice system. If you plead guilty a single magistrate will read over the case and decide the appropriate sentence - NB it will be a fine & compensation.
Here, ’NB’ is short for ‘nota bene’ which effectively means ‘it is important to note’. A quick google will give you far more detail on this than I guess you will want to know!
And what the SJPN means is that while you are ‘being taken to court’ you don’t have to take the time to physically attend the magistrates’ court. If you are going to plead guilty (and we think that is what you should do) then all you need to do is fill in the form and send it back to the address it shows. You will then get a letter back telling you how much you have to pay. Once you’ve paid, that’s it - apart from when an employer/university/whatever asks if you have a criminal conviction when you will have to say ‘yes’.
Ok if i plead guilty will i just need to pay the fine? Or anything else? I have got in contact with the details that were on the other letters with this and they said i would just need to pay the fine unless i plead not guilty and they find out that i am guilty. Is this correct ?
As explained in the first reply in this thread, you will need to pay:
- A fine based on your weekly income (normally discounted by a third for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity)
- A surcharge of 40% of the value of the fine
- A contribution towards the train company’s costs
- Compensation for the fares avoided
As explained in the first reply in this thread, you will need to pay:
- A fine based on your weekly income (normally discounted by a third for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity)
- A surcharge of 40% of the value of the fine
- A contribution towards the train company’s costs
- Compensation for the fares avoided
Here, ’NB’ is short for ‘nota bene’ which effectively means ‘it is important to note’. A quick google will give you far more detail on this than I guess you will want to know!
And what the SJPN means is that while you are ‘being taken to court’ you don’t have to take the time to physically attend the magistrates’ court. If you are going to plead guilty (and we think that is what you should do) then all you need to do is fill in the form and send it back to the address it shows. You will then get a letter back telling you how much you have to pay. Once you’ve paid, that’s it - apart from when an employer/university/whatever asks if you have a criminal conviction when you will have to say ‘yes’.
You do not have to attend the court as you are being prosecuted using the SJPN. However the case will be dealt with in court, by a magistrate, who will sentence you. You will receive the sentence via post. This is a criminal conviction, hence it being dealt with by the magistrates' court.
