Short fare evasion - West Midlands Railway.

[Golden50]

Hi all,

I was recently stopped at my local station without a valid ticket. I had short fares from another station further away and then got a ticket on the train when I spotted the inspectors. Having previously read posts on this forum I waited until I heard from them which was today.
This has been an extremely stressful wait in an already very stressful year for me. I am ashamed to say I have been doing this for a while with a a lot of instances on my history. (2 years).

I have seen that WMR are one of the more reasonable companies to deal with and I am really hoping they offer a settlement.

Please could members review my initial draft and advise. I have based this on precious examples I have seen.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Nov 2024 ==

Dear West Midlands Railway,

I am writing to offer my sincere apologies for not being able to produce a valid ticket when recently stopped at XXXX Station on XX October. I am sorry for any inconvenience or frustration that my actions will have caused, and I now fully understand the severity of fare evasion and how my actionshave contributed to the wider issue.

When stopped, I was extremely embarrassed and ashamed of my actions and so didn’t answer questions correctly.

My Home station I travel to and from is XXXX and travel to XXXXXX

I wish to assure you that I have learned from this and I am committed to ensuring this does not happen again. I have recently purchased a flexi season pass and I am in the process of reinstating my swift card with an Annual Season pass for zones 1-5 this month.

I would be keen to settle this matter amicably and without the need for court action, therefore I would like to pay any outstanding fares, and any other administrative costs incurred in dealing with this matter. Please let me know the amount owed and the method for payment and I will make the payment promptly.

Once again, I would like to sincerely apologise for the inconvenience I have caused and I hope that we can resolve this matter as quickly and smoothly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

 

[antharro]

Not bad at all for a first attempt, and almost there. You have all the main points down. Just a couple of amendments:

I would be am keen to settle this matter amicably and preferably without the need for court action,. tTherefore I would like to offer to pay my any outstanding fares, and any other administrative costs WMR have incurred in dealing with this matter.

And don't forget to add a "Yours faithfully," to the end.

As you've posted this quite late in the evening, you might want to wait until tomorrow evening before sending this. And if you're sending it by post, send it by Special Delivery to make sure it gets there!

 

[Golden50]

Not bad at all for a first attempt, and almost there. You have all the main points down. Just a couple of amendments:

I would be am keen to settle this matter amicably and preferably without the need for court action,. tTherefore I would like to offer to pay my any outstanding fares, and any other administrative costs WMR have incurred in dealing with this matter.

And don't forget to add a "Yours faithfully," to the end.

As you've posted this quite late in the evening, you might want to wait until tomorrow evening before sending this. And if you're sending it by post, send it by Special Delivery to make sure it gets there!

Thank you, really appreciate the quick response. Will wait until tomorrow to send as you’ve suggested. Thanks again!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Nov 2024 ==

In addition to the above, is anyone able to advise on likely response time from WMR once I’ve replied? The level of stress it’s causing is high and just hoping for a quick response with a settlement which although could be high, will remove the uncertainty.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Nov 2024 ==

As an update, I received a settlement yesterday and paid it straight away. The admin cost was a little higher than other posts have mentioned at £250, unsure why but didn’t question it and just paid. Many thanks to this forum for all the help people provide to people like myself.

 

[028922lgh]

Thank you, really appreciate the quick response. Will wait until tomorrow to send as you’ve suggested. Thanks again!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Nov 2024 ==

In addition to the above, is anyone able to advise on likely response time from WMR once I’ve replied? The level of stress it’s causing is high and just hoping for a quick response with a settlement which although could be high, will remove the uncertainty.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Nov 2024 ==

As an update, I received a settlement yesterday and paid it straight away. The admin cost was a little higher than other posts have mentioned at £250, unsure why but didn’t question it and just paid. Many thanks to this forum for all the help people provide to people like myself.

Hey there, if you are comfortable sharing, I'm curious to know how much did you settle for (excluding admin fees)?

 

[Elecman]

Hey there, if you are comfortable sharing, I'm curious to know how much did you settle for (excluding admin fees)?

As per Forum Rules please start your own thread if you need assistance as no 2 cases are identical and thus you will receive assistance tailored to your situation

 

[028922lgh]

As per Forum Rules please start your own thread if you need assistance as no 2 cases are identical and thus you will receive assistance tailored to your situation

Thank you and many apologies for clogging up the thread! I have made my own now