Correct Route, wrong date

[jamesrrrrrr]

Hi everyone so first of all mistake on my end.

Basically I bought a open return train ticket from Leamington to Northampton- with a month return and it starting on 1st of March. However I didn't notice I somehow booked it to start on the 29th of march.

When I got back to Leamington i tried to scan- and got confronted and reported by the people there (no issues up to this point!) They said they would be in contact and got my ID, address, ticket and railcard.
I have never been reported before, and the ticket is a similar price to the correct one.

What is most likely to happen now? I am happy to pay cause it is my fault (scrolled down the dates on trainline and forgot there wasn't a 29th of Feb so the month changed without my noticing) but would like to know in advance.

The exact route I took:
Leamington Spa-Coventry-Northampton
2 days later
Northampton-Coventry-Leamington Spa

I was caught out on West Midlands Railway. I am a bit shocked and scared because of all the stories I am seeing online about criminal prosecutions and giant fines when it was a genuine mistake. I have been travelling around the area for years now with zero issues.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@jamesreadman04. Welcome to the forum. Reckon from what you've said, that, when you do hear from the WMR, you'll be able to negotiate a settlement with them and you won't go anywhere near court. Presume you provided a correct and up to date address. Probably end up costing you the price of an Anytime Day Single (= £20.20, or maybe £21.10, for travel via Coventry, depending on the date of return journey, noting that fares went up on Sunday), for each one way journey made using the incorrectly dated tickets, and maybe a three figure sum (admin fee) added on top. Expensive mistake, but not the end of the world! Good luck!

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

@jamesreadman04. Welcome to the forum. Reckon from what you've said, that, when you do hear from the WMR, you'll be able to negotiate a settlement with them and you won't go anywhere near court. Presume you provided a correct and up to date address. Probably end up costing you the price of an Anytime Day Single (= £20.20, or maybe £21.10, for travel via Coventry, depending on the date of return journey, noting that fares went up on Sunday), for each one way journey made using the incorrectly dated tickets, and maybe a three figure sum (admin fee) added on top. Expensive mistake, but not the end of the world! Good luck!

Thank you for the welcome and your advice. Yeah costly mistake and certainly will check more closely from now on- but happy that court is unlikely as long as I co-operate. Will wait for a letter until I act or write anything.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

Please can you tell us exactly what ticket you purchased and the 'valid from' and 'valid to' dates. We have had some reports of tickets printing correctly and I want to discount that as a reason, although the issues appears to be with paper tickets but I want to be certain.

WMT will normally offer an out of court settlement if you co-operate with them and haven't come to their attention before. They will write to you in the next few weeks, when the letter arrives post a redacted copy of the letter in this thread along with your draft reply and we will be happy to proof read it for you.

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Welcome to the forum!

Please can you tell us exactly what ticket you purchased and the 'valid from' and 'valid to' dates. We have had some reports of tickets printing correctly and I want to discount that as a reason, although the issues appears to be with paper tickets but I want to be certain.

WMT will normally offer an out of court settlement if you co-operate with them and haven't come to their attention before. They will write to you in the next few weeks, when the letter arrives post a redacted copy of the letter in this thread along with your draft reply and we will be happy to proof read it for you.

Hi thanks for the welcome.

Train ticket I ended up purchasing: Off-Peak Return From Northampton to Leamington Spa

Leamington Spa to Northampton- Valid Until 29th of March 2025
Northampton to Leamington Spa- Valid Until 28th of April 2025

My train ticket was bought from Trainline and wasn't printed.

Yeah I am expecting to have to pay at the very least for another ticket- I hope it helps that
1. It's my first interaction of any kind like this after four years of travelling in the area.
2. There's not really any incentive for me to have bought the wrong date maliciously - the price would basically be identical if I had bought it correctly.

I will start thinking about a letter now. Cheers.

 

[Hadders]

Thanks for confirming. That doesn't sound like a ticket issuing error as you've got a full month validity on the return.

WMT are normally reasonable to deal with as long as you co-operate with them. Think of it like getting a speeding ticket - there'll be a letter you don't want to receive, you'll need to reply and it'll cost a few quid but it's very unlikely you'll be going to court.

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Thanks for confirming. That doesn't sound like a ticket issuing error as you've got a full month validity on the return.

WMT are normally reasonable to deal with as long as you co-operate with them. Think of it like getting a speeding ticket - there'll be a letter you don't want to receive, you'll need to reply and it'll cost a few quid but it's very unlikely you'll be going to court.

I'm learning how to drive so might be good practice for that lol. Thanks.

 

[Western Sunset]

Presumably, the Leamington to Northampton part was valid FROM 29th March.

Though the line from the OP (above) suggesting that he'll probably drive once passing his test, illustrates that one silly error (costing the OP potentially
££), results in another lost customer to the railway.

 

[WesternLancer]

I'm learning how to drive so might be good practice for that lol. Thanks.

Yes. So long as you have some in the tank, petrol is valid to use on any day at any time

 

[Hadders]

Yes. So long as you have some in the tank, petrol is valid to use on any day at any time

But not necessarily when driving through a congestion charge or clean air zone. And remember to pay the fee when using a toll road or you face a Penalty Charge

 

[WesternLancer]

But not necessarily when driving through a congestion charge or clean air zone. And remember to pay the fee when using a toll road or you face a Penalty Charge

Points v well made. But we’d best not get off topic.

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Presumably, the Leamington to Northampton part was valid FROM 29th March.

Though the line from the OP (above) suggesting that he'll probably drive once passing his test, illustrates that one silly error (costing the OP potentially
££), results in another lost customer to the railway.

Yes that's right and why I was caught out. Strangely enough I had shown the ticket to other staff and they had no issues with it which in retrospect is odd, shame because I would have bought the right one if it was pointed out before. I don't mind travelling by train to be honest- hopefully they improve in the coming years as ecologically it's preferential.

 

[WesternLancer]

Yes that's right and why I was caught out. Strangely enough I had shown the ticket to other staff and they had no issues with it which in retrospect is odd, shame because I would have bought the right one if it was pointed out before. I don't mind travelling by train to be honest- hopefully they improve in the coming years as ecologically it's preferential.

I'd guess other staff not concentrating on it carefully enough I expect, so missed the error.

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Hi all, made a draft of a letter I would send over to them- have omitted the info about the way I mixed up the dates or the pricing similarities as I want to keep it concise. I would appreciate any thoughts. Thank you




Dear West Midlands Train Disputes and Prosecution Team,

I am writing this letter to address the incident at Leamington Spa train station on the 3rd of March 2025. I presented a off-peak open return (off peak open return from Leamington Spa to Northampton) which I accidently purchased to start from the 29th of March, when I intended to purchase it for the 1st of March.

My error was not identified by any ticket officers or staff up to this point, so I was surprised and shocked. This was in no way intentional and was a slip of attention to detail- so while a serious break in policy- it was not malicious or an attempt to exploit the system.

This was an error on my part and I profusely apologise to the railway. In the future I will be more diligent in checking the validity of my train tickets for the route I have taken, making sure I double check all details. I would be very grateful if this could be settled without any court action, for example me providing financial restitution for my error. I have travelled on your railway for multiple years with no issues and would like to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

I look forward to your response,

Kind Regards,

(full name)

 

[Haywain]

Hi all, made a draft of a letter I would send over to them- have omitted the info about the way I mixed up the dates or the pricing similarities as I want to keep it concise. I would appreciate any thoughts.

I think you should reword the letter a bit.

I presented a off-peak open return (off peak open return from Leamington Spa to Northampton) which I accidently purchased to start from the 29th of March, when I intended to purchase it for the 1st of March.

My error was not identified by any ticket officers or staff up to this point, so I was surprised and shocked.

Somewhere in here you want to make clear that, until you were stopped, you had not realised that you had booked the wrong date.

This was in no way intentional and was a slip of attention to detail- so while a serious break in policy- it was not malicious or an attempt to exploit the system.

I would take out the bit about 'a serious break in policy' and I would mention that in selecting the wrong date there was no actual loss to the railway (and you actually paid more than necessary).

I would be very grateful if this could be settled without any court action, for example me providing financial restitution for my error. I have travelled on your railway for multiple years with no issues and would like to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

I'm not sure I would be offering to settle, perhaps apologise for the inconvenience you have caused and ask if the matter can be resolved amicably.

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Thanks for your tips, here is my new version.





Dear West Midlands Train Disputes and Prosecution Team,

I am writing this letter to address the incident at Leamington Spa train station on the 3rd of March 2025. I presented an off-peak open return (from Leamington Spa to Northampton) at the gates to exit the station which I accidently purchased to start from the 29th of March, when I intended to purchase the same route to begin on the 1st of March. I was confronted by a WMT rail staff member where the report was taken upon revealing my error.

I was not aware of the incorrect date on my ticket until stopped by the officer at Leamington, other officers and rail staff on the route had looked at the same ticket and had not pointed the error out, so it was a shock. This was was a slip of attention to detail when booking on trainline, it was not malicious or an attempt to exploit the system and a price comparison shows there was no financial loss for the railway based on ticket price.

This was an error on my part and I profusely apologise for the inconvenience caused. In the future I will be more diligent in ensuring the validity of my train tickets for the route I have taken, making sure I double check all details.
I would be very grateful if this matter could be resolved amicably. I have travelled on your railway for multiple years with no issues and would like to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

I look forward to your response.

Kind Regards,

(full name)

 

[Hadders]

I'd be tempted to call it an administrative error rather than simply an error. Big organisations like calling an error they've made an admininstrative error so I see no reason why you shouldn't use similar wording! You might want to add that although the ticket was not incorrectly dated there has been no financial loss so WMT (I used this argument once chellenging a parking ticket where I'd inputted the location code incorrectly into a parking app - I inadvertently paid for parking in a nearby street rather than where I'd parked my car. The council saw sense and cancelled the ticket. I'm not saying WMT will do this but it might be worth a try)

Otherwise I think it's good to go.

 

[LittleRedTrain]

Was it definitely a West Midlands Trains staff member that stopped and reported you?

Leamington Spa station is managed by Chiltern Railways, and in my experience it's normally their staff manning the gateline, unless WMT were running a specific revenue block there.

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Was it definitely a West Midlands Trains staff member that stopped and reported you?

Leamington Spa station is managed by Chiltern Railways, and in my experience it's normally their staff manning the gateline, unless WMT were running a specific revenue block there.

I am actually not sure as it comes- I was in a bit of a state of shock so didn't really take a look at them. I am assuming this wouldn't change my situation apart from my letter needing to address Chiltern?

 

[LittleRedTrain]

I am actually not sure as it comes- I was in a bit of a state of shock so didn't really take a look at them. I am assuming this wouldn't change my situation apart from my letter needing to address Chiltern?

Yes, probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, just gives a better idea of who you're dealing with and who to expect the letter from.

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Yes, probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, just gives a better idea of who you're dealing with and who to expect the letter from.

Okay thanks, I think I got confused because Coventry is WMT and I used to live there so assumed it was the same.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Mar 2025 ==

I'd be tempted to call it an administrative error rather than simply an error. Big organisations like calling an error they've made an admininstrative error so I see no reason why you shouldn't use similar wording! You might want to add that although the ticket was not incorrectly dated there has been no financial loss so WMT (I used this argument once chellenging a parking ticket where I'd inputted the location code incorrectly into a parking app - I inadvertently paid for parking in a nearby street rather than where I'd parked my car. The council saw sense and cancelled the ticket. I'm not saying WMT will do this but it might be worth a try)

Otherwise I think it's good to go.

Thank you, have made those changes, will come back to the letter when communication from TOC comes!

 

[Cuthbert]

Okay thanks, I think I got confused because Coventry is WMT and I used to live there so assumed it was the same.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Mar 2025 ==

Coventry is Avanti not WMT but WMT do have trains that go to Coventry.
Coventry to Leamington Spa will be WMT but I have never known a block to be there by WMT.
Leamington Spa gates are manned by Chiltern. Did they wear blue?

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Coventry is Avanti not WMT but WMT do have trains that go to Coventry.
Coventry to Leamington Spa will be WMT but I have never known a block to be there by WMT.
Leamington Spa gates are manned by Chiltern. Did they wear blue?

I think they were blue- but am not 100%, I've changed my letter to just say TOC instead of WMT so I can just edit it for whoever contacts me now lol.

 

[Cuthbert]

I think they were blue- but am not 100%, I've changed my letter to just say TOC instead of WMT so I can just edit it for whoever contacts me now lol.

Yeah then it's Chiltern.

You will definitely know if and when you get a letter

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Hi all, no updates on this yet, but I do have a few questions if anyone can shed some light that would be great thanks.

1. Why were my details taken and not given a penalty fare?

2. Some family members have suggested trying to speak to someone at Leamington station in person or email someone proactively- would this help move things along?

3. Due to being a student and knowing how slow companies are, I gave them my home address instead of my term time address (only living there for a few more months). So would have a few day delay coming back and writing the letter etc- will that complicate things?

 

[AlterEgo]

Hi all, no updates on this yet, but I do have a few questions if anyone can shed some light that would be great thanks.

1. Why were my details taken and not given a penalty fare?

Presumably the inspector thought the incident was worth investigating for some reason. Penalty Fares dispose of the matter there and then, but for some types of irregularity, the inspector may think the company would benefit from looking at your ticket purchasing history. But it’s hard to say.

2. Some family members have suggested trying to speak to someone at Leamington station in person or email someone proactively- would this help move things along?

No. You don’t want things to move along - they can sometimes foul the 6 month deadline for bringing a case - and there’s nothing anyone at the station can do for you; you’ve been reported for prosecution.

3. Due to being a student and knowing how slow companies are, I gave them my home address instead of my term time address (only living there for a few more months). So would have a few day delay coming back and writing the letter etc- will that complicate things?

A few days? No.

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Presumably the inspector thought the incident was worth investigating for some reason. Penalty Fares dispose of the matter there and then, but for some types of irregularity, the inspector may think the company would benefit from looking at your ticket purchasing history. But it’s hard to say.


No. You don’t want things to move along - they can sometimes foul the 6 month deadline for bringing a case - and there’s nothing anyone at the station can do for you; you’ve been reported for prosecution.


A few days? No.

Okay thank you, the ticket officer who took my details framed the situation as that I had obviously made a mistake and to explain to the company to see what they say- so I don't know whether he was just trying to be nice and maybe I get a warning- or not to make me panic more haha.

 

[Hadders]

2. Some family members have suggested trying to speak to someone at Leamington station in person or email someone proactively- would this help move things along?

Do not do this, as tempting as it might seem.

Leamington is operated by Chiltern and from what you’ve said you’re dealing with WMT. But whichever company is handling your case it won’t be station staff dealing with it but the Prosecutions Department.

 

[jamesrrrrrr]

Do not do this, as tempting as it might seem.

Leamington is operated by Chiltern and from what you’ve said you’re dealing with WMT. But whichever company is handling your case it won’t be station staff dealing with it but the Prosecutions Department.

Yeah I'll hold off, cheers. I have been on the train since and I am 99% I was dealing with Chiltern in the first place (managed to buy the correct date this time lol).

 

[Hadders]

Yeah I'll hold off, cheers. I have been on the train since and I am 99% I was dealing with Chiltern in the first place (managed to buy the correct date this time lol).

Chiltern do seem to take quite a while to write. They seem to have a backlog.