URGENT: SHORTENED JOURNEY ISSUE

[unkwnibd]

URGENT: SHORTENED TICKET ISSUE

So I bought a ticket accidentally from denham to London marylebone instead of high Wycombe to London marylebone. Once I saw the inspector on the train, I checked my ticket to make sure it was okay, realised I bought the wrong one and quickly bought the correct one from high Wycombe to London Marylebone. I showed him my denham ticket upon which he said I had shortened a journey and he would report me to the company. I then showed him my high Wycombe ticket but he said this had been purchased after the departure time so he would still write me up. I offered to buy another ticket then and there but he said it didnt matter. I emailed fraud@chilternrailways.co.uk and explained the situation and offered to pay a fine and accepted all responsibility, what will be my outcome??? I have attached my history here

Really really stressed as I don't want criminal proceedings or to be prosecuted.

 

[John R]

Welcome to the forum. Provided you cooperate with Chiltern when it writes to you (you have given correct contact details?) then you will very likely to offered an out of court settlement, which will cost you a bit, but is preferable to a criminal conviction.

What did you say in your email? We don't recommend you contact them before they contact you, but given you have done so, it would be helpful to know what you have said.

Out of interest, will there be other tickets on your account from Denham? Chiltern is likely to look, and suspect that your suggestion that it was accidental is not quite true. And if they do find any you can expect them to come after you for the cost of all those journeys too, in any settlement offer they make.

 

[unkwnibd]

Welcome to the forum. Provided you cooperate with Chiltern when it writes to you (you have given correct contact details?) then you will very likely to offered an out of court settlement, which will cost you a bit, but is preferable to a criminal conviction.

What did you say in your email? We don't recommend you contact them before they contact you, but given you have done so, it would be helpful to know what you have said.

Out of interest, will there be other tickets on your account from Denham? Chiltern is likely to look, and suspect that your suggestion that it was accidental is not quite true. And if they do find any you can expect them to come after you for the cost of all those journeys too, in any settlement offer they make.

Hi, I have attached my ticket history in the post, and I will copy my email here. After contacting customer service, they recommended I contact them first:

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

I would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience this email may cause. I am writing today to provide an explanation of my shortened ticket. Today I was taking the 14:52 train from High Wycombe to London Marylebone and had believed that I had purchased a ticket, however, once on the train I realised I had actually purchased a ticket from Denham to London Marylebone as I sometimes travel here and it was a saved destination. Upon realising this, I purchased a ticket from High Wycombe to London Marylebone (attached) (after accidentally purchasing London to High Wycombe as well) at 14:57. The ticket inspector came and asked for my ticket, ID and railcard (both attached). I provided him with my Denham ticket initially, where he informed me that this was not the right ticket and was classified as a shortened journey. I then showed him my High Wycombe to London ticket but he stated that since I had purchased this after the journey had started, it could still be seen as a shortened journey. He then asked for my details and said I would be provided a letter with which to respond to. I accept complete responsibility for purchasing the wrong ticket and for purchasing the correct ticket after the departure time and apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused. I am happy to pay any penalty/fine provided and can assure you this will not happen again and I will be more vigilent of my ticket purchases, this is the first time I have accidentally done this and it will not happen again. I have attached my railcard, my Denham ticket and my High Wycombe ticket. Please let me know of any other information required, and I will be happy to provide this.

Kind regards,

 

[unkwnibd]

Welcome to the forum. Provided you cooperate with Chiltern when it writes to you (you have given correct contact details?) then you will very likely to offered an out of court settlement, which will cost you a bit, but is preferable to a criminal conviction.

What did you say in your email? We don't recommend you contact them before they contact you, but given you have done so, it would be helpful to know what you have said.

Out of interest, will there be other tickets on your account from Denham? Chiltern is likely to look, and suspect that your suggestion that it was accidental is not quite true. And if they do find any you can expect them to come after you for the cost of all those journeys too, in any settlement offer they make.

I have attached my ticket history in my post, please let me know if it isn't visible I'll reattach it. Here is the email I sent, I was advised by customer service to contact Chiltern railways first:

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

I would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience this email may cause. I am writing today to provide an explanation of my shortened ticket. Today I was taking the 14:52 train from High Wycombe to London Marylebone and had believed that I had purchased a ticket, however, once on the train I realised I had actually purchased a ticket from Denham to London Marylebone as I sometimes travel here and it was a saved destination. Upon realising this, I purchased a ticket from High Wycombe to London Marylebone (attached) (after accidentally purchasing London to High Wycombe as well) at 14:57. The ticket inspector came and asked for my ticket, ID and railcard (both attached). I provided him with my Denham ticket initially, where he informed me that this was not the right ticket and was classified as a shortened journey. I then showed him my High Wycombe to London ticket but he stated that since I had purchased this after the journey had started, it could still be seen as a shortened journey. He then asked for my details and said I would be provided a letter with which to respond to. I accept complete responsibility for purchasing the wrong ticket and for purchasing the correct ticket after the departure time and apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused. I am happy to pay any penalty/fine provided and can assure you this will not happen again and I will be more vigilent of my ticket purchases, this is the first time I have accidentally done this and it will not happen again. I have attached my railcard, my Denham ticket and my High Wycombe ticket. Please let me know of any other information required, and I will be happy to provide this.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

However harsh it sounds you've comitted a criminal offence by not having a valid ticket for your complete jourey when you boarded the train. Chiltern are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.

It's not normally a good idea to contact the Prosecutions Department ahead of them contacting you first. This is because you don't know what they're going to say in their letter and there's a risk that you will accidentally incriminate yourself when you don't need to. Also, unless you have a case reference number the Prosecutions Department is unlikely to be able to match up what you've sent with your case - it's not clear if you gave them a reference number when you wrote to them.

The key thing here is that Chiltern will audit your ticket purchaisng account and if this reveals other purchases of short distance tickets then they will want to factor the cost of these tickets into the settlement. The best thing to do for now is nothing, wait until their letter arrives and when it does post a redacted copy of it in this thread along with your draft reply and we can go from there.

 

[island]

So I bought a ticket accidentally from denham to London marylebone instead of high Wycombe to London marylebone.

How do you "accidentally" buy a ticket from Denham instead of from High Wycombe?

 

[AlterEgo]

The ticketing history makes the OP look worse rather than better; there’s a nice one stop trip on GWR in there as well!

Chiltern will audit all of the purchases, including those made for travel on other train companies, and demand the full Anytime fare for every suspected instance of short faring.

OP: have Chiltern written to you yet? What were you replying to when you contacted them? Normally it takes a while to hear from them because of the audit they conduct.

 

[John R]

The ticketing history makes the OP look worse rather than better; there’s a nice one stop trip on GWR in there as well!

Chiltern will audit all of the purchases, including those made for travel on other train companies, and demand the full Anytime fare for every suspected instance of short faring.

OP: have Chiltern written to you yet? What were you replying to when you contacted them? Normally it takes a while to hear from them because of the audit they conduct.

Oh dear, I hadn’t noticed that Keynsham to Temple Meads trip. That really will scream deliberate short faring to the investigators.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Oh dear, I hadn’t noticed that Keynsham to Temple Meads trip. That really will scream deliberate short faring to the investigators.

And the Wembley Stadium to Marylebone ticket on the same day as a tickets from Gerrards Cross. And which, to make things worse, was refunded too. That looks terrible.

Anyway.

The best thing to do at this stage will be to wait for Chiltern to get in touch. They will audit your purchase history which, as we’ve noted, looks terrible. But wait for them.

When they do get in touch, my standard advice applies: only answer the specific questions they ask you, but do not be tempted under any circumstances to lie.

Your draft said “this is the first time I have done this”. That very much appears to be a lie. You are better off saying nothing than lying. If you have already sent it then you have already been caught in a lie which can be fairly easily proven.

 

[ohnoes]

OP, some well meaning advice: you’re coming across as a bad liar. If you want this to get settled you will need to accept the reality of what you’ve been doing before you next communicate with chiltern. Your actions aren’t an accident, it isn’t your first time and you didn’t make a mistake. Stop digging that hole.

The reason I say this is it will come across insulting to the intelligence of the investigator who will be able to see your persistent fare evasion clear as day in your ticket history. Pretending it is anything other than that is unlikely to generate you any goodwill and may mean they decide to prosecute directly rather than offering to settle the matter out of court.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Your draft said “this is the first time I have done this”. That very much appears to be a lie.

To try and give the greatest benefit of the doubt, the important thing is for the OP to see the difference between 'the first time I have done this' and 'the first time I have been caught doing this'. as people have commented, the railway will see that this is the first time the OP was caught - but they will still want to deal with the previous times. And because that's what the railway will see, it's best to say 'the first time I have been caught' - or even not to say anything about first times at all.

 

[Haywain]

it's best to say 'the first time I have been caught' - or even not to say anything about first times at all.

Better not to say anything - saying “the first time I have been caught” is the same as saying “I have been getting away with this up to now”.

 

[unkwnibd]

Hi everyone, thanks for your responses. I know what I have done is wrong and am willing to pay a settlement. A quick question @Hadders , since I contacted them already but did not include my case number (I included my tickets, driving license and Railcard, I wasn't given a case number at the time) would they not be able to match that up with my case? I'm asking as if they view my ticketing history and believe I have done multiple short fares, I don't want to say this is my first time. I haven't been sent anything in writing yet as the incident only happened two days ago. I was thinking that if they are unable to match this up, once I receive the letter I will apologise and explain I understand it's wrong and have learnt from and will kindly ask them if they would consider an out of court settlement of any outstanding fares along with an admin fee? Is there a good chance for settlement if I do this?

 

[John R]

I'm asking as if they view my ticketing history and believe I have done multiple short fares, I don't want to say this is my first time.

If it isn’t your first time, don’t say it’s your first time. You need to be completely honest with them. Trying to second guess what they might think shouldn’t come into it.

 

[unkwnibd]

If it isn’t your first time, don’t say it’s your first time. You need to be completely honest with them. Trying to second guess what they might think shouldn’t come into it.

Yes I agree, however, in the email I sent, mentioned above, I said this was an accident and it's my first time, however, since I was not given a case number I haven't included one in that email. I'm hoping they either don't see it or can't match it? Is that likely? And what are the chances of an out of court settlement?

 

[Hadders]

I contacted them already but did not include my case number (I included my tickets, driving license and Railcard, I wasn't given a case number at the time) would they not be able to match that up with my case?

I really don't know. They might make the effort to match it up but equally they might just delete what you sent them.

I'm asking as if they view my ticketing history and believe I have done multiple short fares, I don't want to say this is my first time.

Do not lie to them.

I haven't been sent anything in writing yet as the incident only happened two days ago.

If the incident only happened two days ago then the inspectors report might not even be on Chiltern's system yet. Chiltern will write to you but it will likely take several weeks.

I was thinking that if they are unable to match this up, once I receive the letter I will apologise and explain I understand it's wrong and have learnt from and will kindly ask them if they would consider an out of court settlement of any outstanding fares along with an admin fee? Is there a good chance for settlement if I do this?

You'll need to wait for their letter. When it arrives post a redaxted copy of it in this thread with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you.

 

[unkwnibd]

I really don't know. They might make the effort to match it up but equally they might just delete what you sent them.


Do not lie to them.


If the incident only happened two days ago then the inspectors report might not even be on Chiltern's system yet. Chiltern will write to you but it will likely take several weeks.


You'll need to wait for their letter. When it arrives post a redaxted copy of it in this thread with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you.

Okay will do, do you think they'll likely offer a settlement?

 

[Hadders]

Okay will do, do you think they'll likely offer a settlement?

We can't guarantee that Chiltern will offer a settlement but settlements are normally offered by CHiltern to people who co-operate with their investigation.

 

[unkwnibd]

We can't guarantee that Chiltern will offer a settlement but settlements are normally offered by CHiltern to people who co-operate with their investigation.

Ok so assuming I reply and am sincere and remorseful there's a good chance of settlement. I'm a student so really do not want this to go to court and would much rather it be settled as it could have damaging effects on my career

 

[Tetchytyke]

Okay will do, do you think they'll likely offer a settlement?

Chiltern tend to offer settlements to people who co-operate, but it is always at their discretion as to whether they do so.

The advice at this stage is to wait for their letter then come back for assistance. You can’t rush the process along. In any response you should answer the specific questions they ask (and no more) and you must not lie.

 

[unkwnibd]

Thank you for your responses, the advice is very much appreciated. I'm getting rather worried that if they see my email (which was sent without case number but did have my driving license) that they will not like it and won't offer settlement. If they do see it, is there any way I can send a new response which outlines my actual view (admitting and offering fare) and labels that as a mistake? Very very anxious, have had a panic attack today, just want this mess dealt with

 

[Hadders]

Thank you for your responses, the advice is very much appreciated. I'm getting rather worried that if they see my email (which was sent without case number but did have my driving license) that they will not like it and won't offer settlement. If they do see it, is there any way I can send a new response which outlines my actual view (admitting and offering fare) and labels that as a mistake? Very very anxious, have had a panic attack today, just want this mess dealt with

No need to over think things at this stage.

Wait and see what Chiltern say first and then go from there.

 

[unkwnibd]

No need to over think things at this stage.

Wait and see what Chiltern say first and then go from there.

Thanks for that. Have you heard of cases where people have sent two responses to Chiltern and been successful?

 

[Hadders]

Thanks for that. Have you heard of cases where people have sent two responses to Chiltern and been successful?

Every case is different but as I've said consistently Chiltern usually settle if you co-operate with them.

 

[unkwnibd]

Thank you for all the advice everyone, I will let you know how it goes once they send a letter. A quick question (apologies if this is stupid and irritating). You mentioned they will search my account, what information do they use to do this, is it via an email or via the name on my license and railcard? Thanks again

 

[Fawkes Cat]

You mentioned they will search my account, what information do they use to do this, is it via an email or via the name on my license and railcard?

I don't think that we actually know the answer to this. But if they have identified the account used to buy the dodgy ticket then it won't be difficult for the railway to look for other tickets bought on that account. Similarly, it wouldn't be difficult for the railway to look for transactions that shared one or more of the following with the dodgy ticket
- which credit/debit card used to pay
- email address for details to be sent to
- phone number (if you gave it: similarly with your physical address)

In short, you need to assume that the railway will be able to find all the tickets that you have bought and link them to you.

 

[unkwnibd]

I don't think that we actually know the answer to this. But if they have identified the account used to buy the dodgy ticket then it won't be difficult for the railway to look for other tickets bought on that account. Similarly, it wouldn't be difficult for the railway to look for transactions that shared one or more of the following with the dodgy ticket
- which credit/debit card used to pay
- email address for details to be sent to
- phone number (if you gave it: similarly with your physical address)

In short, you need to assume that the railway will be able to find all the tickets that you have bought and link them to you.

Thank you very much for your response. I will of course assume they are able to link them but I did not provide my phone number or my card details. They did scan my ticket which I assume will have a name associated to it, but I'm not sure if it has an email address or card details also? I'm asking because the name listed on all of my identifications (my full name) is different to the one that I go by, and hence is different to the name on my train line account. Not sure if that clarifies the question but I will of course assume they can see everything.

 

[Hadders]

If they scanned your ticket this will link it to your account, so all they need to do is obtain the ticket purchase history for that account.

 

[unkwnibd]

If they scanned your ticket this will link it to your account, so all they need to do is obtain the ticket purchase history for that account.

Okay thank you that makes sense. I'm worried that the email I sent (sent before I accessed this forum) and the fact that I initially told the inspector was a mistake makes my case really bad. I'm hoping when the letter comes if I admit that I panicked and said it was a mistake and accept full responsibility that they'll be okay to settle?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 May 2025 ==

Hi everyone, thank you very much for all your responses, I really appreciate all the advice. This ordeal is eating me alive, I'm constantly stressed about the stupid email I sent and I'm incredibly worried that they'll continue to prosecute as a result of that and anything that came up in the inspector's report. Is it worth me contacting a solicitor at this stage to plea to settle this outside of court, because I cannot have a court case, I understand how stupid I was to try and save £5 but being a student finances are tough (not an excuse). I'm getting more and more worried that the chance of them settling is zero. Any advice? (Apologies for constantly frantically messaging on here)

 

[Hadders]

Personally, there’s no need to contact a solicitor at this stage. Wait and see what Chiltern say first and if that’s not favourable then that would be the time to involve a solicitor.

I know it’s easy to say but there’s nothing you can do now until you get a letter from Chiltern. Try and put the matter to the back of your mind for now and get on with your life. When Chiltern do contact you come back here and we can advise.