Caught with the incorrect ticket

[MeChua]

So I'm an 18 year old student who goes to college in London. I moved late last year to a non-Oyster zone so I bought a c2c smartcard.

For the first time, I bought a monthly ticket on the smartcard at student discount and as a result of my financial situation, I only bought the monthly ticket to the next station from my home station, instead of buying a ticket for the station where my college is located.

I got caught and they took my details down saying that I will receive a letter.

My main worries are that I will be summoned to court and have the possibility of a criminal record which I wish to avoid. I don't mind paying a fine, but I would like to have an indication on how much?

I don't think they would send a letter initially asking for a court summoning over something like this, rather I think they would send a letter regarding a fine right?

I desperately need advice on what could possibly happen for someone under my circumstances. This is the first time I've ever done something like this.

 

[JN114]

Firstly, to address the semantics issue - A fine can only be imposed by a court. What I suspect you are after is a settlement.

The likely course of action is you will receive a letter from c2c; or whomever they contract their revenue protection activities out to. The letter will ask you for your version of what happened.

Reply concisely, show remorse, promise you’ll never do it again (demonstrate that with proof that you’ve since being caught bought the correct ticket) and they may - may - show some leniency and make you a settlement offer. This will easily be in the high 2 or low 3 digits; depending how many times you could have used your monthly ticket before you were caught.

But do not underestimate the seriousness of the offence you have committed; and admitted to here. You have intentionally bought a ticket to a different destination and attempted to use it; potentially many times. This unfortunately is one of the more serious railway ticketing offences; and carries with it a criminal record and a hefty fine. Even by your relatively limited posting on here you’ve shown intent. As I said, c2c’s reaction will largely depend on how much use you may have gotten out of the monthly ticket beforehand; as will the level of the fine.

A brief, honest, factual and contrite reply will help matters. If you’ve rectified your “mistake” since by purchasing the correct ticket then you’ll at least show you’ve righted the wrong.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

How many stops is your college station from your home station?

If you have regularly travelled to college and have only just got caught, be mindful that there may be CCTV evidence of you exiting/entering the college station and this can be used in court should the TOC wish to bring a case.

But most TOCs will settle out of court unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary such as for repeated offences

 

[najaB]

My main worries are that I will be summoned to court and have the possibility of a criminal record which I wish to avoid. I don't mind paying a fine, but I would like to have an indication on how much?

While I empathise with your financial situation, the fact is that you deliberately avoided paying the railway the fare it was due and now potentially face court as a result.

You need to recognise this in all your dealings with C2C. Don't try to make excuses.

Chances are fair (though not good) that you'll be able to reach a settlement, the main question that they will seek to determine is how big a loss have they made. Any evidence that you have to support that being a small figure (e.g. your attendance record at college) will be useful. Start collecting it now.

In the next few days/weeks you'll likely receive a letter asking for your version of events. Reply to this admitting your mistake, take responsibility for it and offer to make recompense. If you are lucky you'll be offered the opportunity to settle the matter non-administratively. While it's impossible to be sure of the figure, I'd expect it to be a low three-figure amount.

Feel free to post your reply so that we can proof-read it and provide tips. Good luck.

 

[furlong]

While it's unlikely with a c2c smartcard, a few tickets have extra validity by unexpected routes, so it may still be worth checking this before going any further:
What ticket is this? From where to where, how much did it cost and between which stations do you travel?

 

[FenMan]

While it's unlikely with a c2c smartcard, a few tickets have extra validity by unexpected routes, so it may still be worth checking this before going any further:
What ticket is this? From where to where, how much did it cost and between which stations do you travel?

The OP states:

I only bought the monthly ticket to the next station from my home station, instead of buying a ticket for the station where my college is located.

I stand to be corrected, but it is extremely unlikely that a ticket for travel between adjacent stations on the same line would have any additional validity. Ergo, this line of enquiry is of no help to the OP.