OK - wanted to check as we frequently see Greater Anglia detecting suspicious tickets using digital data trawls and e-mailing people about them without actually having caught them using one - so the advice is different for such messages - but if they caught you it means that they have enough evidence to prosecute you if they wish to do so - which is likely to be something you wish to avoid by seeking to obtain an out of court settlement offer from them - which there is a good chance of them offering but they will no doubt make a charge for these other suspicious tickets a part of the settlement offer - ie charge you for new tickets for every trip they can find evidence of that they think you have evaded paying the correct fare for - and if you don't pay them for that they will just prosecute you in court for the one occasion you were caught.
In which case the standard advice usually given on this forum applies - and when you have had a read of this have a go at drafting up your response to them based on this advice - but probably best to post your draft here before you send it off to them so people can check it -
I don't think you have posted the full wording of the letter they have sent you - but you need a find a way to address what they are accusing you of in your response, and commit to stop doing it as well as offer to pay them for any fares they believe you owe (or ask them for a list of such fares so you can check it but with the intention of paying for any that were not legitimate / valid tickets).
Here's the standard advice: (clearly you are p[art way through this process as they have contacted you)
Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies 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.
Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).
When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:
- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter
The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.
Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.
