Just finding about a fine from October 2024

[DylanXanderson]

I got a fine for having a ticket that had a rail card on which i didnt realise i had and got a fine for having the wrong ticket. The inspector said ill get an email and a letter to my home address so i gave them my london address instead of my address for university. Anyways to this day i havent got an email for a fare notice and only got a letter for a fine on the 28 february where the total fine is now £600 for some reason. My mother just sent me the letter and wondering why it is so high. I know its my fault but it was a genuine mistake but the inspector said i would get an email for the fine and i didnt get an email the entire length of time. This was from birmingham new street to London Euston road.What can i do?

I just do not want to pay £600 because im guessing its gone up.
I do not know what rail card was selected but i was using the trainline app to buy my ticket.

I also want to know why the inspector said i would get an email when i did not.

 

[Cuthbert]

Hello and welcome to the Forum!
Just a few things to get the information the Forum Guru's will need to help you.

Firstly can you post the letter you received onto the forum with your personal details and the ref number redacted.

Please bear in mind the following, when asking for advice in this section:

• We need to know all relevant facts in order to assist you, including, for example:
  • The stations* where you actually started & finished your journey
  • The stations* where you changed trains (if applicable);
  • If you presented a ticket(s), the information* stated under "Ticket type", "From", "To", "Route", and any other relevant details;
  • Details of any Railcard(s) held;
  • When and where ticket(s) were purchased, including whether this was prior to the journey commencing;
  • What happened in any encounter with railway staff;
  • Upload copies of any paperwork (with personal details redacted) with your post.
• We need to know what outcome(s) you would consider satisfactory
• We ask that you start your own thread as we have, in general, a one case per thread policy as we have found that every case is different even if they may appear similar at first glance.

* When referring to any stations, please write station names out in full the first time you refer to them; subsequently you may refer to correct station codes (as available here).

In order to help you, forum members may ask some probing questions, to establish exactly what happened. This will enable members to offer the best advice for your individual circumstances and ensure the train company has followed the correct procedure.

It is important that you are open and honest with us, otherwise the advice of our members may not be appropriate for your case.

 

[Haywain]

I just do not want to pay £600 because im guessing its gone up.

You have been prosecuted, convicted and fined by the court. It will go up if it remains unpaid.

 

[Pushpit]

Your options here are to pay the amount laid down by the court, or to do a Statutory Declaration, to have the court process re-run again with your active involvement. The two reasons for making a SD are (a) if you are innocent of the charge or (b) to give a bit of time to negotiate an out of court settlement with the rail company (WMR?) which will possibly be lower than £600. Also if you are on a limited income, re-running the case may allow a lower fine and Victims' Surcharge. However that won't be a lot cheaper if you are on a low wage, and you still get a criminal record.

You may want to crop out the last centimetre or so out of the letter photo.

 

[WesternLancer]

I got a fine for having a ticket that had a rail card on which i didnt realise i had and got a fine for having the wrong ticket. The inspector said ill get an email and a letter to my home address so i gave them my london address instead of my address for university. Anyways to this day i havent got an email for a fare notice and only got a letter for a fine on the 28 february where the total fine is now £600 for some reason. My mother just sent me the letter and wondering why it is so high. I know its my fault but it was a genuine mistake but the inspector said i would get an email for the fine and i didnt get an email the entire length of time. This was from birmingham new street to London Euston road.What can i do?

I just do not want to pay £600 because im guessing its gone up.
I do not know what rail card was selected but i was using the trainline app to buy my ticket.

I also want to know why the inspector said i would get an email when i did not.

I can’t answer why you were told you would get an e mail because the usual practice is a formal written letter. You can see that on numerous occasions on this forum. Not that that helps you now.

However.

It’s gone beyond all that because you’ve missed a number of letters both from the railway company and indeed the court.

I suggest you give consideration to the Statutory Declaration procedure mentioned to re set the clock. But it’s important to do that in the best way so if you use this forum over the next 24 hours or so you will get expert advice on your options, what to do and how you can best do things.

Don’t rush to action until you’ve had that and can weigh up your choices, the tasks involved and the pros and cons.