penalty fare appeal

[lauren777]

please help! i was issued a £50 penalty fare yesterday for accidentally travelling with an invalid ticket (accidentally bought a ticket for the exact same train journey 10 minutes later than the train i boarded, both trains were priced exactly the same on northern rail app although i have now realised the train i boarded actually should have been more, (£3.70, but shown as £1.70) but i assume was reduced as it was in the few minutes before departure, i did not know this until afterwards and it wasn’t clearly stated anywhere that the train i boarded should have been more expensive, i accidentally clicked on the later train journey ticket as both were right next to each other, priced the same on screen etc and it was a genuine mis-click and mistake.) didn’t realise my mistake until the ticket officer scanned and said my ticket was invalid, i immediately realised what had happened, explained, apologised, and offered to buy the correct ticket but was refused and given the penalty fare. i’ve appealed this as i honestly think a £50 fare for a genuine accident and mistake that i tried to rectify is extreme, especially when i only accidentally bought a ticket at the exact same price advertised, for the exact same journey, just for the train 10 mins later than the one i boarded. i’ve explained all this and shown proof of my ticket on my appeal, have i got any leg to stand on or am i likely to loose this appeal? thank you

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@lauren777. Welcome to the forum. If you bought an inflexible (booked train only) advance single ticket, and then travelled on a different train to the one on which you were booked, then there's every chance that the Penalty Fare was correctly issued and should be paid. However, there may be technical grounds on which to appeal.

Can you upload a pic of whatever PF paperwork you were issued with. Please be sure to obscure or otherwise cover up any name and address info that is showing.

Some additional background information, as per the following thread, would also be helpful.

Please read before posting in Disputes & Prosecutions

Guidance for those asking for advice: 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...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

It's unfortunate when a mistake like this happens but legally you didn't have a valid ticket which is actually a criminal offence. In some respects being given a Penalty Fare (which is a higher than normal charge train companies are allowed to issue to peiple who have made mistakes) is a decent outcome - many people in your position have their details taken for further investigation and some are even prosecuted.

I wouldn't expect your appeal to be successful based on what you've told us but sometimes there can be some very technical reasons why the Penalty Fare might be invalid. If you post up a copy of the Penalty Notice you've been given forum members will take a look.