Railcard Fare Evasion

[asherjil]

Hello all

I'm extremely about this but I received a letter from Northern Rails regarding my failure to produce a railcard on one of my journeys. I have since emailed them with my new railcard (I didn't have one previously but the train conductors assured it would be fine if I bought one later and presented over email) but they emailed back saying they intent to persue the matter in court. I have emailed back conquesting this. They have yet to reply.

I wonder if there's any way to convince them to agree to an out-of-court settlement or a penalty fare etc. I'm a final year medical student and a court prosecution would be detrimental to me. In my first email, I only sent a screenshot of my new railcard becaue I foolishly thought this was all that was needed. In the 2nd + 3rd email following their "intent to persue in court" email is as follows:
"Hello,
Thanks for quick reply.
I would be more than happy to pay a penalty fare or reimburse Northern railways for the ticket.
I confess myself taken aback at the sudden escalation of this. The conductor who initially made the incident report assured me I could present my railcard to yourself and this would resolve the matter. He mentioned I may have to pay a fine but nothing beyond that.
I would kindly urge you not to escalate the matter further and instead guide me to alternate methods. You will find me agreeable to them.
I can assure you that this is a one-off mishap on my part and is very unlikely to reoccur.
Please let me know the next steps,"
The 3rd email sent late last night was:
"Hello again,
This is in addition to my previous email.
Before preceeding with this matter, could you please clarify what exactly the charges against me are?
I have checked the Northern rail website and it states that failure to produce a valid railcard may incur a penalty fare. The conductor who issued the incident report told me exactly the same thing. As far as I know, this is the only charge against me. I would like to state that this was a one-off incident and was not done maliciously. I can guarantee that I will not repeat it.
Below I have attached a screenshot from the Northern Rail website regarding penalty fares. I feel this aligns with my case more accurately than the legal intervention you propose.
I would urge you not to escalate the issue and instead settle on a penalty fee. As I understand it, situations such as this can be settled out of court via penalty fares.
If you disagree with this course of action, please explain to me why before escalating things."

Please could some guide me! Im seriously panicking. How do I make settle out of court?
If they've sent the "intent to persue in court" email to me does that mean a court summons is on the way? Will I get a crimincal convinction? please some one help

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello all

I'm extremely about this but I received a letter from Northern Rails regarding my failure to produce a railcard on one of my journeys. I have since emailed them with my new railcard (I didn't have one previously but the train conductors assured it would be fine if I bought one later and presented over email) but they emailed back saying they intent to persue the matter in court. I have emailed back conquesting this. They have yet to reply.

I wonder if there's any way to convince them to agree to an out-of-court settlement or a penalty fare etc. I'm a final year medical student and a court prosecution would be detrimental to me. In my first email, I only sent a screenshot of my new railcard becaue I foolishly thought this was all that was needed. In the 2nd + 3rd email following their "intent to persue in court" email is as follows:
"Hello,
Thanks for quick reply.
I would be more than happy to pay a penalty fare or reimburse Northern railways for the ticket.
I confess myself taken aback at the sudden escalation of this. The conductor who initially made the incident report assured me I could present my railcard to yourself and this would resolve the matter. He mentioned I may have to pay a fine but nothing beyond that.
I would kindly urge you not to escalate the matter further and instead guide me to alternate methods. You will find me agreeable to them.
I can assure you that this is a one-off mishap on my part and is very unlikely to reoccur.
Please let me know the next steps,"
The 3rd email sent late last night was:
"Hello again,
This is in addition to my previous email.
Before preceeding with this matter, could you please clarify what exactly the charges against me are?
I have checked the Northern rail website and it states that failure to produce a valid railcard may incur a penalty fare. The conductor who issued the incident report told me exactly the same thing. As far as I know, this is the only charge against me. I would like to state that this was a one-off incident and was not done maliciously. I can guarantee that I will not repeat it.
Below I have attached a screenshot from the Northern Rail website regarding penalty fares. I feel this aligns with my case more accurately than the legal intervention you propose.
I would urge you not to escalate the issue and instead settle on a penalty fee. As I understand it, situations such as this can be settled out of court via penalty fares.
If you disagree with this course of action, please explain to me why before escalating things."

Please could some guide me! Im seriously panicking. How do I make settle out of court?
If they've sent the "intent to persue in court" email to me does that mean a court summons is on the way? Will I get a crimincal convinction? please some one help

Welcome.

At this stage stop sending them e mails before you get the contents of what you send them checked by people here who can advise you on what to say to achieve the outcome you need.

Then have a look at the ample examples on the forum of situations similar to yours and the advice given.

Then confirm some more facts for us to help you based on the questions on the pinned post at the top of this part of the forum.

A key thing to clarify is this: have you been buying tickets with a railcard discount but never had a railcard? (So this would be a deliberate evasion tactic on your part)
Or
Did you have a railcard, let it expire and not renew it but keep buying discounted tickets internationally or by accident?

You will get help you need here but the emails you have sent them are less than ideal in their content. But it may be that having sent them you now need to wait and see what they say in reply and take it from there.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2025 ==

Also be aware there will be reasons why you were not issued with a penalty fare and they do not issue them retrospectively as this is not permitted.

Your focus now should be on seeking to obtain an out of court settlement to prevent court action against you.

Hopefully with help from here this is still achievable.

 

[asherjil]

Welcome.

At this stage stop sending them e mails before you get the contents of what you send them checked by people here who can advise you on what to say to achieve the outcome you need.

Then have a look at the ample examples on the forum of situations similar to yours and the advice given.

Then confirm some more facts for us to help you based on the questions on the pinned post at the top of this part of the forum.

A key thing to clarify is this: have you been buying tickets with a railcard discount but never had a railcard? (So this would be a deliberate evasion tactic on your part)
Or
Did you have a railcard, let it expire and not renew it but keep buying discounted tickets internationally or by accident?

You will get help you need here but the emails you have sent them are less than ideal in their content. But it may be that having sent them you now need to wait and see what they say in reply and take it from there.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2025 ==

Also be aware there will be reasons why you were not issued with a penalty fare and they do not issue them retrospectively as this is not permitted.

Your focus now should be on seeking to obtain an out of court settlement to prevent court action against you.

Hopefully with help from here this is still achievable.

hi thanks so much for your quick reply.
I've never had a railcard but this was the only ticket I bought with the railcard discount. It was a mistake, an error in judgement if you will, but the conductor assured me I could buy a railcard and this would resolve the issue.

Can i ask though, in their email that said they intent to persue this in court, does this mean that the process has already begun? and thus an out-of-court settlement is no longer possible?

 

[WesternLancer]

hi thanks so much for your quick reply.
I've never had a railcard but this was the only ticket I bought with the railcard discount. It was a mistake, an error in judgement if you will,

Understood

but the conductor assured me I could buy a railcard and this would resolve the issue.

Thats simply wrong. But we see that staff do say things like that seemingly to de escalate situations where they would otherwise have say ‘I’ve got to report this and an outcome of that is a prospect of you being prosecuted’

Can i ask though, in their email that said they intent to persue this in court, does this mean that the process has already begun? and thus an out-of-court settlement is no longer possible?

Probably not begun yet but it would help if you could upload copies of all the paperwork or e mails you have received with your personal details and ref numbers removed.

That is probably a standard letter designed to make you understand how serious this is but it’s also your opportunity to respond, apologise, accept responsibility, assure them it won’t ever happen again and grovelling ask them if they will kindly let you settle the matter out of court.

Ie not argue with them that you should be let off with a penalty fare, nor advise them how you think they should be dealing with your attempt to rip them off by not paying the correct fare (as they might see it)

The problem is you’ve basically sent them a somewhat inappropriate response given the error of judgment you made and the challenge here is how to row back from that.

Hopefully some experts here have some good ideas on the best next steps and will make some suggestions tomorrow for you to consider.

 

[asherjil]

Thank you for your advice thus far.

I travelled from Earles to Manchester Picadilly on 30th June.
I've attached the initial letter.

Affer that, I emailed the mentioned email address with my new railcard screenshot and
"Hello,
I received a letter regarding failure to produce a valid railway during one of my journeys. At the time I was in the midst of purchasing a railcard. I have since purchased one (shown above).
I sincerely hope this is satisfactory.
Kind regards,"

to which they replied:

"Thank you for your e-mail.
Having reviewed and carefully considered the facts of this case, it is our intention to pursue the matter in court. This is because the evidence you have provided does not constitute a valid defence in relation to the charges against you.
Should you have any new evidence to support your position, please do not hesitate to provide it using this email address.
Yours Sincerely"

I completely panicked then replied to the email twice but I've attached those emails to the initial post. They replied to my first email within hours but the 2 I sent after have received none, which makes me so nervous.

To all the experts out there, I sincerely require help, I'll do anything to get an out-of-settlement. Please advise me.

 

[Haywain]

At the time I was in the midst of purchasing a railcard.

That wasn't true though, was it? Failing to be truthful is never going to help your case.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I travelled from Earles to Manchester Picadilly on 30th June.

@asherjil. Welcome to the forum. Presume you mean Earlestown? If so, and assuming this was a one-off incident, reckon you're likely looking at having to pay them the unpaid fare, which will probably be calculated at the Anytime Day Single rate ( = £10.70) plus a three figure admin fee added on top. Problem will be if inspection of your online ticketing purchasing history shows any other occasions of you having bought/used additional railcard discounted tickets when you didn't also have an accompanying, in date, valid railcard. As @WesternLancer has already mentioned, you won't retrospectively now be offered a Penalty fare, which might have been a little cheaper for you.

Train companies usually always investigate persons inappropriately claiming railcard discounts, as it quite often isn't the first time they'll have done so.

 

[asherjil]

@asherjil. Welcome to the forum. Presume you mean Earlestown? If so, and assuming this was a one-off incident, reckon you're likely looking at having to pay them the unpaid fare, which will probably be calculated at the Anytime Day Single rate ( = £10.70) plus a three figure admin fee added on top. Problem will be if inspection of your online ticketing purchasing history shows any other occasions of you having bought/used additional railcard discounted tickets when you didn't also have an accompanying, in date, valid railcard. As @WesternLancer has already mentioned, you won't retrospectively now be offered a Penalty fare, which might have been a little cheaper for you.

Train companies usually always investigate persons inappropriately claiming railcard discounts, as it quite often isn't the first time they'll have done so.

yeah i did mean Earlestown, I don't care about the money I'll pay anything at this point.
What should i do in the meanwhile? should i email them again? or let it rest for now?
I only worry that they emailed back the first time in a few days but now they haven't replied in 2 days

 

[WesternLancer]

yeah i did mean Earlestown, I don't care about the money I'll pay anything at this point.
What should i do in the meanwhile? should i email them again? or let it rest for now?
I only worry that they emailed back the first time in a few days but now they haven't replied in 2 days

Having thought about this a bit more now and the messages you’ve sent back to northern so far I’ll post a suggestion of what you can do a bit later hopefully this morning.

I think you should probably write again to them with a different sort of wording. I’ll post a suggested content structure for you to consider using.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Aug 2025 ==

Thank you for your advice thus far.

I travelled from Earles to Manchester Picadilly on 30th June.
I've attached the initial letter.

Affer that, I emailed the mentioned email address with my new railcard screenshot and
"Hello,
I received a letter regarding failure to produce a valid railway during one of my journeys. At the time I was in the midst of purchasing a railcard. I have since purchased one (shown above).
I sincerely hope this is satisfactory.
Kind regards,"

to which they replied:

"Thank you for your e-mail.
Having reviewed and carefully considered the facts of this case, it is our intention to pursue the matter in court. This is because the evidence you have provided does not constitute a valid defence in relation to the charges against you.
Should you have any new evidence to support your position, please do not hesitate to provide it using this email address.
Yours Sincerely"

I completely panicked then replied to the email twice but I've attached those emails to the initial post. They replied to my first email within hours but the 2 I sent after have received none, which makes me so nervous.

To all the experts out there, I sincerely require help, I'll do anything to get an out-of-settlement. Please advise me.

Are you able to attach the letter you had received but this time with your name also blanked out.

 

[asherjil]

Having thought about this a bit more now and the messages you’ve sent back to northern so far I’ll post a suggestion of what you can do a bit later hopefully this morning.

I think you should probably write again to them with a different sort of wording. I’ll post a suggested content structure for you to consider using.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Aug 2025 ==


Are you able to attach the letter you had received but this time with your name also blanked out.

Thank you so much for any help you can give, I'm enternally grateful

 

[30907]

Thank you so much for any help you can give, I'm enternally grateful

You need to treat this as professional/business correspondence.

Have a look for posts by member Hadders who regularly offers a structure for responding to these letters, and tailor it to your circumstances.

Northern, like most train companies, will be content to settle out of court if you engage with them in a suitable way.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you so much for any help you can give, I'm eternally grateful

@asherjil

Sorry for delay in getting back on this.

In general if you travel by train without a valid ticket (which includes all sorts of errors that people can make as genuine mistakes, eg forgetting to renew their railcard) in England this is an offence where you can be prosecuted. However, railway companies generally prefer not to prosecute people if people engage with them over the issue, apologise, and offer to pay the fare they owe. We see lots and lots of cases resolved this way - including many that involve far worse errors than you made, and you can see examples on the forum.

The problem you have is that the usual route to securing an out of court settlement in this scenario is to send the railway company an apologetic / grovelling response persuading them that you will not do this again and offering to pay them what they think you owe. The replies you have sent do not really meet that standard. Arguing back to them about why you think they should charge you a penalty fare is not the right starting point at all and more likley to wind them up - the consiequences of that beign that they are less likely to offer you an out of court settlment.

Your total focus should be to get an out of court settlement - and if that means pleading with them and grovelingly apologising for what you have done then that is what you must do. This is especially true if you are looking at a career in medicine where high standards of personal conduct are expected and a criminal record will be seriously unhelpful to your future.

So I think it might be a good idea for you to send them something better than you have already sent - you probably need to refer to the earlier response in what you write now - and you can use the template below that I have copied from another thread to work up a draft

When you have prepared a draft of what to send now I think it is important you post that here for checking before you send it - but you should also aim to send it promptly - eg Friday so before the bank holiday weekend

Below is what I suggest to start it off, then look at the template for what you can write. Keep it focussed and as short as you can whilst covering the key points. I hope this will help - as I say there are lots of examples of responses like this on the forum you can look at if you need to.

---------------------------

Dear Sir / Madam

Your Reference Number:

I am writing as a follow up to the e-mail I previously sent on x date. I have now received some advice on this and understand more clearly why the Inspector who stopped me did not issue a Penalty Fare to me. I am writing again as I am anxious to resolve the matter without the need for court action and I would be grateful if you could sympathetically consider the following.

Then draft up something in line with this suggested template structure for the rest of the message to them. Some of the bullet points can be covered in one sentence or so.

Paragraph 1: Acknowledge and Address the Incident

• Start by thanking them for their email and clearly stating the date of their email
• Immediately identify the specific incident they're referring to, including the date of travel and the stations involved – also use any reference number they have issued on any paperwork you have
• State directly that you are writing in response to this incident.

eg "This incident occurred because I was unable to show a Railcard in relation to the ticket I had bought for my journey between X station and y station on xx date"


Paragraph 2: Accept Responsibility for the Specific Incident

• Clearly state that you accept responsibility for not having a valid ticket for your journey when stopped and questioned

Paragraph 3: Express Remorse and Impact

• State that you deeply regret your actions and you have learned a lesson from this (eg to make sure you always have the correct ticket to travel with in future)
• If there is something that you can do or have done (eg in this case you bought a Railcard AIUI) that will prevent the matter happening again tell them you have done this. eg "following the incident I bought a Railcard (serial number xxxx) to ensure this issue would not happen again"

Paragraph 4: Propose a Settlement

• Clearly state that you hope to resolve this matter through an out-of-court settlement. This signals your intention to avoid court proceedings.
• Confirm your willingness to pay any outstanding fare and to cover their administration costs. This is a precise offer for the incident being investigated.
• Conclude by asking what further information or action they require from you to facilitate this resolution.

Include your name, postal address and ref number in your e-mail reply

---------------------------------------------

If this does not work, you may need to give some serious consideration to getting help from a solicitor to see if they can help you resolve this. If so we would advise that you get quotes from a firm that have experience in dealing with rail fare evasion - there are a number of firms that get mentioned on the forum who have this experience and we can point you towards those names. Unfortunately you could be looking at fees from the solicitor of in the region of £700+ to get that sort of help.

 

[davp]

I agree with the above post. Your first replies come across as closer to being entitled than reflective, and if you are seeking a settlement you will want to persuade the railway company that you have learned from this.

However I mainly came along to say that if you belong to the MDDUS (Medical Defence Union) then it wouldn't hurt to have a chat to them.

 

[asherjil]

here's what i got:
"I am writing as a follow up to the e-mail I previously sent on 19th August. I have now received some advice on this and understand more clearly why the Inspector who stopped me did not issue a Penalty Fare to me. If my previous emails come across as defensive or argumentative, I apologise as this was not my intent. They were written in a state of panic and confusion and are not reflective of me as a person. I am writing again as I am very anxious to resolve the matter without the need for court action and I would be eternally grateful if you could sympathetically consider the following and allow a second review of my case.

Thank you for your email on the 19th August. I am writing this in response to my travel from Earlestown to Manchester (Central) on June 30th. For this journey, I was unable to present a railcard as I did not have one, and I fully accept responsibility for not having a valid ticket when I was stopped and questioned.

I deeply regret my actions; I can assure you that this behaviour is not in line with my character and I have learnt my lesson. I did not know how important it was to have a valid ticket and I now fully comprehend the seriousness of my actions. I will always ensure to have a valid ticket in the future. Following the incident I bought a Railcard (No. ) to ensure this issue would not happen again.

I would extremely grateful if this matter could be resolved through an out-of-court settlement. I am more than happy to pay any outstanding fares and to cover all administration costs.

If there any further information or action required from myself to facilitate this resolution, kindly let me know."

does this come contrite enough? should i emphasis the out-of-settlement more?
should i include like, "im a medical student, please be kind to me this could ruin my life" type things for sympathy points or is that overkill?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Aug 2025 ==

@WesternLancer or anyone else, please let me know what you think

 

[Titfield]

should i include like, "im a medical student, please be kind to me this could ruin my life" type things for sympathy points or is that overkill?

I do not think you should. My reason being that to be offered a place as a medical student suggests that you are of a higher intelligence than the average, that you would know that to obtain a railcard discount you should be in possession of a railcard and your behaviours as a medical professional should be exemplary.

 

[asherjil]

I do not think you should. My reason being that to be offered a place as a medical student suggests that you are of a higher intelligence than the average, that you would know that to obtain a railcard discount you should be in possession of a railcard and your behaviours as a medical professional should be exemplary.

"higher intelligence" pfff that's flattering but evidently not true. But thank you for you advice, I'll take it on board

 

[30907]

"im a medical student, please be kind to me this could ruin my life" type things for sympathy points or is that overkill?

Another reason for not including it is that it is an exaggeration: you should certainly take professional advice if this goes to court, but AIUI - even if this is not your first attempt to cheat the railway - a low-level conviction won't be a disaster (though concealing it would be!).

 

[WesternLancer]

I do not think you should. My reason being that to be offered a place as a medical student suggests that you are of a higher intelligence than the average, that you would know that to obtain a railcard discount you should be in possession of a railcard and your behaviours as a medical professional should be exemplary.

I agree with this

If @asherjil wishes to make the point more generally it needs linking to why it is relevant to make it - that could mean saying something that connects to why you understand how serious it is eg

"as a young person seeking to enter work and a career I appreciate how serious this matter is and I am anxious that this error does not affect that. Hence I am keen to co-operate with you to resolve this."

Though I am not sure one way or the other if it is necessary to insert that, but you can consider it if you think it is helpful.

 

[asherjil]

I agree with this

oki I got ya, consider the advice very much taken on board. Is the rest of the email okay? you said you reply by today and Im anxious to do so

I've realised that I've bought one other ticket with railcard, Marple to Manchester, should I include this in the email too? or let them bring it up?

 

[WesternLancer]

Looking over your draft it is hopefully much better now - see below for some minor edit suggestions - hope its clear what I have suggested you add as well as the strikethroughs (I've not added that bit in post #18 but up to you if you want to slot it in where you wish)

Just to explain my amends
- I'm not sure if this is a 'second' review as I don't think you have heard one way or the other in response to your earlier messages - hence that amend
- you are now saying you have in fact done this on another occasion... - so I have tweaked things a bit so as not to imply this was a one off. I've not actively added it in (but ultimately that is your call), but have let the word 'fares' plural in what you are offering to pay - I think that means no one can accuse you of not offering to pay everything you owe if asked.
- it's not really credible for you to suggest you did not know that petty fare dodging is serious - so I have removed it - even if you didn't realise the consequences (ie court potentially) are serious.
- The usual advice here is you don't need to mention things that they are not asking about, but they may come back and ask you about them in response to your reply in which case you need to address it. A £5.70 Marple to Manchester fare isn't going to break the bank if they ask you to pay this as part of any settlement they offer - and I suspect they would appreciate the honesty. BUT - it's taken you a few posts to fess up to this - hopefully there isn't anything else they might find (probably best you don't post it here if there is...)



"
Include your postal address in the e-mail reply

Dear Sir / Madam

Your reference:

I am writing as a follow up to the e-mail I previously sent on 19th August. I have now received some advice on this and understand more clearly why the Inspector who stopped me did not issue a Penalty Fare to me. If my previous emails come across as defensive or argumentative, I apologise as this was not my intent. They were written in a state of panic and confusion and are not reflective of me as a person. I am writing again as I am very anxious to resolve the matter without the need for court action and I would be eternally grateful if you could sympathetically consider the following and allow a second review of my case including my points set out below.

Regarding Thank you for your email of on the 19th August. I am writing this in response to my travel from Earlestown to Manchester (Central) on June 30th. For this journey, I was unable to present a railcard as I did not have one, and I fully accept responsibility for not having a valid ticket as a result, when I was stopped and questioned.

I deeply regret my actions; I can assure you that this behaviour is not in line with my character and I have learned a serious my lesson. I did not know how important it was to have a valid ticket and I now fully comprehend the seriousness of my actions and how important it is to have a fully valid ticket on every occasion so I will always ensure to have a valid ticket in the future. Following the incident I bought a Railcard (No. ) to ensure this issue would not happen again.

I would extremely grateful if this matter could be resolved through an out-of-court settlement. I am more than happy to pay any outstanding fares and to cover all administration costs.

If there any further information or action required from myself to facilitate this resolution, kindly let me know."

Yours faithfully

xxx

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Aug 2025 ==

Is the rest of the email okay? you said you reply by today and Im anxious to do so

I've just looked at the whole thing and made some suggestions

I've realised that I've bought one other ticket with railcard, Marple to Manchester, should I include this in the email too? or let them bring it up?

see my comment on this in post #20 above

No doubt you should and will be e-mailing this, but a minor point is you could think about printing a copy of the final version after e-mailing it (just print the e-mail as it were) and posting it too (it's a free post address at top of letter). Personally I think that helps show how serious you are taking this now. Just ensure it has your address and ref number on the paper copy and handwrite at the top eg 'as sent by e-mail on xx date' and sign it with your signature.

Keep copies of everything from them and all your replies.

Maybe wait a short time to see if anyone else has any suggestions ref all this before you e-mail it later today, but don't delay too long - there are lots of experts here

head back here for more advice as things develop

Good luck with this

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Regarding Thank you for your email of on the 19th August. I am writing this in response to my travel from Earlestown to Manchester (Central) on June 30th

It's probably worth naming the actual Manchester station your train was going to (most likely Piccadilly, Victoria or Oxford Road): although there used to be a station called Manchester Central it closed more than 50 years ago.

 

[asherjil]

Hi all!

I got a reply from northern rail. They want me to pay £35 so woohooo! I was honestly so worried.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped me, it's so appreciated. I know this is online and I can't thank yall in person but I wish yall the best in life )

 

[John R]

Hi all!

I got a reply from northern rail. They want me to pay £35 so woohooo! I was honestly so worried.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped me, it's so appreciated. I know this is online and I can't thank yall in person but I wish yall the best in life )

That’s a remarkably generous settlement, and I’m not sure we have seen one that purely amounts to the cost of the railcard. Given Northern is now run by the government, I wonder if this amounts to a change of policy? We’ll have to see.

Anyway, thanks for updating us with the outcome.

 

[furlong]

That’s a remarkably generous settlement,

Hardly!

Perhaps it only looks that way if you're accustomed to train companies exploiting people in a weak position by demanding unjustifiable amounts!

 

[KirkstallOne]

A good result but the process to arrive at it has clearly been stressful for the OP with Northern threatening prosecution over what seems to be a genuine one-off mistake.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi all!

I got a reply from northern rail. They want me to pay £35 so woohooo! I was honestly so worried.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped me, it's so appreciated. I know this is online and I can't thank yall in person but I wish yall the best in life )

Glad to hear that. Good luck for the future.

 

[30907]

A good result but the process to arrive at it has clearly been stressful for the OP with Northern threatening prosecution over what seems to be a genuine one-off mistake.

Choosing a railcard discounted fare when you do not have a railcard may be a one-off but is hardly a mistake.

Anyway, it is a good result.