wrong station

[paul barrett]

hello south eastern have sent me a summons for no ticket however they say i boarded the train in gillingham. i did not i boarded it at a different station. does this mean it is invalid

 

[Islineclear3_1]

You need to give more details before anyone can assist.

At what station did you board?
At what station did you alight?
What ticket did you possess?
Was your ticket valid for the train and time of day?
Were you stopped and interviewed by a ticket inspector at any time en-route?

 

[najaB]

hello south eastern have sent me a summons for no ticket however they say i boarded the train in gillingham. i did not i boarded it at a different station. does this mean it is invalid

Generally speaking (since we don't have much detail) - no, that detail wouldn't necessarily make it invalid.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

hello south eastern have sent me a summons for no ticket however they say i boarded the train in gillingham. i did not i boarded it at a different station. does this mean it is invalid

Is this a summons, as in a summons requiring you to attend Court, or is it an offer of out of court settlement, or perhaps a Penalty Fare? We do need a little more detail to be able to help.

 

[furlong]

The summons would not be invalid, but you might argue you had no case to answer or ask them to prove that fact to the court which, if false, they'd be unlikely to succeed in doing. They might get chance to correct it. A local solicitor could help you.

 

[paul barrett]

Is this a summons, as in a summons requiring you to attend Court, or is it an offer of out of court settlement, or perhaps a Penalty Fare? We do need a little more detail to be able to help.

It's a summons to attend court. That's what a summons is.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

It's a summons to attend court. That's what a summons is.

Yes, I know that - I was just clarifying whether it actually was a summons, or whether it was something else (e.g. a letter notifying their intention to prosecute) mentioning a summons, that could be misunderstood as being the summons.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Your issue is that the summons has the wrong station - but I interpret your post as you didn't have a ticket, you just boarded at a different station?

Easy way to solve this - pay the fine and next time buy a ticket.

 

[Stigy]

It's a summons to attend court. That's what a summons is.

People here are actually try to help you. Whilst I appreciate it’s not always easy to interpret one’s tone in an online forum/email etc, you seem to have a chip on your shoulder? Can I suggest you focus more on answering the actual questions put to you by Robert that will help us to understand your specific situation? Much more useful than confirming that you know what a summons is.

The fact that the station was incorrect isn’t an immediate ‘get out of jail free card’ unfortunately.

 

[Typhoon]

People here are actually try to help you. Whilst I appreciate it’s not always easy to interpret one’s tone in an online forum/email etc, you seem to have a chip on your shoulder? Can I suggest you focus more on answering the actual questions put to you by Robert that will help us to understand your specific situation? Much more useful than confirming that you know what a summons is.

The fact that the station was incorrect isn’t an immediate ‘get out of jail free card’ unfortunately.

To the OP.

Can I endorse what I have emboldened? A quick perusal of this section shows that experts in the complexities of rail travel, in particular as it relates to fares, are willing to spend time (sometimes considerable time) researching and answering sometimes quite complicated enquiries. Also what is quite evident is that the casual rail passenger such as myself misuse terms that have particular meanings within the industry so those seeking to provide advice want to clarify exactly what terms were used. Now the term 'summons' is understood by most but, because of the nature of the enquiry I guess that the respondent, @ForTheLoveOf, wanted to be absolutely certain what the situation was before offering the best advice for your plight.

As a layman, I would guess that they can prove that you were on the train when it left Gillingham so that it is why they selected that station. At the end of the day, they are accusing you of travelling without a valid ticket, that is why you were asked the questions in #2 so that those with knowledge of the conditions can ascertain whether you have a reasonable argument.

 

[furlong]

Context is everything here really - it ticketing facilities at the two stations are different there could be more of an impact (e.g. byelaw 18 with no facilities at true origin). Courts do have powers to accept certain types of amendments after discrepancies with the evidence are discovered, and I would think an incorrect station is likely to fall into that category, not least because the defendant should already know the true basis of the allegation so such a change shouldn't cause disadvantage.

 

[Typhoon]

Context is everything here really - it ticketing facilities at the two stations are different there could be more of an impact (e.g. byelaw 18 with no facilities at true origin). Courts do have powers to accept certain types of amendments after discrepancies with the evidence are discovered, and I would think an incorrect station is likely to fall into that category, not least because the defendant should already know the true basis of the allegation so such a change shouldn't cause disadvantage.

Absolutely - there are several stations in the area where the ticket office is open morning peak hours only (and even then not consistently), and have machines that take cards only and are by no means always working. And it is perfectly possible to travel for quite long distances without seeing a member of staff which is why the questions in #2 are so important.