I commute on Cambridge/ Peterborough route to Old street with carnet of tickets, stopping at Finsbury Park to take the train towards Moorgate.
On my way back home last week I caught a train as usual from Old street to Finsbury Park then got off at Finsbury Park and took the train towards Huntingdon and my carnet ticket was checked by a young lady inspector who said the ticket was not valid as it looked to her that I had written on top of it. I told her that I had not used that ticket before, only on this journey. I must admit I had to use two different pens to write the date on it (the first is the cheap one that offices have, I think it is a biro) the second I think is a kind of felt tip that a colleague lend me, I was in a rush when leaving work at 4:00 to catch the 4:10 to be on time to pick up my two kids from two different childcare places and had had no time to find a more suitable pen but thought that writing on top of it was better that having just tiny bits of writtig. I have done this many times, even the guys in the barriers in the morning know that this happens often and stamp my tickets to avoid misunderstandings if the writting is not clear or the shinny part is indented after my attempt to write a date.
One of her arguments was that it looked as if I had changed the number on the month box. I now think that this doesn't make sense as I bought the tickets in April and that ticket had the number '4' in the month box. Therefore I couldn't have used the ticket on a Higher month number as they expire every three months and I hadn't even bought it on a previous month so no lower month number could have been used.
Anyway, the lady inspector got off the train with me at my destination. Another inspector joined us (The lady inspector had radioed him telling him about my ticket). She checked the ticket on her machine and said it showed it had been used on Tuesday 16th April at 4:05 pm at Kings Cross, I was totally shocked and said I hadn't used that ticket before and let alone at Kings Cross. I couldn't believe it. I told her to check my other tickets as I had previously had an issue in Old Street (they were checking tickets randomly before the barriers and when my ticket was checked in their machine it showed being used before, the inspector was going to charge me a penalty, I kept saying that I hadn't used it before, he ended up checking my other blank tickets on his machine and they all displayed as being used on the same date, I think it was the date of purchase. He called his colleagues, they all realised the readings were wrong, let me go and apologised).
The lady inspector asked me a few questions including if my intention was to evade the fare, I said: Not at all. Was this your only means of travel, I said Yes. She asked for my address, cautioned me and asked me to sign a paper and explained I would get a letter. I asked the other inspector to please check one of my unused tickets on his machine, eventually he took one, presumably checked it and said it showed as not being used. But I got the feeling he only said that out of support to his colleague.
The carnet tickets have the expiry date written at the front in big font, it said 15th July 2013 but in the confusion of the moment my mind went blank, I saw the big 15 and thought it meant I bought it on 15th April. The inspector kept saying her machine showed I used it on 16th April at 4:05 pm and therefore it was not valid for today (22nd April). That conversation must be on the CCTV of my destination if any proof is needed. I retraced my steps trying to figure out why my ticket showed as being used on 16th April 4:05 pm which is around the time I am entering my ticket at Old Street, I even doubted myself thinking that perhaps I got confused and put that ticket through the machine blank on that day which I had no recollection about and besides it didn't make sense because there is no way I could have kept the ticket as it is always either taken by the barriers at my destination or taken by the members of staff at the gates. I was convinced that 16th April was a random date and stayed at the station for a while begging the members of stuff to check through their machine my other blank carnets or other peoples carnets to try and figure out if the machines were wrong or there was a pattern. I even waited for two more trains stopping at my destination but they didn't agree to check other people's tickets and said their machines are perfectly calibrated and that the strips are marked with exact times and dates when used or something similar (all this must be on their CCTV). I imagined my only defence would be asking them to check CCTV for the 16th April showing my ticket was either taken by the machine or given to the guys at my exit.
Eventually I asked the members of staff at the barriers of my destination if I could come the next day (23rd April) to have my return ticket for that day checked in their machine and they agreed.
When I got home I checked my other blank tickets carefully and saw the tiny letters at the bottom right of the carnet that say when it was bought. It said 16th April 16:59 pm, which means that that young lady inspector was saying I used the ticket before I even bought it. Besides, on the next day (23rd April) when I got to My destination after having put my ticket through the barriers at Old Street like the previous day, one of the members of the staff checked my ticket on their machines and it came as being used on 16th April at 4:05 pm, exactly the same time and date stated on the previous day which was completely wrong as I had not used it that day. I was advised to wait for the letter and reply explaining my findings and the member of staff signed the ticket and let me keep it as proof.
I still haven't received any letter. Should I write to FCC? I am very stressed about this. I have never been on such situation before, have never intended to defraud FCC, I did not overwrite on a used ticket, I only intended to write the date more clearly and I only used that ticket on that day for the purpose of that journey. Most of all I don't want to have a criminal record. Could you please kindly advise
On my way back home last week I caught a train as usual from Old street to Finsbury Park then got off at Finsbury Park and took the train towards Huntingdon and my carnet ticket was checked by a young lady inspector who said the ticket was not valid as it looked to her that I had written on top of it. I told her that I had not used that ticket before, only on this journey. I must admit I had to use two different pens to write the date on it (the first is the cheap one that offices have, I think it is a biro) the second I think is a kind of felt tip that a colleague lend me, I was in a rush when leaving work at 4:00 to catch the 4:10 to be on time to pick up my two kids from two different childcare places and had had no time to find a more suitable pen but thought that writing on top of it was better that having just tiny bits of writtig. I have done this many times, even the guys in the barriers in the morning know that this happens often and stamp my tickets to avoid misunderstandings if the writting is not clear or the shinny part is indented after my attempt to write a date.
One of her arguments was that it looked as if I had changed the number on the month box. I now think that this doesn't make sense as I bought the tickets in April and that ticket had the number '4' in the month box. Therefore I couldn't have used the ticket on a Higher month number as they expire every three months and I hadn't even bought it on a previous month so no lower month number could have been used.
Anyway, the lady inspector got off the train with me at my destination. Another inspector joined us (The lady inspector had radioed him telling him about my ticket). She checked the ticket on her machine and said it showed it had been used on Tuesday 16th April at 4:05 pm at Kings Cross, I was totally shocked and said I hadn't used that ticket before and let alone at Kings Cross. I couldn't believe it. I told her to check my other tickets as I had previously had an issue in Old Street (they were checking tickets randomly before the barriers and when my ticket was checked in their machine it showed being used before, the inspector was going to charge me a penalty, I kept saying that I hadn't used it before, he ended up checking my other blank tickets on his machine and they all displayed as being used on the same date, I think it was the date of purchase. He called his colleagues, they all realised the readings were wrong, let me go and apologised).
The lady inspector asked me a few questions including if my intention was to evade the fare, I said: Not at all. Was this your only means of travel, I said Yes. She asked for my address, cautioned me and asked me to sign a paper and explained I would get a letter. I asked the other inspector to please check one of my unused tickets on his machine, eventually he took one, presumably checked it and said it showed as not being used. But I got the feeling he only said that out of support to his colleague.
The carnet tickets have the expiry date written at the front in big font, it said 15th July 2013 but in the confusion of the moment my mind went blank, I saw the big 15 and thought it meant I bought it on 15th April. The inspector kept saying her machine showed I used it on 16th April at 4:05 pm and therefore it was not valid for today (22nd April). That conversation must be on the CCTV of my destination if any proof is needed. I retraced my steps trying to figure out why my ticket showed as being used on 16th April 4:05 pm which is around the time I am entering my ticket at Old Street, I even doubted myself thinking that perhaps I got confused and put that ticket through the machine blank on that day which I had no recollection about and besides it didn't make sense because there is no way I could have kept the ticket as it is always either taken by the barriers at my destination or taken by the members of staff at the gates. I was convinced that 16th April was a random date and stayed at the station for a while begging the members of stuff to check through their machine my other blank carnets or other peoples carnets to try and figure out if the machines were wrong or there was a pattern. I even waited for two more trains stopping at my destination but they didn't agree to check other people's tickets and said their machines are perfectly calibrated and that the strips are marked with exact times and dates when used or something similar (all this must be on their CCTV). I imagined my only defence would be asking them to check CCTV for the 16th April showing my ticket was either taken by the machine or given to the guys at my exit.
Eventually I asked the members of staff at the barriers of my destination if I could come the next day (23rd April) to have my return ticket for that day checked in their machine and they agreed.
When I got home I checked my other blank tickets carefully and saw the tiny letters at the bottom right of the carnet that say when it was bought. It said 16th April 16:59 pm, which means that that young lady inspector was saying I used the ticket before I even bought it. Besides, on the next day (23rd April) when I got to My destination after having put my ticket through the barriers at Old Street like the previous day, one of the members of the staff checked my ticket on their machines and it came as being used on 16th April at 4:05 pm, exactly the same time and date stated on the previous day which was completely wrong as I had not used it that day. I was advised to wait for the letter and reply explaining my findings and the member of staff signed the ticket and let me keep it as proof.
I still haven't received any letter. Should I write to FCC? I am very stressed about this. I have never been on such situation before, have never intended to defraud FCC, I did not overwrite on a used ticket, I only intended to write the date more clearly and I only used that ticket on that day for the purpose of that journey. Most of all I don't want to have a criminal record. Could you please kindly advise
