Vent - Southeastern staff

katerinasol

About once a week I make a short one-way journey from where I work to my parents' house. The station where I board the train is one of those tiny unmanned ones, with a Permit To Travel machine that's permanently broken, so I usually buy a ticket from the man on the train or a 'reverse' one at the station of arrival.

A few days ago I was almost at the station I needed to get off at when the Penalty men came round and one of them asked me for my ticket. I asked if I could buy one there and then and he said no, I would have to pay the penalty fare. I refused, as there were no ticket machines at the station and the Permit To Travel machine was broken, so I couldn't just magic up a ticket out of nowhere.

He accused me of lying about the machine being broken and about what station I boarded at, claiming he apparently saw me get on about five stops earlier (I suggested he checks the CCTV).

Then he repeatedly started asking me for ID and my name and address, which I refused to give because I wasn't going to pay the fine. Then he pretended to call the police, which was fine with me, though I only realised he was pretending later on when I was walking away and no police materialised anywhere.

We argued for a little while, then he said he wasn't authorised to sell tickets, only give out penalty fares, and what was my proposed solution? I said he could walk me to the ticket office to make sure I bought a 'reverse' ticket. He then said he would let me off this time! After all that time arguing?!

I was running late to meet my parents so I just left, but wrote Southeastern a letter of complaint later on. I just can't believe someone can be so rude and accuse people of lying, what's the point of getting people's backs up for no reason?!
Are all penalty collectors this rude? Also, did I actually have to give him any name and address? He pointed to some Railways act on his Penalty Fare form, but I wasn't going to pay the penalty so I didn't give him my name (otherwise he would have wrote it down and probably claimed he couldn't leave the form uncompleted). Urghhhh

Jeff_Bridges_hair

To be honest i believe it is an offence to not give them your name and address when asked for the purposes of a penalty fare. But you can also request theirs so that you can make a formal complaint.

If I was you I would also complain to Passenger focus http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/advice-and-complaints/ as its part of the franchise commitment that Southern ensure to the best of their ability that the permit to travel machines are working. These are subjected to vandalism though which is a problem for them.

Also when you write to them make sure you include that the RPO was rude to you also as this isnt fair. But also always take a picture on your phone every day when the machine is not working as this is a little bit of extra insurance should you get stopped again.

katerinasol

Jeff_Bridges_hair wrote: »

To be honest i believe it is an offence to not give them your name and address when asked for the purposes of a penalty fare. But you can also request theirs so that you can make a formal complaint.

If I was you I would also complain to Passenger focus http://www.passengerfocus.org.uk/advice-and-complaints/ as its part of the franchise commitment that Southern ensure to the best of their ability that the permit to travel machines are working. These are subjected to vandalism though which is a problem for them.

Also when you write to them make sure you include that the RPO was rude to you also as this isnt fair. But also always take a picture on your phone every day when the machine is not working as this is a little bit of extra insurance should you get stopped again.

I think it's on but it won't take anyone's coins, which makes it a bit weird.

It's more the fact he was so rude that made me angry, he was talking over me (basically saying 'no' and 'I don't believe you') and generally treating me like scum, I was wearing office clothes so I wasn't some kind of Stella-swigging "alright maaaate" hoodie, and I didn't really appreciate being made to feel like one!

I get the feeling he only 'let me off' because I was arguing with him and he could see it wasn't going to be easy, the quiet girl that the other inspector was talking to was having her penalty fare written out...

ShaneUK

I had a similar situation a number of years ago (in fact, thinking about it, it was probably about 15 :eek: years ago). I was getting the train from an unmanned station (Harrietsham near Maidstone) to Dover, for a job interview. I had got the same train a few times, and it was normally the same ticket inspector - and she was always find with me.

All that this station ever had was a permit to travel machine that was always out of order, and a ticket office that was open for about 2 hours each morning - and had closed by the time I had got there.

Anyway - on this one day, the Revenue Inspectors were on board, and issued me with a fine . Apparently, I should have wandered around the train trying to find someone to buy a ticket from as soon as I got on. The worse thing was - I was almost at my destination when they came round!

katerinasol

Just a quick update - received a response from Southeastern saying they "sincerely apologise for the way you have been treated" and have apparently launched an investigation, which I somehow doubt but whatever, at least they apologised!

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Oh they probably have - no one likes getting letters saying their staff are being a right bunch of !!!!!!!s. TOCs do care about how their are perceived by the public - especially as these are the face of the company too. Plus i bet your area manager has had a bollocking for not making sure the Permit to travel machine isnt always working too.

katerinasol

Oh good nice to know they might have done something about it then!