Southeastern Penalty Fare

newfoundglory

northstar23 wrote: »

It will be mighty tempting in future to redress the financial penalty with a few evaded fares though if the opportuinity comes up. Not sure that two wrongs make a right in that respect though.

They increased the penalty fares in London to £80, as presumably it had become so expensive to buy a ticket on the tube that it was cheaper to evade fares and just pay the (then) £20 penalty :rotfl:

I don't condone fare evasion, but I fail to see any reason why we should have any loyalty to funding the railways. You'll find most of your fares in the shareholders pockets...

Altarf

If it was me, not only would I submit an appeal, but I would write to the CEO of Southeastern and ask why their member of staff was not following the guidance given on their website -

http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/about-us/frequently-asked-questions/revenue-protection/

14. What happens if I forget my season ticket?

Where a season ticket holder has forgotten his/her season ticket and so buys another ticket to make a journey, refunds are normally given as follows:

1st occasion - full refund of fare paid
2nd occasion - full refund of fare paid less administration fee, currently £10.00
3rd and any subsequent occasion - no refund in any twelve month period

However, please note that when a season ticket holders discover they don’t have their season ticket on them once they have boarded the train they may be asked by to supply relevant details and can be issued with an authority slip for the single journey being undertaken. The authority slip and copy of the valid season ticket and photocard will need to be sent to the address given within 7 days.

There is no mention that a person who has forgotten their season ticket will be issued with a penalty fare.

Livingthedream

newfoundglory wrote: »

Until such time as the railways come under the direct control of the paying public

Under the old BR the railways were run into the ground, with obsolete trains and worn out infrastructure the best thing that happened was privatisation.

newfoundglory wrote: »

byelaw offences are decriminalised, this national scandal will unfortunately continue.

With this I do agree with you, private companies with the ability to wield byelaw prosecutions isn't right. But remember it's a nice little earner for the TOC's who in turn pay the government in franchise costs another nice little earner, so I doubt much will change.

Stigy

newfoundglory wrote: »

They increased the penalty fares in London to £80, as presumably it had become so expensive to buy a ticket on the tube that it was cheaper to evade fares and just pay the (then) £20 penalty :rotfl:

I don't condone fare evasion, but I fail to see any reason why we should have any loyalty to funding the railways. You'll find most of your fares in the shareholders pockets...

Bearing in mind a season ticket is in effect a discounted ticket, the operator would argue that the fare for that day had not been paid. What I would suggest is maybe offering to pay the single fare for the journey made, if an appeal is rejected. It's not ideal, but it at least gives them something to think about without the hassle of court if you refuse to pay.

Living the dream is of course spot on about Privatisation. Clean(er) trains, better reliability (strange as it may seem), safer infrastructure (all that annoying emergency engineering work you get annoyed with?) and polite, well turned out staff (for the most part). Certainly where I work you see the odd miserable scruffy old bloke, but they're usually Guards/Drivers who once worked for BR in days gone by!

Altarf

Stigy wrote: »

What I would suggest is maybe offering to pay the single fare for the journey made, if an appeal is rejected.

Why?

Southeastern's own web site says that the OP should have been issued with an authority slip for the single journey being undertaken from the person at the barrier, and the OP would be given an address to send the authority slip, copy of the valid season ticket and photocard within 7 days.

The problem seems to be with Southeastern's staff not following their own rules.

rdwarr

northstar23 wrote: »

Had I realised a few minutes earlier I could have got off the train at a country station a few miles out of the city and cycled home, then no-one would have been any the wiser.

Unfortunately there was an idiot on here a few weeks ago boasting about his fare evasion scheme at Canterbury West. Since then the station has received plenty of attention from RPIs.

northstar23

Just wanted to advise everyone that I had correspondence today cancelling the penalty. Obviously I believe that this was the correct outcome in the circumstances, but to my mind the whole situation could have been avoided with a touch of discretion and common sense.

Do people feel I have grounds to complain about the conduct of the issuing officer? I wasn’t advised of my right to appeal or the exact circumstances the penalty was being issued under, or that showing my season ticket to the appropriate authority would get the penalty cancelled. I had to research this myself online.

My missus thinks just let things go but part of me takes the attitude that my time has been wasted… I’m now going to give him a dose of his own medicine by complaining about him.

I did complain last year about the conduct of a staff member at Canterbury West (regular users of the station might be able to guess who), and the specific points I complained about do seem to have been rectified so perhaps there is a point to it despite sour grapes; if I can avoid someone else having the same hassle in similar circumstances I’d say that would be a result.

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Glad it got cancelled and yes complain about the staff member and then just let it go really.. Internally they will deal with him and they wont let you know of the outcome

Livingthedream

northstar23 wrote: »

Just wanted to advise everyone that I had correspondence today cancelling the penalty.

Great result, glad to see SE trains saw common sense.

northstar23 wrote: »

Do people feel I have grounds to complain about the conduct of the issuing officer? I wasn’t advised of my right to appeal or the exact circumstances the penalty was being issued under, or that showing my season ticket to the appropriate authority would get the penalty cancelled. I had to research this myself online.

Only you can answer that question, from what you have stated you have every right to complain, it all boils down to whether you have the time and patience to put pen to paper.

northstar23 wrote: »

… I’m now going to give him a dose of his own medicine by complaining about him.

If SE trains do anything???? then he will get a 'Please explain' letter from his manager followed by some retraining if his explanation isn't satisfactory.