Letter from GWR Prosecutions Unit

Slugsie

Help me MSE, I need advice!

I have received a letter from the prosecutions unit of Great Western Railways, about a journey that my 16y/o daughter made in early October. They are claiming that she didn't have a valid ticket for the journey, and are demanding I pay £29 for the ticket and £25 for costs incurred.

My daughter was travelling by herself, so I have no direct knowledge of her actually purchasing a ticket, and any stubs/receipts will have long been thrown away. This was her first solo journey by train, so it's possible she made a mistake. She claims to have had a ticket, but the inspector took it off her. She can't remember what the inspector said (it was nearly 3 months ago), or why they confiscated the ticket. There was apparently no problem with the return half of the ticket however which she used the same day, the inspector on that train had no issues.

So, I'm wondering where I stand, and what I should do next. The 'fine' is outrageous, as the return ticket for the particular journey are typically well under £20, I can't even get close to £29 without going first class. Plus the admin costs are a joke. My daughter is typically pretty honest, but she's still a teenager so...

Thanks in advance.

JayCartwright

She can't remember what was said but can she remember giving them her name and address?

Slugsie

Yes, she does remember doing that, but doesn't remember the reason the inspector asked for it.

wealdroam

Since you have given no information on the route travelled, it is impossible to explain the £29 bit.

Your assertions that 'the fine is outrageous' and '£25 admin costs are a joke' will suddenly appear ludicrous when this issue gets to court and a real fine of possibly several hundred pounds appears.

My suggestion is that you repost your request for help on a specialist railway ticketing forum, but you will need to provide more detail.

lush_walrus

Why would a ticket inspector take your daughters ticket? They have no reason to do that and if your daughter is honest and had an issue on the journey why has it only come to light now they gwr have been in touch as apose to just telling you about it? If I were judging I would anticipate the train staff to be more likely to be telling the real story. That aside as you have no evidence it's impossible to see how you can fight it. Not a valid ticket sounds to me as if she perhaps was on a peak train with an off peak ticket and then was on the correct off peak service on the return therefore no issue? Or could it be a railcard issue?
They would have also given her an option to pay the difference on the ticket before fining her. The trains on that route are maned by train managers on the big trains and ticket examiners on the smaller ones who I lve always found to be reasonable.

Personally I would pay it before it gets expensive I can't see how you can win something your daughter doesn't even remember let alone has evidence of.

Slugsie

I realise that I haven't got much of a leg to stand on with regards to fighting this, and I do fully understand that the ticket inspectors won't normally do this sort of thing without good reason. I'm not trying to pretend that my daughter is an absolute angel who won't do wrong, she isn't. It would really help if I knew exactly what happened, but there is probably no way to know by now.

The journey was from Blackpool to Manchester just after school kicking out time. I can't find a way to check the prices at the time (Oct 9th), but current prices seem to be nowhere near £29 for a ticket. To be honest, that's the most annoying part of this.

wealdroam

It seems rather puzzling that Great Western Railways are interested in a journey from Blackpool to Manchester.

Get over to that forum I mentioned earlier.

dzug1

I wonder if she was in first class and refused to move/pay extra?

just after school kicking out time

sounds like afternoon so not a peak/offpeak problem

Bollotom

Great Western don't run between Blackpool and Manchester. Might be Great North West Rail. You, as has been said, should take the hit. If you can't ascertain the facts and then !!!! off the judge you could be looking at a grand, well your daughter could. Once sorted I would have a chat with the booking office which issued the ticket and see if there's a hiccup that could catch you out again in the future. :cool:

Slugsie

Bollotom wrote: »

Great Western don't run between Blackpool and Manchester. Might be Great North West Rail.

They don't run the trains, but they certainly are the people who have written to me. Maybe they deal with this for all of the companies on the west coast. No idea.

With a bit more questioning my daughter tells me she bought the tickets over the counter at Blackpool saying she wanted a same day return for the next train to Manchester. If that is the case it seems who ever was manning the counter made a mistake, but I have no evidence of this at all.

I guess my best bet it to contact GWR, lay out the facts as best I understand them, and see if they might budge a little. Who knows.

lush_walrus

Sorry I wasn't trying to make you feel as if your daughter was naughty more that maybe she hadn't realised the situation and there may be more information she can give to you.
You have nothing to loose in trying, I can't work out the gwr connection either that is first great western railways rebranded name who run services in the west into London and i think had won a franchise at one stage to York maybe but not that route. How strange.

As you say there is no harm in trying but I would try to get more information from your daughter still - at least whether it was someone on the train or at the gates they can then at least trace the person who issued it perhaps it will help.