Northern Rail Court Summons

Bluenose88

Hi All, I've received a court summons for tomorrow!!! I had moved address and my old landlord has forwarded mail to me that I only received yesterday when I got home from work.


On 27/11 I took a local train to Liverpool Lime St, as the train was pulling in when I arrived at the station I boarded, I didn't see a guard on the train selling tickets. I don't travel this route often but you could at one point pay at Lime St and this was my intention. I approached the desk and asked for a ticket when a Revenue Protection Officer approached me and asked where I was coming from and why I didn't buy a ticket at that station. This resulted in me receiving a Penalty Fare of £20. I didn't pay this fare - on 18/11 I lost my father, his funeral was on 10/12 therefore I had a lot on, as well as travelling between Liverpool and Birmingham often as that is where I work.


I spent Xmas in Liverpool and over that period I received to reminders with increasing penalty to my address in Birmingham. I only picked these up in the new year and I wrote them a letter explaining the situation and asked for some leniency in light of the circumstances i.e. let me pay the £20 instead of £90. This was quite bluntly rejected.


I'm unsure what to do - They have included a final settlement offer but it says it needs to be paid at least 2 days before the court date, but I'm also annoyed at giving in when I did approach them to buy a ticket from a ticket desk and my appeal was rejected despite the circumstances. I do regularly use trains and keep the tickets/receipts for expenses and I have the trainline app full of spent tickets - I'm not fare dodger!


Any advice appreciated...


Thanks,

Hasbeen

Bluenose88 wrote: »

Hi All, I've received a court summons for tomorrow!!! I had moved address and my old landlord has forwarded mail to me that I only received yesterday when I got home from work.


On 27/11 I took a local train to Liverpool Lime St, as the train was pulling in when I arrived at the station I boarded, I didn't see a guard on the train selling tickets. I don't travel this route often but you could at one point pay at Lime St and this was my intention. I approached the desk and asked for a ticket when a Revenue Protection Officer approached me and asked where I was coming from and why I didn't buy a ticket at that station. This resulted in me receiving a Penalty Fare of £20. I didn't pay this fare - on 18/11 I lost my father, his funeral was on 10/12 therefore I had a lot on, as well as travelling between Liverpool and Birmingham often as that is where I work.


I spent Xmas in Liverpool and over that period I received to reminders with increasing penalty to my address in Birmingham. I only picked these up in the new year and I wrote them a letter explaining the situation and asked for some leniency in light of the circumstances i.e. let me pay the £20 instead of £90. This was quite bluntly rejected.


I'm unsure what to do - They have included a final settlement offer but it says it needs to be paid at least 2 days before the court date, but I'm also annoyed at giving in when I did approach them to buy a ticket from a ticket desk and my appeal was rejected despite the circumstances. I do regularly use trains and keep the tickets/receipts for expenses and I have the trainline app full of spent tickets - I'm not fare dodger!


Any advice appreciated...


Thanks,

Contact them imediately and pay.

Ask them to stop the court procedings if they are unable to you have to attend.

For £20 you are now having to pay £90 possibly more at court along with a criminal record.

London50

Any advice appreciated

pay up and in future buy the ticket BEFORE you travel

stragglebod

Pay up immediately and be thankful they've given you another oppotunity to avoid a conviction.

Voyager2002

Clarify whether you can still pay their "final settlement offer". If that is not possible now, or if you still want to contest the penalty as unfair, then get legal advice and arrange to attend court.

Since you ignored two reminders you are now in a really weak position to fight this, no matter how unfair it may seem.

agrinnall

London50 wrote: »

Any advice appreciated

pay up and in future buy the ticket BEFORE you travel

And when you change address set up a mail redirection.

stripeyfox

I think you should pay. It's an expensive "error" but it will be less pain to pay up now than face being taken to court.