Money Moral Dilemma: Should I go back and pay for my train ticket?

MSE_Sarah · 15 January 2019 at 5:14PM

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

When catching a train there was no time for me to buy a ticket. The lady at the station said not to worry, I could buy one at my destination. However, when I arrived, the ticket office was closed, so I left without paying.

Unfortunately the MSE team can't always answer money moral dilemma questions as contributions are often emailed in or suggested in person. They are intended to be enjoyed as a point of debate and discussed at face value.

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MothballsWallet · 15 January 2019 at 8:29PM

Short answer: yes.

Longer answer: Everyone who doesn't pay for their ticket causes the rest of us to pay more in the long run.

Suggestion: go back to a ticket office, explain situation, offer to pay and see what they say.

marich · 15 January 2019 at 10:19PM

Dilemma , what dilemma ?

This is another"What can we dream up next ?" from the back office in MSE Towers...

Does nobody actually write in ?

Hodgie · 15 January 2019 at 10:22PM

If the train companies won't employ sufficient staff to man a station when it''s open......

Tigsteroonie · 15 January 2019 at 10:26PM

Should you? Yes.
Will you? Probably not.
Would I? Nope.

PasturesNew · 15 January 2019 at 10:26PM

If you got away with it .... no.

You didn't intend to defraud when you set out on your journey, you were just "lucky" that day.

They won't go bankrupt due to your actions once. They don't know, so can't come after you.

Got away with it .... end of.

It'll never happen again, so it's not like your next trip and future trips will be embarked with an intent to defraud. It's just how the cookie crumbled this time.

matty_art · 15 January 2019 at 10:38PM

How can you sleep at night?

_nate · 15 January 2019 at 10:40PM

I am with the people who suggest that if you want to charge people money for something then you might try having staff available at a minimum. It's kind of polite. And also ask, how often do you bother claiming refunds for delayed trains? The process is tedious. The rail companies are terrible and probably owe you more than you owe them overall. Life goes on.

Erica51 · 15 January 2019 at 11:23PM

I should just set it against all the times you could have claimed delay repay and didn't bother. I usually travel on London Northwest Railway and it happens all the time.

gaving7095 · 16 January 2019 at 7:16AM

It's not a moral dilemma because failing to pay - to me - seems obvious theft.
However the station staff allowed you to travel with no ticket & then failed to provide the facility to pay after the journey, so that's on them.

Logically, if it bothers you then pay for the ticket either whenever you next travel by rail or if you happen to be passing the station. I think making a special trip back just to pay for the ticket doesn't make sense.

In point of fact, I don't think I would pay but I also wouldn't claim to be a good example, morally speaking.
You didn't have a "permit to travel" (do they still even do those?), I would assume that if there'd been a conductor you would have been in trouble, thus you "got away with it" based on the railway (presumably) "saving money" by not having appropriate levels of staff so my opinion is that occasional missed fares will be an inevitable price they'll pay for that.

kazt2006 · 16 January 2019 at 7:52AM

As long as you had the means to pay during your journey, if no one checked your ticket and there happened to be no one at your destination then take it as a freebie! Happened to me on a tram recently, I had a £10 in my hand all journey the conductor ignored me - £2.80 saved!

Money Moral Dilemma: Should I go back and pay for my train ticket?

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