[Help] Advice needed on how best to re-appeal ridiculously unjust Penalty Fare imposed by Southern Rail

[Moshe Gariani]

There is more detail available but the essential point is that the ticket barrier machine at Eastbourne "ate" my son's valid weekly Season Ticket (he purchased the ticket in the morning on the same day and we provided the receipt for that purchase) and gave him back out a random other ticket - that belonged to a Senior Railcard holder.

He was then stopped by station staff and charged with being unable to show a valid ticket.

I have appealed once and provided enough evidence to assume that there was no chance of the Penalty Fare being upheld. I expected it to be cancelled and also to have the cost of the taken Weekly Season Ticket refunded.

I now have to pay the £100 fine + cost of ticket or to re-appeal.

Hoping there is some one on here with relevant experience who can help me get this put right.

 

[sydney]

you could just tell them to get f***ed .

put it on Facebook community page

put it on southern rail Facebook page
tell them to get f***ed
go to court and claim expenses prior in writing.

 

[essbee1]

Go straight to the top and complain. Director etc. Don't try convincing the people who did this to you.

I do have experience (my priv. pass was wrongly taken off me by a jobs worth many years ago) and we got
an apology once we'd gone right up to the head person at St James' park, London (not the Newcastle one).

 

[AK74]

Hoping there is some one on here with relevant experience who can help me get this put right.

You'll get very good advice here:

Disputes & Prosecutions

Seek help here on penalty fares, fines, complaints, and other post-travel ticketing issues.

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[albionalex]

There is more detail available but the essential point is that the ticket barrier machine at Eastbourne "ate" my son's valid weekly Season Ticket (he purchased the ticket in the morning on the same day and we provided the receipt for that purchase) and gave him back out a random other ticket - that belonged to a Senior Railcard holder.

He was then stopped by station staff and charged with being unable to show a valid ticket.

I have appealed once and provided enough evidence to assume that there was no chance of the Penalty Fare being upheld. I expected it to be cancelled and also to have the cost of the taken Weekly Season Ticket refunded.

I now have to pay the £100 fine + cost of ticket or to re-appeal.

Hoping there is some one on here with relevant experience who can help me get this put right.

Did he notice this right away or only when stopped by station staff?

 

[Springal]

I had similar once. The problem is tickets don’t go in the machine in order, it’s just a pile - so it’s not just the ticket on top in the machine if it was the last one in

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Did he notice this right away or only when stopped by station staff?

The gate didn't actually open... so he was stuck there and the staff member came over and started "investigating" at which point the issue with the two tickets became apparent.

The rail users forum is being very helpful. Consensus that such outrageous unfairness is not uncommon and we should fight it all the way.

Apparently, first appeals are usually refused without a proper consideration of the evidence. Second and third appeals have more success. Last resort is contact to CEO / Customer Services of Southern Railway / Govia Thameslink who may consider the evidence more fairly and provide compensation.

 

[andys320]

Had this issue when my daughter was at school and forgot her rail ticket, a penalty fare imposed which she was unable to pay and so they wrote to me to pay.

I obviously appealed which was a farcical waste of time, so I contacted my MP at the time, Stephen LLoyd and the matter was resolved with an apology. As ridiculous as it is I would go straight to your MP, lay out facts clearly and await your apology. To note at no point did I pay the fine.

Good luck.

 

[albionalex]

The gate didn't actually open... so he was stuck there and the staff member came over and started "investigating" at which point the issue with the two tickets became apparent.

The rail users forum is being very helpful. Consensus that such outrageous unfairness is not uncommon and we should fight it all the way.

Apparently, first appeals are usually refused without a proper consideration of the evidence. Second and third appeals have more success. Last resort is contact to CEO / Customer Services of Southern Railway / Govia Thameslink who may consider the evidence more fairly and provide compensation.

Gotcha, that makes a bit more sense.

Easy to say in hindsight but could he not have got the station staff to look in the gate for his actual ticket?

 

[METALMICKY]

Had this issue when my daughter was at school and forgot her rail ticket, a penalty fare imposed which she was unable to pay and so they wrote to me to pay.

I obviously appealed which was a farcical waste of time, so I contacted my MP at the time, Stephen LLoyd and the matter was resolved with an apology. As ridiculous as it is I would go straight to your MP, lay out facts clearly and await your apology. To note at no point did I pay the fine.

Good luck.

Brilliant piece of advice. Josh Barbarine is the relatively new MP and early impressions are quite good. And cynically he'll be chomping at the bit for a cause to run up the flagpole!

 

[The Merry Prankster]

After you've gone through whatever appeal system they have, if its failed, as your local MP's casework team to take it up.

 

[Happy Exile]

Some stations have “meet the manager” days too - worth looking out for one at Brighton perhaps and speaking to them there

 

[nsclurker]

Tagging a company's customer service team on Twitter often gets a response by DM and resolution, as they don't like the bad publicity.

It's worked for me a few times, so worth a go.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Some stations have “meet the manager” days too - worth looking out for one at Brighton perhaps and speaking to them there

He’ll just say “trust the process.”

 

[Springal]

I find Southern twitter team very good at sorting issues.

 

[happypig]

Had this issue when my daughter was at school and forgot her rail ticket, a penalty fare imposed which she was unable to pay and so they wrote to me to pay.

I obviously appealed which was a farcical waste of time, so I contacted my MP at the time, Stephen LLoyd and the matter was resolved with an apology. As ridiculous as it is I would go straight to your MP, lay out facts clearly and await your apology. To note at no point did I pay the fine.

Good luck.

You had a result there as, technically, she was committing an offence of Railway Fare Evasion (Regulation of Railways Act 1889, s.5(1) - Failing to produce a ticket).

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Thanks very much for tips re. MP and the Twitter customer service people.

Very hopeful at some point I will be able to get a fair hearing but so wrong it relies on such tactics.