Your help please...

[Jimmy Grimble]

Yes, ok ok we were in the wrong seats. But does the fact we were in them for about ten minutes because the train was largely full and offered to move straight away have no bearing on the fine of £24?

Surely being sat there for such a short amount of time under the given circumstances should not mean we have to pay that sort of a fine.

 

[butchy]

you are lucky they are only trying to impose a fine, they like to flex their muscles and get the courts involved willy nilly.....you are lucky it was not one of the 'revenue inspectors' as they take a much harder approach.....

you cant really complain....you were sat in first class but had a standard ticket

 

[SICKASAGULL]

You paid for a standard class ticket,if there are no standard seats available then you have the choice of either standing or taking the next train.The fact that you had not been in the 1st class accommodation for long is of no importance, you would have continued to stay in the superior accomodation until the end of your journey.
The first class seating has been reduced and it is important that train crew do their duty so that passengers who have brought a 1st class seat can travel in the correct area.

 

[Whitterz]

May not be relavant, BUT.....

When me and a few mates (four of us) were travelling up to an England game in June (Andorra?) we were stopped by a ticket inspector at Willesden. We purhased saver rate tickets from Eastbourne the previous day. The date on the ticket was written in black marker pen, but we didnt really take much notice. Anyway we got diverted to Willesden due to the tube strikes as this was the nearest station to Wembley. The ticket inspector claimed these were not valid tickets. After much protesting, he radio'd throught tho the BTPolice who came in to calm down the situation and check us out. The inspector said that we should have got off at Wembley Central, but it was US who had to tell him that the route was closed due to the strikes!!!!
After much bollocksing about with the police and the ticket inspectors we had to give our names to the inspectors,formally cautioned by the police, then informed we would EACH be getting fines through the post of around £40, of course we had the right of appeal before we paid.

This lasted for one hour before we said our last words and made an exit to th pubs around Wembley.
ANYWAY......the fines were meant to come through within 28 days, and I am happy to report that it did not come through the post. And rightly so as we paid the full fare.

CONBOY, you will be given the option to appeal before given a penalty. So make sure all you and your mates stories match up, and you should be alright.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

Apart from the tea towel over the headrest you'll find that the seats dont have dogshit smeared on them where knobheads have put their feet up on the seats.

No it's all horseshit from the weekend's illegal hunt!!

 

[DerbyGull]

Yea i've been caught before and just moved on, another time i just said i wouldn't pay as you mention there so called first class is more like third world. I talk myself out of most things half time so haven't been fined for anything, but good luck mate.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I personally think you should kick up a fuss. Get some legal advice and fight it. A solicitor will find some way of arguing your case. Things like this are sometimes not as black and white as you think. The real crime is a train which did not have enough seats in my opinion.

Everything to do with the railways these days is geared against the public....the very people they are supposed to serve. And everything seems set up to protect the rail company as opposed to the punter. There is no avenue for the public to get money back when the advertised service does not come up to scratch. Trains are late, rarely seem to have enough seats on them, toliets dont work, you cant take cycles on them, railcards only seem to work for a small window on certain days and only if the fair is over a certain amount, through ticketing is a nightmare, buffet trolleys are not always on the train as advertised, return tickets are not available for destinations 'which are not far enough away' and above all it is bloody expensive. Dont roll over, kick up a fuss. If everyone questions the railways then maybe the services will improve.

 

[DerbyGull]

Also it is outrageous that you pay for your ticket, only to find the train is full and no seat for you (you should at least be partially refunded or allowed to sit in first class cos its usually almost empty).

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I personally think you should kick up a fuss. Get some legal advice and fight it. A solicitor will find some way of arguing your case. Things like this are sometimes not as black and white as you think. The real crime is a train which did not have enough seats in my opinion.

No. No. No. No. One must think of the shareholder, the gravy train and the fat cats. The consumer comes last. Shame on you.

 

[Safe.]

I personally think you should kick up a fuss. Get some legal advice and fight it. A solicitor will find some way of arguing your case. Things like this are sometimes not as black and white as you think. The real crime is a train which did not have enough seats in my opinion.

Everything to do with the railways these days is geared against the public....the very people they are supposed to serve. And everything seems set up to protect the rail company as opposed to the punter. There is no avenue for the public to get money back when the advertised service does not come up to scratch. Trains are late, rarely seem to have enough seats on them, toliets dont work, you cant take cycles on them, railcards only seem to work for a small window on certain days and only if the fair is over a certain amount, through ticketing is a nightmare, buffet trolleys are not always on the train as advertised, return tickets are not available for destinations 'which are not far enough away' and above all it is bloody expensive. Dont roll over, kick up a fuss. If everyone questions the railways then maybe the services will improve.

Good post.

 

[Fazz62]

Conboy
You show your naivity!
Why didn't most of you sit in First Class, but with one of you sat nearby in second class to act as "point"?

 

[Deleted User X18H]

There is one way out of this say you heard an announcement erroneously or otherwise that the train had been declassified due to overcrowding. Works every time

 

[hitony]

Had the standard seating not been largely full we wouldn't have been in First Class and this would not have happened. Read my explanation again. We wouldn't have set their through choice of wanting 'better conditions' we sat there because of the situation we were in. Entirely different to what you are suggesting.

Not to sure your username helps your cause

 

[Mackenzie]

Go by bus next time.

 

[herecomesaregular]

symptomatic of people nowadays.

take some personal responsibility for your actions. you made a conscious decision to sit in 1st class, knowing that your ticket didn't permit it.

so, you took a risk and you got found out. be annoyed with yourself and not other people who are just doing their jobs, and stop trying to blame others or make excuses. you are not a victim, so shut up!

btw, i've fare dodged plenty of times (they can't argue if you get on at a smaller station and the permit to travel machine allows you to get a 10p temporary ticket).

 

[bhaexpress]

I don't think its right that a company can ring someone up and check my name, dob, address, parents names etc.

Well seeing as you didn't have a valid ticket you were breaking the law so your argument is pointless. It's not as though Railway companies try to hide the consequences of travelling without a valid ticket after all.

 

[Mr Banana]

I always manage to talk my way out of this one, but they're always arsey about it in any case. Horrible tossers. Write to them and hope a human being reads it. Hard lines

 

[bhaexpress]

I always manage to talk my way out of this one, but they're always arsey about it in any case. Horrible tossers. Write to them and hope a human being reads it. Hard lines

Bollocks no, people like me who have to use the train to go to work end up paying more because if cheats like you, why should I subsidise you ?

 

[Beach Hut]

Amazing how many people see the train companies as charities that can provide a free service to all.

 

[FamilyGuy]

I need some help with a situation so I've turned to fountain of knowledge that is NSC...

Here's the issue. Yesterday myself and a few friends were sat in First Class on a train from Brighton to London Bridge. We weren’t sat their for long, about ten minutes at most. The reason we had sat there was because the train was quite busy and we wanted seats where the four of us could sit together, seeing as how First Class looked like the only viable option to do this we sat there (although as far as First Class goes it was f***ing pitiful). As I said we were sat their for about ten minutes before being approached by ticket-men/woman/whatever they're called (in this case power-whore scum), who asked to see our tickets, grabbed them, then told us we'd be getting a £46 (yes forty-f***ing-six pounds) fine. We explained that we had only been sat their for a short time and offered to move immediately while being generally apologetic. The main prick of the 3 wouldn't listen, however, and asserted his authority over us in a painstakingly cringe worthy fashion that matched his disgusting little moustache and just about summed up his pathetic excuse for a life.

Luckily he left to deal with something else and his colleague was a little more understanding and explained the fine would actually be £24. This is of course is better than the aforementioned £46 but still seems utterly ridiculous considering we were sat there for such a petty amount of time and under reasonable circumstances; add to this the fact it was barely any different from the standard seating and that there was no one else in their, I and my friends feel we have enough in our favour to appeal against the decision.

Are there any experts on this sort of thing or someone who has been in a similar situation and appealed? If so please offer your advice.

Many thanks.

"We weren't sat there for long, about 10 minutes at most" - Supposing everyone did it? You knew you were wrong, you took the risk, you got caught - tough!