Advice Needed – Short Faring Incident

[superflea19]

I was stopped by Southeastern for fare evasion. I had a ticket between two London stations, but I had actually traveled from a much further station outside London. I was taken aside and went through the usual questioning. I admitted to the short faring at the time and acknowledged that I had deliberately purchased a cheaper ticket to avoid paying the full fare.

During questioning, I was asked whether I had done this before. I responded that I had done it "just this week" recently due to financial struggles.

However, I have since checked my online booking history on Trainpal and I have made that same short-faring journeys multiple times. I'd buy a single between two London Stations and the reverse.

I have since received a letter from the Prosecution Team asking for my response. I have the money (all) that I believe I could owe on standby and would like to settle this as soon as possible if that option is available. I would really appreciate any guidance on how to draft my reply to give myself the best chance of resolving this matter without court proceedings.

I would like to send a physical letter as well—what is the best way of doing this to ensure it is received? Should I send it via recorded delivery or email as well?

Secondly, I have seen that Southeastern has, in some cases, missed people's letters. How long should I wait for a response before sending a follow-up letter / Email to ensure they have received and reviewed my response?

Please, any help would be greatly appreciated. This situation is causing me a great deal of stress, and I just want to make things right.

But also, want to go about things in a way where I don't incriminate myself further - I know a lot of these submission are of people using Trainline, where I used Trainpal for my tickets, I expect it makes 0 difference for the investigation but I wanted to flag.

Lastly, I have a railcard - would this be considered in what I owe back or is it just standard advance singles?

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Letter I have received attached:

 

[John R]

Welcome to the Forum. I'm afraid buying a ticket online between two London stations is one of the oldest tricks in the fare dodgers book, and one of the easiest to spot too, as contactless/Oyster is much cheaper, so the number of valid online tickets between those two stations will be vanishingly small. They will be able to tell which ones are genuine as they will have been scanned at both ends - I'm guessing they won't find too many - maybe an answer close to nil?

You only have to answer the question asked, which appears to be only about that incident, although it's highly likely they will then investigate your account and ask about other purchases that look suspicious. The short fares would appear low hanging fruit for them, but I'm not sure about the others, so you might wish to confine yourself to the incident in question.

SouthEastern usually settle, and I think you are getting ahead of yourself to worry about what happens if they lose your letter - let's cross that bridge if it happens. And as to your final question, they will use the Anytime Single fare (not Advance singles) for each and every journey they believe you have fare dodged. There won't be any railcard reduction applied, nor will the fare you paid be taken into account.

 

[WesternLancer]

I would like to send a physical letter as well—what is the best way of doing this to ensure it is received? Should I send it via recorded delivery or email as well?

See other examples of what to say and general advice often given on this forum for content

In terms of sending it you can send it both by e-mail and hard copy post (assuming the relevant addresses to use are on what you have been sent) - and send it Tracked Postage from a post office counter - this only costs a little bit more than the normal stamp price. They will try to 'sell up' to things like guaranteed next day delivery / signed for so it's up to you what you want to pay Royal Mail for but the key thing is that you can prove that the railway company received it if you need to prove that later on.

Keep copies of everything.

 

[superflea19]

Can anyone help with advising what to put in the letter please - or show me where to find on the forum?

 

[WesternLancer]

Can anyone help with advising what to put in the letter please - or show me where to find on the forum?

have a look at this thread - not the same but the general approach is helpful

look at post #6 for example

Southeastern potential prosecution notice

Good evening all, I recently recieved a notice of potential prosecution after being caught short faring on my trainline app by an inspector. This is something I’ve been doing for over a year and was recently caught 30th January. I deeply regret my actions and I wish I could go back in time...

www.railforums.co.uk

Post a draft up here when you have written something and people will check it for you

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

The sort of things to include in your reoly are:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

If you post a draft copy of your reply in this thread forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.

 

[superflea19]

Hello All,

Thank-you for the advice. I have drafted the following response:

Dear Mr. W.,

I am writing in response to your letter regarding the incident on *date*

I want to take full responsibility for my actions and I sincerely apologise for my mistake. I made an error of judgment in purchasing a ticket that did not cover my full journey, and I deeply regret this decision. I fully understand the seriousness of fare evasion and now recognise the importance of always ensuring my ticket is valid for my entire journey.

This has been a difficult and worrying situation, and I have taken the time to reflect and learn from it. I now fully appreciate the importance of always ensuring I have a valid ticket that accurately reflects my entire journey, and I assure you that this will never happen again.

I am keen to resolve this issue without the need for court proceedings and would really appreciate the opportunity to co-operate and settle this matter. I am prepared to pay any outstanding fares along with any reasonable administrative costs incurred by Southeastern in handling this case.

Please let me know how I can proceed to resolve this matter promptly and amicably. I deeply regret my actions and want to take the appropriate steps to put this behind me and move forward in the right way.

Yours sincerely...



Any feedback/input/advice would be appreciated. I'm really trying to be sincere without being over bearing.

 

[John R]

What you’re prepared to pay is irrelevant, so in the penultimate paragraph after “this matter” I would continue the sentence “by paying etc”.

I would also drop “ reasonable” as it suggests that’s for you to decide whether or not they are reasonable.