Help with Southeastern letter post MG11 please

[fpseudow]

Hello everyone,

I've been following the rail forums over the last couple of weeks and would like to thank in advance the wonderful community of experts who support those with questions regarding fines and disputes.

My letter following an MG11 arrived from Southeastern. I've scanned the text:

Southeastern is committed to ensuring all journeys are paid out of fairness to all passengers. On (recent date) 2025 you gave your details and were questioned by a member of rail staff with regard to an incident on Southeastern. Southeastern is reviewing your case and may consider pursuing a prosecution. We invite you to respond with any comments about the incident. Please complete in full the second page of the letter, attaching any comments and send it to the above address within 21 days. Please respond to the address email given below.

You can also contact the prosecutions team at: [email protected]

Please be aware that Southeastern uses Body worn video, CCTV and various software packages to combat fraud travel.

Failure to respond to this letter will lead to the matter being progressed without further notification. If we do write to you again, we may seek a contribution to our costs of recovering the amount owed.

Yours sincerely, Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Manager

I purchased a ticket between two London terminals (station A to B) to exit the station (B) instead of from outside London (station C). My actual journey was from C to B. I complied with all questions from the revenue inspector and am pretty sure they'll be able to see from my qr code they scanned that I've bought the same short ticket on the account a number of times previously, albeit with a week or two in between each purchase. Since there is no mention of this in the letter so far, I'm guessing I should not divulge this information. I naively thought I'd just get a fine if I was ever caught.

For my line of work, having a clean enhanced DBS is the most important outcome for me. Having researched the forums, I understand a criminal record due to breaking the rail bylaws is not career ending, but I am still worried it may affect job applications or promotions. I've had no run-ins with the law previously and otherwise am extremely law abiding!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and suffice to say, I will not attempt short faring again.

I've used the template I found on other threads:

• 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

Dear Southeastern,

Thank you for allowing me to respond with comments regarding (reference number).

On (date) I purchased a ticket from (A to B), but I instead travelled from (C to B). I am extremely sorry for not buying the correct ticket for my journey. I feel ashamed and embarrassed by the situation, and hold myself to higher standards. Needless to say, I will not repeat this action again, and will make sure to buy the correct ticket for my journey in future. I know the importance of paying for correct tickets to make sure Southeastern can provide services for all passengers. I would greatly appreciate the chance to settle this matter without the need for court action. I will pay the outstanding full price fare for the journey I undertook, as well as any administrative costs to resolve the matter.

Thank you for considering my case, and sorry once again for any inconvenience I have caused.

Yours faithfully,

(Name)

I've kept it concise – what do y'all think? Should I reply via email and letter? If by email, do I need to include details like address and name? The printed template for postal responses includes sections for national insurance number which I thought was odd? Just checking I should make explicit reference to the incident and not be more vague? I also haven't given any information about how I entered station C in the first place either, but nobody has asked me this so far (paper ticket, different card)? Do I need to add the time of the journey as well as the date in the letter? Should I include the full price of the journey (pre railcard) in my letter? I hear Southeastern generally settle?

Many thanks to you all

 

[Grvrdvicdr]

Small point which I may be corrected on if wrong , but if right might help clarify something. Although yes, you have broken a bylaw, you may have also broken an actual law known as ‘Regulation Of Railways Act, 1889’ which the company is within their right to prosecute you for, for the intention to avoid paying your fare which is more serious than a bylaw.

Others will however tell you that southeastern is one of the better companies to deal with in that they usually offer a settlement for issues such as this if you work with them. They will go through your Purchase history so will see what you have previously used. The letter you’ve received is the standard letter, but yes, as it doesn’t ask specifically about any other time no need to mention them, let them find out for themselves. You will also get many suggestions on how to draft your reply.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello everyone,

I've been following the rail forums over the last couple of weeks and would like to thank in advance the wonderful community of experts who support those with questions regarding fines and disputes.

My letter following an MG11 arrived from Southeastern. I've scanned the text:

Southeastern is committed to ensuring all journeys are paid out of fairness to all passengers. On (recent date) 2025 you gave your details and were questioned by a member of rail staff with regard to an incident on Southeastern. Southeastern is reviewing your case and may consider pursuing a prosecution. We invite you to respond with any comments about the incident. Please complete in full the second page of the letter, attaching any comments and send it to the above address within 21 days. Please respond to the address email given below.

You can also contact the prosecutions team at: [email protected]

Please be aware that Southeastern uses Body worn video, CCTV and various software packages to combat fraud travel.

Failure to respond to this letter will lead to the matter being progressed without further notification. If we do write to you again, we may seek a contribution to our costs of recovering the amount owed.

Yours sincerely, Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Manager

I purchased a ticket between two London terminals (station A to B) to exit the station (B) instead of from outside London (station C). My actual journey was from C to B. I complied with all questions from the revenue inspector and am pretty sure they'll be able to see from my qr code they scanned that I've bought the same short ticket on the account a number of times previously, albeit with a week or two in between each purchase. Since there is no mention of this in the letter so far, I'm guessing I should not divulge this information. I naively thought I'd just get a fine if I was ever caught.

For my line of work, having a clean enhanced DBS is the most important outcome for me. Having researched the forums, I understand a criminal record due to breaking the rail bylaws is not career ending, but I am still worried it may affect job applications or promotions. I've had no run-ins with the law previously and otherwise am extremely law abiding!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and suffice to say, I will not attempt short faring again.

I've used the template I found on other threads:

• 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

Dear Southeastern,

Thank you for allowing me to respond with comments regarding (reference number).

On (date) I purchased a ticket from (A to B), but I instead travelled from (C to B). I am extremely sorry for not buying the correct ticket for my journey. I feel ashamed and embarrassed by the situation, and hold myself to higher standards. Needless to say, I will not repeat this action again, and will make sure to buy the correct ticket for my journey in future. I know the importance of paying for correct tickets to make sure Southeastern can provide services for all passengers. I would greatly appreciate the chance to settle this matter without the need for court action. I will pay the outstanding full price fare for the journey I undertook, as well as any administrative costs to resolve the matter.

Thank you for considering my case, and sorry once again for any inconvenience I have caused.

Yours faithfully,

(Name)

I've kept it concise – what do y'all think? Should I reply via email and letter? If by email, do I need to include details like address and name? The printed template for postal responses includes sections for national insurance number which I thought was odd? Just checking I should make explicit reference to the incident and not be more vague? I also haven't given any information about how I entered station C in the first place either, but nobody has asked me this so far (paper ticket, different card)? Do I need to add the time of the journey as well as the date in the letter? Should I include the full price of the journey (pre railcard) in my letter? I hear Southeastern generally settle?

Many thanks to you all

the basic structure of the letter is OK

the bit about 'holding yourself to higher standards' need to be phrased such as you you intend to behave in future as it were, in order to make sense. eg 'In future I am determined to hold myself to higher standards' (if you hold yourself to high standards already you would never have done this would you...

If there is something you can do to legitimately reduce your travel costs (eg buy a season ticket, or a flexi season ticket, or a Railcard if you are entitled to one) do that and inform them of proof of it (eg it's ref number or a copy of it) - it's something you can show them you have actively done to change your ways - see it as an investment in helping not to get prosecuted as well as a way to actually save some money on some fares.

If you are e-mailing this back or sending it in you don't actually need to give then your NI number (but do make sure your name, address, e-mail address and date of birth are on it) - I suspect they ask for things like NI numbers ot help check against situations where people use false names etc.

Having said all this the key to not being prosecuted is to co-operate with them, so you need to make things easy for them in terms of how they can contact you etc, and the details they are asking for.

I can't see you need to go into the detail of how you got into the station etc, ref the incident - you are quoting the refence number so they have the details - but you could perhaps say 'regarding the occasion when I was stopped and questioned about my ticket at x location on y date'

 

[Haywain]

Dear Southeastern,

Thank you for allowing me to respond with comments regarding (reference number).

On (date) I purchased a ticket from (A to B), but I instead travelled from (C to B). I am extremely sorry for not buying the correct ticket for my journey. I feel ashamed and embarrassed by the situation, and hold myself to higher standards. Needless to say, I will not repeat this action again, and will make sure to buy the correct ticket for my journey in future. I know the importance of paying for correct tickets to make sure Southeastern can provide services for all passengers. I would greatly appreciate the chance to settle this matter without the need for court action. I will pay the outstanding full price fare for the journey I undertook, as well as any administrative costs to resolve the matter.

Thank you for considering my case, and sorry once again for any inconvenience I have caused.

Yours faithfully,

(Name)

I've kept it concise – what do y'all think?

I think it looks a bit too concise. And picking on a couple of points:

Needless to say, I will not repeat this action again, and will make sure to buy the correct ticket for my journey in future.

Actually, you do need to say this. Your words devalue what follows.

I would greatly appreciate the chance to settle this matter without the need for court action. I will pay the outstanding full price fare for the journey I undertook, as well as any administrative costs to resolve the matter.

Not if they don't agree a settlement, you won't. This is part of the same question as the previous sentence, so needs to be changed so as not to look so presumptive.

 

[fpseudow]

Thank you for your insight Grvrdvicdr, WesternLancer and Haywain.

If there is something you can do to legitimately reduce your travel costs (eg buy a season ticket, or a flexi season ticket, or a Railcard if you are entitled to one) do that and inform them of proof of it (eg it's ref number or a copy of it) - it's something you can show them you have actively done to change your ways - see it as an investment in helping not to get prosecuted as well as a way to actually save some money on some fares.

I have a legit railcard so a monthly flexi ticket for this journey is way more expensive than using my railcard. Also I travel to a mix of London terminals during peak times, but often don't travel back the same day. However, do you recommend still buying a flexi monthly ticket to show I have actively changed my ways, or with this appear disingenuous? I would happily do so to improve my chances of a positive outcome.

If the letter was too concise, could anyone suggest additions please?

Edited letter:

(Address)

Dear Southeastern,

Thank you for allowing me to respond with comments regarding (reference number).

On (date) I purchased a ticket from (A to B), but I instead travelled from (C to B). I am extremely sorry for not buying the correct ticket for my journey. I feel ashamed and embarrassed by the situation, and am determined to hold myself to higher standards. I will not repeat this action again, and will make sure to buy the correct ticket for my journey in future. I know the importance of paying for correct tickets so Southeastern can provide services for all passengers. I would greatly appreciate the chance to settle this matter without the need for court action and promptly pay the outstanding full price fare for the journey I undertook, as well as any administrative costs to resolve the matter.

Thank you for considering my case, and sorry once again for the inconvenience I have caused.

Yours sincerely (as name of head prosecutor was in the letter?),

(Name)

-
Thanks team

 

[30907]

If a season ticket would end up costing you more than the current individual fares, there is no need to buy it. Simply pay the correct fare (full or discounted depending on the time of day).

 

[fpseudow]

Hey team, received a reply from SE via email after sending my letter – is this normal? Thought they may have just sent me a link to pay up and am worried :/

Dear (name),

Thank you for your email relating to your case.

The case is being reviewed, and you will be contacted via post once we conclude our investigation.

Many thanks and kind regards,
Prosecutions Office

 

[AlterEgo]

They have to review all cases, I’d take this simply as confirmation of receipt.

 

[fpseudow]

They have to review all cases, I’d take this simply as confirmation of receipt.

Thank you for your reply