Purchased the wrong ticket

[nanu]

I traveled from horley to aylesbury. I bought the ticket from the ticket machine as the ticket office is closed.
I don’t normally use trains and the few times I have used it I make sure to buy from the office so the staff can guide me on what ticket to get.
As stated earlier, I purchased the ticket from the ticket machine and I paid for what looked familiar.( I think it was the all day ticket to London which gives access to zone 1-6). I got to marylebone and boarded the train to Aylesbury. On arrival to Aylesbury the gates wouldn’t open so I approached the staff to show my ticket, it was then I got informed that I had the wrong ticket. I explained to him that is the ticket I travel to London with normally and it allows me back. He mentioned that it was because I bought it from Aylesbury and that the ticket I had on me allows me back to horley. He also explained Aylesbury is not in zone 1-6. He asked for my id which I provided. I received a letter days later asking me to explain what happened or go to court.
I did explain that I haven’t done so deliberately and it’s mainly because I didn’t know Aylesbury isn’t in zone 1-6.
I apologized and stated I am happy to pay any amount owed. I have received another letter asking me if I have anything else to say or it goes to court.
Can members of this forum guide me on what next to do as I really don’t want to go to court.
This is the first time I have had an issue like this. I have never evaded fairs.

 

[Brissle Girl]

I did explain that I haven’t done so deliberately and it’s mainly because I didn’t know Aylesbury isn’t in zone 1-6.

Welcome to the forum.

I think it is stretching credulity to expect the authorities to believe that as an excuse. Aylesbury is around 38 miles north west of Central London. How far out of London would you have had to travel before you starting thinking that maybe you were outside Zone 6? You have to take some responsibility for researching and buying the correct ticket and not just guessing.

 

[nanu]

Welcome to the forum.

I think it is stretching credulity to expect the authorities to believe that as an excuse. Aylesbury is around 38 miles north west of Central London. How far out of London would you have had to travel before you starting thinking that maybe you were outside Zone 6? You have to take some responsibility for researching and buying the correct ticket and not just guessing.

Thanks for your response. And yes I have learnt from this and happy to take responsibility for my actions.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

So, if the OP is able to negotiate a so called "out of court" settlement, how much are they likely to have to pay?

Maybe a three figure sum (£100+) towards the train company's investigation and admin fees, as well as an Anytime Day Single fare from Boundary Zone 6 to Aylesbury on top (= £18) or possibly more than that?

 

[Brissle Girl]

So, if the OP is able to negotiate a so called "out of court" settlement, how much are they likely to have to pay?

Maybe a three figure sum (£100+) towards the train company's investigation and admin fees, as well as an Anytime Day Single fare from Boundary Zone 6 to Aylesbury on top (= £18) or possibly more than that?

The usual practice is to charge the full fare again for the journey taken (you'll recall the recent rather extreme example of the person travelling from St Albans to Diss who had a ticket from Liv St to Diss but was still charged it again despite the short faring being between St Albans and Farringdon.)

The anytime day single from Horley to Aylesbury is £36.40 for reference. BZ6 to Aylesbury is £18.00 as you note.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

I apologized and stated I am happy to pay any amount owed. I have received another letter asking me if I have anything else to say or it goes to court.
Can members of this forum guide me on what next to do as I really don’t want to go to court.

The bad news is that we can’t guarantee that you won’t end up in court.

But the good news is that a second letter to the railway (or it may well be a company called Transport Investigations Ltd, who Chiltern Railways often employ to deal with cases like this) may lead to them agreeing to settle out of court.

Your first letter probably already said all this, but you need to write again, making it clear that you made a mistake but that you won’t do it again, and you are prepared to pay the fare you should have paid, plus the cost of the investigation. From what we see here, there’s a good chance that the railway will then let you settle out of court.

 

[nanu]

The bad news is that we can’t guarantee that you won’t end up in court.

But the good news is that a second letter to the railway (or it may well be a company called Transport Investigations Ltd, who Chiltern Railways often employ to deal with cases like this) may lead to them agreeing to settle out of court.

Your first letter probably already said all this, but you need to write again, making it clear that you made a mistake but that you won’t do it again, and you are prepared to pay the fare you should have paid, plus the cost of the investigation. From what we see here, there’s a good chance that the railway will then let you settle out of court.

Ohk. I will send a draft of my reply here so i can be corrected/guided. Many thanks.

Kindly find below a draft of my response.
Please feel free to make any corrections. Thank you.

Thank you for allowing me another opportunity to respond to your letter.
I am writing to express my sincere apologies for my actions on (date).
I understand that i was wrong and I understand that such actions cause railway companies to loose revenue.
I acknowledge the seriousness of this matter and i am aware my actions are completely unacceptable.
This is the first time I have purchased the wrong ticket and please be assured that it will not happen again.

I will always ensure that I have the correct ticket before boarding a train. It is my responsibility to ensure that. If I am unsure of what ticket to purchase, it is my responsibility to research and buy the right ticket.
I am keen to resolve this matter as soon as possible without the need for a court action.
I would be very appreciative if this matter is settled out of court. I am willing to pay the outstanding fare and any administrative costs incurred whilst dealing with this matter.
Once again, please accept my sincere apologies. I will not repeat this mistake again.
I hope my request to settle out of court is considered.

Can I please ask if my draft (above) could be reviewed? Many thanks.

 

[Blinkbonny]

It seems fine to me - but if it actually was a genuine error on your part then there's no harm in pointing that out to them again. Own up-to stupidity rather than deliberate fare evasion perhaps?

Your letter seems to admit to the latter.

 

[fandroid]

Just a piece of advice really on ticket buying.

If in doubt at a ticket machine just put in your destination. You over-thought the purchase. The machine will show you the options. Don't worry about getting across London on the Tube. For journeys like yours the the paper ticket issued will work the Underground ticket gates between your arrival terminus and your departure terminus (such as Marylebone) so you do not have to get a ticket with "zones 1-6" on or anything similar. The ticket will be marked with a little "+" and that shows it's valid for a Tube journey between the mainline stations

 

[spag23]

cause railway companies to loose revenue.

There's only one "o" in lose.
Style-wise, there are perhaps too many sentences beginning with "I"; it looks to me almost like a poem or song lyric!