Should I appeal?

[holyirish]

Hi, today i had a situation where I had to get from Hilsea to Woolston but I only had a fareham-woolston ticket. I had to get this train to make it back in time for an event and i assumed it would all be okay, i had no time to purchase a train ticket from Hilsea to fareham due to the fact it came as soon as i got there. I get on and the ticket inspector asks for my ticket to which I give and explain my current situation, she says she doesn’t believe a word and is gonna print out a notice, got a notice of 56 pounds. I asked multiple times to just pay the remainding 2 or 3 pounds because it would of been no issue to me. I understand my time issues screwed me over but surely the fine is very heavy for two stops and a ticket that costs an extra 2 pounds.

 

[alholmes]

Sounds as though you’ve been issued a penalty fare of £50 plus £6.20 for an Anytime Single from Hilsea to Fareham. That would be the right way for South West Railway to deal with this and is effectively the cheapest option for you. The £50 penalty will increase to £100 if you don’t pay within 21 days.

If you upload a copy of what you’ve been given, redacting any personal details, then people on here can check that it’s been issued correctly.

 

[island]

Unfortunately, not allowing enough time to purchase your ticket before travel isn't an excuse for not having the right ticket. The Penalty Fare is an appropriate way to resolve this type of issue. It is as alholmes states possible that there may be a technical defect which may mean you won't have to pay, but we'd need to see the entire notice to advise.

 

[John R]

Unless the penalty fare has been incorrectly issued (ie, not in line with the regulations) then there is little chance of an appeal succeeding. You boarded a train without a ticket for your journey, and a PF was an appropriate way to deal with it, I’m afraid.