Urgent help needed

[urgenthelpneed]

On March the 20th, I was stopped near my local station for fare evading, because I had bought a child ticket instead of an adult ticket. There I gave a fake name, date of birth and my old address. The ticket inspector informed me that a letter/penalty notice would be sent to my house and I could receive a reduced fine, if I paid within 21 days. (I haven’t paid this fine).

Then yesterday, I was stopped again near my local station on the same train for the same thing (buying a child ticket instead of an adult ticket). The ticket inspector asked for my details and I gave my real name, wrong date of birth and my old address. He then checked the system and was able to see the fake name, I had given on March the 20th. The description was the same and the date of birth the same so he told me because I have evaded twice I would be getting a letter sent to me, where the train company would call for prosecution. And then gave me a witness statement receipt.

I have a few problems :
Now, I wish I had given my proper address because I have no access to my old address so I will not be able to get the letter. Is there a way for me to change this?

The ticket inspector said that the ticket company would be looking at my ticket history to see if I’ve done this before. I’ve done it twice, when I have used a child ticket and been caught and given a fake name and yesterday when I was caught. But I have history of using an annual gold card on my account, which I do not own.

Furthermore, the date of birth I have given implies I am 17, however I am 19, so that’s something else I have lied about.

I wanted to end this by saying, I know what I did was wrong but money has been really tight for me as a university student and I only did this to cut costs where I could, which I know is so wrong and I am truly apologetic.

I was also wondering if deleting my trainline account would help the situation? Although I am not logged in so is it really possible for them to check how many times I have used an annual Gold card ticket?

 

[skyhigh]

I was also wondering if deleting my trainline account would help the situation?

No, it won't delete the data they hold on you.

Although I am not logged in so is it really possible for them to check how many times I have used an annual Gold card ticket?

Yes, even if you used a guest account your purchase history can be traced.

 

[Brissle Girl]

No, it won't delete the data they hold on you.

And if anything could be seen as trying to evade addressing the situation in a cooperative and honest manner.

 

[WesternLancer]

Before I start this, I want to say I apologise and I know now it’s very wrong to fare evade, I’m a university student and the adult ticket was so expensive, I thought I could just risk getting a child ticket instead as I do look quite young . I got caught in my local station a few weeks ago with a child ticket instead of an adult ticket, a ticket inspector fined me and asked for my name, dob and address. I gave him a fake name and dob and my old addres, I also saw that he wrote down my description. I then got stopped today in the same area around my local station with a child ticket instead of an adult ticket, I lied about my age to the inspector and said I was 17 instead of 19, which he wrote down in the system. I also gave him my real name (half of it as it’s my shortened first name and I gave him my real surname) I then gave him my old address. However, the previous fine was on the system (and this hasn’t been paid as it’s at my old address which I have no access to). The descriptions and the DOB on the fake name fine and the fine where I gave my real name match up (however the description was white woman with black hair and glasses). The ticket inspector then took a picture of my ticket and said that the train company will investigate to see how many times I’ve done this before (used a child ticket which is only twice, including the fake name time) and they will write me a letter. However, now I realise that I won’t get the letter because I put my old address and I’m also scared because there has been times that I’ve used an annual gold card to save costs when I shouldn’t have. I really need advice on this situation and please don’t attack me, I know how wrong paying for a fare is and believe me I’m beating myself up over being so silly.

I was also wondering if deleting my trainline account would help the situation? Although I am not logged in so is it really possible for them to check how many times I have used an annual Gold card ticket?

This is quite a mess and you need to untangle it as they can track your records but will probably just use the false address you gave and the first you’ll know about it is when court comes looking for their fine money

It will help if you state what train company this involves and give details from the pinned post question s at top of thread to help ppl best advise you on how to minimise problems you have got into.

You will get good advice from here however on what next steps are best for you to do to minimise the problems going forwards, as far as possible.

 

[Snow1964]

You have dug yourself into a big hole by asking for correspondence to go to an address that you cannot access, especially as every time you don't respond it moves a step up nearer the court.

May I suggest you contact the prosecutions Department of relevant train company, and apologise, quoting old address and asking for their records to be updated, and offering an email address too.

It is not easy to get action without their reference numbers, but they should be able to sort by address. Of course giving them extra work is likely to mean bigger admin fee.

Cancelling your train line account won't make any difference if they have have a photo of a ticket obtained through train line, because they will ask for data to that account holder. The data stays even if you log out. (Remember Companies have to retain accounting data for minimum 6 years under companies law, which is why used to be a dusty store cupboard in every office, and since going paperless, is set of computer back up disks somewhere)

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

Which train company are you dealing with?

You've made a bit of a mess for yourself here, it's probably sortable (depending on the train company) but it will involve a fair bit of leg work on your part and is going to cost more than if you'd been truthful when you were first caught.

Are you able to get access to the post at your old address? If you can this will make things much easier. If you can't then you'll need to write to the prosecutions department of the train company (note not customer services - they won't be able to help). I suggest being truthful in the letter about what you've done and ask whether it might be possible to settle the matter out of court if you pay the outstanding fares and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the metter.

Post up a draft of your letter in this thread and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you. Note that if you are offered a settlement then you need to be in a position to pay it straight away. They won't allow installments.

Deleting your Trainline account won't make any difference. The transaction data will still be available.

 

[urgenthelpneed]

Welcome to the forum!

Which train company are you dealing with?

You've made a bit of a mess for yourself here, it's probably sortable (depending on the train company) but it will involve a fair bit of leg work on your part and is going to cost more than if you'd been truthful when you were first caught.

Are you able to get access to the post at your old address? If you can this will make things much easier. If you can't then you'll need to write to the prosecutions department of the train company (note not customer services - they won't be able to help). I suggest being truthful in the letter about what you've done and ask whether it might be possible to settle the matter out of court if you pay the outstanding fares and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the metter.

Post up a draft of your letter in this thread and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you. Note that if you are offered a settlement then you need to be in a position to pay it straight away. They won't allow installments.

Deleting your Trainline account won't make any difference. The transaction data will still be available.

Hi, I am dealing with Thameslink.

I could get access to the post but i’m not 100% sure about that. If I write a letter to the prosecution department will I need to come clean about the annual gold card use or just the incident that happened yesterday involving my real name? Or will I need to come clean about the incident involving my real name and the fake name I gave?

Also what should this letter include?

You have dug yourself into a big hole by asking for correspondence to go to an address that you cannot access, especially as every time you don't respond it moves a step up nearer the court.

May I suggest you contact the prosecutions Department of relevant train company, and apologise, quoting old address and asking for their records to be updated, and offering an email address too.

It is not easy to get action without their reference numbers, but they should be able to sort by address. Of course giving them extra work is likely to mean bigger admin fee.

Cancelling your train line account won't make any difference if they have have a photo of a ticket obtained through train line, because they will ask for data to that account holder. The data stays even if you log out. (Remember Companies have to retain accounting data for minimum 6 years under companies law, which is why used to be a dusty store cupboard in every office, and since going paperless, is set of computer back up disks somewhere)

Hi, I have a reference number for the incident yesterday. But not the fake name incident on March 20th.

Do you know, how I can get in touch with the prosecution department. Guidance on what I should include in the letter would be heavily appreciated.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi, I am dealing with Thameslink.

I could get access to the post but i’m not 100% sure about that. If I write a letter to the prosecution department will I need to come clean about the annual gold card use or just the incident that happened yesterday involving my real name? Or will I need to come clean about the incident involving my real name and the fake name I gave?

Also what should this letter include?


Hi, I have a reference number for the incident yesterday. But not the fake name incident on March 20th.

Do you know, how I can get in touch with the prosecution department. Guidance on what I should include in the letter would be heavily appreciated.

The good news is that Thameslink are usually reasonable to deal with so there is a strong chance if you start co-operating with them (as it seems to me you are keen to do) they will allow you to settle matters out of court (so much reduced risk of prosecution therefore - although it can not be 100% guaranteed)

People will advise on what approach to include in correspondence you should send them so you can weigh up what to say. But I would start off by a short apology for what has happened, explaining that you much regret giving erroneous personal details and that you now want to give the correct details and engage with them about what has happened.

The problem with the previous incident will be that as you have not paid it / engaged with whatever they asked for, there will be an automatic 'escalator' to prosecution and eventually the court (their bailiffs) will catch up with you. But by the time that happens the court fine - higher than an out of court settlement usually - will have escalated by increased Bailiff costs, and there will be a criminal record attached too. The reason I think you need to engage with the March 20th incident is because if they took your ticket details, and say you bought that ticket on line, they will see the real name of the person related to that ticket anyway. And because this will all take more time to sort out they will want more costs for investigating it so it will end up costing you more.

There are other Thameslink cases on here where people have uploaded the letters they have received. That will have the address you would need on them (pretty sure it is a postal address at Kings Cross Station) - I've seen other threads with an e-mail address for them too. Will have a look.

From another thread e-mail address for GTR / Thameslink prosecutions team:

[email protected]

Make it easy for them at all stages - so include all ref numbers, your postal address that matches what they have on record, your correct postal address, your full name and as many contact details for you they might be able to use - e-mail address, phone number and accurate postal address etc.
Thameslink Prosecutions Dept postal address

See post 1 of this thread for an example of a letter from them with their postal address readable.

Intention to prosecute by Govia Thameslink (GTR), help and advice on how to reply!

Hi forum, a couple of weeks ago I was caught by a Thameslink revenue protection officer at Elephant and Castle station without a valid ticket for travel from Bellingham station. Despite my cooperation and this being my first incident, he decided to process this via the prosecutions team - which...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[urgenthelpneed]

The good news is that Thameslink are usually reasonable to deal with so there is a strong chance if you start co-operating with them (as it seems to me you are keen to do) they will allow you to settle matters out of court (so much reduced risk of prosecution therefore - although it can not be 100% guaranteed)

People will advise on what approach to include in correspondence you should send them so you can weigh up what to say. But I would start off by a short apology for what has happened, explaining that you much regret giving erroneous personal details and that you now want to give the correct details and engage with them about what has happened.

The problem with the previous incident will be that as you have not paid it / engaged with whatever they asked for, there will be an automatic 'escalator' to prosecution and eventually the court (their bailiffs) will catch up with you. But by the time that happens the court fine - higher than an out of court settlement usually - will have escalated by increased Bailiff costs, and there will be a criminal record attached too. The reason I think you need to engage with the March 20th incident is because if they took your ticket details, and say you bought that ticket on line, they will see the real name of the person related to that ticket anyway. And because this will all take more time to sort out they will want more costs for investigating it so it will end up costing you more.

There are other Thameslink cases on here where people have uploaded the letters they have received. That will have the address you would need on them (pretty sure it is a postal address at Kings Cross Station) - I've seen other threads with an e-mail address for them too. Will have a look.

From another thread e-mail address for GTR / Thameslink prosecutions team:

[email protected]

Make it easy for them at all stages - so include all ref numbers, your postal address that matches what they have on record, your correct postal address, your full name and as many contact details for you they might be able to use - e-mail address, phone number and accurate postal address etc.
Thameslink Prosecutions Dept postal address

See post 1 of this thread for an example of a letter from them with their postal address readable.

Intention to prosecute by Govia Thameslink (GTR), help and advice on how to reply!

Hi forum, a couple of weeks ago I was caught by a Thameslink revenue protection officer at Elephant and Castle station without a valid ticket for travel from Bellingham station. Despite my cooperation and this being my first incident, he decided to process this via the prosecutions team - which...

www.railforums.co.uk

Thank you so much for your help,
I have found the QR code for the penalty fine on March 20th, so I intend to pay this right now (it’s £80.50 if paid before 10th April).

I am a bit confused in regards to the letter I should write. My plan is if I pay the fine for the March 20th incident, to then leave it in the past? Or will I need to refer to it in the letter.

In my letter I write I plan to then tell them about the incident that happened yesterday, and how I lied about my date of birth and address and would like the letter to be sent to the right address.

Also quick question do I need to address the issue of the wrong date of birth the date and month are correct just not the year (I told the inspector I was 17 instead of 19).

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I am 100% clear and thankyou for taking the time to respond.

 

[urgenthelpneed]

Thank you so much for your help,
I have found the QR code for the penalty fine on March 20th, so I intend to pay this right now (it’s £80.50 if paid before 10th April).

I am a bit confused in regards to the letter I should write. My plan is if I pay the fine for the March 20th incident, to then leave it in the past?

In my letter I write I plan to then tell them about the incident that happened yesterday, and how I lied about my date of birth and address and would like the letter to be sent to the right address.

Also quick question do I need to address the issue of the wrong date of birth the date and month are correct just not the year (I told the inspector I was 17 instead of 19).

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I am 100% clear and thankyou for taking the time to respond.

Also I am thinking of getting someone else to pay the fine for the March 20th as I don’t have the money right now and I want to clear this fine up today, is this okay on a legal aspect?

 

[Fermiboson]

Where the money comes from does not really matter. The penalty fare is not a legal fine per se, which can only be issued by a court; it may be more useful to think of it as a very expensive train ticket that you pay because of mistakes you have made.

The second case will likely have to lead to an out of court settlement, which is a different matter and likely to be significantly more expensive than 80 quid.

 

[urgenthelpneed]

Where the money comes from does not really matter. The penalty fare is not a legal fine per se, which can only be issued by a court; it may be more useful to think of it as a very expensive train ticket that you pay because of mistakes you have made.

The second case will likely have to lead to an out of court settlement, which is a different matter and likely to be significantly more expensive than 80 quid.

Okay, thankyou I will get that sorted out now.

 

[WesternLancer]

Also I am thinking of getting someone else to pay the fine for the March 20th as I don’t have the money right now and I want to clear this fine up today, is this okay on a legal aspect?

It would seem to me that the sooner any sum is paid the better, and I can't see that they would care who makes the payment really - so long as the reference numbers ensure the money paid is match with the case and sum owed - keep any proof of payment that you may need.

But I don't think you have clarified exactly what this is? (ie not uploaded any paperwork with personal details / refs obscured) - the railway can use various different sanctions al of which people often refer to as 'fines' but are technically different and this is quite important

eg is this
- a Penalty Fare sum owed
- an offer of an Out of Court settlement
- a court imposed fine

It might help if you can clarify. It sounds like it was a Penalty Fare (£100 + cost of ticket reduced to £50 + cost of ticket if paid promptly) - is this correct?

By resolving that it then allows you to move on and tackle the second incident separately - probably by getting your correct name / address details over to them

 

[urgenthelpneed]

It would seem to me that the sooner any sum is paid the better, and I can't see that they would care who makes the payment really - so long as the reference numbers ensure the money paid is match with the case and sum owed - keep any proof of payment that you may need.

But I don't think you have clarified exactly what this is? (ie not uploaded any paperwork with personal details / refs obscured) - the railway can use various different sanctions al of which people often refer to as 'fines' but are technically different and this is quite important

eg is this
- a Penalty Fare sum owed
- an offer of an Out of Court settlement
- a court imposed fine

It might help if you can clarify. It sounds like it was a Penalty Fare (£100 + cost of ticket reduced to £50 + cost of ticket if paid promptly) - is this correct?

Hi This is a penalty fare on the top of the Penalty fare it says
Govia Thameslink Railway
Penalty Fare Notice/Receipt

Not sure, why this message isn’t sending so I will post it again:

Thank you so much for your help,
I have found the QR code for the penalty fine on March 20th, so I intend to pay this right now (it’s £80.50 if paid before 10th April).

I am a bit confused in regards to the letter I should write. My plan is if I pay the fine for the March 20th incident, to then leave it in the past? Or will I need to refer to it in the letter.

In my letter I write I plan to then tell them about the incident that happened yesterday, and how I lied about my date of birth and address and would like the letter to be sent to the right address.

Also quick question do I need to address the issue of the wrong date of birth the date and month are correct just not the year (I told the inspector I was 17 instead of 19).

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I am 100% clear and thankyou for taking the time to respond

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi This is a penalty fare on the top of the Penalty fare it says
Govia Thameslink Railway
Penalty Fare Notice/Receipt

Not sure, why this message isn’t sending so I will post it again:

Thank you so much for your help,
I have found the QR code for the penalty fine on March 20th, so I intend to pay this right now (it’s £80.50 if paid before 10th April).

I am a bit confused in regards to the letter I should write. My plan is if I pay the fine for the March 20th incident, to then leave it in the past? Or will I need to refer to it in the letter.

In my letter I write I plan to then tell them about the incident that happened yesterday, and how I lied about my date of birth and address and would like the letter to be sent to the right address.

Also quick question do I need to address the issue of the wrong date of birth the date and month are correct just not the year (I told the inspector I was 17 instead of 19).

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I am 100% clear and thankyou for taking the time to respond

Hi - OK - thanks for re-posting

ref your points:

I have found the QR code for the penalty fine on March 20th, so I intend to pay this right now (it’s £80.50 if paid before 10th April).

Yes, good plan, you then benefit from the reduced costs and the matter can be parked and left in the past

I am a bit confused in regards to the letter I should write. My plan is if I pay the fine for the March 20th incident, to then leave it in the past?

Yes, leave that in the past unless they mention it at some future point

Or will I need to refer to it in the letter.

No - do not mention it at this stage IMHO

In my letter I write I plan to then tell them about the incident that happened yesterday, and how I lied about my date of birth and address and would like the letter to be sent to the right address.

In this letter at this stage do not say anything more than the minimum you need to do as you may risk incriminating yourself unintentionally. Keep it brief and limited to the sole issue of giving the wrong personal details at this stage (were you given any sort of paperwork with a refence number? - as without that it is harder for them to match your case but if you clearly state the wrong details you gave and what they should be corrected to that might work)

The usual advice given is to wait until you hear from he railway - but the problem in this case is that if you can not get your post from the address you gave you may not hear from them and you need to avoid this escalating to court without you knowing

so I would write little more than for example

Dear Sir / Madam

Their Ref: (eg from the Witness Statement Receipt you were given / or you could include a copy of that)

on x date I was stopped and questioned by a member of your staff at x location. In a lapse of judgment I gave incorrect personal details which I would like to apologise for. My correct details are as follows:
Name
Address
E-mail
Date of Birth (but see below comment)

(you may need to include the incorrect details you gave to help with clarity their end - make sure it is clear which is correct)

Please could any correspondence be sent to this address

Yours sincerely etc

do I need to address the issue of the wrong date of birth the date and month are correct just not the year (I told the inspector I was 17 instead of 19).

I think you probably should do - my reasoning is that if they think you are under 18 the legal consequences of a prosecutions are different (less serious - they may not even prosecute people under 18) now hopefully you will not be at risk of prosecution with help from this forum, but what I think is that if you are seen to be misleading them as to your age to avoid an aspect of the sanction they could impose something, they will not be positively predisposed to you....which is not what you want

Or you could not mention anything about date of birth

I think this is one for you to see what other forum members think

I just want to make sure I am 100% clear and thankyou for taking the time to respond

You are right to want to get this right! I would suggest 2 things:

a) not sending anything to them for 24 hours or so, so you can wait to see what other forum members and experts suggest (I am not a specialist or forum expert). Then you can weigh up different advice
b) you may want to post a draft of what you intend to send here so people can check it for you and suggest any amends before you send it - even if this is just the communication about correcting your personal details

I hope all this helps - this is going to cost you a few £ (especially since they may also now find out about the separate issue of you using a Gold Card discount illegitimately) but it is far better than things escalating to court with risk of higher fine and costs and a criminal record. Your objective is to avoid that happening.

I think for your own records you should now go through your ticket purchasing history (but do not post it here!) and list out all the instances you can find where you may have not had the correct fare - eg where child discounts have been applied and where Gold Card discounts have been applied. This is so that you can create an accurate record for your information of the amount of fares you have evaded. If they are prepared to offer a settlement they will want those fares plus their admin costs, so you can prepare for the sort of money they may ask for.

 

[urgenthelpneed]

Hi, this is the letter I’m thinking of sending. I would really appreciate if a verified forum member could give me some advice on whether or not to put in my real DOB.


Dear Sir / Madam

My reference number for this case is ***

On the 3rd April I was stopped and questioned by a member of your staff at Finsbury Park. In a lapse of judgement I gave incorrect personal details.

I would like to apologise for not acting truthfully and cooperating with the officer and I would like to express that I know this is completely wrong and inexcusable. I am terribly ashamed of my actions and upon reflection I can say I will always act truthfully when cooperating with officers who enforce the law.

From this point forward I would like to give the correct details and say that I will engage truthfully with the next steps.

My correct details are as follows:

*****

 

[alholmes]

You say that you want to engage truthfully with them, which is good. So if the purpose of the letter is to provide GTR with the correct information then yes, you should provide your correct DOB. Otherwise they’ll still be holding the false information that you provided them when you were initially questioned.

 

[urgenthelpneed]

You say that you want to engage truthfully with them, which is good. So if the purpose of the letter is to provide GTR with the correct information then yes, you should provide your correct DOB. Otherwise they’ll still be holding the false information that you provided them when you were initially questioned.

Yep, I will put in my correct DOB then. Also should I send this via email or post?

 

[WesternLancer]

Yep, I will put in my correct DOB then. Also should I send this via email or post?

You could e-mail it, then it would do no harm to print the e-mail and post it I guess.

 

[Hadders]

Some good advice has been given in this thread. My view is to tell them your correct date of birth - you need to co-operate with them if you want to keep this out of court.

I think the letter you propose to send is fine. While my usual advice is not to incriminate yourself, I'm wondering whether it's worth trying to speed things up by apologising for the incident where you were caught and then offering to pay the outstanding fare and their admin costs in dealing with the issue?

My thinking is they might just offer an out of court settlement in reply rather than sending you their letter asking for your version of what happened, you replying and then them offering you an out of court settlement.

Interested in the thoughts of others on this...

 

[WesternLancer]

Some good advice has been given in this thread. My view is to tell them your correct date of birth - you need to co-operate with them if you want to keep this out of court.

I think the letter you propose to send is fine. While my usual advice is not to incriminate yourself, I'm wondering whether it's worth trying to speed things up by apologising for the incident where you were caught and then offering to pay the outstanding fare and their admin costs in dealing with the issue?

My thinking is they might just offer an out of court settlement in reply rather than sending you their letter asking for your version of what happened, you replying and then them offering you an out of court settlement.

Interested in the thoughts of others on this...

Originally I thought not to do this but get the address name etc corrected and take it from there. But reading your post @Hadders I now think that makes a lot of sense as a way forward.

I think if the OP wants to do that they should post an amended draft up before sending it to the railway. As it may be a key communication, perhaps as well as e mail it should go as a signed for letter in the post.

 

[urgenthelpneed]

Some good advice has been given in this thread. My view is to tell them your correct date of birth - you need to co-operate with them if you want to keep this out of court.

I think the letter you propose to send is fine. While my usual advice is not to incriminate yourself, I'm wondering whether it's worth trying to speed things up by apologising for the incident where you were caught and then offering to pay the outstanding fare and their admin costs in dealing with the issue?

My thinking is they might just offer an out of court settlement in reply rather than sending you their letter asking for your version of what happened, you replying and then them offering you an out of court settlement.

Interested in the thoughts of others on this...

Okay, I will write a draft letter and post it in a few hours!
I’m planning to address the issue about lying about my DOB (I lied about the year) and then the fake address I gave.
Thankyou so much for your help.

 

[WesternLancer]

Okay, I will write a draft letter and post it in a few hours!
I’m planning to address the issue about lying about my DOB (I lied about the year) and then the fake address I gave.
Thankyou so much for your help.

Yes, you can adapt your draft in post #16 to cover a bit more as suggested.

 

[urgenthelpneed]

Hi, This is the updated letter that I plan to send.

Dear Sir / Madam



My reference number for this case is ***



On the 3rd April I was stopped and questioned by a revenue protection inspector as I was unable to produce a valid ticket for travel.



In a lapse of judgement I gave incorrect personal details.



I would like to apologise for not acting truthfully and cooperating with the officer and I would like to express that I know this is completely wrong and inexcusable. I am terribly ashamed of my actions and upon reflection I can say I will always act truthfully when cooperating with officers who enforce the law.



From this point forward I would like to give the correct details and say that I will engage truthfully with the next steps.



My correct details are as follows:



*****





I would also like to add that I would be extremely grateful if given the opportunity to settle this matter outside of court. I would like to pay the outstanding fare of the adult ticket and also the admin costs Thameslink will incur in the processing of my case.



I would also like to reiterate that I will never repeat this mistake again. I know my actions were inconsiderate and totally inexcusable. It is now crystal clear to me how important it is to always buy a valid ticket for travel and by not doing so it unfairly impacts other passengers on the train as well as negatively impacting Govia Thameslink.



I would like to assure you that I have learnt my lesson.



Kind regards,



******

 

[Haywain]

Dear Sir / Madam



My reference number for this case is ***



On the 3rd April I was stopped and questioned by a revenue protection inspector as I was unable to produce a valid ticket for travel.



In a lapse of judgement I gave incorrect personal details.



I would like to apologise for not acting truthfully and cooperating with the officer and I would like to express that I know this is completely wrong and inexcusable. I am terribly ashamed of my actions and upon reflection I can say I will always act truthfully when cooperating with officers who enforce the law.



From this point forward I would like to give the correct details and say that I will engage truthfully with the next steps.



My correct details are as follows:



*****





I would also like to add that I would be extremely grateful if given the opportunity to settle this matter outside of court. I would like to pay the outstanding fare of the adult ticket and also the admin costs Thameslink will incur in the processing of my case.



I would also like to reiterate that I will never repeat this mistake again. I know my actions were inconsiderate and totally inexcusable. It is now crystal clear to me how important it is to always buy a valid ticket for travel and by not doing so it unfairly impacts other passengers on the train as well as negatively impacting Govia Thameslink.



I would like to assure you that I have learnt my lesson.



Kind regards,



******

A bit of help from AI?

I would also like to add that I would be extremely grateful if given the opportunity to settle this matter outside of court. I would like to pay the outstanding fare of the adult ticket and also the admin costs Thameslink will incur in the processing of my case.



I would also like to reiterate that I will never repeat this mistake again. I know my actions were inconsiderate and totally inexcusable. It is now crystal clear to me how important it is to always buy a valid ticket for travel and by not doing so it unfairly impacts other passengers on the train as well as negatively impacting Govia Thameslink.



I would like to assure you that I have learnt my lesson.

I think you should leave this out and wait until you receive a letter from Thameslink (or GTR).

 

[urgenthelpneed]

A bit of help from AI?

I think you should leave this out and wait until you receive a letter from Thameslink (or GTR).

No, I didn’t use AI.
But I did look at some letters people had written and made my points the same.
Should I alter this?

Okay, I think I will need a few more people’s opinions on whether to keep that paragraph in. Thankyou

Hi, I was wondering if someone could give me advice on whether to change my letter in #24 ^^^. I am eager to get it sent today.

No, I didn’t use AI.
But I did look at some letters people had written and made my points the same.
Should I alter this?

Okay, I think I will need a few more people’s opinions on whether to keep that paragraph in. Thankyou

Hi, I was wondering if someone could give me advice on whether to change my letter in #24 ^^^. I am eager to get it sent today.

@Hadders @Haywain

No, I didn’t use AI.
But I did look at some letters people had written and made my points the same.
Should I alter this?

Okay, I think I will need a few more people’s opinions on whether to keep that paragraph in. Thankyou

Hi, I was wondering if someone could give me advice on whether to change my letter in #24 ^^^. I am eager to get it sent today.

@Hadders @Haywain

 

[antharro]

To me, the first half reads a little "over the top". It's fine to be apologetic, but the whole ""I can say I will always act truthfully when cooperating with officers who enforce the law" bit feels overdone. But it's up to you, if that's how you really feel then by all means leave it in.

On this part - "I would like to pay the outstanding fare of the adult ticket and also the admin costs Thameslink will incur in the processing of my case." It's not for you to tell Thameslink what you're willing or not willing to pay. To be blunt, they have you bang to rights and could easily take this to court. You need to persuade them that you'll pay whatever it takes to deal with this outside of court. Therefore, I'd suggest something like this, obviously re-worded so it sounds like it's come from you and not copy/pasted from me!

"I would be grateful for the opportunity to settle this matter amicably and without court action. I offer my full co-operation and I am prepared to cover whatever costs Thameslink have incurred."

 

[urgenthelpneed]

To me, the first half reads a little "over the top". It's fine to be apologetic, but the whole ""I can say I will always act truthfully when cooperating with officers who enforce the law" bit feels overdone. But it's up to you, if that's how you really feel then by all means leave it in.

On this part - "I would like to pay the outstanding fare of the adult ticket and also the admin costs Thameslink will incur in the processing of my case." It's not for you to tell Thameslink what you're willing or not willing to pay. To be blunt, they have you bang to rights and could easily take this to court. You need to persuade them that you'll pay whatever it takes to deal with this outside of court. Therefore, I'd suggest something like this, obviously re-worded so it sounds like it's come from you and not copy/pasted from me!

"I would be grateful for the opportunity to settle this matter amicably and without court action. I offer my full co-operation and I am prepared to cover whatever costs Thameslink have incurred."

Thankyou!

 

[Puffing Devil]

Don't dig a hole!

A simple letter along the lines of:

Ref XXX

Dear Sir/Madam,

Since being stopped by your officers in relation to the above matter, I have changed address. It is now XXX

I sincerely regret my actions on the day wish to co-operate fully with you to reach a settlement as quickly as possible.

Yours faithfully,
Name.

Edit - typo

 

[urgenthelpneed]

Don't dig a hole!

A simple letter along the lines of:

won’t they be able to see when I changed my address?