DH in court over train ticket

[user1497444078]

Apologies is advance for an essay. More of a WWYD than an Aibu.

DH commutes to work via train daily. Train is at 6:15 so he always purchases a ticket off the conductor (no means of buying at station before 6:30) and always by card.

Several month ago the card machine wasn't working and the conductor told DH he would need to pay a fine for 'failure to buy a ticket'. He had no ID and was asks to write his name and address down (which he did), but after a month and no news we forgot all about it.

We then moved house.

On Monday this week we received a letter saying he failed to meet a court date for 'evasion and refusal to pay for a ticket' and now needs to pay £700. They must sent letters to previous address which we never received.

DH had to go to court today and was advised if he pleads not guilty to the evasion and refusal to pay charge he would have to go to court and pay court fees and most likely the refusal to pay charge. If he pleads guilty however he was told he would need to pay original ticket plus a small fine.

DH is fuming as he never refused to pay, the card machine wasn't working. He has proof money sufficient money was in the account on that day, and proof of change of address, but says he will have to plead guilty as it will be cheaper/less hassle. DH is also questioning why he was so honest to write to down his real name/address as it's given us unnecessary hassle.

At 19weeks into first pregnancy I can really do without this stress.

So WWYD in this situation? Is it worth contacting the papers to highlight the injustice? Maybe I'm just hormonal. I know some ppl will argue he should have bought ticket in advance, but he has done the same routine on daily commutes for 5years+.

Thanks for that wheatchief

Op... how the heck was this resolved i the end?!

@Witchitywoo

What about buying the ticket online?? I really can't see any excuse for not having a ticket when it's a regular journey!! If it was a one off trip and he arrived at the station just as the train arrived then I can understand it. But it's a daily commute so why can't he be organised and get one online/in advance??

Why would you get one in advance when you can normally buy one at the station, from the machine?

When my late DP commuted to London, it was only worth getting a season ticket if he was going to be at that office every day of the week/month. As that was hardly ever the case (days off/TOIL and working from other bases occasionally), he used to buy a daily ticket a lot of the time.

Our most convenient station is unmanned, and it wasn't uncommon for him not to be able to get a ticket from the machine. The conductors were always cool about it and he was able to pay on the train. And when travelling from an unmanned station after going for a walk, a group of 8 of us were let off paying - we were only going 2 stops and I don't think he could be arsed.

I think your DH was very unfortunate to meet such an arsey conductor OP and I'd definitely want him to challenge this. He's got good evidence that he's been buying tickets regularly from bank statements and the conductor should have let him pay on the train.

If it isn't possible to buy a ticket at a station, there should be an alternative means of doing so. Plenty of people don't have a smartphone (my DP for one) and aren't au fait with using the internet.

@Sometimesfraught82

[quote ThePants999]@Sometimesfraught82[/quote]

@Sometimesfraught82 the OP hasn't posted anywhere on the site in nearly 4 years. No reason to expect they're going to suddenly notice you've bumped their ancient thread.

@Sometimesfraught82 Why did you search this thread My 2 minutes gone forevermore

Because I searched another poster and she posted on this. And I wanted to know what happened to the dh!

[quote ThePants999]@Sometimesfraught82 the OP hasn't posted anywhere on the site in nearly 4 years. No reason to expect they're going to suddenly notice you've bumped their ancient thread.[/quote]
Name change!

Once they die they're dead unless the OP updates which happened recently..

@EmeraldShamrock

Once they die they're dead unless the OP updates which happened recently..

And the law speaks

Thankfully hq not on same page as you

And the law speaks
It was an explanation not law however if you're happy for readers to get invested in a dead thread that is your choice.

Thankfully hq not on same page as you

Wish they were

This happened to me once in U.K. The machine was broken at my starting station, but the conductor knowing the machine was broken told me that when I arrived in London I could simply pay for my fare right then and there (my destination). So I’m a bit confused as to why your DH, if he travels by train daily isn’t buying monthly or annual passes and also the conductor telling him he has to be noted for fate evasion? It’s not like the ticket machines break and they don’t know about it so mark everyone for fare evasion.

Check the accounts, is there a daily charge to his card every working day for the train except for that one day? That would be more convincing evidence than proving he had the money to pay in the account.

Oops zombie thread. I need more caffeine.....

@EmeraldShamrock

And the law speaks It was an explanation not law however if you're happy for readers to get invested in a dead thread that is your choice.

Don’t give a hoot about other posters

I am just nosy for an update

My stepson once got a fine because the station he got on at doesn't have a machine, but you can pay on your way out when you get off the train. The person at the kiosk said he hadn't got on at that station because he was wearing his uniform and his school isn't near the station he said. No - because he'd been picked up by his grandparents that evening and they'd then popped him on the train at the station nearest THEIR house. But they wouldn't believe him and fined him £20.

DP paid it but part of me wonders if we should have demanded CCTV proof .. didn't seem worth it for £20.

I travel from a small station with just one machine. It's too late for your DH now but if the machine is broken and I can't buy a ticket I take a photo of the not working message on my phone with the photo date stamp option on.

My student son missed a train by 1 minute this year and had bought an advance ticket . I said don't try to sneak on the next one due to criminal issues etc so he went to the ticket office which refused just to reissue one and he paid in full etc and then his ticket was checked on the train so just as well.

There was one rich commuter who commuted for years without paying and pretended he got on the train at a stop just before London. Here he is - dodged £43,000 of tickets over 5 years...www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/apr/13/man-avoids-prosecution-pay-back-43000-train-fares

Lots of threads being woken from the dead today.

Who the fuck keeps resurrecting zombie threads this morning? Pregnant OP’s child will be starting school soon!

@Witchitywoo

I wouldn't bother with the papers. I doubt anyone would be interested. And as you've already stated, people will say he should have bought it in advance. Mark it down as a life lesson, plead guilty, pay the fine and buy future tickets in advance.

How can you buy a ticket when the machine isn't working?

OP there is another forum called UK rail forum and in that there is a section for dealing with fines etc. Get your DH to join and ask for advice: www.railforums.co.uk/forums/disputes-prosecutions.152/

(PS did you not have a redirection order in place, or do they not work for court documents?)

Oh flippin heck. AAAGH stop resurrecting the Zombie threads! However, if anyone does need help with rail disputes, the above forum is very helpful (if a bit rail-industry-centric).

A further update on that fare dodger - he had to resign from his job and was banned from working in finance: www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2874620/City-fund-manager-dodged-43-000-trains-fares-Oyster-card-loophole-banned-working-finance.html

@Sometimesfraught82
Don’t give a hoot about other posters

Yes, we can tell. Delightful.