to make complaint about ticket inspector who detained child and took their phone?

[SmellsLikeTeenSpirits]

15 yo DD bought wrong train ticket today. She got off at stop after the one she'd bought ticket for because of a last minute change of plan with her friends. So a £2.70 journey rather than a £3 one.

At the final destination her and her friend were stopped by ticket inspector. They tried to explain what had happened and pay the excess. He wasn't having any of it. I can kind of sympathise with that.

What I would like your view on / experience of is this:

He detained them for 20 minutes. DD called me and was a bit shaken. I heard him say - you can't talk to your mum now - and then her phone went off. I tried calling and she messaged saying she'd call back in 5. He took her phone off her and went through her apps to try and prove she was over 15 (she looks 16 maybe - no older). In the end he accepted that she was in fact 15 and has written on the fine notice that he verified her age through her Vinted app. DD said she felt really uncomfortable as he went through her vinted page (where she is modelling some crop tops etc) and scrolled through the pictures. I got through to her again on the phone and asked her to put him on the phone but he refused.

Eventually he gave her a fine of £52 and let her go on her way.

Is this acceptable? Am I being unreasonable if I complain. I don't feel that an adult man should be detaining 15 year olds and confiscating their phones? She had the wrong ticket - just issue the fine if you need to?? Or am i being unreasonable - not having correct ticket is a crime - suck it up - the guy was just doing his job?

Shocking, please report him. Total overreaction.

1. The OP states that the DD had got off the train? It's very clear in the OP.

1. What train was held up? They weren't on the train.

1. Ticket inspectors are often at actual stations.

So, I think the DD is telling the truth?

Totally unacceptable.

Do you not have to be 18 to have a vinted account?

What a jobsworth and a creep. I would definitely be reporting.

I was on a train once where some arsehole of a ticket inspector was bullying a young woman. She bought a “return” instead of a “day return” or something. She didn’t have the cash for a new ticket, he wouldn’t let her mum pay the fare over the phone, he would let her boyfriend meet the train to pay for the ticket .. poor woman was in tears, so I paid for the ticket. He was furious .. pathetic man.

Brilliant and well done you!

A quick google tells me he can only detain someone who is not complying with providing a name and address and then only until the police arrive.

I agree with this.

Bet he would not treat an adult man like that. Disgusting.

Police matter, as I believe that’s illegal behaviour.
Of course also a formal complaint to the company. By letter/email, explicitly asking for a response

His actions were inappropriate. I would report.
I would have expected an attempt to identify someone claiming to be a minor to include allowing an adult advocate, not cutting off communication.

Completely separate issue:
If your daughter isn't happy being viewed in her crop tops then she needs to understand that anyone can view them online and understand it's still happening even if she can't see a creep doing it.

Can children be given fines?!

Bet he would have behaved differently with a 6 foot bloke. I would complain and try to get fone squashed

What a disgusting creep. Definitely report him!

It was harsh. But on the other hand this must happen many times a day. She should have bought the correct ticket However taking a phone. Cannot see how that could be legal.

He had no right to search her stuff or prevent her from speaking to you. He's not police.

As others have pointed out, you can bet your last penny he wouldn't have dared pull a stunt like that with an adult man, and sadly there's your answer.

Holy cow, that is so far past inappropriate that my jaw literally dropped. Please report him - he can't be going around doing this, and especially not to young and/or vulnerable people.

What a creep. Please make a complaint OP. I wonder if he has form for targeting and bullying young girls and peeking at their social media.

Definitely complain. His behaviour was definitely unacceptable.

(She shouldn't have stayed on a train she didn't have a ticket for though, and lots of teens near me do that kind of thing on purpose)

I know someone who does that job. She sees hundreds of people each week who 'got off at the wrong stop for a very legitimate reason' and most of them say they're under 16 for a more lenient response.

The losses are huge and there's an obligation to other passengers to try to tackle it imo.

I'm assuming she did actually want to prove that she was under 16, and preferred the outcome that arose as a result of doing so?

So if he snatched her phone against her will and forced the passcode out of her then that's not ok, but if he asked for proof of age and she said she had an app that could prove it, opened the app and handed it to him, then that's ok I think.

What's the alternative? Just believing her, or treating her as an adult I guess.

Omg this is beyond inappropriate and scary

Can you explain how it can causes massive losses?

This is out of order , you need to complain . He shouldn't be detaining 2 minors alone without an appropriate adult . I would appeal the fine too , it’s completely disproportionate!