Several things really bug me about this agency: They are very inconsistent with the issuing of penalties. I commute on the train and every day I see guards catch people without tickets and allow them to buy a ticket on the spot. My 18 year old son also commute and having witnessed this general practice, tried it himself one day because the train was in the station and he didn't want to miss it. Guess what: the guard threw the book at him, refusing sell him a ticket or let him get off to buy one, despite the fact that the train hadn't left the station. They are bullies who pick on young people. On another occasion, my son forgot his student railcard, but had a student ticket. Again, he met with an officious response; no sympathy, no leniency (despite his age being a pretty strong indicator of his student status) and a penalty fare. The appeal process is a joke. On both of the above occasions, we have tried to appeal, but it has been a waste of time. All we get are standard responses which take no account of the circumstances or arguments presented and a reminder that extra fees will apply if we don't pay up quickly. On the second occasion, we sent the railcard details as requested within the time allotted, but they claim not to have received them. We appealed, but as above, got nowhere. We didn't send the letter by recorded delivery, so we haven't got a leg to stand on. These guys can't lose. It's a joke. As I understand it, they are a debt collection agency paid for by the train operators. Their operations are approved by the Secretary of State. The problem is that the appeals process is administered by the same group who are no doubt working to penalty targets, so no surprise that my attempts to appeal have on both occasions been dismissed with little or no consideration. I also understand that both the government and the regulator have acknowledged the shortcomings of this situation. So, does anyone have any ideas what can be done to challenge this faceless and seemingly impenetrable agency?