Hello I was travelling from Cambridge to Blackburn on 18:01:2014 starting from Cambridge at 06:30 hrs. I was required to change at Stevenage. I reached Stevenage at 07:06 hrs and went to a different platform where the EastCoast train was due at 07:25 hrs. Whilst climbing stairs I saw a lady struggling with her bags so I helped her. She was also going to the same platform to get her 07:20 train. Now when the 07:20 train arrived, I picked her stuff and boarded the 07:20 train not realising that my train is at 07:25 and not the one that I was boarding. When the ticket checker came he broke the news that I will have to pay £87 for a new ticket as the ticket I had was for 07:25 EastCoast train. I tried explaining him that it was an innocent mistake that I made and I had no intention of boarding this train as it would have increased my travelling hours but he didn't consider my words and issued me the Unpaid Fare Notice. I think this is totally unfair and I shouldn't be required to pay such an amount for the mistake I made. On several occasions I have witnessed that the passengers were required to leave at the next stop as they were boarding an early train then the one they had bought ticket for. Could anyone advice me the best approach in this case. If I go to the Court, decision will be made by the law and the law is that if I am on a train I have to pay for the travel I make so my chances of winning a legal battle seem slim. What do you suggest? Should I just pay and forget about the whole incident? If I go to the Court and lose will I have to pay £87 or a different amount? Any help will be highly appreciated. Thanks

Hi, Would be really grateful for any advice. I had an off-peak return train ticket for travel between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh which I used yesterday. I was unaware it was off-peak/didn't even know what that meant and have never travelled that sort of distance before. Anyway, I got the 4.30pm train from Kings Cross yesterday and to get onto the platform you have to go through ticket barriers. My ticket didn't open the barrier (which I know now was due to it being off-peak) and I showed it to a guard who studied it carefully and then said "OK, just go on through" and opened the barrier for me with her pass. I then got landed with a fine for £74.30 on the train where it was explained to me that I could only travel after 7pm with my ticket. I wouldn't have got on the train and would have happily waited til 7pm if it hadn't been for the guard who knowingly let me through! I'm writing a letter to RPSS to dispute the charge but I fully expect a refusal - I guess I'm just looking for some advice - is there anything I can put in the letter regarding my potential legal rights here etc? Thanks

On the 23rd of August 2012 I was travelling back home from Leeds to London Kings Cross on a train specific ticket. In a rush as my connecting train had been delayed, I did not pay full attention to the board, and accidentally got on the wrong train. I was travelling with friends and, being engaged in conversation, and relieved that I was on the train, I did not realise my error until the ticket inspector told me when he checked my ticket after Wakefield. I apologised and offered to get off at the next stop and board the correct train when it arrived, which I thought would be a reasonable cure for an innocent mistake. However he told me I could not, and would have to pay for a full priced ticket. Being only 17, needless to say I did not have £124.50 in my wallet, so he filled out an unpaid fare notice for me. I do not have anywhere near the £124.50 I need, so I thought it would be best to dispute the claim as soon as possible, I sent a letter explaining in slightly more detail what I have already said here. As of yet I am awaiting a response. can anyone give me any advice? Do I have any basis to keep disputing? Is it better to somehow find the money to pay? Seeing as how I had a valid and paid for ticket, should that price be deducted from what I need to pay, ie, go down by about £30? Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I have no idea where I stand! Thanks in advance, Charlie

I am currently dealing with IRCAS/IAS, regarding an Unpaid Fare Notice. Anyone who has had dealings with them will be aware that they choose to hide behind a PO Box number, rather than have us know their actual address. Why they choose to be so cowardly, I do not know. Also, sending out mail with a return address in Buckinghamshire is a little suspicious. A little research on the Net reveals that IRCAS and IAS are trading names for Independent Transport Associates Limited or ITAL. Under this name, they have a website that lists their actual address as the following: Unit 2-3, First Floor, Petersfield Office Park Bedford Road Petersfield Hampshire GU32 3QF In my last letter to them, I have sent it to this address, pointing out to them that I am aware of the details, in spite of their cowardliness. Another great resource on the Net is the SayNoTo0870 site, which will provide the actual telephone numbers for ITAL/IRCAS/IAS. Just a search for "IRCAS" will bear fruit. For your information, this is what I put in my last letter to them: Please be aware that this Notice has been addressed to your actual address, and not the PO Box number that you like to hide behind. I will be sharing these details with the many “Consumer Action” forums that are kind enough to devote much time and effort in dealing with troublesome companies such as yourself. This shall also include the disclosure of your various telephone numbers beginning with 01730. Do bear in mind that the information I have obtained about your company is readily available on the Internet. It is not exactly hidden from public view, and will therefore be of great benefit to those who find themselves troubled and/or distressed by your practices. The practice of sending mail to a company's real address, as opposed to their preferred PO Box address is a great way of repaying the fear-factor that these companies tend to dish out. It has certainly helped me in dealing with debt collection agencies, that's for certain! When they know that you know of their true whereabouts, they are not so sure of themselves, and will tend to back off a little sooner!