Penalty Fare & Admin fees.. please help

[blimeyoriley]

Hi Guys,

 

Recently, I was working nearby Staines station, and decided to get the train to work (I had been since travelling by bus)

 

I topped up £10 on my Oyster at Richmond and started my journey. When I tried to tap out on the yellow reader at Staines it said "card not recognised"

 

Confused, I approached a member of staff to help. They said Oysters weren't valid at that station. I was frustrated as I knew the Oyster card would charge me an excess fare.

 

Even so, I apologised to the inspector and asked how much a paper ticket was so I could buy one.

 

She said she would need to issue me with a penalty fare. Her manner was dismissive and rude.

 

The ordeal cost me to be late for work and accumulate an Oyster charge. On top of that was the £20 fine they were asking for.

 

I appealed to IAS and received only an automated reply. I did notice that it had been about a month since I submitted the appeal but was hoping they had just dismissed it.

 

Today I received a letter demanding £50 for an outstanding balance and administration charges. It stated I had received a request for an outstanding balance and I had not l paid within the requested 14 days !

 

I politely replied that I had not received any previous correspondence and enclosed £20.

 

I'm really quite upset about this situation. It's possible that I may have missed the email (as my inbox is quite busy) but this letter implies my appeal was rejected , and they have taken the first possible opportunity to charge me further.

 

I feel disgusted with the train companies lack of humanity. Is there anything I can do about this situation ?

 

Do you think they will leave me alone or will I be hearing back from them ?

 

Thanks for your help guys

[blimeyoriley]

Can anyone clarify ? What are the chances I will be hassled for the extra £30 ?? Can they throw more charges on top ?

[honeybee13]

Hello and welcome to CAG.

 

I'm sure the forum guys will be along with advice for you when they can, but weekends are always quieter here. Please bear with us.

 

My best, HB

[fluteboy]

I had a similar issue with IRCAS/IAS/ITAL in 2011, and I sent them a letter which contained the following:

Furthermore, I reject your so-called “Administration Fee” of £30, as I do not believe you have even done anything to incur such costs. Do not attempt to claim that this fee is necessary for your sending me a letter. As you are perfectly aware,

 

IT DOES NOT COST £30 TO SEND A LETTER!

 

If it does indeed cost you £30 to send someone a letter, then may I suggest that you change your stationery supplier, as you are clearly being overcharged?

 

As it is you who has chosen to pursue this matter, it shall be you who is responsible for meeting your own costs, and not myself. I will not allow myself to be held responsible for any costs incurred by YOU as a result of YOUR actions.

 

I instruct you to proceed NO FURTHER in your attempt to extort money out of me. Any further attempt shall constitute harassment, and will invoke action under

Section 1

of the

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

. I may also take further action under

Section 40

of the

Administration of Justice Act 1970

, which makes it a Criminal Offence for a you or any agent you decide to employ to make demands (for money), which are aimed at causing

'alarm, distress or humiliation'

.

A reply came back, with ANOTHER £30 fee added. I sent a letter containing the following:

I also notice that the last amount you were demanding from me, namely £79.50, has magically increased to £109.50. Do tell me – what exactly have you done that has cost you £30? What kind of fool do you take me for? Do you really think I am going to assist you in your money-making attempt?

 

Your last letter states that you may consider prosecution in order to recover “the debt”. Again – what kind of fool do you take me for? As you are perfectly aware, any so-called “debt” remains a CIVIL matter, and not a criminal matter. Therefore, prosecution CANNOT be an option. If you want the money, you will have to sue me.

 

How many more lies are you going to tell me? First you tell me that you are a

“truly independent appeals body”

– when an article published in London’s

Evening Standard

in August 2009 tells me that you are indeed NOT. Your company secretary is a director of the company which runs the railways’ ticketing system. You are a trade association whose main purpose is to look after the interests of its members, and not of the general public.

 

Every letter you send me seems to contain assertions that are totally incorrect. Why on earth should I take you seriously?

Furthermore, I sent these letters by recorded delivery to their actual physical address:

IRCAS / IAS – Trading names for ITAL

Unit 2-3, First Floor, Petersfield Office Park

Bedford Road

Petersfield

Hampshire

GU32 3QF

The last letter I sent them contained the following advice:

Please be aware that this Notice has been sent 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 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.

They backed off. £60 for a couple of letters? I don't think so! Fools.

[blimeyoriley]

I had a similar issue with IRCAS/IAS/ITAL in 2011, and I sent them a letter which contained the following:

Furthermore, I reject your so-called “Administration Fee” of £30, as I do not believe you have even done anything to incur such costs. Do not attempt to claim that this fee is necessary for your sending me a letter. As you are perfectly aware,

 

IT DOES NOT COST £30 TO SEND A LETTER!

 

Haha amazing, good on you !

 

So to clarify, seeing as I have already paid the initial £20 fine, there are no grounds for them to prosecute ?

 

I'm just worried that if I do reject all fines, they may recruit debt collectors, who will seek Court Action.

 

What did they say in reply to your initial letter when they asked for an extra £30 ?

 

Also did you end up paying any fine at all ?

[fluteboy]

If you have paid the penalty fare, then you have paid the penalty fare. End of. They have no business asking for more.

 

When I told them I was not paying their first £30 fee, they ignored what I had stated, and simply added another £30 fee. I just refused. In their letter they described it as a "debt" - which is a civil matter, and then went on to suggest prosecution. Talk about tying themselves up.

 

As for passing any so-called "debt" onto a debt collector, this forum tells us time and again that debt collectors have NO POWERS WHATSOEVER. They are just third-party interlopers, sticking their noses where they just do not belong. Money-grabbing sc*m, plain and simple.

 

I paid what I needed to, and NOTHING MORE. Any additional costs or fees must be DEMONSTRATED in order to be enforceable, and there is nothing in sending a letter that costs £30 a pop.

Edited September 21, 2013 by fluteboy
Small edit needed