Got Fined £55

[Gibbs111]

I'm 14 and I got fined £20,

 

I was really Ill and forgot to tell my parents about the fine.

 

now they've sent a letter saying you have been fined £55 and now i don't know what to do now.

 

My parents can't afford to pay this,

 

can I get away with this because I live in a flat and theres 2 gate's.

 

Do you think the debt collector will come in?

 

I don't want my parents to go court,

 

really scared right now:(

[JohnSwansea]

Was the fine a penalty fare for not having a ticket on a rail journey?

 

Who issued it and where?

 

Are you now being chased by Ircas?

 

My advice, don't ignore them as they are basically debt collectors and they may well continue to bother you and add fees, or they might refer the case back to the train company to consider whether to prosecute you for fare evasion.

 

Can you afford the original £20? Try offering that you can email Ircas at [email protected] or call a person there on 0845 434 8272

[Gibbs111]

what do you mean, i was fined for not having a valid ticket (i do have a ticket) but forgot it at home whilst i was in a rush

[Ros1609]

So you left your ticket at home, got caught and got fined? Did you tell the Ticket Inspector you were 14 years old?

[Gibbs111]

yea, i can try paying £20. would it work?

[Gibbs111]

yea, i did tell the inspector im 14

[Gibbs111]

An Inspector issued me at Stokenewington in NorthLondon, No i am not getiing chase by them

[JohnSwansea]

Ok. Stoke Newington station is run by Greater Anglia, and they use Ircas to administer penalty fares.

 

I suggest you email Ircas at address above, copying in [email protected].

 

Send them a photo of the PF slip, and a photo of your ticket that you forgot and ask them if in this case the PF can be waived. You might want to mention that you are 14 and you don't have the money to pay the penalty fare.

 

Let us know what happens. Your parents are not responsible for money that you owe so no one should bother them about it, although it may affect their credit rating if you have unpaid debts while living at your parents.

 

It is possible that Greater Anglia will seek to prosecute you if the PF is not paid, but if you had a valid ticket and just forgot it it is very unlikely they will do this.

 

Anyway, first thing to do is to send that email attaching photo of your ticket, including the serial number if it is oyster

 

Let us know when you hear back

[dx100uk]

it cannot effect their credit file.

 

dx

[dx100uk]

debt collectors are NOT BAILIFFS

they have no powers to do anything.

seize, enter property - NO POWERS

 

dx

[Gibbs111]

Done your method John, hope it works ill reply back if i get any message

[Gibbs111]

Thank you for contacting Abellio Greater Anglia. We have received your correspondence and assigned the reference number: ,,,,,,,-BBGP. We aim to respond to 90% of contacts within 10 working days.

 

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[Gibbs111]

this is what they sent, what does it mean

[porkyp1g]

It's means they have your email and will reply in due course.

[Gibbs111]

thanks

[firstclassx]

Ignoring and failing to pay will result in a (criminal) court summons being issued.

[JohnSwansea]

Ignoring and failing to pay will result in a (criminal) court summons being issued.

 

Not necessarily - if not paid (or PF cancelled) Ircas will refer case back to the rail co and it is for them to decide whether to prosecute. If the passenger did in fact have a valid ticket but had just forgotten it and can now produce it in my view it is unlikely that the train co would pursue a prosecution.

 

However clearly it is preferable to resolve the issue asap so it never gets to even be considered for prosecution.

 

Hopefully GA will see sense and tell Ircas that the PF is cancelled once they consider the passenger's email

[firstclassx]

Not necessarily - if not paid (or PF cancelled) Ircas will refer case back to the rail co and it is for them to decide whether to prosecute. If the passenger did in fact have a valid ticket but had just forgotten it and can now produce it in my view it is unlikely that the train co would pursue a prosecution.

 

However clearly it is preferable to resolve the issue asap so it never gets to even be considered for prosecution.

 

Hopefully GA will see sense and tell Ircas that the PF is cancelled once they consider the passenger's email

 

I give up on this forum. The advice being given (in this section) is becoming increasingly dubious.

 

The OP ignored the issue, after failing to produce a valid ticket for the journey they made. A Penalty Fare was correctly issued.

 

Greater Anglia will be in no mood to accommodate people who simply choose to try and pretend the incident never happened, and, when they realise it's getting serious, pop up out of the woodwork once they realise it could be serious.

[Gibbs111]

Thank you for your email and I was sorry to read that you have received a Penalty Fare as you did not possess a valid ticket or Oyster card when you travelled with us on 25th March, 2014 between Turkey Street and Rectory Road.

 

Our Penalty Fare scheme requires a valid ticket to be held for the entire journey being made before travel is undertaken. A Penalty Fare is charged in circumstances where there is an opportunity to buy a ticket (or permit to travel) before travelling.

 

In the interest of fairness, Greater Anglia is refrained from involvement in any decision made regarding appeals of Penalty Fares. In order to make an appeal, you will need to contact the Independent Appeals Service (IRCAS). Please find their contact details below:

And i've sent them the same thing to Ircaas now, hope they accept

[JohnSwansea]

Thats a drag but not that surprising.

 

What ticket do you normally use? Is it pay as you go or is it a travel card or season ticket?

 

To have best chance of appeal being allowed I suggest you provide full info on the tic you usually use, and send a scan or a photo of it to Ircas.

 

Let us know how you get on. If appeal rejected best option then might be to see if Ircas will accept a lower amount rather than the higher amount including all the extra fees.

[porkyp1g]

Don't see why they would or why they should really. Why can't the op just pay the £55, it's better than some of the other rail fines seen on here.

[Gibbs111]

Pay as you go

[Gibbs111]

I don't have £55.

[firstclassx]

I don't have £55.

 

Well, sorry, but it is the amount that you owe.

 

You boarded a train without a ticket, (you didn't actually even have one left at home, you just had a PAYG Oyster which is NOT a ticket).

 

I will repeat that eventually IRCAS will inform the train operator that their efforts to collect the Penalty Fare remain unresolved. Greater Anglia **CAN** then cancel the Penalty Fare and associated charges and then deal with the incident as a criminal matter under Byelaw 18.

[Gibbs111]

I think its the Travel Card (Green and Blue card). and i had £2 on me to top up the card thenn i realised that i forgot it