I was in London for a gig last week and staying at my Dad's flat. I have an Oyster card that i use when i go to London. To get to my Dad's flat we get the DLR to Pontoon Dock. When i got off at Pontoon Dock i realised my Oyster was out of money. Hmn, there's nowhere to top it up there and didnt want to fuss over it at that particular time (Pontoon Dock is a small station with no staff, btw). So we're up early the next morning and i remember there's no money on my Oyster, so we try to top it up online. No luck, as it takes 24 hours to process. Bugger. I was going to have a day travelling around a fair bit, so i didnt really want to buy a paper ticket as it would cost me more in the long run, plus there was no ticket machine that i could see (admittedly i didnt try too hard). So i scanned my Oyster card going into Pontoon Dock station and as expected it beeped at me and said 'seek assistance'.
I think pretty much nothing of it, until we're on the train on our way to Bank where lo and behold the ticket inspector comes round. Typical. So he scans my card and (presumably) when it tells him there's no money on it, he takes it off down the carriage without a word to me. I wasnt happy with this straight away, because although it was just in an Oyster wallet, i had my rail tickets (to/from London) and my railcard also in there. So the guy starts saying how he's going to issue me a penalty notice and i swear before he asks me my address and stuff, i ask him if this means a fine, and he says no. So i give him my details whilst the train is pulling into Bank. When we get out he then tells me it's going to be a £20 fine, so i start arguing on the platform (tried to top up online, nowhere to top up at station, i'm clearly a tourist). It was quite obvious me and my girlfriend were tourists, he could tell that from my address!
So i try reasoning with him, but he's not having any of it. So i ask when i need to pay the fine and he says you can pay some now and some later. So i finally pull out my wallet and unfortunately for me there's a £20 sticking out. I'm positive by now that i think i'm being done an injustice so i really dont want to give him the £20. So i say i'm going to give him £1 and pay the rest later. So he then says 'if you do that i'm going to take you to the office and issue you with a court summons'. Wtf? He just said i didnt have to pay it all! So, to skip to the end.. i pay him the twenty, begrudgingly.
To top it off, when i get on the Tube at Bank, i find out he didnt even fill out my notice slip properly. I told him i was going onto Angel on the Tube, yet he just put Bank. Meaning that i could have been in even more trouble when i came out at Angel. I was with my girlfriend with her Oyster card, so she would have lost out had we come out at Bank, and gone back in! Luckily i didnt have any problem getting out at Angel though.
Anyway, i want to appeal this, and have been reading up on it. Firstly it appears they make a big deal of 'discretion', and had the guy shown a bit of 'discretion' (i.e. i wasnt evading my fare, was clearly a tourist, was calm and polite to him) i believe it was really unfair to charge me the fine. Not only that but it appears i was under no obligation to pay the fine there and then (remember how he threatened me with court summons..?) which makes me really angry because i'd much rather be arguing this with the £20 still in my pocket, not his. I had every intention of topping up my card at Bank, i even offered to pay the single far for my journey instead, there was no 'assistance' or opportunity to top up the card at Pontoon Dock where i got on, of course.
I mean, for a tourist, all it says is that your Oyster card has to be 'validated'. How does the 'seek assistance' message help anyone?
I could have been seeking assistance when i got on the train anyway, yet he'd still fine me.
I'm reading up on it all now, and i know i have to do this within 21 days, i was just after some advice.. if anyone else has had a penalty notice issued and did they appeal etc..? What do you reckon my chances of getting my £20 back, are?
*The DLR the next morning was also delayed by over 30mins, according to this page i'm entitled to a refund.. anyone used that form? Does it just check your journey details and refund it if they know they had delays then?
I think pretty much nothing of it, until we're on the train on our way to Bank where lo and behold the ticket inspector comes round. Typical. So he scans my card and (presumably) when it tells him there's no money on it, he takes it off down the carriage without a word to me. I wasnt happy with this straight away, because although it was just in an Oyster wallet, i had my rail tickets (to/from London) and my railcard also in there. So the guy starts saying how he's going to issue me a penalty notice and i swear before he asks me my address and stuff, i ask him if this means a fine, and he says no. So i give him my details whilst the train is pulling into Bank. When we get out he then tells me it's going to be a £20 fine, so i start arguing on the platform (tried to top up online, nowhere to top up at station, i'm clearly a tourist). It was quite obvious me and my girlfriend were tourists, he could tell that from my address!
So i try reasoning with him, but he's not having any of it. So i ask when i need to pay the fine and he says you can pay some now and some later. So i finally pull out my wallet and unfortunately for me there's a £20 sticking out. I'm positive by now that i think i'm being done an injustice so i really dont want to give him the £20. So i say i'm going to give him £1 and pay the rest later. So he then says 'if you do that i'm going to take you to the office and issue you with a court summons'. Wtf? He just said i didnt have to pay it all! So, to skip to the end.. i pay him the twenty, begrudgingly.
To top it off, when i get on the Tube at Bank, i find out he didnt even fill out my notice slip properly. I told him i was going onto Angel on the Tube, yet he just put Bank. Meaning that i could have been in even more trouble when i came out at Angel. I was with my girlfriend with her Oyster card, so she would have lost out had we come out at Bank, and gone back in! Luckily i didnt have any problem getting out at Angel though.
Anyway, i want to appeal this, and have been reading up on it. Firstly it appears they make a big deal of 'discretion', and had the guy shown a bit of 'discretion' (i.e. i wasnt evading my fare, was clearly a tourist, was calm and polite to him) i believe it was really unfair to charge me the fine. Not only that but it appears i was under no obligation to pay the fine there and then (remember how he threatened me with court summons..?) which makes me really angry because i'd much rather be arguing this with the £20 still in my pocket, not his. I had every intention of topping up my card at Bank, i even offered to pay the single far for my journey instead, there was no 'assistance' or opportunity to top up the card at Pontoon Dock where i got on, of course.
I mean, for a tourist, all it says is that your Oyster card has to be 'validated'. How does the 'seek assistance' message help anyone?
I could have been seeking assistance when i got on the train anyway, yet he'd still fine me.I'm reading up on it all now, and i know i have to do this within 21 days, i was just after some advice.. if anyone else has had a penalty notice issued and did they appeal etc..? What do you reckon my chances of getting my £20 back, are?
*The DLR the next morning was also delayed by over 30mins, according to this page i'm entitled to a refund.. anyone used that form? Does it just check your journey details and refund it if they know they had delays then?
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
.
Whilst i'm more than happy to argue my point round and round with you (not), i was more interested in anyone who has had this happen, and if they'd appealed, and what the result was.