I have been charged an extra £107 by LNER for getting on the wrong train by mistake. My £39 advance ticket was for Hull Trains (not specified on the ticket) and the two trains were five minutes apart, on the same platform and going to the same destination.
LNER has turned down my appeal. I’ve had to agree to pay off the charge in instalments and have received notice of a court summons if I don’t complete the payment in two weeks. Yet new rules, introduced by the government last year, state that passengers who make a genuine mistake can appeal a penalty fare via an independent appeals panel, and the train company must refrain from pursuing them for payment until the issue is resolved.
TW, Dorking, Surrey
Your experience exposes the confusion when two train companies operate the same line but tickets do not specify the operator. That crucial detail was on your emailed booking confirmation, but it’s easy to overlook as it’s between the departure time and destination, both of which are highlighted in bold.
It’s also easy to suppose the train that pulled into platform one at Doncaster at 09.19 was your 09.24 service arriving five minutes early.
The trouble is, the £107 was not a penalty fare but an “unpaid fare notice”. The difference is critical because these notices do not fall under the new legislation. They are levied by long-distance train companies when a fine (either £20 or twice the fare to the next station) would not cover the fare for the journey you are making.
LNER points out that it did not receive the money you paid for your Hull Trains ticket, and was therefore entitled to charge a full standard fare. They are right, but it’s a high price for an honest mistake. The company did eventually agree to excuse you the last of your payment instalments as a goodwill gesture. It’s a reminder to the rest of us always make sure you check which operator you are booked with and who is running the service you board.
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions
•This article was amended on 18 December 2019 to reflect that fact that LNER wrote off a portion of the debt rather than the whole fare
