Korky Posted November 4, 2009 and they dont seem to be joking? is it worth taking to court? argue that it is a disproportional amount? the heavies were not very friendly, as usual, if i hadnt had erb on me i would have tried refusing giving id but didnt want the attention. is this even worth doing? anyone been hit with same sorter thing? maggots. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yawning Man Posted November 4, 2009 I once copped 300 bucks on the spot for having my feet on the seats and fr having the wrong ticket. I was unsure of my rights and the process of appealing it (still am) so i didn't bother and just paid the c@#t of thing. Best of luck Korky, hope you fare well bro. cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faustus Posted November 4, 2009 little tip: don't ignore the fine. it'll just double. well, it did for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Storm crow Posted November 4, 2009 is it worth taking to court? argue that it is a disproportional amount? You won't be able to argue your way of revenue collecting, but you can refuse to pay the fine, take it to court and pay it off by doing time - each day served pays of $125 worth of fines. I'd rather relax in minimum security for a few days than offer a cent for such a blatant theft Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kindness Posted November 5, 2009 not that it's much help to you... but I got a ticket once and they had spelt my lastname wrong. Never paid it lol I have however heard that lots of fines if appealed are just given up on... (can't think how else to write it). So it might be worth your effort. Perhaps you were merely resting your legs on the seat as you reached for your bag jammed under your legs... as the train was crowded and the seats are very small.... dunno, just some random thoughts Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indigo264nm Posted November 5, 2009 Get to a doctor... tell them you sprained your ankle and you had your foot elevated. Get a letter written by your doctor saying that you had a sprained ankle and then use that letter as a grounds for appeal. My mate used his city ticket at another station during the day so when he tried to exit the gates his ticket was invalid and he got done. I told him to get to a doctor, tell them he had the runs badly that day and had to get off a train and go through the gates to use the restroom, and then got a letter saying so. He got out of his fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
santiago Posted November 5, 2009 where does it say you cant put your feet on the seats? im sure it must be there somewhere obvious but must admit i never knew that was an offense, is it written in the train somewhere or on the ticket...maybe thats the go, just say you had no idea cos its not marked anywhere (if in fact thats the case). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ballzac Posted November 5, 2009 My Mum forgot to validate her ticket once a few months ago, and was unlucky that on that particular day she was approached by ticket inspectors. She got a fine. It was about the same as yours, $170 I think. She talked to one of the staff at the station that she used to see every day and say hello and sometimes have a quick chat. The person told her she would write a letter stating that my Mum bought and validated her ticket every day, so this must have been an exception. The next time my Mum saw this lady, she informed my Mum that she had been warned not to help travellers in that way again if she wanted to keep her job. My Mum was pretty upset that this had happened and called connex. They said they would call back but didn't. She called again and asked to speak to a supervisor. She told them that she was willing to pay around $30 for the mistake, but not $170 as she believed that was disproportionate to the mistake made. They informed her that they need to be that high because most people do not pay the fines, so the people who do pay need to pay more. My Mum said that she didn't want to pay other peoples fines, and that she would stay on the phone until she got what she wanted. Eventually they decided to waive the fine completely. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
botanika Posted November 5, 2009 $170 is rediculous. Replacement seat fabric would not cost that much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alice Posted November 5, 2009 where does it say you cant put your feet on the seats?im sure it must be there somewhere obvious but must admit i never knew that was an offense, is it written in the train somewhere or on the ticket...maybe thats the go, just say you had no idea cos its not marked anywhere (if in fact thats the case). It's been years since I've been on a train, but it used to be on one of those graphical stickers at the end of carriage near the map. Like a "no smoking" sign, but with a stickman with his legs out. Something like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ballzac Posted November 5, 2009 I can't guarantee it's still on the trains (I travel all the time though, lol), but it was always a sticker with like 8 different things on it. No forcing doors. No fare evasion. No feet on seats. No abusive language. No alcohol. Can't remember what the others are...there may only be six. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Korky Posted November 6, 2009 ah thanks, some great suggestions, glad i asked. i will start with a letter. im not paying $172 having caused no damage, no danger, no hindrance or nuisance. good to see ballzacs mum sticking it to them with only common sense. thanks again for your tips, gracias humans. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted November 6, 2009 (edited) this happened not long after the Melbourne rail switched to it's current ticketing system. one time i saw my wife off to work on the train & as i was going to leave the station there were ticket inspectors who must have got there after we walked in. i explained i didn't have a ticket as i was just seeing my wife off (this was before they put the signs up). They asked when i got there, i knew it was exactly 10 minutes previous but they blatantly lied & said they'd been there for at least 20 minutes & if i hadn't seen them it was because i'd just got off the train. I told them i definitely hadn't got off a train, that i must have somehow missed them, that i was just seeing my wife off & that the station ticket seller could confirm this, which he did. I was then told that i needed a ticket to be on the platform anyway & given a fine. I took the number ov the person who issued the fine & went home & rang Connex. The person i spoke to told me that i didn't need a ticket to be on the platform. Apparently under the old ticketing system they had a platform ticket which was a fraction ov the price ov a full ticket, but there was no such thing w/the new system & therefore as far as he was aware i didn't need a ticket & could ignore the fine. I told him that i thought the ticket inspector was rude & arrogant & had given me the fine out of spite, & that i wanted to make an official complaint. A week later i got a call from Connex telling me that my fine had been dismissed, but infact you did need to buy a full price ticket to be on the platform so the inspector was within her rights, so did i still want to make an official complaint? I said no, but if that was the case they should have signs up & they should have platform tickets. That very week signs went up at all stations: "You must have a valid ticket to be on the platform" but they never introduced platform tickets. Edited November 6, 2009 by nabraxas Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kindness Posted November 7, 2009 At night rave in the guards compartment naked with a blue light... seems to be the only sign I remember from trains. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
