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Luas penalty fare

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  • 10-09-2004 6:34pm
    #1
    Pepe LeFrits
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 15,001 ✭✭✭✭


    Just got billed €45 because my weekly pass expired today. Mostly i'm annoyed with myself for not realising, but also with the girl who billed me because she let off another guy right infront of my face who had travelled past the last stop allowed by his ticket... seems rather unfair to me, considering both were honest mistakes but one was let off scot-free while the other was punished. Suddenly I feel like bitching endlessly down their customer care line for their shambolic timekeeping on wednesday morning, but that's besides the point.

    She said if I didn't pay the fine, i'd be taken to court and would have to pay €600. Anyway, it just so happens that I bought a one way plane ticket to the UK today, the date of which coincides with the day the fine is due. I don't plan on returning (permanently) for at least a year if ever, so if I don't pay it... what happens?


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    #2
    BrianD
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,221 ✭✭✭BrianD


    You will probably get a summons.

    However, if you have the name of the customer service person and are sure of what happened to the other customer I would write to Connex and state your position (with as much detail as possible). Bottom line is that you were travelling with an invalid ticket. It's a fair cop!


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    #3
    John R
    Registered Users Posts: 4,107 ✭✭✭John R


    If it went to court and you could prove you regularly bought tickets and just mixed up the renewal day or somesuch the judge may well let you off.
    However if you ignore a court summons they will most likely fine you the maximum possible and eventually the fine will end up in the hands of bailifs with their costs added to it. Judges really don't like people who ignore the courts and tend to throw the book at them.

    I would suggest you do as BrianD said and contact connex to try and get them to let you off, if they insist on pressing forward then just pay the fine. €45 now for something that you were in the wrong over is much better than all the hassle that court judgements against your name can bring.


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    #4
    ChipZilla
    Registered Users Posts: 954 ✭✭✭ChipZilla


    I'd just pay the fine. €45 versus €600. Hmm... At the end of the day your ticket wasn't valid. If a cop busted me for having out of date road tax on my car I'd say it was a fair cop. It doesn't really matter that you forgot to renew it. Leaving it go isn't a great idea as someone pointed out, 'cos bailiffs will get involved if it goes to court and isn't paid. :( Life's a bitch.


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    #5
    Pepe LeFrits
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 15,001 ✭✭✭✭Pepe LeFrits


    John R wrote:
    I would suggest you do as BrianD said and contact connex to try and get them to let you off, if they insist on pressing forward then just pay the fine. €45 now for something that you were in the wrong over is much better than all the hassle that court judgements against your name can bring.
    Yep, that's what i'm going to do.

    I'll be pushing the inconsistent handling of ticketless passengers and also pointing out that charging regular customers €45 for an honest mistake is probably bad business.


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    #6
    jlang
    Registered Users Posts: 1,462 ✭✭✭jlang


    But equally, if it got out that they're in the habit of letting people off for an 'honest mistake' it would lead to an awful lot of 'honest mistakes' taking place. Look at the amount of people paying minimum fare on a bus or only paying for a DART trip if they're stopped exiting at their destination.

    You were in the wrong and you were caught so pay up and you'll know not to make the same mistake in the future.


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    #7
    pork99
    Registered Users Posts: 1,746 ✭✭✭pork99


    Instead of fining you why couldn't their inspector have sold you a new weekly/monthly pass?


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    #8
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,285 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    pork99 wrote:
    Instead of fining you why couldn't their inspector have sold you a new weekly/monthly pass?
    Are you basing this on the fact it was his weekly pass that expired? If so, why wouldn't he just claim it was a day ticket he had that expired and ask for the inspector to sell him a day ticket?


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    #9
    Metrobest
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭Metrobest


    There has to be some give and take, surely? If you had the weekly pass, it should have proved you were an honest, regular customer. A verbal warning would have sufficed.

    Or perhaps the inspector thought you looked dodgy; did you look a bit scruffy or something?


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    #10
    Dub13
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 21,252 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dub13


    Why did you not just give a fake name.... :D


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    #11
    jpk
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭jpk


    buying a one way plane tickets no good as there will be a warrant out for you for not turning up in court when you get back from the UK.

    judges dont like it when u diss them, so the next time u get caught with an invalid ticket you could be going on a 2 week holiday to clondalkin
    (cloverhill springs)
    :o jpk


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    #12
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,285 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Dub13 wrote:
    Why did you not just give a fake name.... :D
    Because that's a second offence.


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    #13
    Dub13
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 21,252 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dub13


    Victor wrote:
    Because that's a second offence.


    Yea but how are they to no you gave a fake name....I have never been in this situation so I dont no.


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    #14
    Metrobest
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,042 ✭✭✭Metrobest


    If they didn't get a copy of your ID, I would suggest giving a fake address. I can't imagine the ''bad debt'' department of Connex going to great lengths to track down people who owe 45 euros.


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    #15
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,285 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    Out of order. Banned for one week.


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    #16
    MG
    Closed Accounts Posts: 823 ✭✭✭MG


    If you don't pay and get a judgement registered against you, it might affect your credit rating and ability to borrow in the future.


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    #17
    eth0_
    Registered Users Posts: 10,846 ✭✭✭✭eth0_


    Victor wrote:
    Out of order. Banned for one week.

    huh? What did he do, am I missing something?

    Personally i'd pay the fine and lodge an official complaint over inspector letting the person in front of you off with a warning.


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    #18
    Borzoi
    Registered Users Posts: 2,876 ✭✭✭Borzoi


    eth0_ wrote:
    huh? What did he do, am I missing something?

    Personally i'd pay the fine and lodge an official complaint over inspector letting the person in front of you off with a warning.


    Yeah, especially as you presumably have the inspectors details, from her giving yuo the fine


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    #19
    John R
    Registered Users Posts: 4,107 ✭✭✭John R


    pork99 wrote:
    Instead of fining you why couldn't their inspector have sold you a new weekly/monthly pass?

    Because if that was the only penalty for not having a valid ticket then nobody would buy one and hope there was no inspector on the tram. Meanwhile the inspector would get through 1/2 a car in the whole 20 minute trip issuing tickets and 90% of all passengers would get away without paying.


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    #20
    chewy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,254 ✭✭✭chewy


    whatever happened to that person who posted here who was fined in the first week ?


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    #21
    williamb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 50 ✭✭williamb


    FWIW, I recently got a letter at home from the Luas Collections Department addressed to a non-existent person at a non-existent, but similar to mine ,address, threatening him with prosecution if he didn't pay his €45 euro pronto.

    I rang them to stop them wasting any more time/money, and the girl just laughed and said this was happening a lot.


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