First Capital Connect and the Oyster Pay as You Go daylight robbery scam

On Wednesday 30th September I posted this blog about the awful experience my daughter had at the hands of an aggressive bully of a ticket inspector at Mill Hill Broadway Station. She didn't realise that you can't use Pay as You Go Oyster Cards at Mill Hill and got a £20 penalty fare, even though she'd touched in at St Pancras, where there are no warning signs. As she couldn't touch out she was also deducted a fare higher than the one she should have paid.

I got quite a response from the story. People told me many tales of rude and surly inspectors. What I didn't expect was the email I got today. This was from someone who has used a Pay as You Go Oyster card at Mill Hill. This is an extract from his statement

22/09/09
21:28 Mill Hill Broadway Exit £1.70 £9.40
21:00 Farringdon Entry - £4.00 £7.70

He explained that on the 22/09/09, the Oyster PAYG readers at Mill Hill were working. he touched out with them and as his statement clearly shows, he was deducted the fare.

What does this mean. It means that all of those people like my daughter, who suffered abuse and humiliation have been scammed. The system is there, it works, they just don't want to use it.

Yesterday (Tuesday) I saw a team of inspectors again fining people for using PAYG Oyster cards. I'd suggest that anyone receiving a penalty fare from these people informs them that the system is working and that they are extorting money under false pretences. I don't know when the system became usable, but usable it is.Point this out to them.

YOU HAVE A TICKET, THEY HAVE A MACHINE THAT CAN READ IT, IF THEY CHOOSE TO NOT USE THAT MACHINE, THEY CANNOT JUSTIFY CHARGING YOU A PENALTY CHARGE.

I have proof that the system works, so there is no longer any justification for this scam and the humiliation of law abiding customers to continue. As before, urge Boris Johnson, James Cleverly and Brian Coleman to bang some heads together to stop this scam.