Possible unfair Metrolink penalty fare due to faulty machine – any advice?
Hi all, looking for some advice because I’m stressing a bit about this.
Yesterday (19/5/26) I used the Met in Manchester and tapped my phone on one of the machines at Market Street before boarding. The machine made the normal beep sound and showed the thumbs-up confirmation, so I had every reason to believe I’d tapped in successfully.
While on the tram, an inspector checked my phone. Afterwards I noticed that the temporary 10p authorisation charge that normally appears after tapping in wasn’t showing in my bank account.
I decided to get off the tram and tap in again on a different machine just to check (st peters square), and this time the 10p charge appeared almost immediately.
I called Bee Network customer services and they basically said the system shows I wasn’t tapped in at market street and it shows at st peters square (which is after the inspector tapped my phone), so I’ll probably automatically receive a £60 penalty fare plus the journey fare within a few days. They said I can appeal it, but apparently I’d need to pay first.
What’s frustrating is that I DID tap in and the machine literally confirmed it with the beep/thumbs-up. I think the first machine was faulty or failed to process it properly.
I’ve already emailed them explaining everything and I’ve got evidence showing the later 10p authorisation from the second machine.
Has anyone dealt with something similar before and are they likely to waive it after I appeal?
Thanks!