Hi

I was an idiot and got caught taking a lipstick without paying.

When he called me back in, the product was given back undamaged. No police was called.

The security guard took my driving license as ID and said I will be receiving a fine in the post.

I have read on here that you say to ignore the letters, will this affect my credit rating at all?

How many letters will they send?

Can I not just offer to pay a smaller sum so they stop sending letters straight away?

Will the letters arrive in plain envelopes?

I don't want any one in my house finding out what I've done. Embarrassed!!!!

He also said I was banned nationwide from all stores,

is there any way I can try and change this?

Does any one know who I can contact to try and shorten this ban?

He took me to the front of the store and

made me look up into a security camera which he said would send my picture nationwide

so all stores would know if I entered the premises.

Please help!! Embarrassed and worried!!!

Hp. I do not want this affecting my credit or work life (crb's are done yearly!)

As for the ban,

does any one know if I can contact superdrug head office or who I should contact?

To try and get the ban reduced.

Lifetime ban seems harsh considering

I have never done anything like this before and I wouldn't again,

I have no idea why I thought it would be clever to do it..!

I've just received this ban for trying to take a £4 lipstick (idiot I know!!) did she manage to contact head office or anyone to reduce this ban?

Or does she just chance going in there?

Any help would be appreciated!

Hi and welcome to CAG

Do not be worried about any checks. They will show nothing.

As for the 'nationwide' ban. I would wait around a month before going into any of their stores so they have a chance to forget you.

The word 'fine' is a lie.

What you will receive is a speculative invoice demanding payment for your wrongdoing.

This demand has no status in law.

They will prey on your ignorance of civil law (which has nothing to do with criminal law) to coerce you into paying.

The letters are sent in plain envelopes so if you are worried that someone else will see them, don't!

You are likely to receive 4-6 letters before a debt collector takes over and sends a few more.

ALL of which can be ignored (unless you are under 18) After the debt collector letters stop, that's it. Finished with.

You may get threatened with court. Nope! They would not be able to justify any loss.

As soon as you get the first letter, come back here and we will help you with ignoring them.

I see you are looking at other threads re: Superdrug. That is good but I also recommend you look at other stores as well to see what happened in those cases.

Plenty of other stores to use than Superdrug as well

best you keep to one thread clr

certainly go read other threads

but keep your posts here.

I've moved them over for you now

cant underline the importance of ignoring all the silly RLP letter

and don't forget

any DCA that gets involved

ARE NOT BAILIFFS

and have

NO SUCH LEGAL POWERS WHATSOEVER

just like RLP they NO POWERS TO DO NOWT!!

dx

Thanks for the quick replies

It's so confusing!

You read on the RLP website that it will stay on record for 6 years (over 18)

But everyone else says that it won't have any long lasting affect.

So just ignore the letters? I would rather pay it to get them off my back and to stop the letters but I know I shouldn't as they really didn't incur any losses.

And I def don't want any 'balifs knocking on my mothers front door!! *holds head in shame*

I don't plan in going into any superdrug store for a good few months. If I do, will a guard just quietly ask me to leave? Also, my sister works within the same high street, what's the likely hood of her receiving any documentation on 'local thieves'? Considering that was my first ever time and I would call it petty thieving.

What you are reading into this is IF they obtained a County Court Judgement against you. RLP cannot take you to court, Superdrug don't bother and the DCA has nothing at all to do with you. The 6 years bit is if they tried a court case and you lost and failed to pay within 28 days. Then and ONLY then can the judgement be recorded against you on your credit file.

They have no other rights to record any data. RLP tend to refer to their own 'database of offenders' Erm. What offender? Few on this database have ever been convicted in any court. What they mean is 'alleged' offender. It may sound complicated but it isn't really. The truth is, they haven't a leg to stand on so they try intimidation instead. Please don't fall for it.

Ignore Ignore Ignore

Put all the letters somewhere safe (on the off chance they do somethign sillier than normal and or they are finally investigated for wrongdoing and people ask for evidence.

Other than that.. IGNORE

Did we mention that you should IGNORE RLP?

Ok IGNORE!

But, will that get back to Superdrug that I haven't paid?

And therefore put a dent in my chances of getting the ban lifted?

And I've read letters that people send back to the RLP, should I not even respond in this way?

Also, I've read the envelopes have a watermark on the front, I really hope not!!

How does the nationwide ban work?

Will ever store have my image now?

Superdrug had their chance to prosecute, they turned that down. They would have to prove loss to claim any money now. And they have no Loss to prove.

If you feel you MUST respond. Nothing more than "I do not acknowledge any debt to your company" will suffice. Although personally I would not waste the monmey on the stamp.

Let me put it this way.

If you gave me your address now, I could write to you highlighting your actions in Boots and demand you pay me £1000 and if you do nto do so, I will tell boots you did not pay me.

Do you think Boots will care that you refused ot pay me money I am not entitled to claim?

Could I then enter that debt onto your credit reference file?

Could I declare you guilty of a criminal offense and put it on a publically accessable record or sell that lie and not be sued for it?

Just on a side note, I don't think the security guard was entitled to march you to the front of the store infront of other customers and staff. That could be a very good reason to lodge a complaint with Superdrug H/O for several reasons. I don't think that would be in the store manual as a procedure.

'He took me to the front of the store and made me look up into a security camera which he said would send my picture nationwide so all stores would know if I entered the premises.'

Also as you have not been found guilty by a court of this land or issued with a fixed penalty ticket from a POLICE officer you have not been charged or found guilty of any crime.

Only a court or a police officer can issue Fines

With that in mind, anyone including boots or rlp who share information ABOUT YOU who say you are a criminal are committing a civil offense. Yes they may have you on camera but that is more a scare tactic. Do you think the security in all boots stores nationwide commit to memory every alleged shoplifter?

go back to the day before this happened

forget it ever did

get on with your life

you are already forgotten by superdrug.

dx

I am just worried I'm going to walk into a superdrug store and I flash up on their camera (face recognition?) and they come and ask me/escort me out the building.

Going to be pretty embarrasing if I am with people and they do this!!

I not going to go in any superdrug for some time, and even longer in the place it happened!

Thank you all for your help and support!

I know I am in the wrong and take full responsibility.

But you have all made me feel less scared/worried/anxious over what could happen next!!

Stay away from Superdrug for a few weeks and then go into a different branch, I am sure that they wont recognise you. They are simply bullies who rely on intimidation to make money.

no shop uses face recognition cameras. They are not good enough for evidential purposes and they were supposed to be trialled somewhere(Colchester?) but it all went quiet when they realised that they just werent good enough.

They dont even use them with your passport yet, dont know when that is supposed to kick in but again, there are problems.

Just received my 'Letter before claim' letter.. Asking for the £89.50 and I have 21 days to make payment..

I quote:

"Your wrongful conduct gives our client the right to pursue a civil claim for damages against you in the County Court as this caused significant disruption to our client’s business at those premises. Our client has sustained losses as a result of your wrongful actions which include the value of the goods, if not recovered or fit for resale; the cost of the diversion of its staff’s time and associated security and administration costs. The average cost to our client of an incident of this nature is between £300 and £500, before taking into account any goods or cash not recovered."

Help!!

It's a standard letter, any alleged costs are built into their business model, they have no losses to claim , there will be further letters, just file.

Please read previous posts. IGNORE EVERYTHING YOU GET FROM RLP. And i mean EVERYTHING. They cannot do a single thing whatsoever apart from sending silly letters like they are doing. The letters are designed to intimidate you into paying. Nothing more.

The best thing to do with those letters is to use them as emergency toilet paper.

Remember, these are RLPs words, NOT the stores. Just because they say 'their client', this means nothing as the store would have no involvement in the letter tennis.

RLP may recommend a store take action but at the end of the day, RLP cannot demand the store do anything-AND Superdrug don't do court!

Just re-reading the letter and it says "A fixed contribution to all of the losses is therefore sought, in sum of £89.50."

So a 'contribution' ?

But am Ignoring like you have all advised!

Forget the letters. Jackie loves to scare and say whatever she can in order to grab money off you.

The more people that ignore herbstupid letters the faster her company will close down.

So it would seem you guys are right, they do read these posts! Haha!!

so they know the game is up!! - shame

or have you just got the other std response mentioning internet forums...prob that I bet

dx

dx

And now mentioning county court! And actually their wording comes across very belittling!

usual rubbish.

if you look in this forum

you'll see the exact chain of letters in various threads.

ignore them

dx