Hey there,

Recently I got into trouble and got caught shoplifting with my friend in Boots.

The security guard then took us in the CCTV room and took our information such as name, DOB, and our address.

Then, they called our parents to pick us up.

They stated that no further actions will be taken and we will receive RLP letter requesting a fine for about £80.

Today, I got my RLP letter and it stated the fine as £217.70.

I cannot afford to pay this.

I'm scared.

Should I pay this amount or ignore it?

And also, would this appear on my enhanced CRB checks?

I'm really worried and would appreciate if you can contact me.

Thank you

Hi and welcome to CAG. I will move you to the correct forum and I will be back to assist.

Right, it seems no action was taken by the police which is the ONLY way that your actions would appear on any CRB check.

RLP act on behalf of major retailers in chasing a fixed sum. this is becasue the retailers don't want the hassle of doing it themselves and also being tainted by the unlawful actions of RLP.

RLP can do nothing to you except threaten all sorts. ONLY the retailer can take you to court and as this is Boots, it is highly unlikely they will want to go there.

Please relax, get your parents to read some of the threads here about RLP and just how toothless they actually are. Make sure they do not capitulate to RLPs pretend power.

If they included an FAQ with the letter, the majority of it is BS.

The police failed to take any action so no criminal record

You do not need to pay their invoice

Stay out of trouble!

Its also not a fine at all. Just ignore RLP. Read the RLP forum and you'll see theres nothing to be concerned about.

Good old RLP and their powerless puerile threat letters....

Definitely ignore them, I wouldn't even open the darn things if a play on words might intimidate you.

As they called your parents I read this as you are under 18. This means that they cannot pursue you for the money legally so all they can do is send out begging letters full of lies in the hope you pay them just to get them to stop.

It will not appear on any search, the police didnt take any interest so it wont ever reach the PNC and will therefore never get on the same bus as an enhanced DBS check, let alone in one.

Stop worrying about these vultures and dont do what your friends do just because they do it.

Thanks for replying y'all,

So are you suggesting that I should just ignore the letter? Is there a possibility that they can take further actions?

Thanks for replying y'all,

So are you suggesting that I should just ignore the letter? Is there a possibility that they can take further actions?

NO! Rlp can only act on client instruction. They cannot take any action in their own right.

The ONLY thing RLP can do is pass on this amount to a debt collector who have even less power that RLP.

They can write as many letters as they like. If you feel threatened by them, complain to Trading Standards.

Carry on ignoring. We are here for a bit of hand holding if needed

Thank you so much.. I feel bit more relieved now. They said that they could use my personal details which can be saved on the database for viewing, especially the employees. Is this true? If not, what do they do with those details

Any data they retain must be held securely and not shared without good reason.

They did start another company called Cireco which was purported to be for potential employers to use if they wanted to check out the applicant but to access it, they would need the applicants permission however, in one thread I saw, RLP have included a FAQ which state that they will only store the data until no longer required.

I wouldn't worry about this. They can do nothing with your data without your permission.

So no one can access to this information?

Nobody can without your permission. You can even tell them to remove it as they have no right to keep it and they MUST comply

This is a quote from RLPs fact sheet which spells out what they do with your data.

What is the Position With – My Data, Any Information I Provide to you – The Data Protection Act

Any information you supply will be used for the sole purpose of determining whether to proceed with the claim. It will not be processed further or passed to any third party. It will be confidentially destroyed. If you believe the information we hold is not accurate it is for you to advise us so we hold an accurate account which the DPA requires. Please see the reverse of our letter for more DPA information.

If you believe the information we hold is not accurate it is for you to advise us so we hold an accurate account which the DPA requires.

Surely its for them to make sure they hold the correct info. The way thats worded is like a DCA would use. Clever words designed to make YOU give them the info and they do no legwork but still chase you

Hey everyone,

I have just received another letter from the RLP and they have decreased the amount to £147.50 and this time the letter was addressed to my parents. They have also mentioned that if they do not receive payment or a response, within 21 days, they will revert to their client for further instruction. What should I do?

Ignore them as we already said. They cannot do ANYTHING. They are simply scaring you. Thats it. They even admitted it in that letter.

Just laugh at them and continue to ignore. I know it's scary, but hand on heart, i can say they are 99.99% likely to do nothing apart from send silly rubbish to you. Dont reply to any of it.

thank you.. i'm little relieved now

Just seconding the opinion.

As mentioned by me in posts 3 and 9, RLP can do bugger all to you apart from passing this 'liability' on to their tame debt collector who can do even less.

You will know that it is coming to the end when RLP will send a letter saying they will pass it back to their client with the recommendation that they take legal action. Nothing more, Nada. Zilch. Nuffink!