Hi I have been reading a lot of threads on here which all say to ignore RLP letters.

I have done so far but am now worried sick.

I am past the 21 days it gave me to respond.

I got one a few weeks ago after being stopped by security for switching tags in a store and also returning an item that I did buy from TK Maxx but not on that day as I had lost the receipt for it.

Bought a similar item that I liked better that was the same price and returned the original one - stupidly justifying in my mind that I was still paying so I wasn't stealing re the tag switching and yes I know that I was and I also know that that it was fraud.

The letter I received from RLP is a Letter Before Claim - it says there are no losses due to fraudulent refund transactions not recovered and £150 to cover time etc - total £150 owed.

Having read quite a few forum posts it seems it is worse to do a label switch than to steal an item... and I am not proud of what I did.

I have also returned the wrong items in the past too (new TK Maxx items that I had bought and was unsure about keeping - then the receipt return date had expired so I bought another and then returned as above but didn't get stopped on those occasions).

I am obviously banned from TK Maxx and 100% appreciate that things could have been a lot worse as the security staff didn't call the police at the time

. I could have had a criminal record....

I am also relieved that I was stopped because I became a total shopaholic at the fine old age of 52 since I split up with my wife a few years ago and I truly needed to stop.

Since this incident, I have stopped wasting hours wandering around stores and buying stuff I don't need - so I am thinking that the £150 fine is a small amount to pay to have stopped this mindless shopping.

A friend I confided in also has convinced me to make an appointment with my doctor as she thinks I am depressed and using shopping to replace my wife... , I will do this.

But @Maxxer as all holding rooms have audio and video and I admitted what I did (switching tags and returning wrong item) would it be better to just pay the RLP letter?

Did you mean on a comment on another thread you made that they would need to get another fraudulent return by me after this incident (which I won't do) and then they can make a case or will they go back on previous purchases/returns on my card and then get the police involved?

I suppose I am asking if I pay would that be the end of it or would it be the end of it anyway unless I go back into TK Maxx again? I hope this makes sense.

I am sorry this is so long but thanks for reading. From one idiotic man who has made stupid mistakes not thinking about the consequences and now worried sick.

Please stop creating your own misery.

IGNORE the silly letters from RLP, they are nothing more than Santas Christmas lists, there is NOTHING they can do.

DO NOT pay these crooks a single penny, the items were returned, there was no loss to anyone which makes these stupid letters from RLP pointless, just throw them in the bin.

Go and get an appointment with your GP and explain to him what has been going on, it isn't easy losing someone, and I think you need to discuss this with your GP, and ignore RLP, they most definitely do not matter one iota!

It is not a fine!!

Ignore RLP

Go see you doc

Dx

Thanks I am making myself anxious constantly thinking about this

Thanks I am making myself anxious constantly thinking about this

It'll soon pass, give it a few days, once you realise that the whole country isn't watching you you'll wind down.

I was caught earlier this year, and whilst the paranoia was through the roof, I still go and shop in the same store now, even after having a 'lifetime ban', in the grand scheme of things there are far more serious issues in this world other than switching labels and poxy TKmaxx.

Above all else, no-one died!

Get that appointment booked with your GP,!

Hi and welcome to CAG.

You have a good friend who has advised you to see your GP. This is the first thing that struck me when I read the your first post above. I do know from personal experience that the world can seem to crash around us when one partner in a marriage leaves. In my case, it was also my wife. It wouldn't have been so bad but she left me for someone who was drop dead ugly

Your GP has probably seen this all before and won't be too surprised by this event. If you do get prescribed anti depressants (hereafter called Happy Pills), make sure that you take them as the effects can take two to three weeks to get into your system..

You have probably seen many of the other threads and the advice has always been to ignore. This Letter Before Claim is nothing of the sort. RLP can issue them even though they are thoroughly misleading but ONLY TKMaxx can take court action against you and the problem for them is that they would then have to justify the amount claimed. TKMaxx security staff are not paid by results and they get paid as employees of the company. Being staff members may mean that they get a higher wage but for a claim to succeed, they will have to prove the loss. They can't.

Another reason that court action is very unlikely is that it would be in the small claims court and as such the costs are fixed and it would cost the company far more than they could ever get back so it's a complete waste of time doing so.

The advice you have had to ignore is good advice (in my opinion) as no company that I have heard of in the last six years has taken anyone to court [ not including one store that backed out before court]

Thanks it was about 6 weeks ago and I was ignoring the letter I'm past the 21 days to respond so am sure I will get another letter soon then I started reading the posts about checking past transactions etc and got into a panic

They don't and can't check it. Ignore rlp and any dca completely. The letters are full of junk and designed to break you down into paying

Hi how do I delete this post please? I am worried I can be traced by it due saying I had let the 21 day letter response lapse.

Hi.

We don't normally remove threads unless there are legal reasons for this. Your username is completely anonymous and nobody has any idea who you are or where you are, so I don't think you have a problem.

RLP aren't part of the legal system, they can't do anything to you.

HB

Well they cant trace you

And there is nothing they can do to you even if they could anyway

Totally powerless

Whilst you cannot be traced from any postings here, RLP do occasionally look at these threads. It matters not one iota. I could make statements that I stole this and that but RLP won't have a clue who I am.

Try not to worry. None of what you have posted will make any difference to RLP as they can still do nothing.

Another reason why they can’t trace you: their indiscriminately issuing of letter confetti.

If they only issued a few of these letters they MIGHT be able to work it out.

But they don’t. Their “business model” is to issue loads, that way only a small percentage have to fall for their “demands” for it to be worth it to them.

Yet, that works for you. They’ll have issued so many letters they want have a clue which one is the one you are posting about, so they can’t link it back to you.

OK thank you all

Hi I hope that you are ok. My shoplifting episode was almost 6 months ago now - and it was DWF who sent the letters not RLP - but if it helps the letters stopped after the third one. I didn't get any Bailiffs letters (yet?) and I ignored all three.

I didn't get any Bailiffs letters (yet?) and I ignored all three.

You WON'T get ANY BAILIFF letters, that is a complete myth, don't confuse BAILIFFS with powerless debt collectors.

Well done for ignoring these fools.

Sorry my mistake - after the three DWF letters I have to date received nothing else I should have said!

WOW! Sorry I missed this (been a bit poorly recently) This is a MAJOR change. RLP used to be the first company that TKMaxx went to but it seems RLP weren't having the effect that TKMaxx wanted so they have dumped them. That is EXCELLENT news. The more stores that do this, the sooner this shady company folds.

While I still abhor these silly games, it seems DWF only send three letters then stop which is better for the (alleged) shoplifter as they can them put the issue to bed. I would love to hear if anyone hears further from DWF after the three letters or whether a debt collector gets involved.

WOW! Sorry I missed this (been a bit poorly recently) This is a MAJOR change. RLP used to be the first company that TKMaxx went to but it seems RLP weren't having the effect that TKMaxx wanted so they have dumped them. That is EXCELLENT news. The more stores that do this, the sooner this shady company folds.

 

 

While I still abhor these silly games, it seems DWF only send three letters then stop which is better for the (alleged) shoplifter as they can them put the issue to bed. I would love to hear if anyone hears further from DWF after the three letters or whether a debt collector gets involved.

Just phoned and checked with a current lp employee, tk’s Are indeed still using rlp, not anyone else.

WOW! Sorry I missed this (been a bit poorly recently) This is a MAJOR change. RLP used to be the first company that TKMaxx went to but it seems RLP weren't having the effect that TKMaxx wanted so they have dumped them. That is EXCELLENT news. The more stores that do this, the sooner this shady company folds.

 

 

While I still abhor these silly games, it seems DWF only send three letters then stop which is better for the (alleged) shoplifter as they can them put the issue to bed. I would love to hear if anyone hears further from DWF after the three letters or whether a debt collector gets involved.

Sorry I think I confused things - my letters were from DWF (Tesco) - was just saying what I'd received then they stopped to the OP who said his were from RLP (TK Maxx)

Hi my letters are from RLP

the advice remains constant, IGNORE RLP and any other debt collector regardless of what title they give themselves or what logo they have on their letterhead. They have no rights in law so can do nothing other than trying to frighten you.