TK Maxx Civil Recovery

[ihavea]

I very stupidly decided to steal items from TK Maxx.

 

I was caught, and the Police were called.

 

The total amount in goods was around £120, and I returned them to the store.

 

I honestly don't know what was running through my head at the time, perhaps just, ohh, I may be able to get that for free if I steal it.

 

I am now feeling like a foolish wreck and will never do it again.

 

The police were called as I am 19 year old female student and in University and I have to pay a £80 fine to Thames Valley Police.

I was also issued with a Notice of Intended Civil Recovery.

 

I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN! And I JUST FEEL SO ASHAMED AND GUILTY.

 

I was wondering how much the Civil Recovery charge would perhaps amount to, as I am a student and don't have much money to live on, let alone pay this fee, and I'm feeling really scared.

I don't want my parents to find out.

 

I am so sorry and scared, and also wondered if there were people I am able to email and to get some advice.

 

thank you

[andydd]

You'll no doubt get a letter from RLP asking for money/damages, have a read through all the other threads about this on here and read the CAB Report (and RLP's reply), whilst TK MAxx/RLP may in theory have a claim for damages against you, they clearly are not confident enough to pursue someone all the way through the court process and win BUT you will no doubt be hassled by RLP but you can either ignore the letters, write back denying you owe them anything or pay them.

 

Have a search around and youll find good advice on all the other threads.

 

Andy

[ihavea]

Thank you Andy so much for replying.

 

I will definitely be keeping an eye out for those RLP letters!

 

Do I need to pay the £80 for penalty notice from the police?

 

Also, I wondered how much this would affect my future job prospects.

It would be awful if this very foolish mistake I made had an impact on the rest of my life. This all feels very overwhelming at the moment, and I have learned my lesson for sure!

[andydd]

Do I need to pay the £80 for penalty notice from the police?

 

 

EErr..I would of thought so, no expert on this, but I would of thought non-payment would leave you open to arrest.

 

As for Job Prospects, this has been bought up before, I guess you could kiss goodbye to woprking at TK MAxx and associated stores, there has also been talk of some sort of 'blacklist' that other stores may have access to, Im unsure of this and it may well breach data protection rules.

 

Unfortuneatly there are a great many youngsters who do something stupid and find it haunts them in later life, I assume that the £80 'fine' means that there is no police record as such, but Im not sure whether such things show up on advanced CRB checks.

 

Andy

[Sidewinder]

Yes you MUST pay the Police (unless you decide to be dealt with by a Court) or this could result in a criminal conviction. RLP you can argue with.

 

What exactly was the type of Penalty given to you? Although the Penalty itself is not recorded as a Conviction, the fact that you were arrested and dealt with by way of a Penalty Notice will almost certainly leave a trace which could be disclosed if you ever apply for a job where an Enhanced CRB is required.

[ihavea]

I was given a DA12 offence code.

I am just so annoyed with myself and can't believe I was this stupid and could jeopardise my chances with future employment.

[kellysi]

You may like to check out the FAQ's and offence code definitions on the Home Office website (try googling 'DA12 Offience Code' and select the homeoffice.gov.uk result).

 

Good luck!!!

[ihavea]

I've recieved two letters from RLP to date, demanding I pay them £187.50.

 

1. I don't know if i should write back demanding a breakdown for the actual cat, because I know that £187.50 is way more than any damages to TKMaxx, a number RLP plucked from nothing. As i have returned all items undamaged, I don't think this could affect the sale of the objects.

 

2. However, I am afraid of my "details" remaining on their databases for 6 years, and whether this will affect my future life/ mortgages/ banking/ employment.

3. I am also afraid of them taking any sort of legal action against me, as police were involved, and if I am sued or taken to courts.

 

4. However, I do not have £187.50 to pay RLP, being a student. My student loans barely cover my living expenses.

 

5. Perhaps if I get my father to write them a letter responding they may take me more seriously.

 

6. I've looked around on this site, where many people have been advised to just leave the letters alone and not reply back. I'm not sure if I should do this. I am scared RLP will take even more drastic actions.

 

I am just unsure of what to do.

 

Also, when I was at TKMaxx, the security guard threatened me that bailiffs would come round to my accommodation and take my stuff if I do not pay the charges. I am just really not sure what to do....

 

Please help. I have attached the two letters I have received so far.

 

Thanks!

[Sidewinder]

£187.50 is a pretty standard amount for RLP. It is a 'pre-estimate' of damages rather than actual costs incurred and is one of the main reasons why RLP would be unlikely to succeed in a Court case.

 

I have never come across anybody with any experience of their 'database'. Not saying that they don't have one, but I don't believe that it is used by too many people. It certainly wn't affect any official record or credit file so cannot possibly affect future credit or banking facilities and is VERY unlikely to ever affect employment.

 

A letter from your father will simply show that they have a fish on the hook and will lead to them cranking up the threats. It won't carry any more weight than if you were to write yourself - TO TELL THEM THAT YOU DON'T OWE THEM AND WON'T BE PAYING!

 

What more drastic action can they take? Of all the threads here, not one person has come back having had a claim issued in Court. The vast majority have ignored the threats until they stopped, and a very small number paid up because, like you, they were too worried. All that has done is to give money away that they needn't have done.

 

The security guard was talking out of his backside. Bailiffs can only be instructed IF a claim is issued by the Court, IF a Judgement is entered and IF you then don't pay the Judgement. That is a million miles from where you are now and is incredibly unlikely to happen.

[2Grumpy]

Ignore their first letter. Don't telephone them.

 

When they send their second begging letter, send a single line reply "I deny any liability to you or your client" - nothing else, nothing from your dad or anyone else. Send 2nd class but get a certificate of posting.

 

Then ignore anything else they send.

 

RLP CANNOT take you to court - they are nothing to do with the shop The shop could take you to court to recover their losses - round about zero - so there's no chance of that

[rebel11]

Also read the CAB report on RLP.

[ihavea]

Hi, thanks for the replies.

 

I was thinking of sending a letter, but I thought if I did, they would pester me more and more.

 

I was thinking of perhaps ignoring them.

[rebel11]

They are pretty automated, they will send those letters regardless.

 

Hi, thanks for the replies.

 

I was thinking of sending a letter, but I thought if I did, they would pester me more and more.

 

I was thinking of perhaps ignoring them.

[ihavea]

I had a read through the CAB, some of the letters sent by the loss recovery companies actually seem quite threatening, and some even said that they were going to go to the resident's house!

[honeybee13]

Hello there.

 

As you've spotted, these companies try tactics and fear. The guys know what they're talking about, do what they say and come back to us if you feel threatened by the tone of the letters.

 

My best, HB

[ihavea]

So would you recommend I completely ignore the letters, or send one back with the one liner,

"I deny any liability to you or your client" and not respond to future letters?

 

Once again, thank you guys very much, I really appreciate all your help and support and will NEVER find myself in this situation again! I will always have this guilt and the criminal mark against my name, which could possibly affect my future choices, but at least I have learned from this.

[2Grumpy]

So would you recommend I completely ignore the letters, or send one back with the one liner,

"I deny any liability to you or your client" and not respond to future letters?

 

Once again, thank you guys very much, I really appreciate all your help and support and will NEVER find myself in this situation again! I will always have this guilt and the criminal mark against my name, which could possibly affect my future choices, but at least I have learned from this.

 

Definitely - 2nd class after you get their 2nd letter

[ihavea]

I have just been sent a third letter saying their client is now in a position to issue court proceedings against me.

 

I guess I will be writing that letter tomorrow and sending it!

[Sidewinder]

Standard letter. Send off your response!

[andydd]

I have just been sent a third letter saying their client is now in a position to issue court proceedings against me.

 

I guess I will be writing that letter tomorrow and sending it!

 

HHmm..but they never do..odd that !

 

Andy

[Shakilla]

did anything happen?

[letshelp]

Having never won on the lottery I really shouldn't gamble, but I will bet my house that no proceedings were ever issued, or the op just paid up.

regards