First letter from RLP today... Boots Shoplift?

[bl4ckl4c3]

Hi Guys

 

Just received my first letter from RLP today, when the event in question was on the 7th of Jan!

On the day in question I had items in my bag admittedly, so was taken to their back office. I signed no forms and the police weren't called. My identity was confirmed via my college badge and phone call to my dad. Used cosmetic items of my own were also seized and I was accused of thieving other items in my bag. I was under duress so I let them keep said items. Their value was around £50-60 overall including the make-up of mine taken.

 

The letter requests £244.92! There is no breakdown of the need for these costs as I have read in other posts. The average request is the very precise £137.50 so where has my total been conjured from? My mum is aware of the case and I am unsure what to do as she says just to pay them off.

 

So, questions

 

1. Should I pay RLP despite the fact I have signed no documents other than a scribble of my name and address to contact my dad?

 

2. They mention in their 'Important Information' that they keep my data on some sort of database? Is this accessible to employers etc as I am looking to eventually end up in a healthcare career where check like CRB are commonplace.

 

3. Do they have any legal authority? Is this letter a legal document?

 

And any answers to my decidedly long essay above would be appreciated!

 

Hope you can help me

 

from

 

Confused 17 year old Girl!

[dx100uk]

1 .NO!!

 

2. NO!!

 

3. NO!!

 

ignore!!

 

dx

[2Grumpy]

Obviously you should not have been stealing, but you do not mention whether you left the shop or whether you were apprehended before leaving

 

Likewise Boots should not have stolen your property.

 

Only the police/courts can issue penalties for theft. The police weren't called and it's too late now.

 

You will gain nothing by you or your parents paying these fleecers. They have no legal authority. Unless you did something to the items to make them unfit for sale then Boots losses are zero.

 

RLP's involvement is tenuous, their losses are zero (although they would like to profit from this).

 

Don't respond to the first letter, but send a single line response to their second letter "I deny any liability to you or your clients", send second class but get a certificate of posting from the post office. Keep a copy of the letter & RLP's letters.

[bl4ckl4c3]

sorry yeah they stopped me and I felt like a total idiot -.-' the items were measly but they claimed that my own property was theirs and had store clerks sniffing my mascara :')

 

I dont want to risk police issues cause my CRB needs to be clean. Will ignoring them cause police involvement?

[dx100uk]

no

ignore them

 

dx

[rebel11]

Hi bl4

 

Welcome to CAG

 

Have a read of the CAB reports on RLP, to date they haven't taken anyone to court, no doubt they will continue to send threatening letters, it might be worth responding with a letter, maybe after the third letter, what you've been sent is a 'speculative invoice' not a 'fine', with no breakdown, it's seeking to

profit from the situation, rather then any true costs that they have incurred, security, staff etc are all budgeted for in their projected forecasts.

[bl4ckl4c3]

sorry for the late reply yeah had a read looks rather interesting! So the consensus seems to be to wait for further correspondence. What shall I reply though? With an offer or...?

[rebel11]

There is a template letter and it certainly is not an offer.

[huggys boss]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Don't offer them anything!

Ignore them and their letters, unless as previously stated you are bored and fancy telling them to politely go away.

[bl4ckl4c3]

template letter you say?

[2Grumpy]

template letter you say?

 

I don't think that there is a template but here's one I provided earlier (post 3)

 

Don't respond to the first letter, but send a single line response to their second letter "I deny any liability to you or your clients", send second class but get a certificate of posting from the post office. Keep a copy of the letter & RLP's letters.

[2Grumpy]

And don't contact them by phone

[Anus Horribilis]

no

ignore them

 

dx

 

blacklace states that clean CRB is important to her. Whilst RLP & credit reference agencies are not linked to CRB, some employers will make checks on multiple systems. If blacklace has signed a form (or been AV recorded) admitting to theft and promising to pay a settlement, then failure to do so may be recorded on one or another database. If it's recorded as a civil debt via Experian etc, then it will likely be identifiable as a dishonesty flag, and that will impact upon credit ratings and insurance etc.

 

If blacklace did not make any provable admission to theft, then I have no reservations and agree that the RLP should be robustly ignored.

[bl4ckl4c3]

Update: received another letter today basically asking why I haven't responded. They also questioned my capacity to understand the ramifications of the case and debating whether to inform my parents? My parents are seperated and my mum remarried. My parents know but not my stepdad. Is it possible for him to be informed by them?

 

@Horribilis

 

I will have an enhanced CRB in the job I eventually want to end up in (midwifery). I signed no documentation whatsoever and offered no payment at the time. The police weren't called and by the security guard's words there was to be no sanction this time. I don't know if cctv was operational in the room; but they surely would have to tell me if it was for proof of admission otherwise they're guilty of deception, no? They also took no formal copy of i.d just my college i.d - is that even proof enough of identity?

 

I know you're all essentially saying 'stiff upper lip' but I don't know whether to just reply with a strong worded letter and a check for like £60 or something? Just sick of the BS.

 

Thankyou all at CAG!

[andydd]

'Threatening' to inform your parents sounds rather iffy to me, either at 17 you arer old enough for them to solely to deal with you or are too yound and therefore they must deal with them only.

 

Im pretty certain that this info will NOT appear on even an enhanced CPR although as mentioned above there is some evidence that stores use additional databases.

 

Ultimately even if legal actiopn was started there is no actual evidence of a crime let alone damages.

 

Andy

[Anus Horribilis]

I will have an enhanced CRB in the job I eventually want to end up in (midwifery). I signed no documentation whatsoever and offered no payment at the time. The police weren't called and by the security guard's words there was to be no sanction this time. I don't know if cctv was operational in the room; but they surely would have to tell me if it was for proof of admission otherwise they're guilty of deception, no? They also took no formal copy of i.d just my college i.d - is that even proof enough of identity?

I know you're all essentially saying 'stiff upper lip' but I don't know whether to just reply with a strong worded letter and a check for like £60 or something? Just sick of the BS.

 

My advice would be to ignore them. Correspondence or calls, attempts to negotiate, it's all just encouragement to them. They will pin your 'strongly-worded letter' on the office wall and laugh at it. It can also be put before a court as evidence that you admit to some degree of guilt.

[Anus Horribilis]

'Im pretty certain that this info will NOT appear on even an enhanced CPR although as mentioned above there is some evidence that stores use additional databases.

 

No, it will not appear on an enhanced CRB.

[dx100uk]

i'd p'haps be inclined to fwd that letter to OFT/TS

 

as its a threat they should NOT be making.

 

dx

[stu007]

Hi

 

There is also a simple solution - If you did not sign for these letters well how can they say that you actually recieved these letter.

 

Ignore them simples no signature, no proof you recieved letters.

[bl4ckl4c3]

i'd p'haps be inclined to fwd that letter to OFT/TS

 

as its a threat they should NOT be making.

 

dx

 

 

 

Don't mean to seem dense but what is OFT/TS? And I couldn't believe it when I read it! Here's a little extract:

 

As we have not heard from you or anyone on your behalf, we need to consider whether you fully understand our client's claim and the implications it may have. We are required to judge whether, given your age, you do not realise the potential consequence. As a result you may be classed as vulnerable under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) which would require that we address future correspondence directly to an appropriate adult etc etc ... If you have not shown this letter to your parents we strongly recommend that you do so.

 

So to me that sounds as though 'vulnerable' means a complete moron or someone who is too incapacitated to comprehend? I supposedly can't consciously make my own decisions so my parents must be involved!?

 

 

Oh and get this, 'if we do not hear from you in 14 days of this letter, we will consider further your capacity to fully understand this claim'. The letter is dated 22nd, I received it 26th. So just 10 days then...

 

EDIT: is OFT the Office of Fair Trading? Google....

Edited March 27, 2012 by bl4ckl4c3

[bl4ckl4c3]

My advice would be to ignore them. Correspondence or calls, attempts to negotiate, it's all just encouragement to them. They will pin your 'strongly-worded letter' on the office wall and laugh at it. It can also be put before a court as evidence that you admit to some degree of guilt.

 

So what you said about AV records of my 'admission' isn't an issue? Like I said I signed nothing and I wasn't informed of any cctv in operation to record my speech. This whole dishonesty register thing they have too seems interesting.. does anybody actually check this or what?

[Anus Horribilis]

As we have not heard from you or anyone on your behalf, we need to consider whether you fully understand our client's claim and the implications it may have. We are required to judge whether, given your age, you do not realise the potential consequence. As a result you may be classed as vulnerable under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) which would require that we address future correspondence directly to an appropriate adult etc etc ... If you have not shown this letter to your parents we strongly recommend that you do so.

 

So to me that sounds as though 'vulnerable' means a complete moron or someone who is too incapacitated to comprehend? I supposedly can't consciously make my own decisions so my parents must be involved!?

 

Nasty tactic, they are clearly hoping that this will increase the psych. pressure upon you.

[Anus Horribilis]

So what you said about AV records of my 'admission' isn't an issue? Like I said I signed nothing and I wasn't informed of any cctv in operation to record my speech.

 

If they have a recording of you clearly admitting to theft, they might use this in a civil court to sue you. This is not a criminal process, and does not show on a CRB even if you lose.

 

But, if they do sue they can only claim their reasonable losses. The inflated demands sent out by RLP operators are unlikely to be supported in a court, and there are few if any examples where they have been successful in such a claim. You might end up being ordered to pay them £20 or £50 for the time and inconvenience, it would certainly be less than they would have to spend.

 

Add to this that the claim would be in the small claims court, where their legal fees are not recoverable *and* that you are a juvenile and your capacity to defend a civil case would cause them further problems. Overall I'd say it's very unlikely that you would ever be sued, but nobody can guarantee that.

[2Grumpy]

This looks like RLP threatening to tell your parents as leverage to make you pay!!!!

 

Look at the facts

 

You did pick up some items and attempt to leave the store without paying. You were stopped before leaving & the goods recovered in a saleable condition.

 

You were taken to a room where you felt intimidated (you didn't say whether there was a female store person present or just males)

 

They stole some of your possessions from you

 

Regardless of what might have been said, I can't see that they have any case against you

 

Only Boots could take any action and they don't appear to have suffered any losses. It is possible that they are under the impression that some of your possessions that they stole were actually the property of Boots.

 

If they were to proceed in that mistaken belief, you would have to demand the return of your property and put the onus on them to prove that it was theirs.Most likely they would drop it.

 

At the moment it is just RLP and their silly letters and threats and that is almost certainly where it will stay.

 

It might be worth sending a one-line letter "I deny any liability to you or your clients" to point at in case they refer this non-debt to debt collectors (who are also powerless).

[andydd]

..and worth pointing out that weve STILL to see any valid court cases started by RLP despite there being some recent threads on here claiming to have court docs, theyve now gone quiet when asked to scan/print them here, leading many to believe they were RLP trolls.

 

Andy