Please help with rlp. So stressed

[Stressed2014]

Hi

I'm hoping someone can put my mind at rest.

 

I was accused of shoplifting from tkmaxx a short time ago after I accidentally left the store still holding an item

due to being harassed with kids and thinking of other things I had to buy whilst out and about.

 

I was approached in the store next door buying groceries and was still holding the item in my hand with my handbag,

( I'd been holding it so long I completely forgot I had hold of it).

 

I followed the security man back to the store of my own free will and offered to pay for the item but they refused.

 

Once in store, I was spoken to like a piece of **** , when I in fact hold a very good good in the public sector and pay for everything I own.

 

They called the police who were there 5 minutes and were happy to let me go without any further action whatsoever.

 

I received a letter asking me for over £180 and giving me a chance to state my side of events.

 

I wrote back explaining it was genuine human error and that I would have been straight back

anyway as soon as I'd realised as I'm an honest person.

 

I sent it recorded delivery too.

 

I then got another letter stating they have a different version if events and will only accept a small reduction to £150.

 

By this point I had found this forum and just ignored it.

 

A few days ago I receive another letter saying I have never responded and they won't go away .

 

Then the day after, I got another saying they will share my private data with companies which will affect my crb record etc.

 

can they do this legally?

 

The police were happy to leave it.

 

Can I deny them the right to use my data in hhis way?

 

Also, if I continue to ignore them and the DCA get involved,

 

how does this affect my credit rating?

 

I have an excellent credit record and don't want searches and entries from a DCA on my record

as we are looking to buy a bigger home next year.?

[Stressed2014]

THE LETTER....

 

 

We are instructed to notify you that you are not to return to our clients premises for the next 1 year.

If you do you will be a trespasser and maybe liable for arrest and further criminal action.

 

It is alleged that you were involved in a wrongful act and your actions caused significant disruption to the clients business at those premises.

 

Our Clients lossed include the value of the goods, if not recovered or fit for resale ,

the cost of security and store personnels time who were diverted from there duties for which they are engaged

and paid, plus administration security costs.

 

The law provides the recovery of these losses and makes no distinction between profit generating personal

and profit protecting security personal who are equal value to the business.

 

Collectively a substantial amount of time was incurred as a result of your actions

such as observing, apprehending, interviewing you, and undertaking all necessary internal and external procedures thereafter.

 

Before instigating a civil claim, which is entirely separate from any police action or criminal proceedings,

we invite you to advise us if there are any facts or circumstances surrounding the incident that led to your involvement

in the incident that you would like us to take in to account.

 

If you believe you may have a defence, or if there any other circumstances which led to your involvement in the incident,

you need to inform us within 14days and provide any evidence in support of your representations.

 

Any information you provide will be evaluated in order to make decision as to whether it is appropriate to seek the cost of your actions

( the disruption ) from you.

 

You will appreciate we can only take into consideration information if it is provided .

If we do not receive any information or evidence from you,

the information our client has provided will be relied upon, and a claim will proceed.

 

The actual cost of dealing with your actions is considerable .

The average cost to our client of an incident of this nature is between £300 and £500,

before taking into account the value of losses for any goods not recovered or not fit for resale.

 

Although our client is legally entitled to claim its full costs and losses, our client proposes to seek only a contribution

towards the costs of dealing with the incident, which it considers is sufficient to deter you from involvement in further such incidents.

 

Provided our client does not seek to recover in excess of its losses, such losses are recoverable in law.

 

A total sum of £150 ( including any goods if they were not fit for resale ) therefore required to settle this claim.

 

The procedure for this claim is set out in the practice direction for pre-action conduct and Civil Procedure rules 1998.

 

You are required to respond within 14days.

 

If we receive no response, our client would be entitled to issue proceedings for the fuul value of the claim.

 

We summarise your options

 

. if there are factors that you wish to be taken into account you must advise within 14days

. if there are any considering factors, settle the claim by paying the amount stated £150 ( see enclosed sheet)

.if you wish to settle the claim,but cannot do within 14days, contact us to discuss payment options.

. Negotiate an alternative settlement by conducting our collections department.

. Advise that you require more time to take advice and consider your position.

 

We will put this matter on hold to allow you the full 14days to respond.

 

Yours Sincerely

 

RLP

[silverfox1961]

Hi and welcome to CAG

 

STOP WRITING! this just encourages them. You have laid out your reasons. nuff said. They won't sit back and do nothing. They will send more letters, and more letters then pass it on to so dumb debt collector who have as many teeth as me-none

 

This so called £3-500 costs are absolute rubbish. The staff get paid whether or not they apprehend anyone.

 

They do store data on their systems but they cannot share this without your permission. As for CRB checks. Do they actually say this in the letter? Only officials can enter any data on a CRB file and RLP are certainly not official.

 

I suggest ignoring their petulant missives from now on.

[Stressed2014]

Hi and welcome to CAG

 

STOP WRITING! this just encourages them. You have laid out your reasons. nuff said. They won't sit back and do nothing. They will send more letters, and more letters then pass it on to so dumb debt collector who have as many teeth as me-

This so called £3-500 costs are absolute rubbish. The staff get paid whether or not they apprehend anyone.

 

They do store data on their systems but they cannot share this without your permission. As for CRB checks. Do they actually say this in the letter? Only officials can enter any data on a CRB file and RLP are certainly not official.

 

I suggest ignoring their petulant missives from now on.

 

Hi

Thanks for your reply. I won't be writing again but it states they may pass my data to closed user groups for employment screening as well as other crime initiatives. I have regular crb checks for my job so this was a worry, almost as much as the worry about a DCA putting something/search on my credit file.

[renegadeimp]

They wont. You want it in simple terms? ok.

 

They are LYING and scaring you into paying them money they are not entitled to and you do not have to pay. Ignore everything from them. Including any crap they try and send to a silly DCA.

 

Seriously, you have NOTHING to worry about. At all.

[Stressed2014]

Thank you. So the DCA doesn't report against your credit record?

[silverfox1961]

The only way this could ever appear on your credit file is if the retailer took court action and you lost the case AND failed to pay within 28 days. They haven't so far so why start now. This is a non debt and a DCA cannot even touch your credit file and you haven't given them permission to do so.

 

Remember:

 

RLP cannot take court action

DCA cannot take court action

TKMaxx do not do court action.

 

All you will get is some very unpleasant letters

[renegadeimp]

The DCA can not do anything whatsoever. Why? Because no debt exists. It is purely a fictitious debt RLP have invented. If they tried to put something on your file, they would be in very very serious trouble.

[dx100uk]

totally ignore everyone

 

its all a moneymaking exercise

 

none of it ever goes back to the store anyhow!!

 

dx

[ericsbrother]

The letter from RLP kicks off with a lie, trespass is not a criminal matter in most cases so you wont be liable to be arrested oand there is no further criminal action (unless they mean fraud by misrepresentation by themselves which is a criminal matter).

You say the police were involved, as they have taken no further action then it means that 1) no offence committed, 2) the matter is "de minimis" or not in the public interest to take the matter further.

As no loss has been caused to the store then there is nothing for RLP to recover. The claims about diversion of staff causing costs is a load of b****cks and this have been proven in several court cases, including one where RLP were directly involved so they know that this is untrue.

There is no requirement for you to respond at all, let alone in 14 days, they have made this up to look like they have some official standing. the only contribution you would be making if you paid them the £150 is to their holiday fund.

Ignore them completely, they will continue to write becuse the big stores pay them a subscription every year based upon their rather "interesting" reprersentations about what they do so they can afford to. After a while it becomes uneconomical to try and convince you the world is bout to end so they get another company to send you a scary letter pretending that they are owed the money but this isnt true. you dont owe them the time of day.