RLP help!

[anonymous]

so I have been reading a lot about the company RLP and just need some more clarification.
im hugely embarrassed to write this but I was caught shoplifting (a brush and fake tan). i have never done it before and defineltly have learned my lesson and wont be ding it again!!! however i was pulled up outside of the store by the police therefore had no dealings or contact with the store or security. i was given a warning and no further action was taken. however RLP sent me an email asking me to pay £147.50. this is crazy and i am not in a position to pay. I gave no contact information to the company and i think the only way they obtained my email is because i was scared and confused at the start and the police gave me a sheet of paper talking about the company so i emailed them asking for more information. this was stupid and i gave them a way to contact me!!!!! what should i do??

[Amethyst]

Re: RLP help!

No need to be embarassed, everyone has a wibble xxxx And don't worry about RLP, have a read around some other threads on here and you'll see they are pretty toothless - Don't respond to them.

RLP wouldn't get your details directly from the Police, the police will have given them to the store and the store will have passed it to RLP. Interested to know what this sheet of paper the police gave you was about though ? Do you still have it ?

Also emailing is new.... can you copy and paste the email onto here pls ( leave out your details and the store address )

[teaboy2]

Re: RLP help!

I'm interest to see what this sheet the police was that they gave you too. Certainly a new thing, and same with emailing people too. Though i suspect you never gave consent for the store to share your details with a third part company either!

[Openlaw15]

Re: RLP help!

so I have been reading a lot about the company RLP and just need some more clarification.
im hugely embarrassed to write this but I was caught shoplifting (a brush and fake tan). i have never done it before and defineltly have learned my lesson and wont be ding it again!!! however i was pulled up outside of the store by the police therefore had no dealings or contact with the store or security. i was given a warning and no further action was taken. however RLP sent me an email asking me to pay £147.50. this is crazy and i am not in a position to pay. I gave no contact information to the company and i think the only way they obtained my email is because i was scared and confused at the start and the police gave me a sheet of paper talking about the company so i emailed them asking for more information. this was stupid and i gave them a way to contact me!!!!! what should i do??

Did the police take the brush and fake tan off you and give back to the owner? Does the letter say what the £147.50 is for? A rather expensive fake tan and brush!

[Noah]

Re: RLP help!

First off
If it was me I would throw the key away for anyone stealing fake tan, the charge would be bad taste
Only teasing

Are you absolutely sure it was the police who stopped you and not some security guard dressed to appear like a copper?

You say you were given a warning, do you mean a don't do it again or were you taken to the station and given a formal warning

I take it you emailed the company and not the police.

[anonymous]

Re: RLP help!

I worked in another store in the shopping centre and the police came into my work and took me through the back. I had no contact with any member of staff or security in the store I stole from.

I emailed RLP after the incident as the store had given the police a letter to give to me explaining RLP would be in contact. The police gave me a written warning and said that no further action would be taken. I am scared that if I ignore the emai and don't pay they will take me to court.

[anonymous]

Re: RLP help!

Your conduct gives our client the right to pursue a civil claim for “damages” against you in the County Court as this caused significant disruption to our client’s business at those premises. Our client has sustained losses as a result of your wrongful actions which include the value of the goods, if not recovered or fit for resale; the cost of the diversion of its staff’s time and associated security and administration costs. The average cost to our client of an incident of this nature is between £300 and £500, before taking into account any goods or cash not recovered. Please read the attached information in conjunction with this letter.

Recovering the goods or cash does not mean our client has suffered no loss. Our client is entitled to seek to recover from you the cost of the disruption to its business caused by your wrongful acts. This cost is calculated by reference to, amongst other things, the time spent by staff in observing, apprehending, interviewing you, and undertaking all necessary internal and external procedures thereafter.

Given the value of the claim, our client is required to process it expediently, cost effectively and proportionately. A fixed contribution to all of the losses is therefore sought, in sum of £147.50. This does not include any amount for the property or cash as these were fully recovered.

This is a civil claim and is separate from any criminal proceedings or police action. If you believe you have a Defence to this claim, or there are other factors you wish to be taken into consideration, please advise us and provide any evidence in support, within the next 21 days. You will appreciate that our client can only take into consideration information if it is provided. Our client relies upon its investigation file and the evidence of its personnel in the investigation to prove its claim. If you require any further information to understand the claim against you, or think that this letter is in any way defective, please let us know within the next 7 days.

We are required to refer you to the Practice Direction for Pre-action Conduct which has been published in the Civil Procedure Rules 1998. The Court has power to impose sanctions on any party who fails to comply with the Practice Direction. There is an obligation upon each party to set out their case in full, to exchange documents and information, and generally to engage in attempts to settle the dispute without the need for Court proceedings. We are also required to inform you that ignoring this letter may lead to our client starting proceedings which may well increase your liability for legal costs. We would therefore recommend that you take independent legal advice if you are in any way unsure of your position.

We have put your case on hold for 21 days for you to consider your following options:
If you believe you have a Defence, to provide the details along with any evidence upon which you rely.
If there are other factors you wish to be taken into consideration, to provide the details.
Settle the claim by paying the amount stated £147.50 (see reverse).
If you wish to settle the claim, but cannot do so within 21 days, contact us to discuss payment options which include instalments and deferred periods, dependent upon the circumstances (see reverse).
Negotiate an alternative settlement by contacting our Collections Department (see reverse).
Advise if you require more time to take legal or other advice and consider your position.

We look forward to receiving your response. Please ensure you send correspondence to us, and not to our client directly, as this will cause unnecessary delay.

Yours faithfully

Retail Loss Prevention Limited

- - - Updated - - -

That was the email I received

[Openlaw15]

Re: RLP help!

I worked in another store in the shopping centre and the police came into my work and took me through the back. I had no contact with any member of staff or security in the store I stole from.

I emailed RLP after the incident as the store had given the police a letter to give to me explaining RLP would be in contact. The police gave me a written warning and said that no further action would be taken. I am scared that if I ignore the emai and don't pay they will take me to court.

It seems like the company is trying to claim losses for staff time/ business time in dealing with you, ie their business operation was affected. So this is a civil claim for losses rather than a criminal avenue. In law such losses can only be claimed for by actual losses. It would seem it is very difficult to prove a case against you for £147 losses based on a case called Oxford.

[anonymous]

Re: RLP help!

I've read that you don't need to pay but in still scared that they will take me to court

[Openlaw15]

Re: RLP help!

I've read that you don't need to pay but in still scared that they will take me to court

RLP have to prove the following in Oxford:

"the extent of the diversion of staff time have to be properly established " and "establish that the diversion caused significant disruption to its business."

In Oxford, the claims made were the following

“(a) Staff and/or management time investigating and/or dealing with the tort (ie claim), £82.50; (b) Administration costs resulting from the tort, £24.75; and
(c) A proper proportion of general security and surveillance costs, £30.50, a total of £137.50.”

The judge in Oxford pulled apart the store/ claim

At paragraph 15, "Two security people, far from being diverted from their usual activities, were in fact actively engaged in them. They were doing just what the claimants paid for them to do. I do not think that it avails the claimants to say that because they were busy apprehending, they could not be patrolling or doing camera invigilation. It might just as well be observed that when they were patrolling they could not be looking at the security cameras anyway. They could not carry out all aspects of their job simultaneously in any event. The shop continued to trade undisturbed and there is no evidence that any non-security staff were involved with these defendants."

At paragraph 16, "So the claim in respect of staff time cannot, in my judgment, be established. I was not clear if, at the end of the case, the other two alleged heads of loss – administrative costs and security equipment costs – were still being sought. But, if so, these claims too cannot succeed. Neither can be shown to be attributable to the defendants’activities. The amounts spent by the claimant would have been identical had the defendants stayed at home or limited their shoplifting to other establishments.
At paragraph 17, "It follows that the claims must be dismissed"

Now do you feel better? It will simply cost RLP a lot more money than £147 to take this to court and pay for their lawyer's time when in all likelihood their case will fail. So, they're trying it on by threatening you.

[des8]

Re: RLP help!

Hi and welcome.
That email is the standard letter that RLP churn out.
Just ignore it.
As has already mentioned by others RLP are a toothless lowlife outfit that send out demands for money to those who may or may not have transgressed.
In the UK only the courts issue fines, and police have already said they will not be progressing this matter further. So no court.. no fine.

RLP will threaten civil court action, but no longer do this after losing heavily in Oxford (see here for full details: http://legalbeagles.info/forums/show...h-and-the-lies)

What they do is threaten, write in legalese, pass the matter to debt collectors who write scary letters and generally try and pressurise vulnerable people into paying.
If you stay strong and just ignore them they eventually give up. They do not do court.
If you receive letters that worry you, or just want reassurance, come back and you will get the necessary help.
Otherwise ignore.

[ostell]

Re: RLP help!

The letter from the store to you delivered by the police has me concerned. The police don't usually act as messenger boys, indeed I would have thought that would have been against the rules. Were they uniformed police officers?

Anyway do not respond to RLP unless they really start a court case, which would mean them sending you a letter before action. In that case come back here for help.

[anonymous]

Re: RLP help!

Thank you all so much! The letter that was issued from the store basically talked about costs that RLP could try and recover. it wasn't personalisesd, it looked like a general letter handed out to any shoplifter.
If they are emailing me does this mean they do not know my address?

[paulajayne]

Re: RLP help!

Thank you all so much! The letter that was issued from the store basically talked about costs that RLP could try and recover. it wasn't personalisesd, it looked like a general letter handed out to any shoplifter.
If they are emailing me does this mean they do not know my address?

Highly unlikely that they know your address. Ignore them.

You are guilty of bad taste though - Fake Tan !!!!!

[Amethyst]

Re: RLP help!

And, if they do get your address, they will only send you 5/6 letters making threats before going away ... so try not to worry xxxx