Civil recovery concerns

[Person3117]

Hi, so um recently me and my friends were caught with items that weren't paid for by a retail company under RLP. We are all 17 and so the police weren't called, we were just told to fill in our details on a form and that we would be receiving a fine. There were items from two stores, both under RLP and I wonder if the first store we took from communicated with the second store and that is how we were caught? Nevertheless, they took all our stuff but the thing is, some of the items we were caught with were from the same store that caught us but from a different area. We told the security guards the area, as to be truthful because we were all very scared. I've heard that the collections company gather CCTV evidence to make their claim and I am worried that they will investigate us and contact the police if they find this isn't the first time we've taken things. Is this possible?

Additionally, will I be fined by both shops whose items were found on me or just the shop who found the items? And could they possibly compile evidence of everything I've ever got from there and decide to take me to court? I don't regularly steal but recently my friends and I have gotten stuff, and I know there is no excuse but I do nearly always return things to the store as I feel bad. I mostly do this out of peer pressure, but I don't want to ruin my life over this.

Although I know it is advised not to, I do plan on paying the fine as it is my moral right to do so, but I want to know, will this be the end of it? I've heard of other collection agencies contacting people later on asking for more money and I can barely pay the fine expected which is £200?

I really just dont want the police involved or a criminal record, caution, or warning as that will be on my CBS checks and my future will be ruined. It was a STUPID mistake that I got carried away with and ive been crying and having panic attacks for days about this so I would really just like some answers.

Also the longer it takes to send the letter does that mean im being investigated? I know rlp says there are costs for taking things but I have really returned nearly everything ive ever got. Also will my picture be shared with the other partners of the companies in rlp? if they recognise me will they contact the police or make me pay for more? On the website they say this whole thing is for deterrence and so the police isnt involved, but if this isnt the first instance will they take action or record this as the first instance even if they have evidence of prior ones, and then if this happens again then action will be taken against me?

As you can probably tell im driving myself mad with this and im just really scared, not to mention disappointed. So please if someone could answer that would be helpful.

I am NEVER DOING THIS EVER AGAIN, but its too late for that so i need help!

[ostell]

RLP have absolutely no authority to issue fines, only the courts can do this and you have not been, and will never, be taken to court. No police called so no criminal record. The police will not be interested now so you will not get a record.

The INVOICE that RLP will send is allegedly for what was lost. Since they recovered everything there was nothing lost. Their time was was not a loss as they were doing what they were hired to do and that money would have been paid even if you were not involved. Hunt around for the RLP Oxford case (it's on this site) where they tried to persuade a judge of their loss and got a good kicking for trying.

Any photos distributed would bring them in danger of contravening data protection

Doubt if they will bother with CCTV. From experience I know it is a pain looking through it and they won't be willing to spend that amount in wages for someone to sit there and look.

Basically ignore unethical RLP who lie to you tell you it is a fine when they know fine well it isn't. The letters will stop

[Person3117]

Ok thank you, my friends and I are really really scared and this has definitely worked in stopping us. I know that the whole fine thing is iffy and so lots of people choose to ignore it and ive read enough about them to know they lost their case, but I still feel in the wrong and so I will cooperate. I dont want to escalate this further and get any of us investigated because were all literally applying to different schemes right now and the thought of ticking the unspent criminal convictions box is terrifying. Being our last years in school, anything that could jeopradize our futures is not worth risking (funny how we didnt realise that before).

Anyway, regarding photos of us, their website says they conform to ICO and perform within the Data protection act, so wouldn't they be allowed to share it between partners. The security at the store said it would remain within the store but I don't believe that.

Also if a store was to look back at security from a while ago would they be able to identify one of my friends through their recorded data and then prosecute them? Or as this was before the civil claim would it be ignored?

Honestly, i feel like im going round in circles with my points but trying to keep this secret and figuring out how im going to pay has exhausted me, but again I need to hold accountability to myself so

[des8]

The whole fine thing isn't just iffy, it's downright immoral.

In the UK we have a justice system which is administered by judges and magistrates.
Civil recovery firms set themselves up as some sort of alternative justice system with them deciding if a person is guilty or not and then levying any amount they think they can extort from their victim.
They are little better than vigilantes who undermine the rule of law.
They are more insidious than those they punish... their actions are IMO worse than those they seek to punish
By paying them you do nothing but help them undermine the rule of law and pay for them to extort from their next victim
If you feel guilty and want to make amends then do something useful with your money and make a donation to your favourite charity.

Nothing more will happen to you, other than they will send scary letters to pressure you into paying their demands.

Your details will not be shared further, they won't trawl through hours of CCTV footage to try and identify you.
You don't have a criminal conviction so no worries about the unspent criminal conviction box.

Forget it, ignore their letters, get on with your studies and your life

[Person3117]

Ok so all this affects me with is if I want to apply to a store that works with this company? And does my data stay on there for 3 years as I’m a minor?

Also will me and my friends be fined together and if so will that be like £600 or not?

I just received a conditional offer from a university I never thought I’d get in to and I just want this all to be done with. The anxiety makes it hard to concentrate in school and the longer it takes the more worried I get.

Does anyone know if a company’s claims to rlp about me are final, as in can they be retracted as one of the store workers said they’d try their best to not have me fined. Can that actually happen? And is there an alternative eg if I pleaded would they let me pay for all of our stuff and remove my name?

[ostell]

Don't encourage them, don't* pay.**

[des8]

Just relax and ignore them
RLP's demands for money are not fines so please don't dignify them with that term.
From reports it seems that if you start trying to negotiate with them, they seem to think they have hooked you and just redouble their efforts to part you from your money.
You will each receive a demand for money, so as you say a total in the region of £600 that they are not entitled to.

This incident will have no effect upon you if you ignore.
*

[Person3117]

Ok, thank you for responding. I just have another question. I am honestly driving myself mad with worry, but I read that many stores use facial recognition nowadays, and Im worried for my friends. Is it possible if they take things regularly, that they could be under investigation by the police or come up as a SOI already in stores, and then this was just the nail the police needed to identify them, as now the stores have their details? Is there a chance they could be prosecuted as if theres facial recognition doesnt that mean theres compiled data of all wrongdoings? This is really stressing me out as even if the fine company doesnt come for us, what if the police do!

[des8]

Stores who use facial recognition do it to identify persons who may possibly offend as those persons enter the store.*
This will alert the security personnel, who will keep an eye on those persons.

It won't be used for collating past events

[Person3117]

So there's absolutely no way the police could hear about this and come to our doors and charge us? Only rpl are the ones holding it against me? If I am virtuous from now on no one will have a reason to come at me for the past?

I apologise for repeating myself but I just need to know for sure if this is going to be something that happens and then 6 months later im called into court or something, or as I turn 18 kinda soon, if im going to do a credit check and this is going to be on it, or im going to ask for my national police papers and find this on it.

No one ever seems to follow up on these threads later on so I never get full answers

[Person3117]

Also thank you guys for your help, im doing much better than I was yesterday because of this

[des8]

There is rarely follow up on these threads as nothing ever happens.
If the advice on this forum (and others) was wrong you can bet peeps would be back saying they had been dropped in the poo because of incorrect comments

You will not receive a civil claim through* county court.
You will not get a summons to a magistrates court
The police were not involved so there will not be a police record
It will not affect your credit rating

[Person3117]

Ok thank you so much for your time. If something happens I will come back here, but hopefully, if anything, all that I receive is the fine

[ostell]

Repeat after me "IT IS NOT A FINE" !

It is a company trying to make money that they are not entitled to.* And the courts have found that to be true.
*

[Person3117]

Haha it’s not a fine, I got it.*

Another question though, just how labels can be damaged by customers in store and there’s no problem, how this company claims costs to label and beeper damages, is that accepted in court? As one of our items had a scratch on the label, not caused by us, but surely as there’s also sewn in labels that can be used to pay at checkouts, that isn’t an argument that stands.

Not like I’ll combat it but I’m just curious about the logistics of everything