PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

[tallula7443]

Hello

I was caught shoplifting a birthday card inside a newspaper in Tesco in June. A stupid moment of madness I know, I know what I did was wrong and have truly learnt my lesson, I am so ashamed!

I was then sent letters by RPL telling me to pay £147.50. My husband looked this up and told me to ignore the letter and don't worry about it.

I received several more from them and still didn't pay them.

This morning I have now received a letter from BPO saying the debt is now in there hands and I must contact them within 7 days of the letter or risk their client taking court proceedings against me.

Could someone please help me and guild me on what to do next? Should I just pay the fine now it has been passed to them?

Thank you in advance for any relplys.

[Amethyst]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

BPO is kind of last ditch attempt to scare you into paying. They soon pass it back to RLP.

If you could scan / photo a copy of the letter they sent that would be brilliant, and if you do happen to have the rest of the letters RLP sent you, I'm currently trying to get answers out of Dave Lewis CEO of Tesco's about using this practice despite it being a misleading and unfair commercial practice so some more evidence of how crap it is would really help. admin@legalbeagles.info is my email.

But could do with reading the BPO one for definate just to check whether you need to reply or can just file it away.

[tallula7443]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

Thank you for you quick reply.

I haven't a scanner or photocopier so I have taken a photo.

[Amethyst]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

Thank you xx Have a read http://www.legalbeagles.info/forums/...220#post486220

This is the recommended letter from the links in that post

Dear Sirs

I refer to your letter dated xxxxx. Any liability to your client or any company they claim to represent is denied.

No further correspondence will be entered into.

Yours etc.

[tallula7443]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

Thank you. I will send a letter to them Monday.

[Amethyst]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

Thank you. If you do have those other letters from RLP a photo would be really useful. That photo is plenty clear enough thank you xxx

[carolanne]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

Hi I
I have also received the same letter from the same company for the same amount, I don't get how this is a dept collection agency, and the letter states the amount is for a dept.... It is clearly not a dept so how can they ask for the money...
I too am very stressed with the whole thing, is it better to reply to them or just ignore them, I sent letters to the RLP saying it was an invoice not a dept yet they have passed mine to this company.

[MissFM]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

Hi I
I have also received the same letter from the same company for the same amount, I don't get how this is a dept collection agency, and the letter states the amount is for a dept.... It is clearly not a dept so how can they ask for the money...
I too am very stressed with the whole thing, is it better to reply to them or just ignore them, I sent letters to the RLP saying it was an invoice not a dept yet they have passed mine to this company.

It isn't a debt, it's a speculative invoice.

Send the letter in Amethysts post 4 above. x

[carolanne]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

The letter is identical in every way to the one tallula has posted.

[Kati]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

Hi [MENTION=49789]carolanne[/MENTION], I'd suggest you follow Amethyst's advice

Have a read http://www.legalbeagles.info/forums/...220#post486220

This is the recommended letter from the links in that post

Dear Sirs

I refer to your letter dated xxxxx. Any liability to your client or any company they claim to represent is denied.

No further correspondence will be entered into.

Yours etc.

K x

[MissFM]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

That's because it's a template which they send out in the hope of intimidating people into paying what is not lawfully due.

Read Ame's links also (if you are in any doubt). :tinysmile_kiss_t4:

[teaboy2]

Re: PLEASE HELP - RPL now passed to BPO

So RLP have changed tac from taking legal proceedings straight away to getting debt collectors BPO to try intimidate people into paying what is an unlawful penalty charge, that doesn't reflect actual losses incurred by RLP's clients as a result of acts or alleged acts of shoplifting. They not learn for the Oxfordshire test case then.

I'm also pretty certain that its fraud under false representation to falsely claim monies are owed in order to make a person gain for ones self or for others, especially when such money is not owed!

FRAUD ACT 2006:

2 Fraud by false representation

(1 )A person is in breach of this section if he—

(a) dishonestly makes a false representation, and

(b )intends, by making the representation—

(i) to make a gain for himself or another, or

(ii) to cause loss to another or to expose another to a risk of loss.


(2)A representation is false if—


(a) it is untrue or misleading, and


(b ) the person making it knows that it is, or might be, untrue or misleading.


(3) “Representation” means any representation as to fact or law, including a representation as to the state of mind of—


(a) the person making the representation, or


(b) any other person.


(4) A representation may be express or implied.


(5) For the purposes of this section a representation may be regarded as made if it (or anything implying it) is submitted in any form to any system or device designed to receive, convey or respond to communications (with or without human intervention).


Safe to say RLP are more than aware that their claims as to cost incurred by the retailer client are untrue and as we all know unprovable!