Is there anything we can do about that though?

Well there is a light at the end of the tunnel! The manager of Boots had not got my first letter. I re sent it and he phoned and was very nice and agreed to look into the situation. He could not locate the CCTV which he said was passed to the police at the time of the incident but he felt that it was a small incident, it was difficult to prove whether my daughter was involved, or if there was any intent and he has said he will drop the whole thing, will write to RLP and that my daughter is not banned from the store or from the shopping centre (she had been told she was banned for 2 years!). So fingers crossed that will be the end of the story. I hope.

After posting my reply I saw the Cireco thing so i realised it does exist. I'm still not paying it - I could afford to pay it on behalf of my daughter but she has DONE NOTHING WRONG. It would be easier to get rid of them but I'm not going to pay as it would be an admission of guilt. I'll PM you regarding your earlier PM. Thanks.

Just had letter number 3 from RLP - saying that our 'defense' is not a legal defense and that unless we pay the now reduced rate of £35.00 they will be taking it further. They have said they will 'not enter into any more correspondence with us' - thank God for that! I am not paying them a penny, and I would imagine we will soon be getting the debt collection letter - I don't even believe this 'register of names' thing exists. The manager of Boots incidentally did not even have the decency to acknowledge my letter to him asking him to look at the CCTV.

Sorry I don't understand - who is OP?

Sounds like I'm going through exactly the same thing as you. RLP didn't ask for my daughters birth cert - they asked for the boy who did it to send a copy. I'm not sending RLP a thing - apart from the letter I already did telling them we are not at fault and won't be paying them. No answer from Boots so far.

You're right! Didn't even think of that - what about passport? Stuck between a rick and a hard place because if you don't send it you worry they'll take it further and if you do send it they have more info on you!

Hi, no answer from Boots yet but there has been a new development regarding the boy. He wrote and said he was only 15, not old enough to work and there's no way he could pay the fine. They have written back and said if he sends a copy of his birth certificate showing he is under 17, they will reduce the fee to £35! Evidently they made it very clear at the time that they were both only 15, so RLP was obviously chancing its arm. I wrote to RLP saying I'm not paying for my daughter - if they send me a request for £35 I'm still not paying it because it would be an admission of guilt. If the boy pays the £35 (I think he will as he did steal the item) will his name still be added to this supposed blacklist do you think?

Thank you - it's all very helpful. I've written to Boots asking them to request RLP stop the action against my daughter and I've also asked the manager to cancel the lifetime ban from shopping in Boots that they put on my daughter (although whether its wise to spend money in Boots is questionable!). I've also written to RLP telling them my daughter is not responsible and will not pay (£275.00 total costs for a security guard walking 10 feet outside the store and stopping 2 kids). I just hope that I've made the right decision and her name is not blacklisted somewhere but at the end of the day she's 15 and they would have to prove intent. Wish me luck!

I would assume so - unfortunately I need to know what our rights ARE! I need someone who knows the law who can say to me 'RLP cannot hold information about your daughter, and any threats they make are unenforceable'. If there are any solicitors or barristers out there - please let me know! Also, as the boy DID steal the item - where does it leave him if he refuses to pay? He is also 15, and believe it or not is a nice kid who is considering a career in LAW! I know it sounds ridiculous and I wish he had not stolen the lipgloss and involved my daughter by association, but kids do stupid things and learn by their mistakes.

Yes that is true. My daughter is 15 and has never had so much as a school detention. Unfortunately she didn't know her rights. I wish she had refused to sign anything, quoted she was a minor, and asked for e telephone call to me, but that didn't happen. I'm writing to Boots to tell them of the situation, however I can't believe they are unaware - they must be getting this sort of thing every day - or maybe most people just pay it.

The whole situation is getting me down to be honest. I told my daughter we are not paying it, and the boy who actually stole the flipping lipgloss has also written to RLP saying he's not going to pay it as I told my daughter they are crooks. I don't know if I've given him the right information though as if his name gets added to a bad debt list I'd feel responsible as though I advised him wrongly. Why oh why did she go shopping that day!!!

Yes, she was made to sign the standard RLP form that everyone seems to sign, that they do not give you a copy of. When my husband went to pick her up they did not go through anything with him, or show him the form. They just let her go and said that was the end of the matter. I am not going to pay this amount as she didn't do anything wrong.

She was taken with the boy because they said he had taken it for her - and she must have asked him to, and that was even WORSE in their opinion than if she had taken it herself because she had made an innocent do a criminal offence! The police phoned us and asked us to collect her and said, don't worry there is no charge. Furthermore, they said to my daughter as we were leaving there is no charge, nothing recorded, and when you leave this station no-one will know about it except you two (her and the boy).

Hi, I made a post earlier about my 15 year old daughter being with a friend who stole a lipgloss from Boots (value about a fiver). I do not want to pay RLP one penny as my daughter did not steal or coerce anyone to steal anything. However, the boy she was with who DID steal a lipgloss from Boots is very distressed and has not told his parents about the incident. He has received a bill for £137.50 from RPL. As he did take the item - should he pay the fee or not? I don't know what to advise him. If he pays will his details be removed from the database? I'd appreciate any advice as incident was 27th Aug so time is ticking for the 21 day period to expire.