Start / Call them?
Should I call them?
Not yet. A phone call gives the sender facts and gives you a conversation you cannot prove. Everything you want from the call you can get another way. When contact is needed, it is written, short, and preferably from a lawyer.
Why you want to call
You want to know if it is real. You want to know if they will take less. You want to explain that it was a vendor, or a mistake, or only a few calls. You want to hear a human voice and get a read on the situation. All reasonable. None of them is served by a phone call.
What the call gives them
Confirmation that the letter reached the right business and the right person. Your tone, which tells them whether you are frightened, angry, or organised. And whatever facts you let slip. "We only called a few people" confirms you called people. "The vendor said the list was clean" confirms a vendor and no consent check. They write it down. If the matter is ever filed, it is in the file.
What the call gives you
A person's word that the letter is real, which you could have checked in the business registry. The checks are on is this a scam? A figure, maybe, which is now the floor for any negotiation because you asked for it rather than being offered it. And no record. You cannot prove what they said, and they can.
Every question you have for them has a better answer somewhere else.
| What you want to know | Where to get it instead |
|---|---|
| Is this real? | State business registry for the entity. Your own call logs for the listed calls. |
| Will they take less? | Usually yes, but the number moves on what you can prove, which you do not know yet. Pull records first. |
| Can I get more time? | A short written request before the deadline. Keep the sent copy. |
| What do they actually have? | A written request for the call recordings, logs and registry evidence. Also keeps a record of their answer. |
| What happens if I do nothing? | The ignore page on this site. Also, the letter usually says. |
When contact is right
After you have matched the listed calls against your records, found out what consent you hold, and worked out both exposure figures. At that point you know whether you are asking for time, asking for evidence, denying on a specific ground, or opening a conversation about terms. Pick one. Put it in writing. Keep it to a few lines. Reserve your rights. If you have a lawyer by then, it comes from them, and a response on a lawyer's letterhead changes how the other side handles the file. Doing nothing instead is its own decision: can I just ignore it?
If you have already called
Write down, now, what you said and what they said, as close to word for word as you can, with the date and time. Do not call back to correct or soften anything. Give the note to your lawyer. One call is not fatal. Two is a pattern.
If someone else in the business called
Same thing. Find out who, when, and what was said. Tell them not to call again and to route anything from the sender to one named person. A receptionist confirming "yes, we got your letter, the owner is looking at it" is harmless. A sales manager explaining the campaign is not.
Short version
- Should I call the company that sent the TCPA demand letter?
- Not until you have checked your own records and decided what you are asking for. A phone call gives the sender facts and tone and gives you nothing you can prove. When you do make contact, do it in writing, briefly, with a reservation of rights.
- How do I ask for more time?
- A short written request before the deadline: the reference, the date received, the date you propose, and that all rights are reserved. Sent the way the letter asked for responses, with a copy kept.
- Can I ask them to prove the calls?
- Yes, in writing. Ask for the recordings, the call logs showing the originating number and time, and the basis for any Do Not Call Registry claim. Whether they provide it before filing varies, but the request costs nothing.
- What if I already called and said too much?
- Write down what was said immediately, with the date and time, and give it to your lawyer. Do not call again to fix it.