Should I respond at all before I have a lawyer?

If the deadline is close and you have no lawyer yet, a short response asking for time, with a reservation of rights, is reasonable and common. Anything beyond that, especially a position on the merits, is better sent by counsel.

Can I ask them to prove the calls before I respond?

Yes. A request for the call recordings, logs and the basis for any Do Not Call Registry claim is a normal first response. The sender may or may not provide it before litigation, but the request costs nothing and tells you how they handle the file.

Is a written response an admission?

Not if it says nothing about the facts and includes a reservation of rights. An acknowledgement of receipt admits receipt. A narrative of what your business did admits what it describes. Keep the response to structure, not story.

Can I just email a one-line "please send details"?

You can, and it is better than silence. Add the reference, the receipt date, and a reservation of rights so the one line does the full job. Keep the sent copy.

What a written response to a TCPA demand contains

What does a written response to a TCPA demand letter contain? Six short parts: a reference block, an acknowledgement, a stated position, a specific request, a reservation of rights, and a contact line. That is the whole structure. This page explains what each part does and what must stay out. It is not a template to copy, because a response written before you have checked your records is the wrong response.

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Reference block: their reference number, the date of their letter, the date of yours, your entity name as registered.A response that cannot be matched to the file gets lost. Use the entity name, not a trading name.
One sentence acknowledging receipt and the date it was received.Fixes the clock. Nothing more.
Your position, in one or two sentences, chosen from a short list.Request for time; request for the evidence behind the listed calls; a denial on a stated ground; an offer to resolve. Pick one. Do not combine a denial with an offer in the same paragraph.
The specific thing you are asking for, with a date.An extension to a named date. Copies of the call recordings or logs they hold. Confirmation of the release terms they would accept. Vague requests get vague replies.
A reservation of rights sentence.Nothing in the letter is an admission; all rights and defences are reserved. Standard, short, and it belongs in every response.
Who to contact from now on, and how.Once a lawyer is engaged, the response says all further contact goes through them. Before that, a single named person and an email address.

Part by part

1. Reference block

Their reference, their date, your date, your registered entity name and address. If the letter was addressed to the wrong entity, say so here, plainly, with the correct name. Do not explain the corporate structure.

2. Acknowledgement

"We received your letter dated X on Y." That is all. It does not accept anything the letter says.

3. Position

One of four. You are asking for more time to review. You are asking for the material the letter relies on before you respond on the merits. You deny liability on a specific stated ground, such as documented prior express written consent for each listed number, or the calls not having been made by or for your business. Or you are open to resolving the matter and want to discuss terms. Mixing these weakens each one. A denial followed by "but we would consider a payment" reads as a denial nobody believes.

4. Request

Tie it to the position. A time request names a date. An evidence request lists what you want: the recordings, the call logs showing originating number and time, the basis for the registry claim. A resolution position asks for the release language and the payment terms in writing before any figure is discussed.

5. Reservation of rights

"This letter is sent without prejudice and is not an admission of any fact or liability. All rights, defences and remedies are reserved." A lawyer will have their own wording. The point is that it is there.

6. Contact

Name, email, and whether future contact should go to counsel. Once you have a lawyer, every later communication goes through them and this line says so.

What stays out

Three things never go in a response. A narrative of what happened ("we only called a few people", "our vendor told us the list was clean"). Any figure, whether what you can afford or what you think the claim is worth. And any attachment of your own records. Each of those gives the other side something to use and gives you nothing in return.

The narrative is the most common mistake. It feels like explaining. It reads as a set of admissions: that the calls were made, that a vendor was used, that consent was never checked. The facts may need to come out later, through your lawyer, framed as a defence. They do not go in a first letter.

Figures are the second mistake. The first number spoken sets the range. If it comes from you, you have told the sender what you will pay before learning what they would accept. The negotiation prep sheet covers how to approach that conversation.

Form and delivery

One page. Plain language. Sent the way the letter asked for a response, usually email, and also by a method with a delivery record. Keep a copy with the sent timestamp. Add the sent date to the timeline sheet.

If you have a lawyer, the response comes from them on their letterhead. Their name on the response changes how the matter is handled on the other side, and that alone can be worth the fee for the first letter.

What a written response to a TCPA demand contains

Part by part

1. Reference block

2. Acknowledgement

3. Position

4. Request

5. Reservation of rights

6. Contact

What stays out

Form and delivery

Short answers

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