What happens if I ignore a TCPA demand letter?
Ignoring the letter is a decision with its own consequences. It does not make the claim go away, it removes the cheapest way of closing it, and it changes how every call you make after the deadline is judged. This is the sequence, step by step.
The deadline passes. Nothing else does.
The date in the letter is the sender's deadline for a response, not a limit on the claim. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act is a federal statute with a four-year limitation period under 28 U.S.C. § 1658(a). The recipient can file in federal court, since Mims v. Arrow Financial Services (2012) settled that federal courts hear TCPA claims, or in state court, at any point inside that window. Most senders refer the matter to counsel once the deadline passes without a reply.
The discount is gone
A demand-stage figure is set below the statutory exposure because closing the matter early saves the recipient time and cost too. Once a complaint is filed, the recipient has already incurred that cost and the figure moves up to the statute: $500 per violation, $1,500 if willful or knowing, plus, in a contested case, the recipient's attorney fees where a fee-shifting provision or the state statute allows it.
Discovery opens the calling programme
A filed case brings discovery. The business must produce dialer logs, lead sources, consent records, vendor contracts, scripts and do-not-call policies. Those records show every other person the campaign reached. One recipient's claim becomes a class action when counsel sees the list. This is the mechanism behind every eight-figure TCPA settlement you have read about: not one call, but one call that led to the records of thousands.
Calls after the letter are knowing
Before the letter, a business might argue it did not know the number was on the registry or that consent was missing. After the letter it cannot. Every call or text to that number after receipt is made with knowledge, which is the test for trebling under § 227(b)(3) and § 227(c)(5). If your dialer is still running the same list, stop it the day the letter arrives.
Personal exposure
The TCPA imposes liability on the person who "makes" the call. Courts in several circuits have held that an officer who personally authorised, directed or participated in the calling can be personally liable alongside the company. A single-member LLC does not change that analysis.
Insurance will probably not help
Most commercial general liability policies written in the last decade carry an explicit TCPA or "distribution of material in violation of statutes" exclusion, and several courts have held that statutory damages are a penalty not covered by the policy anyway. See insurance and the TCPA. Budget for defence from your own funds.
What to do instead of ignoring it
Respond in writing before the deadline, even if the response is a request for time or a dispute. A written reply that engages with the listed calls keeps the matter at the demand stage, where it is cheapest to resolve or to dispute on the evidence. The steps are on how to respond.
Quick answers
Does a TCPA demand letter expire?
The deadline in the letter expires. The claim does not. The TCPA has a four-year limitation period under 28 U.S.C. § 1658(a), so the recipient can file at any point in that window.
Can I be sued personally for TCPA violations?
Officers and owners who personally authorised or directed the calls have been held personally liable in several circuits. The corporate form does not shield someone who made the decision to dial.
Will ignoring the letter make it look like I am hiding something?
Silence is not an admission, but calls that continue after the letter are. The letter is notice. Continued contact after notice is the main thing courts look at when deciding whether to treble damages.