Below you can build a free demand letter yourself. Before you send anything, find out whether your claim is worth sending at all: tell my AI Legal Analyst what happened, and it maps your claim, your deadlines, and your leverage, reviewed against how I actually run these disputes.
Sergei Tokmakov, California attorney, CA Bar #279869, licensed since 2011.
Friendly fraud, serial chargebacks, and "product not received" stories after confirmed delivery drain cash flow. Use this guide to document, confront, and recover funds from customers who weaponize cardholder protections.
| Source | Scope | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Truth in Lending Act (Reg. Z) | Credit card billing error procedures | Defines consumer dispute rights and issuer timelines; merchants must respect but can rebut false claims. |
| Electronic Fund Transfer Act (Reg. E) | Debit and prepaid dispute rights | Applies to cards tied to bank accounts; sets investigation timeline for issuers. |
| Card network rules | Visa/Mastercard reason codes and evidence standards | Control representment deadlines, compelling evidence categories, and ratio thresholds. |
| Merchant contracts | Processor agreements, ToS with customer | Give you rights to re-bill, pursue breach claims, and collect fees if disputes are abusive. |
You fought the chargeback, supplied evidence, but the issuer still sided with the cardholder. A demand letter reframes the dispute as contract breach or fraud.
Customers, agencies, or influencers run serial disputes after consuming your service. Demand letters establish a written record before escalating to suit or collections.
Custom builds, coaching packages, or six-month retainers justify legal action when a cardholder attempts a refund bypass.
Buyer abuses both Etsy/Amazon and bank dispute processes. Document the double-dip and seek reimbursement.
| Item | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Reason code notice | Shows what the customer told the issuer. Quote contradictions. |
| Representment packet | Reuse exhibits as attachments to the demand letter. |
| Processor fees statement | Supports request for reimbursement of chargeback and penalty fees. |
| Chargeback history report | Establishes pattern if multiple transactions from same customer. |
Customer wires or reprocesses payment via alternate method. Offer to waive late fees if payment posts within a set window.
Mutual release covering transaction, confidentiality, liquidation of inventory, or removal from membership.
Send to commercial collections or pursue small claims for amounts below your state's limit.
Invoke forum in contract (often your home jurisdiction) and seek damages plus interest.
I represent e-commerce founders, subscription services, and agencies facing abusive chargebacks. Engagements cover evidence reviews, negotiation, settlement drafting, and litigation when the amount justifies suit.
Email owner@terms.law or book a scheduler session below.
Generate a professional demand letter, CA court complaint, or arbitration demand
You now have a letter I have never read. A form builder cannot know whether the platform's own terms give you an out, who the right corporate target is, or what number belongs in the demand. If real money is at stake, the $1,200 Demand & Filing-Readiness Package is me screening the claim, drafting the demand on my letterhead with the chronology, damages calculation, and exhibits, sending it certified mail, and reviewing the first response, with a draft complaint where that is the strategically appropriate next step, expressly marked DRAFT - NOT FILED. Claims over roughly $30,000 start at $3,000.
I accept demand matters only after a conflict, jurisdiction, and preliminary merits review. For accepted matters with claims up to about $30,000: the attorney demand on my letterhead with the chronology, damages calculation, and exhibits, certified mail plus email delivery, the appropriate draft complaint or arbitration demand where that is the legally and strategically appropriate next step (expressly marked DRAFT - NOT FILED), review of the first substantive response, and one deadline follow-up.
Request this packageFor claims of roughly $30,000 to $75,000, or disputes with material factual, contractual, or procedural complexity, the same filing-readiness scope starts at $3,000. The starting fee reflects the deeper record, damages, and forum work these disputes need; I confirm the final fixed scope in writing before any work begins.
Request this packageNot sure yet? Send your question, a short factual summary, and the key documents; you get a written attorney response identifying the main legal issues, risks, leverage points, and practical next steps. Not a full redline, demand letter, memo, or filing unless separately agreed.
Request the consultationFees are minimums or starting fees, subject to conflict, jurisdiction, merits, and written scope review. Multi-round negotiation is the separately scoped $1,500 Pre-Litigation Negotiation Phase; filing or appearing as counsel requires separate client authorization and a separate written engagement.
Informational only, not legal advice; no attorney-client relationship until a conflict check and written scope confirmation. Generated letters are unreviewed starting drafts. Sergei Tokmakov, licensed in California, CA Bar #279869 · owner@terms.law