Washington tool

Washington CPA Demand Letter Generator

This is a step-by-step intake that builds a draft Washington Consumer Protection Act demand letter narrative from your inputs. The output walks the five Hangman Ridge elements codified at and , lays out the damages, and demands a remedy under . The draft is a starting point you can review, edit, and either send yourself or send to me for the $575 attorney version on letterhead with proper certified-mail service.

Fill in the nine fields below. The tool generates a draft narrative.

1Business name and address

Who is the business you are demanding from?

Use the legal entity name from a contract or the Washington Secretary of State business search. Include the registered agent address if you have it; that is where certified mail goes.

2Date of transaction

When did the transaction happen?

Per , a CPA action must be commenced within four years after the cause of action accrues. The transaction date anchors the SOL.

3Amount paid

How much did you pay the business?

Per , actual damages are uncapped. The treble enhancement is discretionary and capped at $25,000 for RCW 19.86.020 violations.

4What was promised vs received

In your own words, what did the business promise vs what did you receive?

Keep this concise (up to 500 characters). The draft will quote your description verbatim in the deceptive-act paragraph.

0 / 500
5Type of deceptive act

What category best describes the conduct?

Per , an unfair or deceptive act is unlawful when it occurs in trade or commerce. The act need not be intentional.

6Documents you can attach

Which of these can you attach with the demand?

Attachments make the demand significantly harder to dismiss. The draft will reference each category of attachment by name.

7What you want

What remedy are you demanding?

A clean, specific demand is more likely to settle than a general "make it right" ask. Per , the underlying remedy at law is actual damages plus discretionary trebling up to $25,000 on the enhancement and reasonable attorney's fees to a prevailing plaintiff.

If specific dollar amount, how much?

8Response deadline

How many business days will you give the business to respond?

There is no CPA-specific pre-suit notice requirement, so the deadline is your choice. Ten business days is the common minimum; thirty is on the long side but courteous.

9Prior complaint already made

Have you already complained to the business?

A prior unanswered complaint or a verbal rejection strengthens the willfulness and pattern signal in the demand. The draft will reference this if you say yes.

How the score is calculated

The score is the same Hangman Ridge five-element weight I use on the CPA Demand Strength Analyzer. Weights total 100 points.

Authority notes

Statutory citations come from RCW 19.86.010 (trade and commerce definition), RCW 19.86.020 (unfair or deceptive acts unlawful), RCW 19.86.090 (private action, actual damages uncapped, discretionary treble enhancement capped at $25,000 on RCW 19.86.020 violations, mandatory fee shift to a prevailing plaintiff), RCW 19.86.093 (codified public-interest test), and RCW 19.86.120 (four-year SOL). The five-element framework is commonly associated with Hangman Ridge Training Stables, Inc. v. Safeco Title Ins. Co., 105 Wn.2d 778 (1986); confirm the citation before using it in filed papers.

For background on Washington CPA demand letters, see my Washington Consumer Protection Act resource. For a structured triage score on the five elements, see my CPA Demand Strength Analyzer.