Template: demand letter before small claims

Constructed example, not a customer story. Westfield Tile & Stone. $2,680 paid 14 April 2026 on invoice WT-5518 for a bathroom floor promised 28 April. Tile arrived. Nobody installed it. The customer wrote on 8 May and 22 May. No reply as of 10 June. This is a letter to the business, not a review and not a court filing.

10 June 2026
Westfield Tile & Stone
[street address]

Re: Demand for payment — bathroom floor install, invoice WT-5518

On 14 April 2026 I paid Westfield Tile & Stone $2,680 on invoice WT-5518 for a bathroom floor install promised for 28 April 2026. The tile was delivered. No one came to install it.

I asked for a schedule or a refund on 8 May and again on 22 May. I have had no reply.

I am requesting payment of $2,680 within 14 days of the date of this letter. If I do not receive payment or a written proposal by 24 June 2026, I intend to file a claim in [county] small claims court for that amount plus filing costs.

This letter is sent by [certified mail / email]. I am keeping a copy.

[Your name]
[Address]
[Phone / email]

[Date]

[Business legal name]
[Address]

Re: Demand for payment — [service], [transaction date]

On [date] I paid [business] $[amount] for [service]. [Two sentences of dated facts describing the failure.]

I have attempted to resolve this on [dates] without result.

I am requesting payment of $[amount] within 14 days of the date of this letter. If I do not receive payment or a written proposal by [date], I intend to file a claim in [county] small claims court, where I will seek the amount above plus filing costs.

This letter is sent by [certified mail / email] and I am retaining a copy.

[Your name]
[Address]
[Phone / email]

What to swap in

• The 14-day window. Some courts expect 30. Look up your county before you pick a date.
• The county name. Look up that county's small claims limit first. If the amount is over the limit, this letter is the wrong tool.
• The amount. Use what the invoice or receipt shows. Do not add extras you cannot point to.
• How you send it. Write the method you actually used, and keep a copy.

What to cut

• Threatening criminal charges.
• Threatening to post reviews if they do not pay. That reads as a shakedown. It can also take the reviews down. How to write a review that stays up.
• “You stole my money.” Put the date, the invoice, and what did not happen.
• Naming a staffer. Name the business on the invoice.

What this page is not