If you’ve ever bought a concert ticket online, you’ve probably dealt with Ticketmaster. And if you’re like me, you’ve probably seen those “We’ve updated our Terms of Service!” emails that show up with no warning and expect you to just go along with whatever they say going forward.
Not this time. 😈
The (Increasingly Maddening) Problem
You sign up. You click “I agree” (like we all do) on a basically novel-length agreement. Time passes. Suddenly, Ticketmaster decides it’s time to rewrite the rules. Now, they say, by continuing to use their site you accept whatever changes they felt like making.
Except… I never agreed to that. And honestly? I’m tired of companies treating their customers this way. Companies should not have more rights than people!
My Two Choices (According to Them)
- Accept the new terms and keep using the service (whatever those terms are today or tomorrow, whenever the next time they decide to change them).
- Stop using their service if I don’t like it.
I can’t even SIGN IN to their website to look up contact / customer support info without agreeing to the terms. That’s not only unfair, in contract law, that’s not even real consent.
So, I Chose to Push Back
I drafted a formal “rejection of terms” letter. Not only did I reject their new terms, I demanded Ticketmaster either honor the original agreement I actually consented to or, if they refused, to delete all of my data from their records. All of it. Gone, purged, wiped clean.
Here’s the Actual Letter I Sent
(You can use this as a template if you want to follow suit. I included the “acceptance by silence” provision companies love to use so much, and just turned it back at them!)
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing in response to your recent communication regarding updated Terms of Service and/or Privacy Policy. This correspondence serves as my official and explicit rejection of the newly proposed terms. I do not grant my consent to be bound by these revisions, and I categorically reject any claim that my continued use of your services can or does constitute tacit acceptance.
It is my position that the continued imposition of modified agreements, absent explicit and affirmative consent, is improper and does not constitute a meeting of the minds as required under contract law. I insist that the previously existing terms, as agreed upon at the time of my registration and use of your services, remain operative until and unless mutually modified by clear and express agreement.
Accordingly, if it is Ticketmaster’s determination that it cannot or will not honor the terms originally agreed upon, I hereby demand, pursuant to all applicable data protection and privacy statutes and my rights thereunder, that ALL data and personally identifiable information pertaining to me, including but not limited to personal details, purchase history, communications, preferences, cookies, and any other form of stored or associated data, be permanently deleted and expunged from all of your systems, databases, servers, backups, and those of your affiliates, partners, and third-party processors.
Furthermore, you are required to provide written certification, no later than thirty (30) days from receipt of this notice, that all traces of my information have been irrevocably purged from every database, archive, and system under your control or influence. This certification must detail the scope and method of the deletion.
Please consider this communication a formal exercise of any and all rights afforded to me under applicable state, federal, and/or international statutes.
If you fail to respond in writing to this letter within thirty (30) days, you will be deemed to have fully and unconditionally agreed to my terms as set forth above. By your own practice of “acceptance by silence,” your lack of response shall constitute binding consent to either maintain the original terms of our agreement, or, should you be unable or unwilling to do so, to immediately and permanently erase every bit of my data without exception.
Should you disregard this communication or attempt to enforce new terms absent explicit, individualized agreement, I reserve all rights at law and in equity, and will pursue any and all remedies, including but not limited to filing formal complaints with the Ohio Attorney General, other relevant regulatory authorities, and pursuing legal recourse.
Kindly acknowledge receipt of this correspondence forthwith.
Respectfully,
Jimmie Lightner
<snipped address and contact info>
Where I Sent It
- Email: privacy@ticketmaster.com , customer_support@ticketmaster.com
- Certified Mail: (Yes, it’s worth the money to have a paper trail)
- Ticketmaster, LLC, Attn: Privacy Office / Legal, 9348 Civic Center Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
- Ticketmaster, LLC, Attn: Customer Service / Compliance, 1000 Corporate Landing, Charleston, WV 25311
What I’m Expecting
Am I expecting them to cave and agree to my terms? Let’s be real, that’s probably not going to happen. The U.S. isn’t great (or even near the bar of mediocre) at backing up digital consent and privacy rights. Companies like Ticketmaster play on that fact.
But guess what? When enough people object, document, and shine a light on these practices, things start to change. At minimum, they’ll have to actually address my demand for account deletion and data purging, and my polite – but firm – middle finger to their consent-by-default tactics is now a matter of public record.
Why This Matters (and Why You Should Try It Too)
- This isn’t just about me. The more customers that push back, the more pressure we put on these companies to respect actual consent, not the illusion of it.
- It’s about upholding your rights. Even if the law (for now) lets them play fast and loose, we don’t have to make it easy.
- Every paper trail counts. If anything goes wrong, I’ve got a clear, timestamped record of my objection.
Want to Push Back Too?
If you’re sick of this corporate “accept it by inaction” attitude, here’s what you can do:
- Write your own version of the letter above (feel free to copy and adapt mine).
- Send via email and certified mail (addresses above).
- Document everything. Their response (or lack of it) could help you, or others, down the line.
- Post about your experience. (Feel free to link to this article, and let me know if you do!)
I’ll Update This Post with Their Response
If Ticketmaster replies, stonewalls, or tries some new trick, I’ll post the update here.
Let’s Start a Conversation
Are you as fed up with forced-consent updates as I am? Have you pushed back against a company’s unilateral terms change? Check out Louis Rossmann’s Consumer Rights Wiki – he even has a page for Ticketmaster. The more of us that document and publicize this, the harder it gets for companies to ignore!