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# Platform Conduct Policy

All participants must conduct purchasing activity honestly, transparently, and in compliance with applicable laws and platform rules. The Ticket Collective is committed to maintaining a responsible and compliant network.

|| ⚠️ Please read this section carefully. Participants must follow platform rules. Violations can result in suspension or removal from the network, regardless of financial standing.

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### Zero-Tolerance Violations
Some violations are **not subject to the three-strike process** below. These result in immediate action, up to and including permanent removal, on the first occurrence:

**Automation & Bots:** Verified participants must complete all ticket purchases manually. Using automated tools, bots, or scripts violates the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act of 2016, which prohibits circumventing ticket-purchasing safeguards under federal law.

**Insider Access:** Participants may only purchase tickets through publicly available channels using standard methods available to the general public. Prohibited actions include:
* Using internal or insider access to ticketing systems
* Buying tickets through venue employees or internal contacts
* Using unauthorized presale codes or exploiting system vulnerabilities

**Fraud & Identity Misrepresentation:** You must use your real identity and legitimate ticketing platform accounts at all times. Fraudulent activity will not be tolerated, including:
* Using stolen payment methods or buying tickets with false names/identities
* Creating accounts on behalf of others without authorization, or sharing accounts between participants
* Manipulating screenshots, modifying order data, or submitting false purchase confirmations
* Using fake, unverified, or fictitious identity information on your account

**Using Flagged Accounts:** Continuing to use an account after The Ticket Collective has instructed you to stop.

### Consequences
Participants found in violation may face:

* Immediate platform suspension
* Permanent removal from the network
* Forfeiture of pending compensation

Serious violations may also be reported to relevant ticketing platforms and referred to legal authorities.
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### Negligent Conduct
Negligent Conduct is defined as a **pattern** of careless behavior that creates operational or financial risk for The Ticket Collective. It is distinct from honest, one-time mistakes, and is addressed differently than a single isolated error.

**Examples of Negligent Conduct:**
* **Box Office Mismanagement:** A repeated pattern of placing multiple orders from a single account in ways that trigger vendor cancellations. *(A single, one-time purchase limit violation is addressed under the Participant Responsibility Policy, Part 1. A 2nd occurrence of this behavior escalates to Negligent Conduct.)*
* **Communication Failures:** Repeatedly failing to respond to time-sensitive support or compliance inquiries within required Critical or Urgent response windows (see table below). Missing a Critical or Urgent deadline counts as a strike under Progressive Enforcement.

### Required Communication Response Times

| Priority Level | Timeframe | Covers |
| **Critical** | **Within 2 Hours** | Active purchases needing immediate action, pending transfers at risk of expiring, time-sensitive verification codes, or flagged/canceled orders |
| **Urgent** | **Within 6 Hours** | Uninitiated transfers post-purchase, missing proof of purchase/transfer submissions, or active account/payment issues |
| **Standard** | **Within 24 Hours** | Routine support follow-ups, general documentation requests, scheduling, onboarding, or general compliance question |

Missing a **Critical or Urgent** deadline triggers a strike under Progressive Enforcement. Standard-tier deadlines do not.

### Consequences for Negligent Conduct
In addition to the Progressive Enforcement strike system below, Negligent Conduct carries its own direct financial consequences:

* Forfeiture of service fees for affected transactions
* Reimbursement of acquisition costs for canceled orders
* Coverage of retail penalties incurred
* A **$150 administrative fee** per incident

A pattern is confirmed, and Negligent Conduct consequences apply, starting on the **2nd incident** of the same type of behavior.
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### General Platform Rule Violations
Violations not covered under Zero-Tolerance or Negligent Conduct above may result in:

* Removal from The Ticket Collective network
* Forfeiture of pending compensation
* Account suspension

### Progressive Enforcement
General rule violations and Negligent Conduct incidents (excluding Zero-Tolerance violations above) are addressed through a three-strike process:

1. **First violation:** Warning flag on your account
2. **Second violation:** Tighter account criteria and limited event alerts
3. **Third violation:** Account banned

**Purchasing errors count toward this process too** — accumulating **2 purchasing errors within a rolling 30-day period** (see Participant Responsibility Policy, Part 1) also constitutes a flag, and shares the same strike counter as conduct violations and Negligent Conduct incidents. In other words, a purchasing-error flag, a Negligent Conduct incident, and a general conduct violation could each contribute to the same 3-strike count.

### How Determinations Are Made
Violations are reviewed and determined by our securities admin team.

### If You Think This Was a Mistake
This appeal path applies to all violations covered in this policy, including Zero-Tolerance and Negligent Conduct violations. If you believe a violation was applied to your account in error, email [**help@theticketcollective.com**](mailto:help@theticketcollective.com) and our team will review your case, with a response within **48 hours**.
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