Can a seller put my personal information in his response to my review?

[ellesh71]

I bought an item, which was significantly different than the picture.  I reached out to the seller with no response and eventually opened a case.  Seller never responded to the case, and Etsy gave me a refund and closed the case.  I debated whether or not to leave feedback, but eventually did leave a one-star review outlining exactly what had happened.  The seller responded, as I expected he would, but in the response, he included my full name, city, state and zip code.

I reported the review, but I'm pretty sure Etsy looked only at my review and not his response.  They said the review doesn't violate any polices.  I'm really uncomfortable with my personal information in his response.  I can't report it again, does anyone have any ideas, or am I over-reacting?

[GieseDeseiGns]

I would report it again, that is not right at all.

[CryzalisDesigns]

You need to report it again, reviews are not allowed to contain personal information. 

[TheHomespunLoft]

@ellesh71 

That is NOT right.. I would contact Etsy thru chat on your dashboard and discuss that way and if that doesn't work-- contact trust and safety and report it that way.. That seems like it would be illegal to do.

[ellesh71]

Thank you.  I can't report it again but I'll try those other suggestions!

[CryzalisDesigns]

You are a star seller, report it in live chat in your dashboard 

[WitticismsRus]

@ellesh71 

No, you are NOT over-reacting at all. 

If it won't let you report it again then I would use the support ticket system to open a support ticket for harassment. Etsy takes harassment seriously and they respond quickly to those support requests. 

Shop manager > Community and help > contact us. 

Then select Selling on etsy > account access & settings > report harassment or discrimination on etsy. Once that page opens with the generic info look for the button that says 'I still need help' and click that. It will take you to the page to start an email. 

Or try clicking this link which may or may not work https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?segment=selling#issue_account_harassment_discrimination-...

[PillowDetails]

Absolutely not allowed - that's called doxxing.

[CoquetteBath]

not only is it doxxing, but it is also passive aggressive to the max. And if I saw that, I'd never do biz with a shop.

BUT...in the meantime, I'd definitely escalate it. Personal information is private, and I think we're not permitted to use it for anything OTHER than to ship an order. Putting it in a response is catty, disrespectful and just plain weird. Likely also illegal?

[BagmakerSupply]

@ellesh71: Interesting legal question - according to the Consumer Review Fairness Act including "sensitive or private information" is one of the few legal reasons to remove a review but does it also apply to responses to the review? However it would appear to clearly violate Etsy's rules if this was published without your "explicit consent" https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015654308-Privacy-and-Personal-Information

[ChillwolfArt]

"I reported the review, but I'm pretty sure Etsy looked only at my review and not his response.  They said the review doesn't violate any polices."

It certainly does violate policies. Was this the response to you opening a ticket, Chat, etc.? No where is it acceptable to put your personal information in a Response to a Review.

[ellesh71]

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses!  I used the call back method to reach Etsy support.  They removed my review, which I felt he deserved, but at least his response is gone.  I was told they would be contacting the seller as well, so hopefully he at least gets reprimanded.

[digitaldoodlebug]

Hopefully they haven't done that just to get reviews removed. Etsy should remove a response without removing the review. 

[CryzalisDesigns]

At least their reply is gone, but sellers who pull stunts like this should be removed from the platform, not have their 1* removed as a reward.

[CryzalisDesigns]

@digitaldoodlebug that is probably exactly why they did that.

Wonder how many times they have pulled that stunt?

[bettysworld4u]

@ellesh71   Great news!  Your Review should have stayed as future buyers should know about the poor Customer service you received from this Seller. Yet, more importantly is that your Personal information is now deleted. Shame on that Seller!  

[Romazone]

report the review. I just had one almost like that taken down. Person info is not allowed.