Can't reply to negative feedback Etsy is now showing as Suggested at the top of listing

[#1]

Hi folks, I've been selling on etsy for a few years now and met so many nice customers.  Recently someone requested a refund without returning the product and while I enjoy helping customers when they (rarely) ask, something was off because what the person was describing that they received is something I have never sold.  Our main small business item is imported elderberries, whole and the person said that they received seeds which we do not and have never sold.  I believed that they may have confused the package from me with something else they ordered, so I asked them to return the package as received (was going to pay shipping) and they instead left a negative feedback (claiming poor customer service since I would not refund them without a return) and then described something we do not sell in the negative feedback.  They claimed they received seeds and unripe berries which we have never sold and don't even have access to.  

So, I responded to the feedback, accidentally clicked send without spell checking it, went back to edit the spelling errors and was only given a delete option.  Then I went to repost the spell checked reply and there is no option.  

Then finally etsy for some reason took this single bad feedback (for something I don't sell) and moved it to the top of over nearly 600 positive reviews (99% 5 stars) and it killed the sales on the product, as the negative review is what etsy is now suggesting people read first.  It is more prominently displayed than the actual item description on the page.  

https://www.etsy.com/listing/651141472/2023-whole-wild-crafted-elderberries

It's a terrible shame and I wish I could have seen the package she received but since she refused to return it I had no way of helping, which I did explain in my reply to the feedback, which I now can not find a way to post again, spell checked.    

Aside from just closing my store and moving to another venue, is it possible that the 1 star review will lower in the etsy 'Suggested' area over time as people upvote the actual real (almost all) 5 star reviews of the product?    It seems extremely odd that etsy would "suggest" a single 1 star review out of 600 or so 5 stars.  Does it just stay that way now forever or is there any hope to recover the sales of something so many people enjoy and I enjoy(ed) selling?    

Thanks 

Greg

[Apparelheadz]

Something similar happened to me today, customer sent a picture of a hideous kids suit jacket saying this is what they received instead of the hoodies we sell. My heart dropped because I thought someone intercepted the package, took the hoodie and stuffed the package with that ugly jacket. But we send our hoodies in sealed bag envelopes and the buyer said the package wasn't tampered with. That told me this buyer was trying to scam us for a refund knowing they received the hoodie. I personally drove 4 hours total to go pick up supplies to get that order fulfilled. Even hobbled around on a cain due to an achilles sprain and knee pain from walking incorrectly. I even sent a free charm to encourage a good review smh. I don't have no bad reviews, well now I do smh. They didn't write the review until I told them I will not help them unless they show me proof other than a picture of a kids suit jacket on a table. If the package was intercepted I would've sent them another hoodie and gave them a full refund but I refuse to be scammed. This person messaged me a million ugly messages back to back in an unhinged way so I ignored it. I tried to reply to the review twice but its not showing, in the meantime the bad review is just sitting there unchallenged. Etsy is making it look like my store is just out here scamming customers without concern. Makes me want to stop making clothes. People can be so evil.

[HouseofWhisperingFir]

I hope venting to this Zombie thread helped.

Bottom line,  stuff happens.................it's all part of being in business and dealing with the public.  Unfortunately, we all have to bite the bullet sometimes.