Chat support has stopped responding and it is impossible to start a new conversation

[PurePurrFurniture]

Hello everyone,

I had a question regarding one of my orders. The customer claimed to have paid the VAT, but that turned out not to be entirely accurate.

I raised my concern in the support chat with a manager. They provided a few inaccurate responses, then said they needed time to forward the issue to a special team that handles such matters, and after that, I haven’t heard back from them.

It’s been over 24 hours now, and currently:

1. The chat is unresponsive
2. Starting a new conversation is impossible

Has anyone experienced this?

What should I do in such cases?

Thank you!

[NanaLetha]

did the buyer send you a message saying they paid VAT?

[PurePurrFurniture]

The order value was over $300, and the delivery was to Germany. According to Etsy’s rules, the tax was not automatically collected, and there was no mention of VAT in the order details or the invoice.

It is now clear that the tax was definitely not paid, and this has already been resolved with the customer.

However, my main concern is about the support chat, which has been unresponsive for more than 24 hours.

What should I do in this situation?

[NanaLetha]

If the matter has been resolved then there is no reason to contact Etsy Support. Maybe they aren't responding since the weekend.

[PurePurrFurniture]

I resolved the issue on my own, but if I have another question, the chat simply doesn’t respond.

Is that normal? I don’t think so.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@PurePurrFurniture The chat person may have not closed the chat properly.  You may not be able to use it until it closes.  I don't know if there is any time frame for that.

I have never had chat at all since it was started and so I only use email to contact Etsy. 

Chat doesn't work well on some subjects such as financial or legal ones  from what I have observed in the forums.

[NancyQstudio]

Etsy's chat support group is a contracted group with very little control. They can be very helpful with basic issues.  But they don't have the tools, support or knowledge to handle bigger problems.  In addition, they seem to have training issues as giving incorrect answers tends to happen.  It's also possible we are talking to AI now.  AI is a useful tool.  But, it can confidently lie about something which is funny until an answer is needed.  

Transferring to a manager or specialist team simply means the support person needs Etsy staff to help.  They do not have the information or access to specific information to help.  Unfortunately, this is where a constant breakdown is.  Etsy itself is well known for having very poor seller support.  If a reply is received, it generally takes time to happen.  Sometimes, this can be weeks.  If an answer is unknown, or Etsy feels the information can be obtained through the seller handbook or Etsy feels the situation is not their responsibility, they may never reply.  

My experience has been a hit and miss with Etsy staff support.  Sometimes it's been great.  Other times it's been awful.  It has never been quick. This is likely because of the mass amount of sellers on the site ratio to the smaller amount of Etsy staff in areas that can actually help.  

[PurePurrFurniture]

Thank you, I also think it might have been AI, but nonetheless, the chat is currently inactive.

I can no longer use it, and it’s very inconvenient.

[NancyQstudio]

@PurePurrFurniture This might be because the chat person didn't close their window correctly.  Other sellers have shared this has been a problem.  

It's possible this is due to it being Sunday too.  They might have low or no staff manning the support center today.  And it's Super Bowl Sunday in the US which tends to be a day of gathering.  So if they are there, they may have limited staff.   I'd try reaching out them tomorrow to see if their available.  

[SugarTaffySoap]

Chat support deserves more credit than what I'm reading here.  If it's unresponsive check back later and only use one time a day. 

[PurePurrFurniture]

What exactly do you mean by “more credit”?

72 hours have passed, and the chat is still not responding.

[CanningCrafts]

It's possible there has been no reply since it's the weekend or because they contacted a specialist. But it could be because they didn't close the chat support out too. When other sellers have had this same issue, they have gone through the Etsy help center maze & sent an email about the "frozen" chat. Keep it short & say your chat is stuck & need you need them to reset it so you can use it again. But perhaps if you wait until Monday to see if chat is working before emailing? Timelines for getting support help is all over the place.

[PurePurrFurniture]

I sent an email yesterday and am still waiting for a response.

I described the situation that the chat is stuck.

Let’s hope this helps.

Thank you.

[MaggieandRose]

I’ve just had the opposite situation where I was raising a complaint which they tried to deal with ( ineffectively ) I had to leave the chat and said so,  but kept getting ‘are you there?’ ‘We haven’t heard from you’ , ‘are you still here?’ Despite my answering that I had to go and even saying goodbye several times these kept popping up for a good ten minutes. 

[XStitchLibrary]

It is happening to me right now. I haven't get a response from them since almost 5 days ago. New messages in the 24h chat bubble don't get answered. Not a problem with cache, I already used three browsers from two different computers, but no dice. Not sure if this is normal