Customers with order history messages dissapear

[TaylorStreetFavors]

I have customers who reorder. For some reason the messages sent to the customer  on the new order does not stay with the new order but continues the thread on the first order that customer has. It's confusing. When I go to the new order it looks like I have not sent them a message.  

[BlackCatTheory]

Well, that is concerning. What a pain in the butt to have to go look up message from another order! I guess this is because Etsy is combining customer's messages into one thread. I do custom orders and would need access to the messages. I would send Etsy a message (for what it's worth) explaining the problem. Maybe they can use the feedback to change something. They should make customer's messages available on all their orders.

[TaylorStreetFavors]

Yes it is messy. If I see the new message in the messages tab and I click on it to the right is attached the very first order and not the latest order which is what we are communicating about. When I send a message on the new order it only attaches to the very first order from the customer. Etsy support says this has to do with the change to the etsy seller program - "starting July, it will start to combine messages from the same buyer and/or repeat customers into a single thread". 

It would make more sense that the thread was attached to the latest order and not the first, but it is still confusing when you have multiple active orders form one buyer and the messages are attached to a different order than the one you are communicating about. Kind of a sloppy solution to a customer centric business. 

Another win for the ETSY seller program. Sarcasm intended. 

[BagmakerSupply]

@TaylorStreetFavors Agree with your sarcasm. At the VERY LEAST the recipient should be able to decide if they want their incoming messages to be combined into a single thread or not. Maybe this is an "improvement" for sellers with minimal repeat customers, but for us this is turning into a logistics nightmare.

These "improvements" make us feel like we are being penalized by Etsy for trying to provide good customer service and for following their rules (like for Star Seller Program).

I wonder who at Etsy decided that all this extra work and angst was better than just reminding sellers that they have to reply to all new messages including multiple messages from the same customer. Would not a popup on the messages page when a convo was unanswered after 24 hours have done it?

[TaylorStreetFavors]

Agreed. It feels as if there was no testing done on how this would appear to the business and customer. Quick fixes are never the right way to go. To make the tread from old order to new instead of new order to old is crazy.  

[CraftyCornishMaids]

So many people couldn't read the star seller info that said they had to reply to "every" message thread

That etsy is now combining them

....be careful what you wish for - as they say

[Adorabilities]

Did that many people really wish for this, though? 
For many of us, separate threads were not a problem, and this is, unsurprisingly, worse than how it started.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@Adorabilities 

I thought it was fine, the way it was,

There were a lot of posts here, where people were confused,

and I bet etsy saw more messages marked as spam, in the last 6 months, than they have ever seen in the history of etsy

It is much worse - it's another Etsy "fix with no thought"

[Adorabilities]

The number of people who were confused then is less than the number of people who will be confused now.
: )

The early confusion was due to not understanding the rules, which is easily remedied. The current/future confusion is a bit different -- each of us will have to dig around in our own orders to figure out what the messages refer to.

[FallenAngelBrass]

There are several threads in this forum every day about how confusing it is for star seller to require that we respond to every message thread, even when it's the same customer.  (Every day) x 5 (estimate) threads = 1825 sellers have started discussions here about that.  Then add on the additional thousands who have chimed in with agreement.   We've heard it every day, all day in this forum for a year. 

So Etsy decided to respond and combine threads involving the same customer. 

"Let the odds be ever in your favor!"

[Adorabilities]

Yes, everyone get your forum snippets ready now, because the help desk will likely send all those sellers here.

[MaisieMooDesign]

This has got to be the craziest change ever!  Is it here to stay?  With upwards of 80 emails a day being sent or received and customers who purchase frequently some 20+ times!!  how am I ever going to keep track of what has been sent regarding which purchase!  This is more likely going to end in messages being missed.  And messages I sent are in the inbox, what!!??  I sent it?  I foresee many more hours of admin now... moan over