Etsy is dissing me for responding "incorrectly" to a Help request

[JNpottery]

I had a buyer who sent a Help request, asking me to cancel an order he had just placed.

I opened the sale receipt, so I could cancel the order and using the message link provided on the receipt, I answered the buyer's message.

I am now being told that I DID NOT respond within 24 hours, despite my return message within 2 hours!

Why do I need to send TWO messages, using different platforms when one will do?

[bradgoodell]

Star Seller has always been clear.  You need to respond to all new messages.  A Help Request is a new message, and always needs a response.  You started a new message chain by messaging the way you did.  If you responded to an old previous message it would have had the same affect. 

Sorry you were blindsided by this.  

[CraftyCornishMaids]

Star seller says you have to respond to all new message threads,

you didn't, so got dinged

[OmasFabricStash]

Because Etsy said so. It stinks but that is the way it’s written. There are a lot of threads about this, especially at the beginning of the month, so you’re not the only one. 

[dayspringcollectible]

This is typical of the poor way Etsy designs anything it does.  Help Messages and regular messages should be linked, so that a response on one shows up on the other, but they are not.  It is foolish, and like almost anything Etsy does, means the seller has to do more work rather than less to accomplish a task.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@dayspringcollectible 

Etsy does not link the help request message, as that starts the 48 hour clock for a case to be opened, 

If you don't reply to that, and they open a case, they are automatically refunded, and they keep the item.

Of all the messages you reply to, the help request has to be the "one", regardless of star seller

[ArtDollsbyJD · Accepted solution]

Help messages come from a different source and require a different response so cannot be linked to ongoing messages.

[dayspringcollectible]

Yes, they are different, but only because that is the way Etsy designed it.  They could have just as easily designed it so that Help Messages automatically showed under Messages so that sellers only had to make one response instead of two for the same issue.  

As I said, poor design that causes extra work that shouldn't be needed.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@dayspringcollectible 

absolutely

etsy designed it to protect the seller,

so when a buyer opens a help request, the buyer gets the opportunity to reply

[cpkdiana]

Very true.  I've received messages from the same person who used two different accounts, asking the same question.  I've had to answer both so that I don't get "dinged".  I have an automatic response set up to respond during my off hours, but it's so annoying because if someone asks a question, I answer it, then they ask another right afterwards during my off hours, it will automatically send a message.  I wish it wouldn't do that during a conversation.

[ExtremeCreation]

Many have learned that the hard way as you did. It's a lesson learned and I just simply copy & paste my reply to both messages. 

[ArtDollsbyJD]

If you messaged when you refunded and canceled that message is completely separate from the one in the Message system.  You needed to answer the message system one as well if only to so something "Yes I will do your refund request right now".   

[moonbeamgifts]

I write to the first message, copy and paste that to the other messages as well as the cancelation for a brief explanation.   Redundant - yes but it checks all the boxes and keeps things current.

[JJewellerySuppliesUK]

I think the message with the refund is optional but I do get your point.  You can go back and mark the unanswered message as spam and your score should recalculate. 

[TheArtfulTwig]

@JJewellerySuppliesUK 

I haven't tried marking an unanswered message as spam for this reason.  Do you know, I feel like I've read somewhere, if you mark a message as spam does it then direct all future messages from that buyer/person to spam?  I would hate to cut off the potential for future communication with a legitimate buyer over a missed message.

[WitticismsRus]

@TheArtfulTwig 

" if you mark a message as spam does it then direct all future messages from that buyer/person to spam? "

No, it just sends that one message thread to spam. If the buyer sends you another brand new message in a new message thread it will not automatically go to spam.

[TheArtfulTwig]

@WitticismsRus 

Thank you for the clarification!

[TheArtfulTwig]

@JNpottery I got caught by the same thing even using the link in the email that Etsy sent to reply, but it went to the order convo not the new message thread.  I lost my star seller status for two months because I get so few messages.  

I didn't like having to send a second message to the buyer just to close out the other thread - it seemed an inconvenience for the buyer to get duplicate messages.

Be aware that Etsy directs buyers to do this when they go to their orders and select a Help Request.  One has to either ask for a refund, a return, or something else and that automatically opens a new message thread.  It makes no sense to me, since information about the order is in the convo thread.

Sorry this happened to you, too, but hopefully you can mark the unanswered message as spam and get your score back up.  I haven't tried that.  

[CornerShopRetro]

I think that worked for me.  I'm a pretty new seller/shop but also purchase things from other stores.  I got a random message from a store owner about something I wasn't interested in at the time, so I didn't reply. The next thing I knew, my response rating had dropped dramatically-- I only have a handful of sales so far, so 1 hit was massive-- and that random message was the only new message I had.  A few days ago, I marked it as spam to test, and now my response rate is back up.

[beadedwire]

Because there are probably 100000 messages being sent on Etsy every day (wild guess) and Etsy can't read them all...so its all on auto...the computer program doesn't know you answered in a different thread.

[VogueVixens]

The issue is that Help Requests are treated differently than regular messages. 

When you go to your orders, any messages from that buyer account, even from 10 years ago will show, but not the Help Requests.

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