Seeking Advice on Complex Customer Issue & How to Escalate to Etsy Support

[AIUltraArt]

Hello Etsy Community,

I’m in need of guidance on a challenging situation with an order and how best to involve Etsy Support, as I'm finding the process a bit unclear.

Briefly, the issue involves a customer claiming to have ordered items that were never in their original order, supported by reference numbers not recognized by Etsy. Despite multiple attempts to clarify (including requesting a screenshot of their supposed order), the confusion remains. This has led to a one-star review based on non-delivery of these non-ordered items.

Here are the key points:

• The customer claims to have ordered pink sweatshirts, but only red sweatshirts (which have been delivered) were ever ordered.
• Provided order and store ref numbers do not match any records on Etsy.
• Repeated requests for a screenshot of the order confirmation for verification have gone unanswered.
• A negative review has been left, impacting my store's reputation over an issue that seems to stem from confusion or misunderstanding.

I've tried to resolve this amicably and transparently but am at a standstill. I’m considering involving Etsy Support but am unsure how to proceed effectively since my initial attempts to find the right contact path haven't been fruitful.

Has anyone here experienced a similar issue? How did you manage it, and how did you successfully raise it with Etsy Support for resolution? Any advice on navigating Etsy's support system for issues like this would be greatly appreciated.

I aim to maintain positive customer relationships and ensure satisfaction, but this situation has proven particularly challenging.

Thank you for any insights or advice you can provide.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

There isn't anything to be resolved by etsy,

The customer thought they bought different things than they did.

They gave you a bad review

nothing will convince them otherwise.

Etsy does not intervene on the truthfulness of a review, if you think it is libel, you go to court

otherwise, write a reply to the review - remembering the original poster will probably never read you reply, it's for future customers to see how you handled it

... and remove trademarked items from your shop - Lionesses, Dua Lipa etc etc, or bad reviews will be the least of your problems

[SugarTaffySoap]

@AIUltraArt   There's no resolution If I were a buyer, I would read her reviews and think there's a delay in shipping since she says she didn't receive "yet". I don't read it as anything wrong with the product or color. You can politely say buyer's order was delivered on ____ and leave it at that. 

[VintageRescueSquad]

What do you think Support can do? They will not remove the reviews. Here is a list of what qualifies for removal: https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015808588-What-to-Do-if-You-Receive-a-Negative-Review (scroll down to "When will etsy remove a review?")

They will also not contact the buyer and explain anything.

In fact, if you contact etsy Support (or threaten to), the buyer could open a case. Because the items ordered involve trademarked items, you will automatically lose any case they open unless you can prove you have purchased licensing rights. 

We've all had confused buyers so your only real course of action is either a polite response (as stated above) and move on.