Star Seller Message response rate incorrect

[ThePlantBoutiqueCo]

Hi all, 

I wish I was able to share screenshots here. I reached out to Etsy support regarding an incorrect calculation of my message response rate.

I received a help request from a Buyer on March, 16 but the CSV file saying that I responded on 18/3/2023. I shared with the support team a screenshot of my messages showing I sent the buyer a response on March, 16.

After this, I receive an update from the Buyer on the 18th and somehow this message appeared as a different thread including the initial message from the 16th as well but without my response. 

I check my shop every other hour, before going to bed and after waking up and respond to all messages as they come in and do not feel the need to enable auto-replies which I told them.

The real issue, however, - one that has caused me A LOT OF stress in the past couple of days -, is that Etsy Support fails to acknowledge the issue and keeps insisting that I have messaged the buyer late. I have received a response from 3 different team members and they are all saying the same thing with a lot of performative 'we stand with small' jargon and without actually looking into the evidence that I have shared.

They are only looking at one of the threads with the Buyers name and not the other thread where it clearly shows that I sent them a response on March, 16. The content of the message also clearly shows that it was a response (as I thank the buyer for their message).

I never responded to them in a separate thread, as I simply saw their help request and replied to the same thread immediately. For some reason, when she messaged me again on March, 18 the initial help request has transferred to this thread and made it appear I never replied to it.  

Etsy Support team insists the Star Seller badge is really important to me and is trying to comfort me that I will one day get it. The Star Seller is not important to me. Etsy is increasingly monitoring shops’ performance based on these stats which has implications on how the shop is either being promoted or penalised. This is a matter of fairness and justness because the issue is at their end and they are failing to address it appropriately. 

I have asked them several times to investigate the matter properly as these stats have been skewed for quite a while now and it is causing me a lot of stress. There is literally nothing I can do to rectify it. I don't receive a lot of messages, so 1 message can really mess it up for me. 

At this point, all that I am asking is that they acknowledge this is a technical glitch and will be informing the correct team and people to look into it. It is truly appalling that three of their support team members are failing to investigate the issue properly and totally ignore what I ask of them.

Could somebody tell if I am going crazy or if this is a joke? What I should do, so they'll really look into it seriously? 

[SunnytyDE]

If I understand this correctly, there were 2 different threads. One a help request and one a regular one. After that the threads got merged but initially there were 2? 

If that’s so there is nothing to be fixed. You have to respond to every thread even If they say the same thing. Or if you respond through the order instead the thread that doesn’t count. 

[ThePlantBoutiqueCo]

Hi Sunny, there was only 1 thread initially from March, 16, a help request which I responded to within 24 hours. 

Then there popped a new thread on March, 18 which includes the help request first and then the new message from the seller. In other words, the thread shows the help request from March, 16 and an update from the Buyer March, 18. My response to the message on March, 16 appeared as a different thread, where it does show it was sent on March, 16 (I thank them for their message) and the buyer responded with No worries, thank you on March, 16 again. 

I didn't realise the message that came on March,18 was a different thread and even if I knew since it didn't include my responses to the March, 16 messages, I can't do anything to change or merge the threads. 

I hope this explains it! 

[SunnytyDE]

And they are ‚dinging‘ you for not responding to the merged thread on the 18th? Or the first one on the 16th? 

[ThePlantBoutiqueCo]

Because the partially merged thread from March, 18 shows the Buyers help request from March, 16 first (and not my response, and the buyer's thank you message which are both in a different thread) and then followed by their actual message from the 18th (which immediately follows after the help request), they keep insisting that I have not responded within 24 hours. 

It is a textbook example of 'computer says no' and they are completely failing to address the issue. 

[ThePlantBoutiqueCo]

The message from the 16th looks as if I have initiated the thread but from the content it is clear that I am responding to their query. 

[BootifulLabels]

As I understand it, when you get a Help request, it also results in a regular message in your inbox.  It is not enough to respond to the Help request only, you need to answer the regular message  even if it is just to say "thanks" or "answered in your Help request".  

[ThePlantBoutiqueCo]

Hi Bootifullabels, I responded to the message as it appeared in my inbox. There was no second message or anything. Just the help request when I initially received it. 

[SlawitHandKnits]

Hello,

I lost my Star seller status this month as my response rate went down from 100% to 80%. I couldn’t understand this as I am constantly checking for messages and always reply quickly. 
On closer inspection I found that it was because of not replying to a seller I had bought from. It doesn’t seem fair!!
Does anyone know if I can do anything about this?

[OmasFabricStash]

The rules are clear that all messages must be answered. 
Did you get a message from the seller? Yes. 
Did you respond to it? No.  
You don’t respond so you get dinged. 

[LAKEandFELLart]

@SlawitHandKnits nothing to be done ,

you missed replying to a message , which is why you got dinged . The message response is for all messages , it has been this way from the start of the programme. 

[OwlAlwaysKnit]

@SlawitHandKnits 

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/4403058372503-How-to-Become-a-Star-Seller?segment=selling

Extract

 Initial messages from both buyers and sellers on Etsy are counted towards the Message response rate. 

[ThePlantBoutiqueCo]

Is this a response to my message or are you reacting to the SlawitHandknits?  

[SugarTaffySoap]

@ThePlantBoutiqueCo  Sometimes Etsy staff will read star seller issues in the Forums and will look into it.

I'm trying to understand why you're stressed because you indicate in your post that the Star Seller badge is not important to you.

Paragraph 8 - "The Star Seller is not important to me."

As you know all messages must be responded to or placed into your Spam folder if no response is necessary. (Spam does not count towards Star Seller status). 

I hope it all works out for you.

[TonsOfPaper · Accepted solution]

Hello @ThePlantBoutiqueCo,

We've double-checked the message that has affected your Star Seller, and it appears that you've responded to it via the Order page and not from the Help Request thread. Please remember that when a buyer reaches out via the Help With Order request, a new thread will be created which needs a response separately and on the thread itself. New threads will now have notification badges showing if a message is a buyer’s first time contacting you, or a new help with an order request. 

For more information about this, you may check out the Message Response rate section in this Help Article.

Thank you very much!

[ThePlantBoutiqueCo]

Hi SugarTaffySoap, thank you for your message. Thank you for the tip on placing it in my Spam folder. In this case, there was nothing to put into spam as I just replied to the messages received. The issue is that when the buyer messaged me again, the messages got partially merged making it appear like I have not messaged. Even if I had put it in spam, it wouldn't have solved it. 

I do say that the Star Seller in itself is not important to me. The support team reiterates in their messages that they know how important it must be for me when it is a measure they have imposed on sellers. They are increasingly evaluating shops performances with it and how you are being promoted or penalised. For example, If you’re a Star Seller, a reserve won’t be put on your account in most cases, but Etsy says they will reach out to you if there are issues or risk factors you need to address.

Meaning, how they measure and appoint Star Seller badges affects my business which I do care and stress about. The real disappointment, however, is that the support team just seems to fail to look into it properly and acknowledge the error. I am aware they can't do anything about it but at the very least, they can take it seriously, investigate and admit their errors. 

I used to read so many messages with complaints from Sellers but found it hard to believe that Etsy would not care. I've gone back three times to the support team explaining the situation and each said the same thing like a broken record. The ingenuity of it all confirms what others were saying and I am beyond appalled. 

[SugarTaffySoap]

@ThePlantBoutiqueCo  Suela, yes the spam comment was not directed towards your current issue.  I am just curious. I'm looking at a December 13, 2022 review. Did you not get that message?  Are you using a computer to read and reply to your messages? BTW, your shop looks great! Keep adding new items so the search engines have more to work with. 

[ThePlantBoutiqueCo]

Hi SugarTaffySoap, I appreciate you looking into it and thank you for the compliment! 

That buyer actually never messaged! They were just happy to give me a bad review for some reason. I approached them personally but they never got back.

The issue I am dealing with is from a buyer who messaged me on March, 16. I responded to this on my phone. Could this have caused my response to appear as a separate message and not as a response to the help request? 

I just received another response from Etsy support and they are still adamant that I have not responded to the help request within 24 hours. It is a joke really. 

Instead, all they have to do to solve the issue is to acknowledge that I have responded within 24 hours but that it didn't show up in the help request thread. If they could then explain why that is the case, I would be much more educated when or if this happens next time. There is clearly a glitch that has caused my response to appear in a different thread. 

[TeesCupsAndMore]

I am now having this same  problem, I have an auto response to all orders. I send an additional thank you, all within 24 hours. Yet my response rate is 67%.