Star Seller and messaging has a TECHNICAL BUG, not a feature...

[FenceDad]

I've seen so many posts about this and the response from CS is maddening let alone that I have to rant in a forum that isn't going to provide a resolution. 

When a customer sends a message, there should never be 2 or more threads created in the app and on the website messaging.  I only reply to the current customer message and that is where we may be losing our badge this month when I responded to one thread within 7 minutes and not the empty thread that was created less than 45 mins before.  It for the same customer and the reply to the second thread was within 1 hour of the first thread created in messaging.  

Etsy saying that they can do nothing about this and not addressing this as a bug is awful for those of us doing the right thing.  I don't do an auto responder because I don't need to with our response times.  To have that as a suggestion after the fact to fix THEIR BUG isn't how it should work.  Etsy's dev team should give the CS agents the ability to throw these empty / duplicated threads from the calculations.  It's not a judgement call, therefore it shouldn't be controversial.  

Thanks for listening.   

[designsbydieter]

It is not "a bug".  The rules are clearly stated in the seller handbook. You must reply to EVERY message or mark as spam. 

[vintageNCtreasures]

This is not a bug. The star seller rules are very clear, you must answer ALL new messages, if a buyer/seller/shoppers sends you 1 message or 25 you have to reply to every, single, one or mark as spam.

It's been this way since the star seller program was announced way back last July.

If you go back and mark it as spam your % will go back up.

It's supposed to change according to the announcement sometime this month but for now you have to reply to all.

Updates to the Star Seller Program - Welcome to the Etsy Community

Streamlining Messages

In June, we’ll introduce a new-and-improved Messages experience that will start to combine messages from the same buyer. To earn your Star Seller badge you’ll need to respond to initial messages from buyers within 24 hours on fewer threads, making it easier to stay on top of your messages. 

[GieseDeseiGns]

You must reply to ALL messages, if you don't you get dinged, this is supposed to change next month, with multiple messages from same person,  not holding my  breath. The only solution now is the ones you didn't answer mark as SPAM and you should come back up in a day or so. Do it before it gets any closer to the end of the month.

[FenceDad]

I disagree. It's bad practice to reply to a message just to reply to it. Their system knows exactly what a user is, there should be no separate thread for the same user within the same hour. It's a bug. 

If they are coming out with a change to their system to fix the issue, then how is it not a bug?

[ChillwolfArt]

@FenceDad 

The above posters are right.  To us it may appear buggy (or not well thought out).   But Etsy is the one who is grading Sellers,  and they made the SS Metrics knowing this ahead of time.

I've never used the app (always the same desktop computer, browser, etc. ).  But last Fall I did swing over from one Message to another when the same customer Messaged via different "strings".

As others have said, Messages are supposed to be "bundled" in the future.  I also see quite a few glitches going on even though I'm not selling.  So we'll see.