Star Seller badge incorrectly removed? Or is this Etsy policy?

[Gemscape]

The Star Seller rating was removed from my shop for the reason that it was over 24 hours when I responded to a message to another seller from whom I made a purchase. The seller simply sent an informational message and the message was not one that would normally expect a response of any kind.  In this transaction, I was the Etsy buyer, not the seller.  If this is Etsy policy, then as a seller, it may be an advantage to avoid making purchases on Etsy.  I was not aware that ALL first messages required a timed response in order to remain as Star Seller, including messages relating to my purchases from other Etsy shops, and regardless of whether a response is even appropriate to the message.  If this was an error by Etsy and not a policy, how can it be fixed?

[JackisJustVintage]

All initial messages need a reply or be marked as spam. It does not matter where or who the original message came from. It is not an error.

[FeltOnTheFly]

‘All’ means ‘all’. 
But you’re definitely not alone!  Lots of other sellers also didn’t realize this. 

[BootifulLabels]

The rules clearly state that all new messages require an answer or to be marked as spam within 24 hrs in order to qualify for SS. It doesn't matter who they are from or what they are about, no-one reads your messages, the system is automated and simply compares the time-stamps for receipt and response to determine compliance. If you mark that message as spam now, it should update your stats within a day or two, but it will not help with the badges already awarded.

If you don't want your purchases to affect your SS status, you have a couple of options.

1. You can use Auto reply to send a "thank you" or an "I'll get back to you shortly" message. This counts as a response for SS, but needs to be reset every five days.
2. You can create a few snippets with various messages and send quick responses that way in just 3 clicks, Snippets/Select/Send.
3. You can create a new, buyer only Etsy account and keep all your purchases separate from your shop.