WEIRD: Etsy’s old HQ address added to customer’s account, refund demanded for returned order

[#1]

I have a very odd situation. A customer’s order was returned by USPS due to expired forwarding. When this happens, I send the usual message to buyer, this is the address you used & show the order receipt. I say if that was old/incorrect, I can send you an invoice to pay for reshipping to a new/different address.

Customer is angry now & doesn’t think she should pay for shipping again & is demanding a refund instead of the replacement (for a custom printed order).

Where it gets weird/uncomfortable: She has accused me and/or Etsy of getting into her account & adding this “wrong” address as her default shipping. She has never used or seen this address before.

The weird part: It’s ETSY’s old HQ address, the one on Washington street in Brooklyn. The receiver’s name was listed as “Etsy Gift Cards” which I did think was odd after I printed the label. But it was valid, I had shipped to Etsy many years ago, & I have gotten orders that don’t list a person’s name. Weird, but I don’t question.

How would Etsy’s old address get on this customer’s account? What type of security issue is this? Customers need to review/approve address when an order is placed & obviously she didn’t do that. But still?! I have no idea how to reply now.

I’m stuck with a custom order that I eat the cost of or pay to reship myself. I think I will elect to refund, but there is something odd here & am not sure what to say to this customer. Is this a security issue or just a Etsy glitch. 

[vintageNCtreasures]

Geez.......deleted. My reply didn't post then it posted twice!
 

[vintageNCtreasures]

I'd never tell a buyer to open a case. 
You don't know for sure if Etsy would refund or they'd take the funds from you.

I'd worried that Etsy didn't have my back and if they opened a case for non-delivery and Etsy refunded from your account, then Etsy would DING you. 
The call center, chat are out sourced and don't always know how Etsy works and from what I've read on the forums it's not unusual to give out the wrong info. 

Why wouldn't that person realize that ship too address was NOT her address? 
You have a few times to confirm the ship too address.  

And then to blame this on you and Etsy for "changing her address" it is beyond crazy. 

[CanningCrafts]

@vintageNCtreasures  The agent flat out told me the buyer would get a refund if her account didn't show a pattern of this. Even if she knowingly used a wrong address, that yes, you get to check multiple times before ordering. She said I wouldn't get dinged & I said cases count against SS now! I haven't had a case since like 2017. I'm still floored when this wrong address issue comes up.

I do not know if a case would automatically take $ out of my account or theirs, but I'm not going to wait to find out. I've wasted too much time on this. I will refund, tell her to check all of her stored address, & tell her she can buy again & use the correct address if she still wants the order. 

[Adorabilities]

PPP cases, refunded from Etsy, do not count against the shop.

Here's what it says on the new Star Seller/Service Standards page:

"When something goes wrong with an order, we always encourage buyers to work with you first. If you can’t reach a resolution, buyers will sometimes ask Etsy to step in by opening a case.

Not all cases will count against you or reflect negatively on your shop, as long as you're meeting our customer service standard. For this stat, we only count cases that resulted in Etsy refunding the buyer from your Payment account.

This stat doesn’t include:

• Orders over $250 (or equivalent in local currency)
• Orders eligible for Etsy Purchase Protection
• Orders that you refunded before the buyer opened a case"

[CanningCrafts]

And how does a buyer ship to an address that isn't even theirs & not notice it? That is what really miffs me. 

[TBQSC]

"A customer’s order was returned by USPS due to expired forwarding."

Definitely the buyers fault, whether it was an Etsy HQ address glitch or not ... if she did not double check the shipping address that was added to her order at time of checkout, then that is completely on her, and she would be totally responsible for the reshipping fees, especially for a custom order.  I am glad you decided to cancel/refund the order as it is probably the best solution so as to dodge a bad review from her, whether she be a former Etsy employee or not.  Sorry you had to go through this!

[CanningCrafts]

@TBQSC  The amount of $ for the order was already not worth the time I spent on it. But it gets under my skin being blamed for a wrong address. How does one not pay attention to the address? I am a turtle when I place orders online, I want to make sure I don't goof up. I never have, but if I ever do, I won't blame the seller.

[FabioMcMustache · Accepted solution]

Hello! We're sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with this order. We've forwarded your concerns to a specialist team, and your case is being worked on as we speak - Moving forward, they will handle it directly with you, so please stay tuned to your email as they may reach out through there. Thank you! 

Please know we handle support inquiries privately per our Community Policy – we’re closing this thread, so you can get the support you need from us directly.