Although many of my posts consist mainly of recipes, I really do love sharing personal stories with you as I have the most random and awkward things that happen to me. Today, I will share one of these recent experiences with you.
Background:
Have you ever shopped at Etsy? If not, check out
http://www.etsy.com/. It is a site that consist of online shops. This place is wonderful for personalized gifts as everything is usually homemade. For the past few years I have used this site for birthday gifts, baby gifts, Christmas gifts, teacher gifts, etc. All you need is patience to browse through everything. I ordered a brooch about 3 weeks ago. The money was taken out of my account 2 weeks ago, but I had not heard from the seller or received any shipping information. I have literally copied and pasted the email correspondence into this post. Nothing has been changed aside from an initial to represent our names.
Email #1:
I am inquiring about my order as I have not received any tracking information and you have taken the money out of my account.
Fabric flower brooch, light and dark brown color, handmade floral brooch ,ready to ship, Free Shipping Item #: 81525416
~A
Response to Email #1:
Hello! I shipped the item to you exactly 9 days ago and you should know that it takes about 2 weeks for a package to arrive to the U.S. from Europe! It is not my fault that it didn't arive yet, I am not in charge of the post office and I do not like the way you wrote your email to me, quoting "you have taken the money out of my account", this is the first time someone said someting like that to me and I must say it is very insulting as I am a very honest and loyable seller.
The brooch could arrive before Christmas as it is still a week away! But I cannot guarantee that it will, and I never had.
Also the shipment was free and nobody should expect a tracking shipment if it is for free, I suggest the next time you'll purchase someting, read the listings very carefully because I have listed on my auction that: "Please take this into account. If you require insured shipment, please contact us for Additions corresponding amount.".
As I said, the brooch could still arrive so I suggest being patient and just wait for the flower to arrive.
Kind regards, J
*Um what? I continued to re-read this email. What had I missed? Did I accidentally send her something else? Nope. I also sent this email to some of my friends to make sure I wasn't crazy (and also to provide some entertainment). And of course, there is nothing better than tearing someone apart and then ending it with a fabulous valediction.
Email #2:
J,
You have incorrectly assumed too much from the short, two sentence email that I wrote. It has been misread on your end. I never accused you of lying or being a disloyal seller. That was not mentioned and it was not implied. I was inquiring about the status of the order that I had already paid for and had heard nothing about. I have ordered multiple things from Etsy and this was the first time that I did not receive a notification from the seller regarding the status of my purchase.
I did not ask about Christmas so there was no reason for you to become defensive about the Christmas guarantee. Again, that is not an issue.
I am not sure why I should not have expected a tracking number - regardless of how it was shipped. With that being said, I expected at least a notification that the package had been sent. You stated to contact you if needing the package insured, which I did not need. Do not insult me about implying that I do not know how to read your listing. As a seller and shop owner on Etsy it is very rude and unprofessional for you to insult a customer in such a manner.
I am very patient considering it has been over a week and I had yet to hear anything from you. I simply wanted to know the status of my order. You assumed too much when reading my email. My email was not rude - it was quick and to the point. However, you jumped to the wrong conclusion.
In the future I suggest that you respond to the email in a professional manner and simply answer any questions about the order. If you had any concerns about what my email meant, you should have asked me instead of responding in a vicious way. I have never had a situation like this evolve from an Etsy transaction and it is unfortunate that this has happened. Actions like this will only lose you customers.
I really liked the design of the brooch and the other products that you offered in your shop. It is a shame that this will be the last transaction between us. Still, I look forward to receiving the package and I hope it is as lovely in person as it was in the picture.
Have a Merry Christmas!
~A
*I couldn't help myself with my awesome valediction as well. Plus, I was still in shock that she had decided to write such a scathing email to a CUSTOMER.
Response to Email #2:
Hi!
I am very sorry, I never meant to insult you in any way! And also maybe I did have assumed too much from your first email. I am really, really busy now before Christmas and I'm constantly nervous as I keep getting new orders in and I just have so many things to do. And because of that I assumed that you would like the brooch to arrive before Christmas too.
As speaking of the notifications, I always tick the box on the listings after the item is shipped. Maybe I should also send emails to buyers when the item/s they purchased were shipped.
I really do hope it will arrive next week!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
J
I chose not to respond with a triple valediction. Maybe I should have taken the time to log on to Etsy and look up my order, but with the craziness of the holidays sending an email to the seller was much easier. Regardless, she could have been much nicer and could have displayed just an ounce of professionalism in her first response. This has NOTHING to do with the Etsy site itself - just this particular seller. I will continue to shop on Etsy, but I will never buy from her shop again. Email drama over an inexpensive brooch with free shipping and no tracking information. :) I received the brooch this past weekend and I am satisfied with it. Winning.
