Etsy seller asking for bad review to be removed

[Aphantasia]

I bought an expensive item last year for an event, it was a bespoke item. It was an awful experience and I left a review to that effect.

The seller lied continually over the course of weeks saying that it would be sent the next day repeatedly etc etc.

Long story short, it didn’t turn up, I opened an Etsy case, deadline came and went for delivery, Etsy was crap and kept saying to wait for delivery even though I now didn’t need the item for the event as event was over, eventually opened a case with PayPal and was refunded within 24hrs.

Seller has a pile of shit reviews all for late and non delivery for the same period of time but has today just emailed me asking for me to take down the review and offering me a free item… I’m pretty pissed off to be honest as he left me up shit creek with his bullshit last year. Never apologised and was repeatedly rude and dishonest in his communication. Today’s email doesn’t even offer an apology just a bullshit sob story about how my review is negatively affecting his business and contains his name so is in breach of containing private information (his name is in his username on Etsy, so it’s not exactly private information)

Anyway, would I be unreasonable to report him to Etsy? Surely that’s against their terms? Trying to manipulate reviews by offering free goods?

He’s a twat and I wasted so much time last year during a really stressful project trying to chase that item and subsequently the refund that I have zero good will towards him, so I’m half thinking it’s not even worth the headspace of wasting more time on. But at the same time I just hate it when twats get away with being twats and want Etsy to know that he’s trying to manipulate his reviews…. Would they even care anyway?

Refuse then block him then report to Etsy.

Can you even block on Etsy?

Don’t remove it, this happens a lot, even legal threats. Definitely report to Etsy., it’s not fair on other customers.

Definitely don’t remove your review. I would report the sellers behaviour to Etsy

Oh I definitely won’t remove it, he claimed all sorts in the end, even faked a ‘friend’ taking over his account to message me after already sending me a dispatch notification days before, clearly he couldn’t keep up with his own lies as his ‘friend’ said he would finish the order and send it out the next day. So much bullshit, it was a proper farce. There was a faked car crash, a shipping label printed with the wrong address and an A and E visit….

Public duty to leave it on op!! Personally think menaces need calling out. And the review does just that!

I'd edit out his name if it's against t&c's to avoid him petitioning Etsy to remove it. Then ignore.

I'm pretty sure it's against Etsy regs, so def worth reporting.

I’m so tempted to write back though, I know the mature approach is to ignore and report to Etsy but I’m sorely tempted to play him at his own game abs wind him up a bit. I was thinking something along the lines of

Oh hi Twatface, Aphantasia had an accident and is now incapacitated so she’s given me access to all her accounts. I’ll do my very best to sort that for you this evening. 😀

….And then promptly do nothing other than eat some hobnobs and watch some shots on the telly

@MattDamon yeah I was considering but then his name is in his user name as the owner of the shop, so say his name is Bob, his user name on Etsy is bobbietwatface

Leave another review, then block

If it is factual, take no action. Let the seller stew.

Do you have screen shots of his communication (lies). Could your edit and attach this as pictures to your review?

@TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams you can only leave reviews on completed transactions, I’m not invested enough to buy anything off him just to leave another review 😂

I think that by not responding and leaving it up you're actually not letting twats get away with being twats. Clearly it's bothering him and having an impact, so what's in place already is giving him the payback he deserves.
Engaging with him now would be rising to his unjustified request. Take satisfaction in taking the high road and leaving your honest experience there for others to see

@CurlsLDN agreed, I took the high road, didn’t respond, and have no item room of changing my review. I did however report the message to eBay and they called me to say they’ve referred it to their specialist team as it’s against their code of conduct and will email me to let me know if they’ll take further action.