Hi guys. I need some help.
I am a very small author, and have been actively working for only 1 year. During this time, I received about 40 requests for a refund, 70% of them were completely unreasonable, and I had to approve them only because otherwise I would receive 1 star. I have a lot of good reviews, and I always try to help people who ask me about it. But how to help people who want to deceive you or just don’t understand that the problem is on their side?
After the last such incident, I was very disappointed in my customers. A man bought my theme, began to spam messages that it does not work, and I had to reply him at 3 a.m., he also wrote all his messages in Spanish, and because of this I had to translate all his words, and try understand what the problem is. I described to him all the possible reasons why the theme did not work on his server (he has an old version of php and upload_max_filesize 1m, because of this, demo content cannot load media files), showed how to fix it, after which I got 1 star and accusations that I’m not friendly.
I had to beg him to make a refund, so as not to spoil the reviews on the theme.
Over the past month, this is already 3 such a case when I have to give money, theme, my work and time to people who don’t deserve it.
What is the chance that even if his review is deleted he will not put it again? I can’t disturb the support of Envato every time. How to deal with this problem?
I am completely disappointed 
I have same problem but can’t help it.
First, all authors have experience with such customers. You are definitely not alone in this.
If someone blackmails you about giving you a bad rating, just save that conversation and once he gives you that 1 star, contact Envato Help, I am sure they will be able to remove that rating in case like this. Blackmailing is not OK.
In case the review won’t be removed, then try to reply to that review in a professional, reasonable matter. I mean the review replies are public, so just use them to share your point of view. Again, try to be professional, do not call the buyer names or anything like that. If you are 100% sure he is wrong, then just state the facts. Any reasonable potential customers who will read it will understand. Just take a look at any bestseller themes, they all have their share of 1 star ratings.
2 Likes
I perfectly understand the “blackmail” technique you’re going through, and I’ve been through it countless times before. If your item description is clearly explained, in plain English, and someone is attempting to blackmail you, why do you accept the refund request? Don’t fall victim to blackmail. There are Terms for refunds Refund Terms of Service which you can follow. For all the latter mentioned terms, Envato will step in, in your favor if you get a negative review.
The policies and terms here function, that’s a fact, but if you don’t use them, then what are their purpose?
- You have a broken item? It should be fixed or removed. The buyer reimbursed. No questions asked. It’s absolutely normal and fair.
- You get blackmailed to give a refund when everything is clear and there is no reason to do so? Don’t accept the refund. You get a 1 star rating? Report it and it will be removed. It’s again, absolutely fair.
Blackmail should not be a factor on Envato, as the support staff have a zero tolerance policy for such acts coming from Authors or Buyers alike.
At the end of the day, Envato is unbiased towards both Authors and Buyers. Authors get banned for intentional damage, Buyers get banned for intentional damage. It’s simple. Follow the terms and everything is great for everyone! 
2 Likes
Thanks so much for the feedback and for your time. This helped me understand the situation in more detail 
1 Like
Never be afraid to apply the Envato Terms. They are fair for both Authors and Buyers. Buyers have a dedicated Support Team Envato Market Help and Support and Authors have a dedicated Support Team as well Envato Authors Help and Support both work together to solve and keep things balanced, unbiased and running smoothly!
A simple motto, Treat others like you’d like to be treated - and there is no reference to blackmail in any part of this, or broken files, haha!
Cheers mate!