Have you ever had a trusted platform shatter your trust in them? After more than a decade of believing, the platform crushed your faith and all the good feels you had about it.

What do you do?

My Zazzle Story

I first signed on with Zazzle in 2011. I wanted a platform to offer products related to my longtime participation in the 3-Day, 60-Mile Walk for the Cure. I had moderate success but like my poor cactus sitting on my desk, it died from neglect (how do you kill a cactus?!).

I expanded my products to reflect my new Old Lady Biz branding – Reading, Writing, Walking, and added a sprinkle of Old Lady Humor. I launched my new Old Lady Biz Store, using the Shopify platform.

The biggest challenge I have is Momcare. Although healthy for 102 years of age, she is 102. So, the amount of required care increases. Not complaining. It’s just a life fact with an impact on my business life. So, I have not been able to devote as much time as I would like to the Old Lady Biz Store, especially for the cost of using Shopify.

So, I decided to move back to Zazzle for one last shot at the store. I figured whatever earnings I receive is money I would not have had. There’s no monthly or annual fee for using the Zazzle platform. Sounds simple, right?

The Zazzle Store That Would Not Die

I started working on my Old Lady Biz Store on Zazzle. I decided I would delete the old store because its similar name is confusing, and I’ve done rebranding on the images. And that’s where the problem began.

#1 – I followed Zazzle’s instructions, which involved deleting any existing products.
#2 – When I tried to move the old store to the trash for deletion, I received an error message.
#3 – The error message said I could not delete the store because there were products still there.
#4 – Yet, when I click on Products, the site said None found. Say what?
#5 – After numerous attempts to resolve this, I decided to contact Zazzle support.

Like so many sites today, contacting customer service had its own challenges.

Another AI Disaster

A click on a “Get Help” button in Store Management connected me to Zazzle’s version of AI. I knew this was a worthless option for my problem as I had tried it for simple store management questions. It was a total disaster.

However, I knew when I told the AI loser that No, it did not answer my question, Zee (AI name) would connect me with a LIVE agent. Or so I thought.

• The first estimated wait time I was given was 11 minutes.
• I watched that estimate go up instead of down…13 minutes…14 minutes…
• I disconnected when it hit 17 minutes.

The Old Email Shuffle

Because I couldn’t find a direct phone number, I sent an email. I figured it was probably better anyway as I would have a record and could send screenshots of the problem.

I received an immediate acknowledgment email. But it took a few days to receive a response. When I did, the agent listed what I should do first for them to assist me. I already had done all 5 items the agent listed – which I indicated in my original email. *Sigh* But I did it again.

Next, the agent told me she would have to refer the problem to Zazzle’s Creator Team. Five days later, I received an email confirming the Creator Team successfully deleted the store. One problem.

They deleted my NEW store!!! *&%#%

The Zazzle Knockout

Life has been difficult lately. The realization that all my stolen hours of work on my new store were lost was a blow to the gut. My whole body deflated like a gasping balloon pricked by a needle.

My first reflex was to chuck it all. Maybe this was divine intervention laughing at my idea of a fun online store. But then my stubbornness kicked in. If I was going to fail, it would be on my terms. Not because of another customer service screw-up. I had too many of those lately and I was determined to overcome this latest hurdle.

So, I started again. At least many of my designs were saved. The most time-consuming was setting up the Collections again and creating the product descriptions. Baby steps.

I should be launching it soon. Then I will terminate the Shopify platform to eliminate that expense.

Focusing on 2025 Goals

Life has a way of kicking your lofty goals in the teeth. But that stubbornness of mine wanted to remember my goals and end this post on a better note.

Be Positive

The initial response I received back when I begged Zazzle to check to see if they could reinstate my deleted store was “No” with the following platitude.

“Sorry for the inconvenience.”

I replied that it was much more than an inconvenience. It cost me time, money, and productivity. I did not expect a response back. But I did receive one from the representative who originally responded to my initial request to delete the old store.

She spoke with the Technical Manager again in an effort to restore the deleted store. As expected, that was not possible. But what I appreciated was her response.

The buck stops with me as I submitted the details to have your store deleted. I really do apologize…I apologize again…as you had 33 products in the store. I am hopeful that some if not all of your designs are still in your Saved Designs if you are interested in adding those items to your store. 

Although the outcome has not changed, I appreciate someone who takes ownership and recognizes the amount of work I had done.

Another positive side of this fiasco is my discovery of the Zazzle Community. As I began to recreate my new store, I ran into issues. I decided to give the Community a shot. My past experience with community-run help has not been the best.

• Typically, receiving a response takes time.
• Often, my questions were left chirping amongst the crickets.
• And many responses did not answer my question or were downright wrong.

That is not what I have found in the Zazzle Community. Questions are answered quickly, in simple language to understand, and the member works with you until the issue is resolved. I was very impressed!

Be Kind

I could have responded to the representative with a snarky remark. But, as I said, I was grateful someone took ownership and did not minimize my problem by failing to recognize all the work that went into the deleted store.

Acknowledgment is a simple, valued response.

So, I told her how much I appreciated it.

Be Caring

With all that has happened recently in my life, it would be simple to slip into anger and resentment. But I remind myself how blessed I am.

• Although 102, my mom is pretty darn healthy.
• Innocent people have much bigger fears than a deleted store.
• Their lives are being deleted with no due process.

If this is the worst thing that happens this year, I have no right to complain.

Peace and happiness for us all. And, hopefully, a few smiles.

Bigstock Photo Credit