InfoTeamManual:Member Support Team:Saved Reply List
From FreecycleFAQ
Saved Reply Title List
===This list is being updated and moved to a spreadsheet that will make it easer to sort and search as needed. ===
Spreadsheet is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rsp22GIrSvmcfN2_KajMt4ArmANFwclTWdQRwJn-HcM/edit#gid=0
Last updated December 21, 2020
Here's the current list of Saved Replies and Help Scout Knowledge Base articles with notes about what each covers.
Helpful hint: hit control/F on your keyboard to search for the answer you need.
| Saved Reply | Use When | Instructions included | Related/Similar Replies | Revise for FC 3.0? | Link to knowledge base article (for 3.0 only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account bounced deleted | Member says they had an account in the past but it has "disappeared" | Explanation of why account was deleted; instructions for signing up and preventing this in the future | Signup; Not receiving emails or email preferences changed (bounced); Prevent Freecycle email from going to spam | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/63-account-deleted |
| Advertise | We receive a question about how to advertise on the Freecycle website or become a Sponsor | Signing up for Google Ads | None | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/134-advertise-on-freecycle-org |
| Asking for Credit Card | User reports being asked for a credit card to sign up. | We don't ask for credit card; user probably clicked on an ad or pop-up | None | No | |
| Blackmail email scam hack | Member reports receiving a scam/spam email threatening blackmail with webcam videos and referencing email and password used for Freecycle. | Link to info about this scam, recommendations for prevention including changing password, not using the same password for multiple sites, not reusing old password, installing password manager | None | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/151-block-and-unblock-a-friend |
| Budget/tax documentation | Member who is considering donating requests information about Freecycle budget or tax documentation | Link to this info on freecycle.org | None | No | |
| Can't join additional groups | Member reports that they are unable to join additional groups | Limit on number of groups a member can join: helps protect against spam and encourages local giving. Need to leave a group to join more. | Join a group | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/24-system-wont-let-me-join-more-groups-too-many-groups |
| Can't login | Member is having any type of trouble logging in and you can see that they have an active Freecycle account | Clear cookies and request a password reset | Account Bounced Deleted | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/15-cant-log-in |
| Change email preferences | Member wants to receive more or less Freecycle email | Changing email preferences in My Groups/Change Settings. Options are: One for each post, Email Digest, or None apart from Admins | If their preferences have changed without their knowledge, use Not receiving or changed Freecycle emails (bounced) | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/51-change-email-preference-settings |
| Change Password | Member wants to change their password | Changing password in My Info. Member must be able to log in to do this. | If they cannot log in, use Can't Login which includes instructions on resetting password. | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/48-change-my-password |
| Change registered email address | Member wants to change their email address | Changing email address in My Info. Member must be logged in to do this. | If they cannot log in, use in conjunction with Can't Login | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/52-change-registered-email-address |
| Change username | Member wants to change their username | Includes the two options: delete your account and rejoin (must be able to log in to do this) or request Tech team do it for them. | If they cannot log in, use this in combination with Can't Login | Yes - can't do it yet. Delete is not enabled on 3.0 | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/49-change-my-username |
| Clear cookies from phone | Member experiences loop back to login screen or login info is not recognized and we have confirmed there is an account. Member is using a phone to access Freecycle.org. | Links to instructions for iPhone and Android | Cookies | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/21-username-password-not-recognized-cookies |
| Clear cookies from specific browsers | Member needs to clear cookies and we know which browser they are using. Copy/paste the appropriate link into your reply. | Links to step-by-step instructions for clearing cookies in several popular browsers. | Cookies | No | N/A |
| Clear cookies URL | Adding clear cookies instructions to another Saved Reply | Provides a link to a set of instructions for clearing cookies on several popular browsers | For full Cookies explanation and instructions, use Cookies | No | N/A |
| Consent form to use private details | Popup appears for members in certain geographical areas (Europe, UK, California) asking for permission to deliver customized ads. | Confirms this is a legitimate request and agree or disagree response will not affect the ability to access Freecycle.org. | NONE | DONE | |
| Contact local group moderator (bcc GOA if appropriate) | Member has sent a message about something that should be handled by their group Mod OR when they have tried to email mod and received no response OR they have a complaint or concern about a moderator. For the latter two, BCC the area GOA or forward the message to the area GOA. | Provides instructions for contacting Mods via the Freecycle website. Member must be able to log in to do this. | Use Mod volunteer and BCC the GOA when the member is trying to submit application to be a moderator | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/54-contact-local-moderators |
| Cookies | Member is having difficulty logging in or getting password reset and is getting error messages saying username, email or password is "not recognized" or if they experience a "loop" back to the login screen. | Brief explanation of the issues removing cookies will resolve and links to websites that describes how to remove cookies from several popular browsers and phones | Can't Login; if there is a hyphen/dash "-" in the member's email address, see Hyphen in email address | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/21-username-password-not-recognized-cookies |
| COVID Concerns (forward to GOA as an FYI) | Member expresses concern that the local group is open OR not open during lockdown | Explains that local mods make the decision about whether to close or limit posts, recommends contacting the mods directly. Forward to GOA as an FYI. If member has already contacted the mod, forward to GOA for action. | |||
| Cross Post to multiple groups | Member asks whether it's possible to/ how to send the same post to multiple groups at the same time | Explanation that this isn't possible and a separate post must be made in each group; clicking through "possible duplicate post" system warning; contact local mods | Duplicated post error message | Yes. Don't know yet how this will work in 3.0. | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/137-post-to-multiple-town-groups |
| Data Privacy Policy | Member requests information about the Freecycle Privacy Policy | Link to Privacy page on the Freecycle website | None | Yes if new URL | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/111-freecycle-privacy-policy |
| Delete remove post | Member requests instructions for removing or deleting a post | Instructions for deleting a post or marking a post as Taken | Photo uploaded but not displaying on website | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/123-manage-post |
| Don't like a particular ad | Member complains about the content of an ad in our Google Ads spaces (where the ad is not in violation of our guidelines) | Explains how to get rid of the ad & tell Google about preferences | |||
| Donate or disable ad blocker message | Member complains about the Donate popup | Explains how to close the popup by donating or turning off ad blocker | |||
| Donation funds use explanation | Members ask what donated funds are used for | Provides a link to the explanation on Freecycle.org of how funds donated to Freecycle are used | Donation Options | No | This info is in the About link and the Donate link in the page footer |
| Donation options | Member asks how to donate or requests a different method for sending donation than the one included in the donation request email | Provides four options: PayPal, Freecycle website (also via PayPal), Facebook, and mail | Donation funds use explanation | No | This info is in the Donate link in the page footer |
| Duplicated post error message | Member indicates that they were prevented from making a post and received the message that the post was a duplicate | Clicking through the error message will allow the post to go through | Cross Post to multiple groups | Yes - need to see how this works in 3.0 | Need to see what the error message is and how the site behaves |
| Edit post | Member asks how to edit an existing post | Explanation that it's not possible to edit a post except to add a photo. Options are to delete post or ask group mod to edit. | None | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/123-manage-post |
| Email address for contact list address book | Adding the address to another Saved Reply | email address: email_relay@freecycle.org | None | No | N/A |
| Email address not accepted (hyphen) | Member has difficulty signing up, logging in, or changing password or other My Info information AND their email address contains hyphens/dashes "-", getting message that "email address is already in use". Could be mistaken for a cookie issue. | Explains that the hyphen in email addresses prevent the system from recognizing the entire address. Recommends signing up with another email address. | Can't login, Signup | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/133-problem-with-signup |
| Email not reaching other members | Member reports that they are replying to other members' emails but they suspect their mail is not reaching the other members. | Explains that once messaging is outside FC email system, we can't track it and offers Reply Online as alternative to reply by email. | None | No | Need to do one |
| Email reply not delivered (reply going to Freecycle) | Member says that they replied to a post email and got an "undeliverable" message back | Finding the correct email address in the body of the post, copying and pasting it into the TO field of the reply email | None | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/66-email-not-delivered |
| Email settings changed (bounced) | Member says that email preference settings changed without their knowledge | Adding Freecycle email address to contact list; re-setting email preferences. Must be logged in to do this. | Change email preferences | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/68-not-receiving-freecycle-emails |
| Email settings changed (provider blocking) | Member says that email preference settings changed without their knowledge. Their email provider is one we know is blocking our mail OR we've received a mail failure message that indicates the provider is blocking us. | Notifies the member that their provider may be blocking us. You can assign the message to the TL to send reply from the alternate gmail account. | Change email preferences, Email settings changed (bounced) | DONE | |
| Facebook signup login | Member reports Facebook signup or login fails. | Explains the FB signup and login are no longer supported. | Signup | Yes | |
| Forward to Deron | Decision tree indicates we should forward a message to Deron | None | None | No | N/A |
| Forward to GOA (ADD GROUP NAME TO SUBJECT) | Member message needs to be forwarded to their area GOA, based on the decision tree. | Add group name, member name and brief description of the issue. Put the Group name in the subject line of your forwarded message. | None | No | N/A |
| Forward to GOA Coordinator | Member reports that GOA hasn't contacted them or the issue is extremely serious, based on the Decision Tree. Forward the entire message thread to Jakkie. | Add group name, member name and brief description of the issue. Put the Group name in the subject line of your forwarded message if it's not already there. Forward go goacoordinator@freecycle.org. | Forward to GOA | No | N/A |
| How does Freecycle work? | Non-member asks how Freecycle works or asks how to donate or give away items | Brief explanation of Freecycle and instructions for signing up, joining local group and posting | Signup | Yes | Need to do |
| How to delete account | Member asks for instructions on deleting account. | Step by step instructions for completely deleting account. If they can't do it themselves, the TL can do it for them. See Unsubscribe if it is not clear that complete accouont deletion is what is wanted. | Unsubscribe, Leave a group | Yes | |
| How to use Freecycle URL | You want to add a link to the Member FAQ that gives an overview of Freecycle. | Link to the Member FAQ that shows how to do basic things in Freecycle.org. | Signup, How does Freecycle work? | Yes | Need to do |
| How will I get responses replies to my post? | Member asks how they will get responses to post or says that they have not received any responses | None | None | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/55-view-and-respond-to-post-replies |
| Incorrect Info in Login Box | Member sees old or incorrect information in the login box. | Gives instructions for clearing the fields before entering the correct info. | Login | ||
| Invalid Location error message | Member is unable to make a post, getting the error message "Invalid Location" | Correctly filling in the "What is your approximate location" field in the post; setting default location | Make a post | Yes. Need to see how this is handled on 3.0 | Not sure yet whether this will be an error on the new site & what form it will take |
| Is donation email legitimate | Member received an email asking for donation and wants to confirm it's a legitimate request | Confirms it's legit, thanks for considering donation | |||
| Join group | Member has joined Freecycle but hasn't joined a local group | How to join a group; how many groups a member can join; how to post | Signup | DONE. needs updating when I see what happens when membership is pending approval. | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/26-join-a-group |
| Leave group | Member wants to leave a group without joining another group (may have already joined a new group) | How to leave a group from the My Groups tab, Change Settings option | if they want to leave a group and join another, use New home group & leave a group; Unsubscribe provides instructions for leaving a group too | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/28-leave-a-town-group |
| Link to 3.0 Sneak Peek | You want to reassure a member that an issue they reported will be handled in the next version of Freecycle.org. | Link to the Knowledge Base document with a brief description and screen shot of the new website. | Any | DONE | N/A |
| Login URL | Inserting the main Freecycle URL for logging in into another saved reply | None | None | Yes. Need to make sure URLs are consistent across KB docs and saved replies | N/A |
| Make a post | Member asks how to post or member sends what looks like a post to the Help mailbox | Step by step instructions for creating a post. Member must be logged in to do this. | Signup; Join group | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/30-make-a-post |
| Message forwarded to GOA | Responding to a member to let them know that we have forwarded their message to their area GOA | None | Forward to GOA is the message to use when forwarding a Member's message to a GOA | No | N/A |
| Moderator Volunteer | Member tells us they have tried to respond to a recruitment email for new moderators for their local group but have received an "undeliverable" message or the mods have not responded or is just sending an offer to volunteer. If you can tell which group or GOA area this is for, BCC or forward to the GOA as well. | Contacting moderators via the Freecycle website, providing the completed questionnaire | Contact local group moderator, Forward to GOA | DONE | There is a volunteer link in the page footer |
| New home group & leave a group | Member wants to leave a group, usually because they are moving/have moved | Leaving a group; joining a new group; setting a new Home group | If you are not sure whether the member wants to unsubscribe from emails, leave a group, or quit Freecycle altogether, use Unsubscribe | Use 3.0 Leave Group | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/28-leave-a-town-group |
| No account but receiving emails | Non-member (no active Freecycle account) reports receiving emails from Freecycle | Check the TO field of the email to see if it is coming from email_relay@freecycle.org; forwarding a recent email so we can investigate where it is coming from | Not Freecycle... (Freegle), (Trash Nothing), (Yahoo Group) | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/135-stop-sending-me-email |
| Not Freecycle (Freegle) | Member or non-member provides example of an email from Freegle | Explanation that this is a separate organization from Freecycle; recommendation to contact the other organization | No account but receiving emails | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/135-stop-sending-me-email |
| Not Freecycle (Trash Nothing) | Member or non-member provides example of an email from Trash Nothing | Explanation that this is a separate organization from Freecycle; recommendation to contact the other organization | No account but receiving emails | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/135-stop-sending-me-email |
| Not Freecycle (.io, freelist, google) | Member or non-member provides example of an email from a Group on another service. | Explanation that this is a separate organization from Freecycle; recommendation to contact the other organization | No account but receiving emails, Not Freecycle (Trash Nothing), Not Freecycle (Freegle) | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/135-stop-sending-me-email |
| Not receiving emails or email preferences changed (bounced) | Member tells us that they stopped receiving emails or that their email preferences changed without their knowledge | Explanation that email preferences change when member's email provider marks Freecycle emails as spam and "bounces" them; adding Freecycle email address to contact list to prevent Freecycle emails being marked as spam | If the member does not have an active Freecycle account, use Account bounced deleted; Prevent Freecycle email from going to spam | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/68-not-receiving-freecycle-emails |
| Not seeing post photos | Member reports that they can't see photos on posts | Two explanations for not seeing photos: (1) there was not photo included in the post; recommendation they ask the member to email a photo (2) they are viewing on email digest, which don't have photos. Instructions for changing email preferences to receive one for each post. | Reply respond to post; Change email preferences | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/138-not-seeing-photos-in-post-email |
| Password reset email not received | Member reports they haven't received the password reset email | Checking spam folder for password reset email; adding Freecycle email address to contact list | Password reset issue | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/62-password-reset |
| Password reset form issue | Member reports problem with using the password reset link or form, including look back to login or password reset screen (cookies) | Clearing cookies; checking spam folder for password reset email; adding Freecycle email address to contact list | Cookies | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/62-password-reset |
| Phone screen snapshot | You ask a member to provide a screen shot and they don't know how to do it on their phone | Links to websites that provide instructions for (1) Android phones and (2) iPhones/iPads | None | No | N/A |
| Photo orientation | Member reports that photos are appearing sideways or upside-down | Explains that there is a glitch with the Freecycle website; recommends rotating the device when taking the photo | Post photo | Hopefully won't be a problem | I really hope we won't need this :-) |
| Photo not uploading | Member reports that they are unable to attach a photo to a post | Explains that we are experiencing intermittent issues with photos; recommends trying again later or with different device | Post photo; Photo uploaded but not displaying on website | hopefully won't be a problem | I really hope we won't need this :-) |
| Photo uploaded but not displaying on website | Member reports that they have added a photo to a post but photo doesn't appear online with the post. | Explains that we are experiencing intermittent issues with photos; recommends trying again late or with different device | Post photo; Photo not uploading; Delete remove post | hopefully won't be a problem | I really hope we won't need this :-) |
| Popup Ads pop-up | Member reports excessive and/or inappropriate popup ads on the Freecycle website | Notes that these ads are not coming from Freecycle; recommends clearing cookies and installing a popup blocker | None | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/136-pop-up-ads |
| Post photo | Member asks how to include a photo in their post | Step by step instructions for uploading a photo when making a post or afterwards in My Posts | Photo orientation, Photo not uploading or posting | Wait on this. Photo posting is much more obvious on 3.0. Send Make a Post for full instructions. | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/30-make-a-post |
| Posts not posting | Member reports that they have made a post but have not received a post email or cannot find the post on the Freecycle website | Checking My Posts to see if it is Pending Mod Approval; paging through the group posts to find the post; contact moderators | Contact local group moderator | The new Make a Post form makes this blindingly obvious, so use Make a Post if there are questions | not sure yet how this will manifest on FC 3.0 |
| Prevent Freecycle email from going to spam | Member reports not getting emails and has already tried adding email_relay@freecycle.org to their contact list | Creating filters in gmail and Yahoo that instruct the system not to send email to spam | Not receiving emails or email preferences changed (bounced); Account bounced deleted | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/131-freecycle-email-going-to-spam-folder |
| Public Help email address | Adding the Freecycle Help email address to another saved reply; asking a Member to forward an email to us | just the email address for help | None | No | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/120-contact-freecycle |
| Received Admin | Member says they received a message from local mods but they didn't make a post that breaks the rule being described. Many times the Admins don't provide any context or indication that it's a general announcement and members think it's directed at them specifically. | Explanation that it's a general Admin and can be ignored if the member hasn't done what is described; direction to contact local group moderator. | Contact local group moderator | Yes? Admins will be on the website. Let's wait on this to see what Notifications/admins look like | Need to see more about how this will work on site |
| Reply respond to post | Member asks how to reply to a post they are interested in. | Instructions for the three ways to respond to a post: Reply by email, Reply Online (from email), Reply on the Website | None | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/60-reply-to-posts |
| Report malicious inappropriate ad | Member reports seeing an advertisement (not a post or popup) that is malicious or inappropriate | Asks member to provide screenshot and the link address of the ad so we can have it blocked | Popups | No | N/A |
| Request Entity too large (error 413) | Member receives this error message when trying to upload a photo with a post. | Explanation of the error message, the maximum photo size allowed, and links to websites explaining how to resize a photo. | Resize a Photo | No | Hopefully won't be an issue |
| Reset Password | Member reports they forgot password. | Instructions for how to request a password reset; instructions to add email_relay@freecycle.org to their contact list to prevent reset email from being marked as spam. | Can't login | no | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/129-forgot-password |
| Resize a Photo | Member receives an error message when trying to upload a photo with a post. | Explanation of the maximum photo size allowed and links to websites explaining how to resize a photo. | Request Entity too large (error 413) | no | Hopefully won't be an issue |
| Security Certificate Issue | Member reports being blocked from entering Freecycle.org and seeing a message that our security certificate is out of date. | Make sure member's browser is up to date and provide info about browser and device so we can investigate. | No | ||
| Send headers from gmail | When we need to see email headers to determine the source so we can resolve a technical issue. | Instructions for copying and pasting headers into reply email | No | ||
| Send headers from Yahoo | When we need to see email headers to determine the source so we can resolve a technical issue. | Instructions for copying and pasting headers into reply email | No | ||
| Signup | Non-member asks how to sign up; Non-member sends a message with the text of a post they want to make. | Instructions for signing up, joining a group, making a post, and adding email_relay@freecycle.org to their contact list to prevent reset email from being marked as spam. | Make a post, Join group | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/40-how-to-sign-up |
| Signup: can't see not a robot check box | Non-member trying to sign up, can't find the check box. This is most often an issue with Android phones. | Recommendation to close browser and start again or if phone, scroll around until the box displays. | Signup | Hopefully won't need. FC 3.0 will resize to fit screen. | |
| Signup: can't find agree to terms of service check box | Non-member trying to sign up, can't find the check box. This is most often an issue with Android phones. | Recommendation to close browser and start again or if phone, scroll around until the box displays. | Signup | Hopefully won't need. FC 3.0 will resize to fit screen. | |
| Site issue | Member reports a temporary technical issue that we know about | Explanation that there is an issue and the tech team is working on it. Can be customized to a particular issue. | None | No | N/A |
| SiteModHelp and GOA contact info for moderators | Moderator contacts us looking for help with Mod Tools or with moderating their group | Email address for Mod Help and instruction to contact their GOA for all non-technical issues | None | No | We will be adding a "help" link to Modtools (not sure when) |
| Partnership service proposal | We receive request about a potential service or partnership and it doesn't look like spam. | Should be used only by the Team Lead, who will make a determination about whether it should be passed on. We ignore most of these. Note that we have passed the message on to Freecycle leadership. | None | No | N/A |
| Start new group | Member or Non-member reports there is no group in their area or wants to start a specialized group. | Instruction to check existing groups and if no local group found, complete online form. | Join Group | Yes. but need to see the final process. | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/61-start-a-new-group |
| Support@ signup message | New member reports they can't sign in and provides copy of a confirmation message that originated from the email address support @ fc.org. This is an obsolete message sent from a mailbox that shouldn't be sending messages. | Should only be used by the TL, who can issue a new password. Gives new PW and asks member to provide email headers so we can research where these emails are coming from. | Signup | ||
| Taken or received email not received | Member reports that they have not received an individual email showing their post was marked Taken or Received | Explanation that Taken and Received notifications are only included in email digests and not in individual emails | Make a post | DONE | Need to describe how to see this on the site |
| Temporary password issued (TL only) | TL issues a new password. | New password and instructions to log in and change password. | Can't login, any password reset issue | ||
| Thanks | Member reports that the solution provided worked | Note of thanks for letting us know they were able to do what they wanted to do. | None | No | N/A |
| Unsubscribe | Member sends a generic "unsubscribe" request | Explains three options: delete account, change email preferences, leave a group with instructions for self-service or request for us to handle. | Change email preferences; Change home group & leave a group | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/43-unsubscribe-me |
| View email headers in various email programs | We need to ask a member to send us email headers for a suspect or broken email | Provides links to instructions for Yahoo Mail, gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, and iCloud | None | No | |
| Waiting for group membership to be approved | Member reports that they joined a group and their membership is pending or waiting to be approved. | Explains that some groups require mod approval for new members; directs member to contact local group mods | Join group | DONE | https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/26-join-a-group |
| Why was my account deleted? | Member has recreated deleted account and asks why it was deleted. | Explanation that email providers mark messages as spam and we follow automated procedure to reduce number of emails sent and finally delete account. Instruction to add email_relay@freecycle.org to contact list. | Whitelist on gmail URL; Not receiving emails or email preferences changed (bounced); Account bounced deleted | No | Not used much. covered by Account Bounced Deleted? |
