An unclaimed discussion is one that someone posted on your site, without logging in, using the email address of an existing account. Tender can't be sure the account's owner wrote it (anyone can type an email address), so it holds the discussion until it's claimed.
How a discussion becomes unclaimed
- Someone who has an account on your site starts a discussion on the site (or in the widget) while logged out, and gives their account's email address.
- Tender saves the discussion, hidden and private, and asks them to log in to claim it.
- If they log in, the discussion becomes theirs and carries on as normal.
- If they leave without logging in, the discussion stays unclaimed.
Email doesn't create unclaimed discussions: an email from an account's address simply belongs to that account.
Claiming a discussion
Unclaimed discussions are hidden, so they don't appear in your dashboard's lists. To hear about them, turn on the email notification when a registered user starts a discussion without logging in, under Email notifications in your account settings (click your name at the top of the page). The email links to the discussion.
On an unclaimed discussion, staff see This discussion is unclaimed and You can claim this discussion for the account's owner. Click Claim to give it to them. The discussion then appears as theirs, and you can reply.
The person who posted it can also claim it themselves: after logging in, they see Reclaim on the discussion.
Why you can't reply yet
While a discussion is unclaimed, nobody can reply to it, support staff included. Replying would email the account's owner about a message they may not have written. Claim it first, if you're satisfied it's theirs.