ST Support - how to respond to open calls

[Kand]

How are we supposed to respond to ST support when they email requesting screenshots, app logs etc.?
The email comes from a “notification only” email and it says not to reply to it.
All I can figure is to use the “contact us” option in the ST app again and that doesn’t have a space for a case number. I’ve done that once and included the case number in the text description of the problem along with attachments and I get a response asking for stuff I’ve already sent other times.
This makes me feel like every one send like this begins from scratch on the other end.

Am I missing something obvious?

[jkp]

Tagging @nayelyz @Itati

[nayelyz]

Hi, @Kand

Sorry for the delay.

Could you check if you have a link to reply at the end/bottom of the automatic email you get, please?

[Kand]

I wish I did. The end of the email says. * This email was sent from a notification-only address. Please do not reply to this email.”

[Wajo357 (Joey W.)]

@nayelyz was this ever adressed? How do I respond without starting another ticket from the app, where it has a character limit!

[nayelyz]

Hi, @Wajo357
In this reply, did the team request some information or did they only provide the basic steps of troubleshooting to see if it helps?

[Wajo357 (Joey W.)]

This is the email:

Good day!

Thank you for reaching out to Samsung SmartThings Support. My name is Patrick, and I will be assisting you with your concern.

First and foremost, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the lack of response to your previous ticket (sconnect-REMOVED) and for the delay in communication. I completely understand how frustrating it is to wait for an update, especially when the issue has been ongoing for some time. We appreciate your patience and for bringing this to our attention.

Summary of Your Concern

We understand that:

• You are experiencing intermittent errors in SmartThings routines involving your Tapo cameras

• The error message states:

  “The values you selected before are no longer available”

• Refreshing linked services temporarily resolves the issue, but it recurs after a few weeks

• Tapo Support has previously coordinated with SmartThings R&D and referred you back to us

Initial Assessment

Based on your description, the behavior is commonly associated with:

• Third-party integration sync issues, especially when device attributes or capabilities change

• Routine condition references becoming invalid due to background updates or token expiration

• Cache inconsistencies between SmartThings and linked services (such as Tapo)

A Few Quick Questions

Before we proceed further, could you please confirm the following:

1. Are all affected routines using specific device states (e.g., motion detected, camera status) from Tapo cameras?

2. When the error appears, do the Tapo devices still show as online and responsive in the SmartThings app?

3. Have you noticed if this issue occurs after app updates, device reauthorization, or network changes?

4. Are you logged into multiple SmartThings locations or accounts by any chance?

Your answers will help us better isolate the root cause.

Recommended Troubleshooting Steps

In the meantime, please try the following steps to stabilize the integration:

1. Refresh Linked Services (Full Re-link Recommended)

• Go to SmartThings App > Menu > Devices > Linked Services

• Tap Tapo > Remove

• Close the app completely

• Reopen SmartThings and re-add the Tapo integration

2. Recreate Affected Routines

Due to the specific error message, routines may be referencing outdated device states:

• Delete the affected routine

• Recreate it from scratch using freshly detected device conditions

3. Clear SmartThings App Cache

• Go to Phone Settings > Apps > SmartThings

• Tap Storage > Clear Cache (Do not clear data unless instructed)

4. Ensure Firmware & App Are Updated

• Verify your SmartThings app is updated to the latest version available

• Ensure Tapo devices firmware is also current via the Tapo app

Reference Article

For your convenience, you may also refer to this official SmartThings troubleshooting guide:

SmartThings Troubleshooting Guide

https://www.smartthings.com/support/troubleshooting

This article provides general steps on:

• Fixing device connectivity issues

• Managing linked services

• Resolving automation/routine errors

Next Steps

Given that:

• The issue is recurring

• A third-party integration is involved

• There is prior coordination with Tapo and R&D

I will keep this case under close monitoring and prepare it for possible escalation to our engineering team if the issue persists after the steps above.

---

Commitment

We will ensure:

• Proper follow-up on your case moving forward

• No further communication gaps

• Continuous updates until resolution

If the issue continues after completing the steps above, please reply with:

• A photo of the refrigerator screen showing the thermostats displayed as offline

• Confirmation of all troubleshooting steps completed

Please include your ticket number sconnect-REMOVED in your response for faster assistance.

To allow us to investigate further, please enable account access:

1. Go to: https://my.smartthings.com

2. Log in with your Samsung account

3. Open the menu (⋯) and select Settings

4. Enable Account Data Access

5. Select your preferred duration and click Confirm

We recommend granting at least one week of access to avoid delays.

Thank you for your continued patience and for choosing Samsung SmartThings.

Warm regards,

Patrick

Samsung SmartThings Support

[nayelyz]

Hi, @Wajo357
So, you reported the same issue as in this thread?

Tapo linked devices keeps on needing a refresh

@nayelyz Thank you for getting back to me. I haven’t seen this issue crop up over the last few weeks, but I’ve also been away. Maybe they fixed it after your team made contact. If it happens again, I’ll reach out to them. Thanks!

You mentioned you didn’t see it for a while. So, this means it came back?
Since our Partners team was in contact with them, we can ask them to investigate further if the issue remains but we need to collect some info again.
Can you confirm this is the same issue, please?

[Wajo357 (Joey W.)]

Same issue. Never went away. This was my response thru email, which most likely didn’t go anywhere

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me.

Some backstory with this case:

• I started reporting this issue last year here: Tapo linked devices keeps on needing a refresh - #13 by nayelyz In that forum, a smartthings employee told me to reach out to TP-Link / TAPO
• I then opened a ticket with them ( TKID260210721 ). They spent months working with me and smartthings R&D trying to find the root cause. At some point, TPLink support suggested I work directly with the smartthings engineering team instead of going through TP-Link, but they wanted me to open a ticket directly with you.My hope is that you can expedite this with the engineering team that handled the communication with TP-Link, so I don’t need to go through all the testing I’ve been doing the last 6 months all over again. Below is a screenshot of the issue. Different cameras show this issue
• 

To answer your quick question:

1. Are all affected routines using specific device states (e.g., motion detected, camera status) from Tapo cameras? YES

2. When the error appears, do the Tapo devices still show as online and responsive in the SmartThings app? See screenshot for error

3. Have you noticed if this issue occurs after app updates, device reauthorization, or network changes? After neither. I could refresh the connection with Tapo, which fixes all routines, and then a few hours later the issue reoccurs with either the same or different devices.

4. Are you logged into multiple SmartThings locations or accounts by any chance? I do have multiple locations, but this tapo account is only on one of them.

As for your suggestions, all of them have previously been done over the last 6 months working with the forums and TP-Link.

Account access has been enabled for years.

Do you think there is a device limit for the Tapo cameras that could be causing this issue?

[Wajo357 (Joey W.)]

@nayelyz , I received another email from support, but it looks like it was from my third ticket I opened on the case, and referenced the other one. However, in this email it says “Please reply”. Does that mean it DOES work or it was a mistake by the support engineer? I did respond via email, and not again through the app. The app doesn’t allow for enough characters for a normal conversation. However, the email I got today didn’t seem to acknowledge some of my talking points from my email yesterday, so maybe they DON’T get it!??

[nayelyz]

Hi, @Wajo357
As I understand, when they expect a reply, a link for you to submit a reply should appear at the bottom or somewhere else in the auto-reply email.
So, since this is becoming an issue and our Partners team reached out to them at some point, I’ll ask him what we can do to get this resolved.
Let me see what info we need.