How do I hold companies accountable for issues caused by their bots?
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Thank you for clarifying, and I’m really sorry you’ve been facing such repeated frustrations. What you’re describing isn’t just inconvenient—it’s exhausting and unfair, especially when you’re left spending hours trying to fix problems that weren’t your fault.
The key point is that companies still have legal obligations to their customers, even if they use automation. A bot can’t excuse them from accountability. Here are some practical steps you can take:
- Document everything: Keep records of dates, times, names, chat logs, and screenshots to show a pattern of failures.
- Demand written responses: Ask for email confirmations of issues—this makes them harder to ignore.
- Escalate beyond call centers: Contact executive/corporate customer service by mail or email; a formal letter often gets a quicker response.
- Regulators & BBB: For financial matters like repossession, report to your state Attorney General and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. For services like groceries, the BBB and your state consumer protection office are good routes.
- Leverage public channels: Companies sometimes respond faster when issues are shared publicly (e.g., Twitter or LinkedIn) while tagging the company.
You shouldn’t have to absorb these failures—it’s about holding companies accountable.
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Hello. I keep having issues with companies that want to use bot automation and it affects me as the customer. They are not being accountable. For example—my car got repossessed because I couldn’t log into my account. They told me to wait for them to fix the IT issues, but their system kicked in and, without contacting me, repossessed my car. I’m having to get an attorney to fight it. I ordered groceries for delivery; the driver didn’t want to deliver them and wanted me to walk to the clubhouse door. They didn’t deliver at all and ghosted. The company refused to help me get my groceries, charged me $100, and told me I need to wait 10 days to get my money back—and they aren’t even trying to send my groceries. Those are just two examples of the extreme experiences I’m having. I’m tired of going through this. I pursue the issue with the company and then report it to the BBB, but I’m sick of spending my time like this and dealing with issues that take eight hours a day in calls to outsourced call centers that treat me like I’m a “Karen” and don’t care to help. I can’t reach the company and this just isn’t right. What do I do about this? I can’t call any IT person about universal bot problems in IT.
I’m really sorry to hear about the frustrating experiences you’ve had with these companies and their automated systems. Have you already taken any formal steps, like filing complaints or seeking legal advice regarding the repossession of your car or the grocery delivery issue?
The repossession—yes. The food delivery—no; it’s food delivery for $100. That’s just the past week. This is ongoing and continuous with different companies week to week. I don’t feel I should have to absorb these types of issues for companies trying to use broken automation.
Are there specific companies involved in these situations that you would like to address with the consumer protection lawyer?
Yes.
Is there anything else the consumer protection lawyer should know before I connect you? Rest assured they’ll be able to help with your automation issues.
No.
Welcome, and thank you for your questions. My name is Gurney, and I’m the attorney who will be assisting with your question. How long has this automation been affecting you as a customer?
About a year.
Thank you for clarifying, and I’m really sorry you’ve been facing such repeated frustrations. What you’re describing isn’t just inconvenient—it’s exhausting and unfair, especially when you’re left spending hours trying to fix problems that weren’t your fault.
The key point is that companies still have legal obligations to their customers, even if they use automation. A bot can’t excuse them from accountability. Here are some practical steps you can take:
- Document everything: Keep records of dates, times, names, chat logs, and screenshots to show a pattern of failures.
- Demand written responses: Ask for email confirmations of issues—this makes them harder to ignore.
- Escalate beyond call centers: Contact executive/corporate customer service by mail or email; a formal letter often gets a quicker response.
- Regulators & BBB: For financial matters like repossession, report to your state Attorney General and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. For services like groceries, the BBB and your state consumer protection office are good routes.
- Leverage public channels: Companies sometimes respond faster when issues are shared publicly (e.g., Twitter or LinkedIn) while tagging the company.
You shouldn’t have to absorb these failures—it’s about holding companies accountable.
Thanks.
