NYC Pitches Snit Fit At Private Companies Using AI Chatbots

It’s always some type of government controlling private companies with these Democrats

Customer Service Chatbots Must Be Stopped

Press 1 if you’ve heard this story before. Press 2 if it has happened to you.

After a recent trip, I noticed several mysterious charges on my hotel bill. Certain I hadn’t raided the minibar, I went hunting for a customer service number to get an explanation. I searched and I searched. Nothing. Instead, all I could find was an offer for a “live chat” blinking in the bottom-right corner of my phone screen. I gave it a try.

Three dots danced. A friendly name appeared. Cheerful pleasantries were exchanged. I began explaining my problem until an F.A.Q. menu suddenly interrupted me. That’s when I realized I had been communicating with a chatbot all along.

I had stumbled into the digital labyrinth — a veritable Hotel California, and I was just a prisoner of my own device. I explained my predicament. I re-explained it, supplying information it already seemed to have, answering prompts that had little to do with the the question I was asking, and rebuffing discount codes and propositions to book another stay. At one point, I pleadingly typed a single word in all caps: HUMAN. The machine whirred, ignoring me.

As I floundered, I found myself reflecting on the future of customer service. Based on my 25-minute ordeal, I began to suspect that the chatbot was not designed to solve my problem. It seemed to be designed to test how much friction customers would tolerate — how much information we would provide to train future models — before giving up. What the chatbot probably didn’t know was that this customer is in a position to fight back.

Yeah, this happens with real humans, as well. Since late December 2025 I’ve dealt with it twice: 1st trying to order a knockoff guitar, went back and forth to the point I threatened to put in a dispute with my credit card company, and then did. And the CC company found in my favor within 24 hours. Another involved an app which connects to something I use a lot, wasn’t working, all I wanted was it to work and, heck, they could reimburse $10. There’s a lot more to this, but, the multiple people involved were atrocious (one didn’t even know their own product), and ended with me typing a letter, putting it in an envelope, and mailing it. That’s how PO’d I was. Finally got 2 months free and an apology.

In my job as commissioner of the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, I hear similar complaints from New Yorkers of every stripe. Automated customer service systems tasked with handling our data and money are driving us crazy. Whether you’re trying to return a purchase, cancel a subscription or recover a hacked account, getting actual help requires a Homeric quest past a morass of junk. (blah blah blah)

Today, New York City is going a step further, proposing some of the most rigorous rules in the nation to protect customers against automated doom loops, including automated voice systems and chatbots. Our proposal is simple: Companies can still use A.I. and other automated tools, but they need to tell consumers when they are communicating with a chatbot — and make it much easier to reach a human being.

Companies whose chatbots and automated voice systems mislead people, leave them stuck without help or only pretend to offer support would face significant penalties, with fines per violation (per customer) ranging from $525 for a first-time offender up to $3,500. Reminder: There are roughly 8.6 million people living in New York City, according to the latest census.

Of course they’re doing this, and those fines will be based on very subjective standards. And Samuel A.A. Levine hopes this becomes a template for cities everywhere, because Leftists love government controlling the private sector. A lot of the time simply because they had a poor experience.