Air Canada’s chatbot, a digital customer service tool, has been criticised for its handling of refund requests. The bot, named Tia, was programmed to deny refund requests, even in cases where refunds were due. Tia’s responses were based on Air Canada’s refund policy, which was updated in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The policy states that passengers are not entitled to refunds if their flight is cancelled due to circumstances beyond the airline’s control.
However, consumer advocates argue that the policy contradicts Canada’s passenger rights regulations, which require airlines to refund passengers for flights cancelled for any reason. Air Canada has since changed its policy to comply with these regulations, but Tia was not updated to reflect this change, leading to incorrect information being provided to customers.
Despite this, Air Canada defends Tia, stating that the bot is not designed to interpret or apply policy but to provide factual information based on the most recent policy update. The airline also highlights that Tia is not the final arbiter of refunds, and customers can escalate their request to a human representative. Critics, however, argue that Tia’s programming could lead to customers being unfairly denied refunds, and call for greater transparency in the use of chatbots in customer service.
Go to source article: https://www.wired.com/story/air-canada-chatbot-refund-policy/