Hacker News with Generative AI: Customer Service

Company apologizes after AI support agent invents policy that causes user uproar (arstechnica.com)
On Monday, a developer using the popular AI-powered code editor Cursor noticed something strange: Switching between machines instantly logged them out, breaking a common workflow for programmers who use multiple devices.
Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Customer Service, Privacy
8 points by isaacfrond 8 days ago | 1 comments
Tried to Cancel Adobe. Got Ghosted. Now I Owe $500 (ycombinator.com)
Adobe raised my subscription mid contract by almost $30/month, then told me it’d cost $500 to cancel.
Consumer Issues, Adobe, Subscription Services, Customer Service
25 points by lovegrenoble 15 days ago | 7 comments
Hostinger Account Suspension and Data Loss Cost Us $200k (ycombinator.com)
We want to warn everyone about our horrible experience with Hostinger, a so-called "managed hosting" service that completely failed to protect our server, falsely accused us of phishing, suspended our account without proof, and refused to provide any data backup, leading to a massive financial loss of over $200,000.
Web Hosting, Security, Data Loss, Business, Customer Service
12 points by bhushank04 28 days ago | 17 comments
Noise cancellation improves turn-taking for AI Voice Agents (krisp.ai)
AI Voice Agents are rapidly evolving, powering critical use-cases such as customer support automation, virtual assistants, gaming, and remote collaboration platforms. For these voice-driven interactions to feel natural and practical, the underlying audio pipeline must be resilient to noise, responsive, and accurate—especially in real-time scenarios.
AI, Voice Recognition, Customer Service, Technology
113 points by davitb 32 days ago | 45 comments
After borking my Pixel 4a battery, Google borks me, too (arstechnica.com)
It is an immutable law of nature that when you receive a corporate email with a subject line like "Changes coming to your Pixel 4a," the changes won't be the sort you like. Indeed, a more honest subject line would usually be: "You're about to get hosed."
Consumer Electronics, Google, Customer Service, User Experience
23 points by MBCook 32 days ago | 7 comments
Customer is accused of spamming for repeatedly replying STOP to political texts (phonearena.com)
A Visible customer was recently the victim of what seems to be a misunderstanding of the company's automated spam detection system.
Customer Service, Technology, Politics, Spam
6 points by josephcsible 39 days ago | 0 comments
Amazon Keeps Finding New Ways to Anger Kindle Customers (the-ebook-reader.com)
From forced software updates that keep breaking things to suddenly removing the ability to download purchased ebooks, Amazon has done a number of things to annoy and irritate Kindle users in recent years.
Amazon, Kindle, E-Readers, Customer Service, Consumer Issues
9 points by DavideNL 59 days ago | 3 comments
HP realizes that mandatory 15-minute support call wait times isn't good support (arstechnica.com)
In an odd approach to trying to improve customer tech support, HP allegedly implemented mandatory, 15-minute wait times for people calling the vendor for help with their computers and printers in certain geographies.
Customer Service, Technology, HP, Business
19 points by rtkwe 63 days ago | 2 comments
HP ditches 15-minute wait time policy due to 'feedback' (theregister.com)
HP today abruptly ditched the mandatory 15-minute wait time that it imposed on customers dialling up its telephone-based support team due to "initial feedback."
Customer Service, Technology, HP
97 points by rntn 64 days ago | 106 comments
HP deliberately adds 15 minutes waiting time for telephone support calls (theregister.com)
HP is trying to force consumer PC and print customers to use digital support channels by setting a minimum 15-minute wait time for anyone that phones the call center to get answers to troublesome queries.
Customer Service, Business Practices, Technology, HP
55 points by bikenaga 65 days ago | 26 comments
r/Duolingo Will No Longer Be Duolingo’s Unpaid Customer Support or Data Mine (reddit.com)
It brings me no joy to make this decision, but it has become necessary. For too long, Duolingo has treated this subreddit as free labor—data mining our discussions, using us as an unpaid customer support desk, and ignoring real user concerns. That ends today.
Social Media, Customer Service, Data Privacy, Online Learning
61 points by Lammy 85 days ago | 26 comments
Digitalocean banning accounts before you even choose a product (ycombinator.com)
Digitalocean banning accounts before you even choose a product
Digitalocean, Cloud Hosting, Customer Service, Security, Business
9 points by bg0 87 days ago | 8 comments
Why Your AI Product Team Needs an AI Quality Lead (freeplay.ai)
In a recent episode of the Deployed podcast, Freeplay customer Help Scout shared how they've transformed their customer service platform into an AI-native product company.
AI, Quality Assurance, Product Management, Customer Service
12 points by mooreds 91 days ago | 4 comments
How Can a Major Bank Like Capital One Be Offline for 24 Hours? (nbcnews.com)
Capital One said an unspecified technical issue was hampering customer account access Thursday, as some users reported issues with direct deposits.
Banking, Technology, Outage, Customer Service
18 points by wierdstuff 99 days ago | 15 comments
Ask HN: How can X suspend paid accounts without explanation? (ycombinator.com)
Recently X suspended my account without any reason (no spam, offensive content, etc) and after charging me for the entire year upfront.
Social Media, Customer Service, Payment Issues, Account Suspensions
10 points by santa_boy 99 days ago | 12 comments
Sonos CEO Leaving After Botched App Revamp Led to Customer Revolt (bloomberg.com)
Sonos Inc. Chief Executive Officer Patrick Spence is leaving after eight years in the job, a move that follows a botched app revamp that upset customers and stymied growth.
Business, Technology, Leadership, Consumer Products, Customer Service
6 points by pyrophoenix 103 days ago | 3 comments
Stop Trying to Schedule a Call with Me (matduggan.com)
One of the biggest hurdles for me when trying out a new service or product is the inevitable harassment that follows.
Productivity, Customer Service, Opinion
588 points by birdculture 104 days ago | 198 comments
FTC Orders H&R Block to Pay $7M and Overhaul Advertising and Customer Service (ftc.gov)
FTC, Lawsuits, Advertising, Consumer Protection, Customer Service
4 points by impish9208 107 days ago | 0 comments
Iwantmydomain.com randomly refunded all of my domains and locked me out (ycombinator.com)
This is a heads up to stay away from this shady company. Yesterday evening I saw a bunch of refund emails come through for every domain I hold with them. I tried to login to my account to see what was going on and I was locked out!
Domain Registrars, Customer Service, Security, Online Services
45 points by mdatelle 119 days ago | 17 comments
Google ads appeal process is broken? (ycombinator.com)
Hi there HN. I'm posting this in case anybody who has a Google contact or works at Google themselves would be able to help.
Google Ads, Advertising, Customer Service, Business
21 points by growthwtf 137 days ago | 0 comments
Hospitality in Customer Service: Lessons from Japanese Omotenashi (cba-gbl.com)
What makes a customer feel genuinely cared for?
Customer Service, Hospitality, Japan, Culture, Business
5 points by athousandsteps 137 days ago | 0 comments
AI is making Philippine call center work more efficient, for better and worse (restofworld.org)
“Thank you for calling. … You’re speaking with Renzo. This call may be recorded for — uhm — this call may be re—” Renzo Bahala, a customer service agent for a U.S. credit card company, breaks his monologue. If he were at work, he would’ve earned a demerit.
Artificial Intelligence, Philippines, Customer Service, Labor
4 points by pitt1980 141 days ago | 0 comments
Tip pressure might work in the moment, but customers are less likely to return (theconversation.com)
Have you ever hesitated at the register, uncomfortable as an employee watched you choose a tip? It’s not just you. The rise of digital tipping systems – from point-of-sale devices held by employees to countertop screens that clearly display your selection – is changing the dynamics of tipping, often in ways that make customers feel scrutinized.
Customer Service, Tipping, Technology, Consumer Behavior
84 points by gnabgib 144 days ago | 182 comments
ISPs say their "excellent customer service" is why users don't switch providers (arstechnica.com)
Lobby groups for Internet service providers claim that ISPs' customer service is so good already that the government shouldn't consider any new regulations to mandate improvements. They also claim ISPs face so much competition that market forces require providers to treat their customers well or lose them to competitors.
Customer Service, Regulation, Competition
186 points by alsetmusic 150 days ago | 132 comments
Amazon won't accept written communication (ycombinator.com)
We had a bad time with Amazon yesterday, and I can't reach them to tell them about it.
Customer Service, Amazon, Communication
80 points by ccleve 153 days ago | 69 comments
Tell HN: Using Anthropic is risky. They just banned our company without warning (ycombinator.com)
This is as old as time now. We get banned by these massive operations and we have no recourse but to cry for help on HN.<p>Anthropic just banned my company without warning[1] leaving thousands of users high and dry. The only way to contact them is by filling out a Google Form. Has anybody had any experience with this situation? I'd appreciate any help.<p>[1] https://x.com/NariBuildsStuff/status/1859759476133491051
Artificial Intelligence, Business, User Experience, Social Media, Customer Service
19 points by ent101 155 days ago | 27 comments
Apple courier (Uber Eats) stole 2 MacBooks - Apple will not help (macrumors.com)
Apple courier (UberEats) stole 2 MacBooks I ordered. Apple will not help.
Apple, Theft, Customer Service, Delivery Services
15 points by johnmaguire 155 days ago | 6 comments
Show HN: OnAir – create link, receive calls (onair.io)
Zero-friction customer calls.
Show HN, Web Development, Software, Customer Service
263 points by bigmicro 162 days ago | 107 comments
I Lost $210 to a Stripe Dispute Despite Proof (zarar.dev)
I lost a Stripe dispute of USD $210 because the customer that purchased tickets from my site used an email that he claimed to his bank was not his.
Stripe, Disputes, Online Payments, E-commerce, Customer Service
56 points by recroad 165 days ago | 49 comments
Apple courier may have stolen 2 MacBooks, ... Apple is not going to help (macrumors.com)
Ordered 2 Macbooks for $2500 from Apple (Canada). Paid for their same day delivery service which they use Uber for and it says delivered but it wasn't. Driver stole them or he delivered to the wrong person that stole them.
Theft, Apple, Customer Service, Delivery
146 points by Toutouxc 166 days ago | 117 comments