In this article, I will show you why I feel that AI is dangerous for your business when used as the only method of support.
Recently, I had the ‘luxury’ of needing support for a very useful online tool that I pay monthly for an account to access.
Right in the middle of my using the online tool that I had been a paying a along for, I received a prompt that I’ve reached the max free usage and that I’ll need to wait 24 hours to use it again.
What?
So, then I get a prompt that I can upgrade, and when I clicked on that option, I was offered a form to setup monthly payments.
I proceeded to enter my credit card details, and once I clicked on the Submit button, a prompt appeared in red text underneath the card details, stating the following:
Your card has been declined.
For obvious reasons, I contacted my credit card company to find out why the monthly payment might have been denied, only to discover that… no, the monthly payment was never applied for by the online tool.
That’s when I decided to reach out to the tool’s support staff.
Keep in mind that most support issues can be handled within 24 to 48 hours, and the ODD time (depending on the issue) it MIGHT take 4 days.
Well, this simple issue took 7 frustrating days to resolve, and the conversation went as follows.
Please understand that the chats have been edited for privacy reasons, as the ‘who’ is not the point of this article.
I want you to see how frustrating it is to have an AI supporting ANY business when it is NOT trained for EACH and EVERY issue that might happen.
The body part of my first email went like this…
Hello Support,
Apparently, the monthly automatic payment to my credit card did not go through on the 27 of July as it was intended.
In checking with my credit card company, there is no record of [you] being denied, as there was no activity on my card from [you] on or around the 27th of July. If the charge had of been denied, I was told that it would have been reported on my credit card account as such, but no such not is on my file.
My credit card company suggested that I put through the payment that your server is now requesting, which I did immediately.
BUT... your server appears to be declining my credit card.
[screen print showing the prompt]
My credit rating is very high, so I find this issue frustrating, to say the least.
Can you please allow me to use my credit card ...or... let me pay through PayPal, if you prefer?
Within 18 minutes, I received a response that went like this:
Hello Trish,
Thank you for reaching out to [their] support and we hope this email finds you well.
We appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention and understand your concern regarding the automatic payment issue on July 27th. It's important to us that your payments are processed smoothly.
We understand that you have a high credit rating and have already taken steps to resolve this by attempting the payment again.
However, upon review, there was a trouble while processing your payment.
Unfortunately, we don't have much information about why this is happening, and we can't push this payment through from our end. We recommend reaching out to your issuing bank or credit card provider for further assistance. Alternatively, you could try using a different payment method.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Let us know if there's anything else we can help you with.
And I followed up with the following email:
Hello [support person's name],
In speaking with my credit card company, they informed me that your system is still using the OLD card’s expiry date. See screen print below to see the NEW expiry date, please.
Until you update your system with the details provided, my payment will not be able to go through. Ple-e-e-ease fix?
Let me know once this has been completed so that I may setup the auto-payments once again. Also... pretty please let whomever needs to know that [your] customers need to be able to update any payment changes, as I’ve never been given a means of updating my new card’s expiry date.
More than a half of a day later, I received a response:
Hello Trish,
Thank you for getting back to us.
We understand your concern regarding the outdated expiry date on your credit card in our system and the impact it has on your payments.
To resolve this issue, we recommend removing the old card from your account and adding the new payment method with the updated expiration date. This should ensure that your payments go through without any further issues.
Here's how you can update or add payment methods through your billing settings:
- To update your payment method for the [online tool's] Subscription, visit [their URL], click on "My Plan", and then select "Manage my Subscription". This will direct you to your billing page, where you can update your card and billing information.
If you encounter any issues while updating your payment method, please let us know, and we will assist you further.
We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your patience.
And so, I tried this next.
However, that too did not work, and minutes later, my following email response went like this:
Hey [support person's name],
Where is the “My Plan” that I am to click on, please? See screen print below...
[screen print was included here]
I could NOT find “My Plan” anywhere inside [their URL]
Would like to get this issue resolved so that I can, once again, focus on my business.
PLEASE HELP?
The next morning, I received the following emailed message that went like this:
Hello Trish,
Thank you for getting back to us
We understand how important it is to access the "My Plan" section, especially when it impacts your ability to focus on your business.
To find the "My Plan" option, please follow these steps:
1. Log in to your account at [their URL].
2. Once logged in, click on your profile icon, typically located in the upper-right corner of the page.
3. In the dropdown menu, you should see the "My Plan" option listed.
If you still do not see this option, please clear your browser cache and try again, or try accessing it using a different browser.
Hope this helps!
Let us know if there's anything else we can assist you with.
By now I’m starting to get a tad miffed, to put it mildly, and so I responded with the following:
Hello [support person's name],
Like I mentioned earlier... I have looked EVERYWHERE for “My Plan” and could not find it.
[screen print was included here]
Clicking on [edited] gives me the following:
[screen print was included here]
And... before you ask... there is NO “My Subscription” under ANY of those other options.
Now can you plllllllllllllllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease provide me with proper help?
Now, I heard nothing until nearly 24 hours later.
And that emailed message went like this:
Hello Trish,
Thank you for your patience.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you’re experiencing while trying to locate the "My Plan" section. We understand how crucial this is for your business, and we want to help resolve this as quickly as possible.
Since 'My Plan' is not appearing on your end, here's an alternative solution for your concern.
You can change your payment method through the "Renew Plus" option in the lower-left corner. Here’s how you can do it:
1. Access the "[their plan]" Section:
- Log in to your account at [their online tool].
- In the lower-left corner of the page, click on "Renew Plus."
2. Manage Subscription:
- This will direct you to your billing page.
- Look for the option to update your payment method.
3. Update Payment Method:
- Enter the new card details with the updated expiration date.
Furthermore, if you're still having trouble updating your payment method through the web interface, you can also subscribe to [their online tool’s plan] using the [their online tool] app on your Android or iOS device. Here’s how you can do it:
Using the Android App:
1. Download and Open the App:
- Download the [their online tool] app from the Google Play Store.
- Open the app and log in to your account.
2. Subscribe to [their online tool] Plus:
- Tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner.
- Select "Settings" and then "Subscription."
- Choose the "[their tool’s]" plan and follow the prompts to enter your payment details and complete the subscription.
Using the iOS App:
1. Download and Open the App:
- Download the [their online tool] app from the Apple App Store.
- Open the app and log in to your account.
2. Subscribe to [their online tool’s plan]:
- Tap on your profile icon in the top-right corner.
- Select "Settings" and then "Subscription."
- Choose the "[their online tool]" plan and follow the prompts to enter your payment details and complete the subscription.
If you encounter any issues while updating your payment method in the web, please let us know, and we will assist you further.
You may receive a notification indicating that this ticket has been closed. Please rest assured that if you have any further questions or concerns after reviewing this email, you can simply reply to this message. Your ticket will be promptly reopened, and our team will be ready to assist you further.
Keep in mind that this is now day 4…
And I’m becoming really upset and starting to wonder whom I am emailing back-and-forth with… so, I responded with the following:
Hello [support person's name],
You’re doing a wonderful job of frustrating me and delaying this being fixed at your end.
As you can see by the screen print below, there is NO “update your payment method” from MY access.
[screen print was included here]
As I mentioned in my original emailed ticket that got relegated to you, the [online tool's] server is refusing my credit card. The [online tool's] system is obviously not setup to allow me to fix the date on the card. Only those who have access to the system’s script can do the fixing.
If [their online tool] would allow PayPal... who uses the same credit card... this would have been resolved a LOT quicker. Instead, I get delay after delay after delay, though you’re hoping I’ll go away or something.
If you cannot solve this, PLEASE... escalate this ticket go to the next level of support who might be able to get this fixed as I asked in the first place. Stop trying to get me to fix something that cannot be fixed at my end. PLE-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-ase, I’m BEGGING you to escalate this ticket?
And… the next morning I received the following response:
Hi Trish,
We sincerely apologize for the challenges you've encountered while trying to update your payment method. We completely understand how important it is to have this resolved quickly and smoothly. Your patience during this time means a lot to us, and we want you to know that we're fully committed to helping you through this.
From the screenshot you shared, it looks like the "Manage Subscription" option is available. This should lead you to your billing page, where you can update your payment method.
We also want to acknowledge the inconvenience caused by our current limitation with payment methods. Unfortunately, PayPal isn’t supported at the moment, and we understand that this would have made things easier for you. Right now, we can only accept credit card payments, but please know that we’re actively exploring additional payment options to better serve all our customers.
Additionally, given the error you encountered when adding your new payment method, it might be helpful to try a different credit card if that’s an option for you.
Furthermore, please note that we do not have the authority to update payment methods on our end. This action must be performed by the account holder itself.
Thank you once again for your understanding and continued patience.
Okay, so now you can imagine that I finally guessed as to what the heck is going on… but I still do not want to be overly rude, so I responded with the following:
OMG [support person's name],
Are you an AI? You sure sound like it.
I’ve tried the “Manage Subscription” option that you referred to. See screen print above as to the results I got immediately upon clicking on that option.
[screen print was included here]
And, YES, I am aware that your server does NOT offer PayPal as a payment offer... which was why I worded THAT sentence the way that I did.
Why are you CONSTANTLY suggesting I magically have another credit card to use? I’m sick of your lame offers to ‘help’ that have on serve to frustrate me further.
Simply ESCALATE this ticket Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease??? How many times do I have to beg you to do this or is there no other help?
Patience? You ask me to have patience? This back-and-forth lame ‘help’ has been going on now far longer than ANY other support that I receive from ANY other business.
PLEASE… ESCALATE this issue to a real human now?
12 hours later, I received the following response:
Hello Trish,
We sincerely apologize for the ongoing frustration you've experienced with our billing page. We completely understand how upsetting this must be, especially after multiple attempts to resolve the issue on your own. Please know that your concerns are our top priority, and we're here to support you every step of the way.
To help resolve this as quickly as possible, could you please try the following steps if you haven't already?
1. Clear Your Browser's Cache and Cookies: This often helps resolve unexpected errors that may occur due to stored data.
2. Switch Browsers or Devices: Sometimes, a different browser or device can bypass the issue.
3. Double-Check Payment Information: Please ensure all payment details, including the expiration date and billing address, are correct.
4. Contact Your Bank: On rare occasions, banks may block transactions for security reasons. A quick call to your bank might resolve any potential issues on their end.
We hope this helps!
If these steps do not solve the problem, please let us know. We want to assure you that we're committed to finding a solution for your concern.
And then I responded with the following:
Hello [support person's name],
Why have you not turned this issue over to a real human being, as I’ve asked you to do?
Following your suggestions:
1.) Have done this with no change noted
2.) Have used Opera browser instead of Firefox and STILL cannot see the payment options you claim to be available. See screen prints below...
Clicking on my profile image, upper left.
[screen print was included here]
Clicking on Renew Plus, lower right... and then clicking on the “Manage Subscription” link the next page refuses to finish loading after 10 full minutes of waiting.
[screen print was included here]
3.) Cannot double check payment information as I cannot get access to that information.
4.) My Bank has NOTHING to do with your server, so I will NOT be wasting their time. I have already contacted my credit card company and they stated that this issue is exclusively YOUR issue. And, YOU even proved that your server has the WRONG expiry date for my credit card, yet you continue to refuse to FIX IT, as I CANNOT. Your server has cut me off any changes.
I will be writing a post about this pathetic lack of proper support to warn others that all Open.AI support is, is a bot that refuses to inform an actual human being of this issue that could have EASILY been fixed had a HUMAN BEING actually handled support.
Two days later, I received the following emailed message:
Hello Trish,
We sincerely apologize for the continued difficulties you've experienced with managing your subscription, and we fully understand your frustration.
We appreciate your efforts in trying different browsers and following the previous steps provided.
In light of this, let's try a few more steps to resolve this issue:
1. Use Google Chrome: Please try accessing Google Chrome, as it tends to be more compatible with our systems.
2. Clear Your Browser's Cache and Cookies: This can often resolve unexpected errors due to stored data.
3. Attempt Payment via "[their online tool’s plan]":
- Log in to your account at [their online tool].
- In the lower-left corner of the page, click on "Renew Plus".
- This should direct you to your billing page where you can add/edit your payment method.
If these steps do not resolve the issue, could you please provide a screen recording of the process? This will help us investigate further and document the error.
We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
If you’re still reading this, I’m amazed, because I would have left this story by now… but… here’s my response to the above instructions that I received:
[support person's name] I have done ALL of that and more to get this fixed but it truly is at YOUR end of things. If you cannot change the date then simply REMOVE my credit card details so that I can use this credit card with the new expiry date. I had no idea that your sever needed to be updated, as other auto-payment have NEVER done this to me. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE bring a real human to this issue? PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?????
That evening, I received a response containing the following:
Hello Trish,
We sincerely acknowledge your concerns regarding the update of your credit card details and apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.
Thank you for your patience. In line with your request, we've removed the current card from our system. Please try adding your new card with the updated expiry date.
If you continue to experience issues, could you please provide a screenshot or a screen recording of the process? This will help us investigate further and document the error.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Upon receiving THIS message, I signed back in and immediately followed the steps and… VOILA, my credit card details are all there… except the new expiry date which needed to be added, and I did that immediately, and VOILA… all was fixed.
And so, here’s what I responded to their ‘support person’:
Hi [support person's name]
So, what I asked you to do 7 days ago, you were FINALLY able to comply. You’ve had the expiry date removed so that I could add the new one. Was that really THAT hard to do 7 days ago… really?
FINALLY... my monthly payments to the same credit card have been allowed once more!
Do you see why AIs handling support issues is NOT a wise idea?
It’s lucky for [their online tool] that so many of us LOVE [it], else I’d have walked away from [their online tool] and would most likely NEVER have returned... and... I would have most likely told others how slow AI is in resolving the simplest issues.
Am not a happy camper to say the least!
The questions posted here are strictly rhetorical... so, there is no need for you to respond to them.
And… yet… the next day their AI had responded with the following:
Hello Trish,
We acknowledge the delay you experienced in resolving the issue with your payment method. We understand how important it is for things to be handled promptly, and we're sorry that this took longer than expected. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we appreciate your patience as we worked to correct the situation.
To clarify, as requested, we deleted the old payment method entirely, not just the expiry date, because we currently do not have the ability to edit payment method details directly. We appreciate your understanding on this matter, and we’re glad to hear that your payments are now processing correctly. We’ll make sure to learn from this experience to improve our service in the future.
Thank you for being a valued member of the [their online tool] community. Your continued support and feedback help us to make the service better for everyone.
And I retaliated with the following:
No [support person's name],
You did NOT delete “the old payment method”. You simply deleted the expiry date so that I could then update it. So, you MUST have “the ability to edit payment method details directly.”
Do you see why using AI is so DANGEROUS used exclusively as support for any business serious about customer service?
Your responses were that of a robot’s and served only to not only delay action that a human would have taken within 24 hours, you also serve to frustrate EVERY paying customer/client who come to you for support in the future.
Being a logical thinker myself, I really do understand the attraction of removing a human from today’s nasty customer’s reach.
Serving EVERY customer support issue with AI only serves to make ALL paying customers look elsewhere when going through what I have here. Those customers many of which will never look back at businesses that not only would not handle to resolve their issue in a timely manner, they also added to their level of frustration.
Later that evening, I received the following reply:
Hello Trish,
Thank you for your prompt reply and for sharing your feedback with us.
We truly appreciate your candidness and fully understand your concerns. We acknowledge that your experience did not meet the high standards we aim to deliver, and for that, we sincerely apologize. Your insights are invaluable as they help us enhance our services and ensure that we consistently provide the best possible support.
Regarding your payment method, as requested, we have completely removed the old card rather than updating the expiry date. Unfortunately, our current system does not allow for direct edits to payment details, which is why we opted for a full deletion. This limitation is in place for security reasons, ensuring the confidentiality and privacy of your information
We recognize the importance of timely and personalized support, and your experience will certainly guide us in refining our service approach. Please know that we are here to assist with any further concerns or questions you may have. Our goal is to make sure you feel fully supported moving forward.
Thank you once again for your feedback.
LOL… and so here is what I responded to THIS with:
Hello [support person's name],
This reply serves even further why AI is NOT ready to handle support.
I’ve already stated that you did NOT remove the old card... you removed the expiry date. Yet you continue to spew out the same dribble as previously stated.
I KNOW you’ve got a loooooooooooooong way to go to beat a human being at handling support issues in a timely manner.
Close this ticket now and STOP pestering me. It’s obvious that you are NOT paying attention to what I am stating to you.
And… this is the AI’s final response:
Hi Trish,
Thank you for your feedback. We apologize for any misunderstanding and the frustration caused. Your concerns are noted, and we will take them into account to improve our support services.
We will now close this ticket as per your request. If you need any further assistance in the future, please feel free to reach out.
And so, now you should be able to understand WHY I say that AI is dangerous for your business used as support.
Can you afford to frustrate your online customers?
Now, perhaps you can better understand why I feel so adamant that AI is dangerous when used as the only method of support.
Don’t get me wrong; AI has its benefits… just NOT used for support for ANY business that is serious about customer support.
If you have had any experience communicating with an AI when requesting support from any online tool or service, good or bad, please share in a comment below?
Credit for Header: Image by ChatGPT 4o
