Automated Customer Service Systems

Online comments: 17

• Anonymous RD

  I strongly support this proposal to create common-sense restrictions on AI slop!

  Comment added October 20, 2026 2:37pm

• Lauren

  I also strongly support this. There is nothing more frustrating than getting the runaround from an automated system and becoming frustrated because you cannot get an answer. I want the option of talking to a human being.

  Comment added October 20, 2026 3:25pm

• Dario Tonelli

  Start with transparency: it should be illegal for a chatbot to present itself as a person. Not just in customer service, that should be a broadly applicable rule (and it should work both ways, a consumer who sends an agent to inquire should be required to be equally transparent — which means, the companies that offer those agents should be required to make them transparent)
  Direct access to a person: if someone asks to speak to a human, they should be directed to a human. For small companies that do not have the scale to offer customer service, there could be an exception, but again it should be transparent: if someone asks to speak to a human and that option is not available, the response should be “No, human reps are not available” instead of stringing people along.
  That should be limited to small transactions. If a company sells an app for $1.99, it is reasonable to deny customer service from humans. If someone buys a $2,000 appliance, the bar should be different.

  Comment added October 20, 2026 9:12pm

• Madeline

  I am writing in strong support of this proposal. I have experienced purposely misleading and useless customer services features that are designed to make customers give up on receiving support (most recently Lyft, where following prompts to report an errant charge led me to a satisfaction survey rather than a refund request form). I’m thankful these rules are being proposed and I look forward to a future of customer service that actually provides help, not protects the interests of the company.

  Comment added October 21, 2026 10:44am

• Gabriela Maciel

  This is long overdue, so thank you! So many times I feel folks get so frustrated with these menus and chat bots that they simply give up. I hope this passes. You’ve got my vote!

  Comment added October 21, 2026 6:45pm

• Anonymous

  Finally this is getting addressed! I strongly support this proposal. I deal with this constantly and dread having to call doctors, insurance companies, etc. for this exact reason. It shouldn’t be this difficult to get a live person on the phone. I feel especially terrible for the customer service reps who have to deal with irate customers that wouldn’t be so irate if they didn’t have to go through 10 prompts to get a human on the line! Thank you so much for addressing this. I really hope it passes.

  Comment added October 21, 2026 8:35pm

• Anonymous

  If I had to pick between sitting in 3 hour standstill traffic on the Cross Bronx in 95 degree weather or returning a missed call from Walgreens/CVS Pharmacy, I’d pick the Cross Bronx traffic even if the car didn’t have air conditioning. It should not take 4+ minutes of yelling at an AI phone answering service in order to simply leave a voice message for the pharmacy staff with the additional information they asked for to fill your prescription. If there’s an insurance issue or a dosage issue, the endless phone answering machine loops force patients/consumers to either go in person to communicate that information even if their prescription isn’t ready or to forfeit the prescription entirely because there’s no way to get in touch with the pharmacy staff. I don’t need a direct line to talk to a human being- just a voicemail inbox to leave a message so they can continue filling my prescription when they get to it.

  Comment added October 22, 2026 2:17am

• Cary Raffle

  We are all frustrated by the difficulty getting help on on customer service calls. Recently, I called into AppleCare with a problem and to my surprise, the AI customer service bot provided better and faster service than I have received from many customer service calls. It quickly answered my questions, understood and spoke perfect English, did not read annoying scripts or thank me over and over for my loyalty and patience, It solved my problem quickly and efficiently. There are very few call center jobs in NYC, so this rule will protect our workers. It will however put us in a position where we may continue to receive the worst customer service in the world. I oppose the bill for these reasons.

  Comment added October 22, 2026 8:35am

• Sally Jane Gellert

  This is a common-sense proposal to help customers express their needs to business owners. If a chatbot works, then fine; but when it doesn’t work, then there needs to be easy access to a human. As a Bergen County resident who at times deals with New York City businesses, I support this rule-making and would like to see it instituted in other jurisdictions as well, including here in New Jersey.

  Comment added October 22, 2026 7:28pm

• Merv Cae

  I am a senior citizen of New York City and I have problems navigating the robot system that some businesses use so please please implement the rule that businesses must provide humans to assist customers over the phone thank you MC

  Comment added October 23, 2026 9:55am

• Anonymous

  I am so grateful for this proposal. For all of us, but especially for those who deal with serious medical or financial issues, poor customer service threatens our energy, resources, and basic rights.

  My ideal would be:
  *all chatbot use immediately and clearly named at the start of an interaction
  *instructions shared immediately for how to speak with a qualified person
  *some easy, universal system to monitor, record, and address any violations of the above
  *create a gold star registry of strong customer service in NYC to incentivize companies to value it and help citizens reward it

  Please hold companies accountable for using AI slop that leads to real negative impact. Thank you for not succumbing to cynical narratives of AI as the future by default, and taking action to lead with our values first.

  Comment added October 24, 2026 9:46am

• Anonymous

  Companies like SevenRooms (owned by DoorDash) , Slang AI, and Toast are now selling “Voice AI” agents to restaurants for answering the phone. There should be an incentive for restaurants to use humans instead of these ai agents. SPIN flatiron is a good example of a SevenRooms voice agent – 48 E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

  Comment added October 26, 2026 11:22am

• Anonymous

  This proposal is a step forward in consumer protections and should be supported. Companies have been pivoting towards AI and automated customer service chatbots which very often fail to provide any meaningful resolution to the problem. Without human intervention, the customer is often left without any real recourse and the city should intervene to protect consumers.

  Comment added October 26, 2026 2:24pm

• stacie johnson

  Yes, this happened to my when I tried to call NYCERS, the NYC employee retirement system. I hope all city agencies and it’s affiliates will be subject to improved customer service experience by prioritizing human representatives.

  Comment added October 29, 2026 10:46am

• IR

  Will this apply to NYC and NYS government offices as well?

  Comment added October 29, 2026 6:13pm

• Tim Armacost

  I wholeheartedly support this initiative to rein in abuse of AI systems. AI cannot take into account factors that fall outside of the rules as defined for them.

  My insurance company makes me give the chatbot my address, date of birth etc, in order to enter the system, and then the human representative asks me for all of it again. Every time. The companies may think they are saving themselves time, but they are wasting mine. Thank you for attempting to bring some balance back to this system.

  Comment added November 1, 2026 1:17pm

• Marla Tepper

  I strongly support the Department’s proposed rule and appreciate the Department’s efforts to address this important issue. I hope the Department will consider the suggestions in my attached comments, which are intended to strengthen the proposed rule and further its objectives. Thank you!

  Comment attachment
  Comments-Re-DCWP-Proposed-Rule-on-Automated-Customer-Service-Systems-MTepper-11.5.26.pdf

  Comment added November 5, 2026 11:51pm