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I figured the Air Canada chatbot thing was just lawyers being lawyers, then I read the actual tribunal ruling from BC
When that story about the chatbot promising a bereavement discount first hit last year, I rolled my eyes and figured the airline would wiggle out of it somehow like they usually do. Then a friend sent me the actual ruling from the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal in February, and Air Canada basically argued the bot was a separate entity they weren't responsible for, which the tribunal shot down and made them pay the guy about $650. Am I wrong for thinking that defense probably did more damage than the refund itself would have?
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williams.kim12d ago
People keep saying that defense was a huge blunder but I'm not sure it really changed much. Air Canada was going to lose this either way because the bot was on their website saying stuff customers could rely on. The "separate entity" thing sounds dumb when you read it in the ruling, but companies throw out weak arguments in small claims all the time just to see what sticks. The payout was like $650 Canadian, which is nothing to them, so the idea that this defense cost them way more in damage to their brand feels a little overblown to me. Most people flying Air Canada have never heard of this case and never will. It's a fun story for people who follow this stuff online, but I doubt it moved the needle on their business at all.
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