Your chatbot made me cry

… and you lost a customer forever

A few months ago, Sky (sorry guys) rang me with what sounded like a good deal. After two years since I’d cancelled all services, it made sense, so I said yes.

When the technician came to install it, he couldn’t find a satellite feed. The service wouldn’t work. He said not to worry – “We’ll sort it in the office.” I believed him.

Six months later, I woke up to a direct debit notification from Sky. They’d started charging me for a service I never received. I immediately cancelled the debit order on my banking app.

Then I rang them. The AI automatically recognised my number, then offered only one option: set up a new payment for the same cancelled service. There was no way to speak to anyone. No path to complain. I felt trapped.

I cried once – not because of the money, but because the company wouldn’t see me.

Then I tried something. I called another customer service number and pretended to be a new customer. It worked. A real person answered. She was kind and tried her best but was powerless to help. She could only give me the same number I’d tried already. I cried again in frustration.

Eventually, after imitating a telephone seizure by hitting * and # over and over, I got through to an agent.

They admitted the system had automatically started an out-of-contract charge. They refunded me. But by then, it was too late.

Automation is useful – until it replaces care.

When a system decides what the “right path” is and there’s no human override, the customer isn’t served. They’re processed.

Most people won’t complain. They’ll just leave.

I did. And I’m not alone. Search any major service brand and you’ll find the same question on repeat: “How do I speak to a real person?”

This isn’t a Sky problem. It’s a systems problem. Somewhere along the line, automation stopped being about efficiency and started replacing empathy.

Marketing can’t fix broken trust.

When the customer’s lived experience clashes with what the brand promises, trust breaks. Sky’s brand happens to promise simplicity and entertainment. Mine was complex and stressful. But every brand has a version of this gap.

Leadership teams often miss the damage. Automated systems look good on internal metrics – faster response times, lower contact costs. But those aren’t customer metrics. They’re optics

Where to start fixing it

• Make sure there’s a direct line between Customer Service and Marketing. Most system failures sit in that gap.

• Appoint someone as Head of Failure. Their role: find the breaks, not hide them.

• Make it safe to talk about what’s not working. A culture that punishes problems never learns from them.

• Review how customer feedback travels inside your business. If it stops at a helpdesk ticket, you’re missing insight that could save your reputation.

Automation absolutely has a place – in speed, scale and consistency. But not in moments that require judgement, empathy or exception.

Customer experience IS marketing.

It’s as simple as that! Every call, chatbot and message is your brand. If those feel cold or closed, you lose trust. And trust is what keeps customers.