{"id":2322906,"date":"2024-08-12T05:06:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-12T09:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/time-is-money-white-house-targets-chatbots-hold-times-and-other-corporate-hassles-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-12T05:19:19","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T09:19:19","slug":"time-is-money-white-house-targets-chatbots-hold-times-and-other-corporate-hassles-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/time-is-money-white-house-targets-chatbots-hold-times-and-other-corporate-hassles-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Time is money\u2019: White House targets chatbots, hold times, and other corporate hassles &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftime-is-money-white-house-targets-chatbots-hold-times-and-other-corporate-hassles-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2322906&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The White \u2064House has launched a multi-agency initiative \u200ccalled &#8220;time is money,&#8221; designed to address corporate practices \u200cthat waste customers&#8217; time and money, such \u2063as lengthy hold times to cancel subscriptions and the excessive \u2063use of\u200b automated chatbots. This initiative is part of President Joe\u2063 Biden&#8217;s broader efforts to clamp down on corporations \u2062perceived to profit from deceptive practices, including junk fees.<\/p>\n<p>Domestic Policy \u200dCouncil Director Neera Tanden stated that the administration aims \u2064to eliminate cumbersome corporate processes that hinder customer experiences. For instance, it often\u200d takes far more effort to cancel a\u2063 subscription compared \u200dto signing up for it, and\u2063 many customers face unhelpful chatbots when seeking assistance.<\/p>\n<p>Key components of\u2062 the initiative include a proposed \u2063Federal Trade Commission (FTC) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-rep-brooks-introduces-bill-to-ban-federal-funding-for-vaccine-mandates\/\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Brooks Introduces Bill To Ban Federal Funding For Vaccine Mandates\">rule requiring companies<\/a> to simplify cancellation processes to be as easy \u200bas signing up. \u2063The \u2064Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is also considering similar regulations in the\u2064 communications sector. Additionally, \u2064the Department of Transportation (DOT) has introduced rules for automatic refunds from airlines in \u2063case of flight cancellations.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative will\u2064 also \u2062address inefficiencies \u2062in the healthcare sector, with calls for insurance \u200ccompanies to streamline claims processes.\u2063 Furthermore, the\u200b Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is aiming to \u200bensure\u200d that\u200c customers can reach human representatives easily when dealing with financial\u200c institutions, especially concerning chatbot use.<\/p>\n<p>the\u200c initiative\u2063 seeks\u200b to eliminate corporate obstacles,\u2064 ensuring that communication between consumers and businesses is more \u200bstraightforward \u2062and efficient, and promoting \u2062transparency and accountability in \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stimulus-update-minnesota-sending-out-direct-payments-worth-up-to-1300-by-the-end-of-september\/\" title=\"Minnesota to distribute direct payments up to ,300 by September&#039;s end.\">customer service operations<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">&lsquo;Time is money&rsquo;: White House targets chatbots, hold times, and other corporate hassles<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tpd-featured-video\">\n<div id=\"Brid_22558\" class=\"brid\" style=\"width:1280;height:720;\"> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>White House<\/a> has announced a new multi-agency initiative aimed at curbing the use of corporate practices that aggravate customers by wasting their time, such as long hold times to cancel subscriptions and the overuse of automated chatbots.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>administrationwide<\/a> effort, dubbed &ldquo;time is money,&rdquo; comes as part of President Joe Biden&rsquo;s broader crackdown on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/corporations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>corporations<\/a> perceived to be profiting off customers in tricky or deceptive ways. For instance, Biden&rsquo;s White House has made clamping down on so-called junk fees a priority.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The administration is cracking down on all the ways that companies through paperwork, hold times, and general aggravation waste people&rsquo;s time and then really hold on to their money,&rdquo; Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden said on a call with reporters ahead of the announcement.<\/p>\n<p>An example of this, Tanden said, is when gym companies make it possible to sign up for memberships with only one or two clicks online but then make members wait on hold for 30 minutes or visit in person to cancel.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Or you&rsquo;re trying to get help for a product you purchase, you&rsquo;re stuck dealing with an unhelpful chatbot or navigating a maze of buttons just to talk to a real person,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>The administration said such corporate hassles don&rsquo;t just happen by accident. It is accusing companies of deliberately designing their business processes to be burdensome and time-consuming in order to maximize profits.<\/p>\n<p>The plan to crack down on these practices has several prongs, according to details provided by the White House.<\/p>\n<p>The Federal Trade Commission has proposed a rule that would mandate that companies make it as easy to cancel a subscription or service as it was to sign up for that subscription or service, and the FTC is now receiving public comments on the matter. Also, the Federal Communications Commission is looking into whether it will pursue a similar course of action for the communications industry.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Transportation&rsquo;s new automatic refunds rule makes it so that if a customer&rsquo;s flight is canceled, the airline has to refund the airfare for that flight automatically if that customer is not offered or chooses not to accept alternatives, such as rebooking.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This rule prevents airlines from switching up their policies to make it hard to get your money back when they don&rsquo;t deliver and requires them to tell you when you&rsquo;re owed a refund,&rdquo; the White House said in a fact sheet. &ldquo;DOT&rsquo;s rule also puts an end to airline runarounds by requiring refunds to be automatic, prompt, in the original form of payment, and for the full amount paid.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The rollout also affects the healthcare space.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the country&rsquo;s largest health coverage plans require that customers print out health claims forms and scan or mail them in. On Monday, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su sent a letter calling on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/interview-how-health-care-price-transparency-can-save-americans-money-and-put-consumers-in-charge\/\" title=\"INTERVIEW: How Health Care Price Transparency Can Save Americans Money And Put Consumers In Charge\">health insurance companies<\/a> and group health plans to prioritize efforts to streamline the process.<\/p>\n<p>Chatbots and artificial intelligence have become popular ways for businesses to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/math-and-science-academy-provides-personalized-gender-transition-support-to-students\/\" title=\"Math and Science Academy offers customized gender transition support to students\">handle phone calls<\/a>. The White House is hoping to crack down on so-called doom loops where someone calls and is forced to go through a seemingly endless menu of options and questions in order to reach a human customer service representative at a company.<\/p>\n<p>As part of that effort, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is initiating a rulemaking process that, if successful, would mandate that companies under CFPB jurisdiction let customers talk to a human by pressing a single button.<\/p>\n<p>More specifically, the CFPB will also be targeting the use of chatbots by banks and financial institutions. The White House said the CFPB &ldquo;will identify when the use of automated chatbots or automated artificial intelligence voice recordings is unlawful, including in situations in which customers believe they are speaking with a human being.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The administration said it also wants to help parents communicate with schools. The Department of Education is now going to issue new guidance about how schools can make communicating with parents more streamlined and less cumbersome, according to the White House.<\/p>\n<p>This newest &ldquo;time is money&rdquo; push comes after the CFPB announced new guidance last year to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2584580\/biden-administration-announces-new-actions-in-crackdown-on-junk-fees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">block large banks from charging<\/a>&nbsp;excessive or &ldquo;junk&rdquo;&nbsp;fees&nbsp;for providing basic customer service.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Under federal law, banks and credit unions are required to provide complete and accurate account information when requested by customers. Last year&rsquo;s CFPB guidance aimed to clarify that people are not allowed to be charged&nbsp;fees&nbsp;for those basic requests.<\/p>\n<p>The CFPB also announced a rule this year that would force most banks&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/2902868\/biden-administration-unveils-new-rule-to-cap-credit-card-late-fees-at-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to cap credit card late&nbsp;fees<\/a>&nbsp;at $8. The CFPB said&nbsp;fees&nbsp;cost consumers some $14 billion per year and that the new rule would go far toward curbing that, saving consumers an estimated $10 billion annually.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_22558\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"playlist\":\"22558\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The White House has launched a new initiative involving multiple agencies to address corporate practices that frustrate customers by wasting their time, such as lengthy hold times for subscription cancellations and excessive reliance on automated chatbots. This initiative, called &#8220;time is money,&#8221; is part of President Joe Biden&#8217;s broader effort to tackle corporations that are seen as exploiting customers through deceptive means. For example, the administration has prioritized reducing so-called junk fees. Neera Tanden, Director of the Domestic Policy Council, explained in a press call that companies often create cumbersome processes\u2014like making it easy to sign up for services online but difficult to cancel them\u2014leading to wasted time and money for consumers. The plan includes several measures: the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a rule requiring companies to make cancellation processes as simple as sign-up procedures; the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering similar actions in its sector; and new rules from the Department of Transportation mandate automatic refunds for canceled flights unless alternatives are accepted by customers.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, there are efforts aimed at improving healthcare processes where patients often have to deal with complicated claims submissions. The administration also seeks to eliminate frustrating automated phone systems that trap callers in endless menus before reaching a human representative. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) plans to initiate rules ensuring customers can speak with a person easily when dealing with financial institutions and will investigate unlawful uses of chatbots that mislead consumers into thinking they\u2019re interacting with humans.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the Department of Education intends to provide guidance on enhancing communication between schools and parents. This latest push follows previous CFPB actions aimed at preventing large banks from imposing excessive fees for basic customer service requests and capping credit card late fees at $8\u2014a move expected to save consumers around $10 billion annually by reducing overall fee costs estimated at $14 billion per year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2683,"featured_media":2322907,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/white-house-time-is-money.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[17955,37858,4755,5073,32127],"class_list":["post-2322906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-chatbots","tag-corporate-hassles","tag-money","tag-time","tag-white-house"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/white-house-time-is-money.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2683"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2322906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2322907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2322906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2322906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2322906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}