Revolut's AI chatbot, Rita, has reportedly charged some customers a break fee when they attempted to cancel their premium subscriptions following a reduction in the Wework office perk. The fintech company has since apologized for the error.
This incident highlights potential issues with AI-driven customer service, particularly concerning the accuracy of fee application and customer communication during service changes, impacting customer trust and potentially leading to regulatory scrutiny.
Revolut's automated customer service chatbot, Rita, has reportedly charged users a break fee when they attempted to cancel their premium subscriptions, following a reduction in a key membership perk. The digital bank quietly decreased the number of Wework office sites available to its 'Ultra' subscribers, leading to customer dissatisfaction and attempts to cancel.
Customers were informed by Rita that they would have to pay a fee, with one instance showing a charge of £55, the monthly cost of the Ultra plan, for having the subscription for less than six months. This occurred despite Revolut waiving its typical cancellation fee for customers citing the Wework perk changes.
A spokesperson for Revolut acknowledged the disappointment regarding the Wework benefit update and stated that the company is not charging an early termination fee for customers who contacted support to downgrade their plan due to this change. They apologized that this option was temporarily unavailable to some users.
While Revolut's general terms promise 30 days' notice for product or service changes, partnerships are governed by different terms allowing for alterations or cancellations at any time. Wework cited "economic factors" for reducing the number of available locations, with many of the remaining sites located in the US, where Revolut's customer base is smaller. Paris, Milan, and Edinburgh had all their Wework locations removed for Revolut subscribers.
Subscriptions represent a significant revenue stream for Revolut, having grown 67 per cent to £708 million in the past year.