H&R Block's Virtual Operators Have Feelings Too

Consumerist reader Kevin had done his taxes online through H&R Block, but when he found out he might have accidentally included something he shouldn’t have, he turned to the site’s automated answering system for help. And when the discussion got a bit heated, well… let’s just say that H&R Block’s artificial intelligence has some very real emotional responses.

As you can see from the screen grab of the full conversation (see below), Kevin vented his frustration at being unable to speak to a real person about his problem by writing “this program sucks.”

Like a depressed Johnny-5, or that creepy kid from A.I., H&R Block’s automated system replied:
“Really, that frustrates me… Because I do my best to improve every day,” before dutifully asking “Can I help you with anything?”

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