# Pretty Sure ebay support chat is a bot. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 24, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretty-sure-ebay-support-chat-is-a-bot/482749 "2009-01-24T02:27:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretty-sure-ebay-support-chat-is-a-bot/482749/1 "2009-01-24T02:27:08Z")
When I asked it if it was bot it said no, so I told it, “well prove it by answering a simple Turing question,” “What city is the seat of government of the United Kingdom”, after considerable churning, it demurred: “ebay doesn’t allow me to answer questions like that” MMKaaay… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretty-sure-ebay-support-chat-is-a-bot/482749/2 "2009-01-24T02:34:21Z")
Hm. It might be, of course, but it’s probably some unfortunate person in India or Indonesia or some other country eBay’s farmed their support to. Not uncommon, especially for chat support: typing has no accent. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretty-sure-ebay-support-chat-is-a-bot/482749/3 "2009-01-24T02:39:24Z")
Excellent. I often wondered that about Ebay online help; some guy pushing function keys for scripts while he works 25 calls or a bot? Too bad MPC is bankrupt and I can’t try it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretty-sure-ebay-support-chat-is-a-bot/482749/4 "2009-01-24T02:41:09Z")
I became suspicious immediately. The answers to the first few things were “I understand that you have a question about” \ I felt like I was talking to a fancy version of [Elizal](http://www-ai.ijs.si/eliza/eliza.html). I would give it 10 to 1. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretty-sure-ebay-support-chat-is-a-bot/482749/5 "2009-01-24T02:50:49Z")
I’ve had sessions where I was sure I had a bot & sessions where I think I actually had a human. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretty-sure-ebay-support-chat-is-a-bot/482749/6 "2009-01-24T03:02:33Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > I’ve had sessions where I was sure I had a bot & sessions where I think I actually had a human. Maybe it rolls over to bot when they run out of Pakistani’s named “Brian”. Anyway, I was trying to report a fraud issue. Some bozo from the Ukraine with three transactions is trying to bid on my auction and has sent me several emails about can I ship to Ukraine, and today said he would use an “intermediary” in the US. On the auction some guy “38mike17” with no transactions, zero, has been bidding them up and up. This is messing with my auction and is not fair to legitimate bidders. But ebay chat is apparently a bot that couldn’t care less if someone is trying to report fraudulent bidders. I like ebay less and less the more I use it. One more stupid hassle… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretty-sure-ebay-support-chat-is-a-bot/482749/7 "2009-01-24T03:16:53Z")
Not surprising, for a company that fucks its most loyal customers. I will never again do business with eBay. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretty-sure-ebay-support-chat-is-a-bot/482749/8 "2009-01-24T04:25:23Z")
I finally got through to someone on the phone (difficult), and all they can do is have me block the bidder. No interest in shutting down the accounts of these fraudsters. “They may be legit”. :rolleyes: