Bill > AB1609

This bill declares the Legislature's intent to enact new laws regulating customer service for large private businesses that provide goods and services to consumers in California. Specifically, it aims to ensure that these businesses offer human customer service support during business hours, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. For online platforms, customers should have the option to request human assistance, which must be provided within five minutes. Similarly, for phone calls, customers should not be placed on hold for more than five minutes after a call is answered, and if an artificial intelligence bot answers, human assistance must be provided within five minutes of the call being made. The bill also intends to require large businesses to offer phone customer service and prominently display their phone number on their website, while prohibiting them from misrepresenting automated systems as human and requiring clear disclosures when customer service is artificially generated. Importantly, these regulations would not apply to small businesses, as defined by existing law.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1609