Latest news with #customersupport
The Sun
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
M&S issues update for customers with gift vouchers after cyber attack
MARKS and Spencer has issued an update for customers with gift vouchers after its cyber attack. Customers have taken to social media to share their dissatisfaction with the retailer's latest update. 1 It comes as the ongoing chaos has left scores of M&S shoppers unable to use their gift vouchers. Yet the retail giant initially told customers they won't get extensions of the expiry dates on vouchers due to expire. One customer took to X, pleading: 'My vouchers expire at the end of this month but I can't use them. Can I have them extended?' But M&S responded: 'Unfortunately we're unable to extend vouchers.' They later appeared to soften, agreeing to "double check" on the customers behalf. Last month, shoppers also said they'd hit a brick wall. One couple revealed on the MoneySavingExpert forum that they've been saving up vouchers from their M&S credit card for months, only to be told they'd have to use them now or lose them entirely. The customer posted: 'We contacted M&S Customer Support which bluntly said that if we didn't use the vouchers by their expiry date then that was tough. 'The only option we have is to spend them on something we don't really need.' They added that M&S stores aren't even able to place orders, meaning customers can't just pop in and buy bigger items either. Even staff are reportedly unable to order stock, with fears some branches could start running out of essentials altogether. Some stores have even been stripped of staples like bananas and Colin the Caterpillar cakes, and popular meal deals were pulled in smaller branches An MSE forum ambassador said: 'Given the number of people this may affect, perhaps thousands as you suggest, I would expect M&S to extend the end date for these.' While another shopper fumed: 'The least they could do is extend the date.' M&S credit card reward vouchers are valid for 17 months, while shoppers with gift cards have 24 months from the last transaction to spend them. When The Sun contacted M&S, it advised affected customers to get in touch - but didn't confirm whether it would offer extensions on a case-by-case basis after all. A M&S spokesperson said: "The majority of M&S credit card customers redeem their reward vouchers in stores, and they can continue to do so. "If for any reason customers aren't able to redeem in store, and their vouchers are due to expire soon, we would ask them to get in touch with us so we can support them.' Meanwhile, the attack is still causing carnage across the business. M&S was forced to pull online orders, birthday perks were suspended, and Sparks offers were frozen. The store has now confirmed that some freebies, like birthday cookies, will still be honoured eventually. But when it comes to Rewards Vouchers — a perk many customers save up to use for larger purchases — the answer so far is a hard no. The cyber attack, which kicked off over Easter weekend, has been one of the worst to hit the high street in years. It has forced M&S to halt online orders and triggered widespread disruption, including a £300million blow to profits. Online shopping is still out of action and is expected to remain patchy until at least July, with fashion, home and beauty sales taking a battering. Timeline of the attack Saturday, April 19: Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Monday, April 21: Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Tuesday, April 22: Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Wednesday, April 23: Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Thursday, April 24: Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Friday, April 25: M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. Monday, April 28: M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. Tuesday, April 29: Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Tuesday, May 13: M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. Wednesday, May 21: The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. Meanwhile, M&S isn't the only store facing cyber trouble. Co-op was forced to shut down part of its IT system after facing a hacking attempt last month. It confirmed that it had "taken proactive steps to keep our systems safe". It was later revealed that the personal data of a "significant number" of its 6.2million customers and former members had been stolen. The details included names, contact information, and dates of birth. However, the retailer assured customers that passwords, credit card details, and transaction information were not compromised. Full services resumed on May 14, following the .
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'AI Agents Can Be 10x Employees'—AI Customer Support Chatbot Startup Founded Two Years Ago Seeks $100 Million At A $1.5 Billion Valuation
Decagon, a two-year-old AI startup helping companies cut customer support costs, is in talks to raise $100 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, according to Forbes, which cites multiple sources familiar with the deal. Founded in 2023 by Jesse Zhang and Ashwin Sreenivas, Decagon builds customer support agents powered by artificial intelligence. These agents can handle common service tasks like issuing refunds, canceling subscriptions and answering product questions. Companies including Notion, Duolingo (NASDAQ:DUOL), Bilt, Substack and Rippling already use the software. 'We think AI agents can be 10x employees,' Zhang told Forbes. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Decagon's rise has been driven by its performance in what insiders call "bake-offs," where companies test AI tools head-to-head. 'Decagon claims they win almost every time they go up against Sierra head to head,' one investor involved in the talks told Forbes. Sierra is a newer rival that is led by former Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) co-CEO Bret Taylor. Startups are turning to these agents to handle tedious tasks that would otherwise require large outsourced teams. Forbes reported that Bilt, for example, reduced its customer support team from hundreds of contractors to just 65 after adopting Decagon. Another unnamed client reportedly cut 80% of its support staff. ClassPass, which uses Decagon to manage more than 2.5 million customer conversations, slashed its cost per reservation by 95%, according to The Information. The potential new funding round is being led by Andreessen Horowitz and Accel, with participation from existing backers. It would bring Decagon's total funding to $200 million, following a $65 million Series B round announced in October that valued the company at $650 million. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — The company's AI agents run on top of large language models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Cohere, and are fine-tuned using company-specific data like user manuals, how-to guides and historical customer service chats. A proprietary system helps companies keep this training data fresh and relevant. A key selling point, according to investors, is that Decagon gives businesses clear control over how its AI responds to customers. 'You as a customer can actually see what's happening, understand it, and change things,' investor Elad Gil told Forbes. 'You have control so that it really does the things that you want it to do.' Decagon has also started partnering with ElevenLabs to build voice-enabled agents that sound more human, pushing beyond typed chat Decagon has earned praise for its performance and transparency, it faces stiff competition. Salesforce recently launched Agentforce 2dx, a major update to its AI platform that allows agents to work behind the scenes, not just in chat windows. The update includes low-code and pro-code tools for building agents, real-time monitoring, and a developer edition for testing. 'We're making it easier than ever for businesses to embed agentic AI into any workflow,' Adam Evans, Salesforce's EVP and GM of AI Platform, said in a statement. Salesforce also introduced AgentExchange, a marketplace that allows developers and partners to monetize prebuilt AI actions, templates and solutions. Read Next:Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? SALESFORCE (CRM): Free Stock Analysis Report This article 'AI Agents Can Be 10x Employees'—AI Customer Support Chatbot Startup Founded Two Years Ago Seeks $100 Million At A $1.5 Billion Valuation originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
