Kinney Drugs Scales Back AI Phone Assistant After Customer Complaints
Kinney Drugs, a drugstore chain primarily serving upstate New York and Vermont, has scaled back its AI phone assistant, named Burt, due to hundreds of customer complaints. Issues reported included incoherent calls, incorrect dosages, and missed prescription notifications. While the…
Charlotte, NC, August 8, 2026 —
Kinney Drugs, a drugstore chain operating primarily in upstate New York and Vermont, has significantly reduced the use of its AI-powered phone assistant, known as Burt, following a surge in customer complaints. The company is reverting to a traditional touch-tone phone system for incoming calls in response to the issues experienced by its customers.
Hundreds of customers reported problems with Burt, citing instances of incoherent conversations, incorrect medication dosages being communicated, and failures in providing timely prescription refill notifications. These issues raised significant concerns regarding the reliability and effectiveness of the AI system in handling sensitive healthcare-related interactions.
Despite the widespread complaints, Kinney Drugs stated that the AI assistant is designed to be HIPAA compliant and secure. However, the company acknowledged that the customer experience with Burt had fallen short of expectations. As a result, incoming calls will now be managed through a touch-tone system, a move aimed at improving accessibility and reliability for patients.
The AI assistant, Burt, will not be entirely decommissioned. Kinney Drugs plans to continue utilizing Burt for specific opt-in outbound communication purposes, such as sending text message reminders for prescription refills. This limited application aims to leverage the technology for non-critical, user-initiated communications while addressing the significant shortcomings identified in its inbound call handling capabilities.
The company has not provided further details on the timeline for this transition or the specific metrics used to determine the adequacy of the touch-tone system’s performance compared to the AI assistant. The decision to scale back Burt’s functionality underscores the challenges in implementing AI for customer-facing roles, particularly in sectors where accuracy and clear communication are paramount.
Story summarized from the original created by Lizzie Jensen, Jordan Gartner on www.wbtv.com, see more information here.
