[rocmcd]

That's still how it is, at least for me in the US. I've never had to interact with a chat bot for anything, but maybe it depends on what you're returning.

[yojo]

I’ve run into this with “personal care items” that are non-returnable. E.g. I received a “two pack” of eye drops that had obviously popped open in the warehouse and contained only one bottle.

I couldn’t do the regular return flow because hygiene, but the chat bot immediately issued a refund.