'I asked ChatGPT to act as my lawyer': Man wins ₹2 lakh from travel providers using AI
When a last-minute medical emergency compelled a US traveller to cancel his dream trip to Medellín, Colombia, the response from travel providers was swift—but disappointing: ‘No refunds. No exceptions.’ But what happened next became a lesson in persistence — and the astonishing power of artificial intelligence (AI).
“I booked a hotel and flight through Expedia,” the traveller shared in a now-viral Reddit post. “The hotel had a no-cancellation policy. The airline had a no-cancellation policy as well. I asked — and they both absolutely said no.”
Turning to ChatGPT for Help
Faced with a loss of around $2,500 (₹210,000), he turned to an unlikely source: ChatGPT. And that’s when everything changed. The user had not purchased trip insurance, and both the hotel and airline cited firm non-refundable policies. It was only after both companies flatly denied any form of reimbursement that the traveller decided to raise a legitimate medical condition—Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)—backed by a doctor’s note.
“I asked ChatGPT to act as my lawyer and advocate for me,” he explained. “I used the medical excuse, which would be GAD. I did get a doctor’s note about it.”
AI Assistance Leads to Success
The AI chatbot then helped craft a personalised, well-researched appeal based on Expedia’s and the hotel’s terms, invoking the medical circumstances. It worked. “ChatGPT researched Expedia’s policies, the hotel’s policies, and the airline’s policies. It then wrote a letter for me advocating. The hotel granted me my refund due to a medical condition,” the post added.
The airline, however, held firm. According to their policy, only terminal illness or death warranted an exception to their no-refund rule. GAD did not qualify.
“I shared the response with ChatGPT and it wrote me another letter to give to the international airline,” the traveller said. “It described reasons why and how my medical condition can really affect the flight and that they were being biased based on a mental illness.”
Impressions and Criticisms
While many users praised the traveller’s persistence and clever use of AI, not everyone was impressed. One commenter sharply criticised the approach, suggesting it bordered on dishonesty:
A user wrote: "Congratulations. It’s because of people like you that cause companies to treat customers poorly. So you lie to get something you’re not entitled to receive. You’re probably the same type of person to wear a new piece of clothing once to an event and return it. I guess honesty and integrity and are out of date character traits."
A second user commented: “ChatGPT might have just paid for itself a hundred times over in one shot.”
Another said, “A Reminder: Don’t Take ‘No’ at Face Value [sic].”
Final Thoughts
The traveller made it clear that ChatGPT did not fabricate excuses — it simply helped articulate a real medical issue in a compelling and structured way, backed by research. “Had I not used ChatGPT, I would have had to hire a paralegal,” he wrote. “And that would’ve cost me more money.”
“So if you find yourself under these conditions... don’t take no for an answer."
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