Consumer rights champion Jane Hawkes, known as Lady Janey, has warned consumers against blindly copying AI-generated complaints.

Speaking as part of a series of interviews on the BBC her comments come amid growing concern over the volume and complexity of AI-assisted complaints reaching councils, schools and other organisations.

Some reportedly run to dozens of pages and citing legislation that isn’t always accurate.

Ms Hawkes said AI can make complaining easier for people who don’t know where to start.

“AI can be a really good supportive tool,” she said. “It can help you make sense of complicated information, spot what has been missed and structure a complaint chronologically.

“I’ve used it myself when I’ve had dates of emails, telephone calls and conversations with different people. You can put that information in and it will produce a timeline for you, which can save time.

“It can empower customers and give people the confidence to make a complaint. But it is a starting tool. It isn’t the definitive tool and it shouldn’t replace your own judgement.”

One of Ms Hawkes’ strongest warnings was against turning a straightforward grievance into pages of unnecessary material.

“AI should make a complaint clearer, not longer,” she said. “Less is more. We can end up turning something that should take one page into five pages of gumph for somebody else to wade through.

“You don’t need to tell your entire life story because the actual point of what you are complaining about can get lost. Keep it clear, concise and to the point.”

She also warned against assuming AI-generated information is correct simply because it sounds authoritative.

“You can’t just cut, copy and paste the whole thing and send it. Check the facts and make sure any legislation it has quoted actually applies to your situation.

“If you have only given AI half the tale, then you may get half the tale back. You don’t need to be an encyclopaedia of legislation. Use what is relevant, understand what you are quoting and leave out what isn’t needed.”

Ms Hawkes said consumers should decide what they want to happen before writing.

“You need to state what you want the company to do about it,” she said. “Somebody might want a refund, somebody else might want compensation, a replacement or simply an apology. You might just want to see something change so that it doesn’t happen to somebody else.

“Whatever it is, make that expectation clear. Give a clear timeframe for a response, include the evidence that supports your complaint and say what you will do next if it isn’t resolved to your satisfaction.”

Ms Hawkes urged consumers to stay assertive without becoming aggressive.

“Persistence does beat resistance, so don’t be fobbed off,” she said. “You need to show that you mean business, but you don’t need to rant to do it. Be firm but fair.

“It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Quite often, the person answering the phone or reading your email isn’t the person who caused the problem, and you need them on side to help you sort it.”

If the first response fails, Hawkes said consumers should be ready to escalate within the organisation or seek another route to recover their money.

Ms Hawkes also challenged the British reluctance to complain, arguing that genuine complaints should be seen as useful feedback.

“We don’t really like to put our heads above the parapet because we think complaining might be embarrassing or cause upset,” she said.

“But if we don’t pipe up when something isn’t good enough, nothing changes. Then we have exactly the same experience again and moan about it afterwards.

“Any company worth its salt should appreciate being told when something hasn’t gone right because that gives them an opportunity to improve.”

Face-to-face problems should be raised at the time, Hawkes said, giving businesses a chance to put things right. Phone complaints should also be followed up in writing so there is a record of what was raised.

“That is really what complaining effectively comes down to,” she said. “Keep it short and sweet, be clear about what you want, be firm but fair and don’t make something more complicated than it needs to be.”