Minimum quality rules for company customer service in Spain

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1. The bill would set mandatory minimum quality standards for customer service at companies in water, gas and electricity supply, passenger transport, postal services, conditional access audiovisual media and electronic communications.
2. Companies would have to offer a free phone line and free customer service, with premium-rate numbers banned, and guarantee direct personal service, with answering machines not allowed as the only channel.
3. Each complaint, claim or incident would get an identifying number or code and a receipt, so customers could track how it is being handled.
4. Complaints and claims would have to be resolved within one month at most, and over the phone more than 90 percent of calls would have to reach a live agent in under a minute.
5. Companies would have to measure and publish service quality, submit it to an annual audit, and reply in the same language used to sign the contract.
6. Breaches would be punished as consumer protection offenses, and companies would have six months to adapt after the law takes effect (one year for passenger transport).

Who it affects

• Consumers and users: They would get faster, free and accessible customer service, with proof and tracking of their complaints.
• Large companies in utilities, telecom, transport, postal and audiovisual services: They would have to meet the minimum quality levels, measure and audit them, and face penalties if they fail.
• Micro and small businesses: They are excluded if they employ fewer than 250 workers and stay within the stated revenue limits.
• Public administrations: Their free services in these sectors are not covered, but services run through indirect management are.
• Financial and insurance companies: Equivalent rules for their customer service would be approved within six months.

Words worth knowing

Servicio de tracto sucesivo

A service provided continuously over time, such as electricity, water, gas or phone.

Tarificación adicional

Premium-rate phone numbers that charge callers an extra price.

Atención personal directa

Being helped by a real person in real time, who must also identify themselves.

Auditoría

A review by an independent outside entity to check that published data are accurate.

Resolución extrajudicial de conflictos

A system for settling disputes without going to court.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries