The bill would set minimum quality rules for customer service

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1. The bill would set mandatory minimum quality levels for customer service departments of large companies and companies providing basic services of general interest, such as water, energy, transport, postal, telecommunications and financial services.
2. Companies would have to accept queries, complaints and claims through the same channel used to start the contract and, at minimum, also by post, phone and an electronic means. Physical stores open to the public would also have to accept them.
3. Answering machines or bots could not be the only way to reach customer service. If customers ask, the company would have to provide attention from a trained person, with 95% of such requests answered on average in under three minutes. Calls could not be cut off for long waiting times.
4. Calls could cost no more than a call to a standard landline or cell phone, and free phone numbers could not be redirected to paid numbers. For continuous basic services, phone support would have to be available 24 hours a day to report outages.
5. Each query, complaint or claim would receive an identification key and a written receipt on a durable medium, so customers can track it. Decisions would have to be reasoned and sent within a maximum of 15 business days, or two hours for incidents affecting the continuity of basic services.
6. Customer service channels would have to appear in the contract, invoices and website, and replies would have to be in the language of the contract and, on request, at least in Spanish. Vulnerable people, people with disabilities and older people would be entitled to accessible formats and personalized assistance.
7. Companies would have to set up an annual system to evaluate service quality, audited by an accredited entity, and publish the documentation on their website. Non-compliance would be punished as a consumer offense.
8. Companies would have nine months from the law's entry into force to adapt. The bill would also amend consumer, financial system and telecommunications rules, and in the financial sector oversight would remain with the Bank of Spain (Banco de España), the CNMV and the Directorate General for Insurance and Pension Funds.

Who it affects

• Large companies and providers of basic services (water, energy, transport, postal, telecommunications, banking and insurance): Would have to meet these quality, accessibility and response time requirements in their customer service.
• Consumers and users: Would get free, accessible customer service with response deadlines and the option to speak with a person.
• Vulnerable people, people with disabilities and older people: Could choose their communication format and receive individualized, personalized assistance.
• Financial institutions: Their customer service rules would be updated, with one-month deadlines for complaints and oversight by their sector supervisors.
• Telecommunications operators: Would have to adapt their customer service to the new sector rules.

Words worth knowing

Servicio de tracto sucesivo

A service provided continuously over time, such as electricity, water or phone, rather than once.

Soporte duradero

Any medium that lets you store information and access it later, such as email or paper.

Resolución extrajudicial de conflictos

Systems to settle a dispute without going to court, such as consumer arbitration boards.

Entidad Nacional de Acreditación

The public body that certifies that audit firms and laboratories are competent and reliable.

Subsanación

Fixing or completing a claim that is missing information, within the period the company gives.

It summarizes the text passed by the full Congreso. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries