A New Era for Consumer Rights in Spain
Spain’s Congress of Deputies has approved a new draft Law on Customer Services, marking a significant step towards strengthening consumer protections. The legislation is now proceeding through the Senate before returning to the lower house for final approval. According to Pablo Bustinduy, Minister of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda, this law will “give more power to consumers to enforce their rights against companies.” Its core mission is to reinforce user rights, force companies to be more transparent, and guarantee human, personalized assistance instead of automated bots.
An End to Unwanted Sales Calls
One of the most anticipated changes addresses the nuisance of unsolicited commercial calls. The new law mandates that all sales calls must use an exclusive prefix that identifies them as such. Telecom operators will be required to automatically block any business call that does not use these specific codes. Furthermore, any contract agreed upon during an unsolicited call will be considered null and void. This measure is designed to protect consumers, especially the elderly, from agreeing to unknown offers under pressure.
Transparent Pricing and Guaranteed Human Contact
The law also tackles hidden costs by requiring businesses to state the final price, including any management fees or additional charges, right from the start of a transaction. This ensures buyers know the total cost from the very beginning.
Another major innovation is the consumer’s right to customer service that is free, personalized, and swift. “Free” means companies are prohibited from using premium-rate numbers as a means of communication. “Personalized” means businesses are banned from handling calls exclusively through automated systems or AI; customers will have the right to request a conversation with a specialized human operator. To ensure service is “agile,” companies must guarantee that, on average, 95% of customer calls are answered within three minutes.
Faster Resolutions and Clear Communication
The new regulations set strict deadlines for resolving customer issues. Complaints must be settled within 15 days, and any incorrect charges must be rectified within just five days. For large companies—those with over 250 employees and a turnover exceeding 50 million euros—operating in regions with co-official languages, there is an additional requirement. They must ensure that customer complaints can be handled in both Spanish and any of the co-official languages of that autonomous community.
Simplifying Subscriptions and Combating Fake Reviews
The law introduces greater control over online subscriptions for services like streaming platforms, insurance, and other digital contracts. All companies are now obligated to notify customers 15 days in advance before automatically renewing any online service. They must also make it easy for consumers to cancel their subscriptions voluntarily.
In a move that will particularly benefit the tourism sector, the law explicitly bans the buying and selling of fake reviews. It also requires that any customer rating be published within a maximum of 30 days after purchasing the product or service. This crackdown on fraudulent opinions will help restore trust in online reviews for hotels, restaurants, and shops. Furthermore, businesses will be able to request the removal of reviews that are proven to be false.
