CAN THE SPAM: Unsolicited Calls To Be Banned In Spain

Spam sales phone calls will be banned in Spain from June 29. This will be a great relief to those who still pick up the phone to unknown callers who refuse to let you go. 

You know the scenario. You’ve just got home from another long day at the office. What time is it? It’s 7 pm. Ah, time to relax! No! Time for a barrage of unsolicited sales calls, with some of the callers being more polite than others.

The Phone, TV and Internet calls

They’ve always got a better deal on your mobile and internet and won’t be talked down. I say: “But with my network, I can call the UK and speak to my elderly grandma who refuses to have an internet connection.” They can’t offer this but apparently, their deal is still better.

The Energy Companies

Then there are the energy companies. Now we all need a better deal for energy at the moment, but they are completely undeterred when I say my landlord deals with the bills and not me.

Straight To Hold

The worst ones are the ones that call you and you are placed on hold the moment you pick up the phone. No idea who’s calling, no idea what they’re trying to sell you. Do they think I’m going to wait for a convenient moment for them? NO! CLICK!

The doggedly and irritatingly persistent

There are the ones who keep going even after you say no. Often quite aggressive and rude, I try to politely end the calls with a ‘thanks-but-no-thanks’ but that’s not enough for them. Do they think the same spiel is going to appeal on the second listen? NO! CLICK!

Hijacked

And then you start to ignore calls from numbers you don’t recognise, always wondering if you are missing a genuinely important call. It’s annoying. They are hijacking your phone line!

The Good News

On June 29, 2022, the General Telecommunications Law was published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and this was the beginning of a one-year process for the motion to pass into enforceable law.

Under Article 66 of this law, end users have a right not to receive unsolicited sales calls. with the law specifically stating that the user has the right:

“not to receive unwanted calls for commercial communication purposes, unless there is prior consent from the user to receive this type of commercial communication or unless the communication can be supported by another legitimate basis. of those provided for in article 6.1 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the processing of personal data”.

This will bring a huge sigh of relief from those who spend their evenings hounded by persistent and very annoying sales reps, determined to grind you down and cash in on your hard-earned free time.