Can’t get a human on the phone in Spain? What expats can now do

Anyone living in Spain who does not speak fluent Spanish will know the feeling. You call your electricity company, phone provider, bank or another service because something has gone wrong, only to be confronted by a rapid-fire automated menu. Press one for this, press two for that, enter your customer number, repeat the information, and choose another option, and somehow you end up back where you started.

Getting through to an actual person can feel almost impossible. New Spanish legislation could make things easier for consumers, including foreign residents who struggle with automated customer-service systems. Ley 10/2025 regulates customer-service standards and gives consumers important rights when dealing with companies covered by the law.

You can ask for a real person

One of the most useful changes is simple: automated systems cannot be the only way for customers to receive attention. Covered companies must provide access to personalised attention from a human operator. Customers must be able to request this from the main menu and during their interaction with an automated system.

So don’t feel you have to keep guessing which number might eventually get you through.

Try saying: “Quiero hablar con un operador, por favor.” Or: “Quiero atención personalizada.”

You can also try “operador” or “agente”. There is no legal requirement for a particular button or magic word, but these terms should be recognised by some automated systems.

What if the robot keeps you going round in circles?

Don’t simply give up. If you genuinely have a problem or complaint, make it clear that you want to make a “reclamación” (a claim or complaint). Keep a note of the time and date, the company you contacted and what happened.

If possible, take a screenshot of online chats or menus and keep any emails or messages. Ask for a reference number for your complaint. Under the law, customers must be given an identifying reference that allows them to follow its progress. You can also ask for written confirmation of what you reported. including the date and time.

There are rules about waiting times

For companies covered by Ley 10/2025, 95 per cent of requests for personalised human customer care must be answered in an average time of less than three minutes. The same three-minute average applies to 95 per cent of incoming calls being effectively answered.

That is important, but it does not mean that every individual caller has a guaranteed three-minute maximum wait. It is a statistical service standard. Companies must also ensure that customer-service calls do not cost more than an ordinary geographical landline or standard mobile call.

Older expats have specific protection

Anyone aged 65 or over is specifically recognised by the legislation, with priority to be given to older people and disabled customers when telephone customer service is provided. Accessibility is another key part of the law, with companies required to take account of vulnerable consumers and provide appropriate assistance.

For expats, this is important because difficulty navigating a Spanish-language system should not mean being left without a practical way to deal with a legitimate customer-service problem.

What happens after you complain?

Companies cannot simply send a meaningless automated reply and consider the matter finished. Responses to complaints must be reasoned and deal with the issues raised. If the complaint is rejected, customers must also be informed about alternative ways of resolving the dispute.

Generally, complaints, queries and incidents should be resolved within a maximum of 15 working days, although sector-specific rules can apply. Some cases have shorter deadlines. Billing problems, for example, have a maximum five-day period, while incidents affecting continuity of certain essential services can require a response within two hours.

Remember: December 28 is important

Ley 10/2025 is already law. It came into force on December 28, 2025. December 28, 2026, is now the deadline for companies covered by the legislation to have adapted their customer-service systems to the new requirements.

Until then, if you are stuck talking to a robot, don’t assume you have no options. Ask for “atención personalizada”, request an operator, record what happened, make a formal complaint and ask for your reference number.

For anyone living in Spain without Spanish as their first language, those few words could become very useful.