The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 has promoted an amendment to the Law on Customer Services with which it aims to put an end to spam calls (non-consensual commercial calls). According to the Ministry's website, this amendment will oblige companies to identify all numbers from which they make commercial telephone calls with a specific numerical code (a prefix). Another code will also be used to identify customer service calls. The amendment provides for telecommunications operators to block all calls from companies that do not use these codes. For its part, the Spanish government will have to adapt the National Numbering Plan to facilitate the technical implementation of the new identification and blocking system.
The other amendment to the law that has been presented seeks to declare null and void contracts that are concluded in non-consensual telephone calls. In this way, the aim is to discourage companies from making unwanted calls, as the contracts obtained in this type of communication will be null and void. As warned by Consumption Affairs, this initiative is a response to the growing volume of complaints from citizens and the testimonies of consumers who report feeling pressured or confused by these calls. At the same time, it stresses that the aim is to protect the consumer's right to decide freely and with sufficient information. This amendment also includes an obligation for companies to renew the consent with the user to receive commercial calls every two years. The aim is to ensure that companies do not use indefinite or ambiguous authorisations to continue contacting users.
In addition to these two amendments, the Ministry has also promoted other amendments to this Law which aim to achieve the following:
Regulate unwanted automatic contract renewals. Companies will be obliged to give 15 days' notice of the date on which the automatic renewal of a service or subscription that has been contracted online will take place. Likewise, companies will have to facilitate voluntary unsubscription if desired.
Put a stop to fake reviews. A review may only be published within 30 days of the purchase of the good or enjoyment of the service, to ensure that it corresponds to the real and recent opinion of a person who has consumed the good or service. The company receiving the review will have the guaranteed possibility to reply and request the removal of the review when it proves that it is not real and demonstrates that the person signing the review has not purchased the product or enjoyed the service, or demonstrates that the content is not true.
Incluir desde el principio el precio definitivo y final de un bien o servicio comprado o contratado online, incluyendo los gastos de gestión. Se evitaría así que las empresas comuniquen precios desagregando cifras, e incluso en distintos momentos del proceso de compra.
Include from the outset the final and definitive price of a good or service purchased or contracted online, including handling fees. This would prevent companies from communicating prices with disaggregated figures, and even at different points in the purchasing process.
Source of the information: Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030.