How to call customer service in Spanish
Buenos días, le llamo porque tengo un problema con mi factura.
“Good morning, I'm calling because I have a problem with my bill.”
When: The first thing you say when an agent picks up
The moment
You are on the phone with your Spanish mobile provider in Madrid, trying to sort out a charge you don't recognise on this month's bill. You can't point at anything, so everything has to be said out loud.
B1 · Unit 3 · Practical adulting
The lines
Open with your reason
Spanish service calls skip the small talk. Lead with 'Le llamo porque' plus the problem: it sets the polite usted register and gets you straight to the issue.
Buenos días, le llamo porque tengo un problema con mi factura.
“Good morning, I'm calling because I have a problem with my bill.”
When to use it: The first thing you say when an agent picks up
What you’ll hear back: Muy bien, ¿me facilita su número de cliente y su DNI? (Right, can you give me your customer number and ID?)
Close the loop
Before hanging up, make the agent say the commitment out loud with 'Entonces, ¿me confirma que...?' — it turns a vague promise into something you can quote later.
Entonces, ¿me confirma que me van a llamar antes del viernes?
“So you can confirm that someone will call me before Friday?”
When to use it: At the very end of the call, before saying goodbye
What you’ll hear back: Sí, le confirmo que se ha abierto una incidencia con el número 4471. (Yes, I confirm a case has been opened, number 4471.)
Words for this scene
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Me pasa con un agente, por favor? | meh PAH-sah kon oon ah-HEN-teh, por fah-BOR | Could you put me through to an agent, please? |
Buenos días, ¿me pasa con un agente, por favor? El menú no me da esa opción. Good morning, could you put me through to an agent, please? The menu doesn't offer that option. Tip: Say 'agente' to the robot menu too; it usually transfers you. | ||
| Se lo deletreo | seh loh deh-leh-TREH-oh | Let me spell it for you |
Mi apellido es Vaughan, se lo deletreo: uve, a, u, ge, hache, a, ene. My surname is Vaughan, let me spell it for you: V, A, U, G, H, A, N. Tip: Spaniards spell with cities: 'be de Barcelona, uve de Valencia'. | ||
| Se oye fatal, ¿me lo repite? | seh OH-yeh fah-TAL, meh loh reh-PEE-teh | The line is terrible, could you say that again? |
Perdone, se oye fatal, ¿me lo repite más despacio? Sorry, the line is terrible, could you say that again more slowly? Tip: 'Fatal' just means awful in Spain, and blames the line, not them. | ||
Your objective
Explain the problem with your bill, give your name, and before you hang up, confirm what happens next and when.
- the problem with the bill
- your name
- what happens next and when
Lines that get it done
- Buenos días, le llamo porque tengo un problema con mi factura.
- Mi apellido es Vaughan, se lo deletreo: uve, a, u, ge, hache, a, ene. · My surname is Vaughan, let me spell it for you: V, A, U, G, H, A, N.
- Entonces, ¿me confirma que me van a llamar antes del viernes?
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. The agent finally picks up. What is the most natural way to start?
- Buenos días, le llamo porque tengo un problema con mi factura.
- Hola, ¿qué tal estás? Quería hablar un rato de mi factura.
- Buenos días, ¿tiene usted un problema con mi factura?
- Buenos días, llamo para que me hables de la factura.
Show the answer
Buenos días, le llamo porque tengo un problema con mi factura.
'Le llamo porque...' states your reason immediately and keeps the usted register a call centre expects.
2. The line is bad and you missed the reference number. What do you say?
- Se oye fatal, ¿me lo repite?
- Hablas muy rápido, repite eso.
- No entiendo nada, ya llamo otro día.
- ¿Puede gritar un poco más, por favor?
Show the answer
Se oye fatal, ¿me lo repite?
It blames the connection instead of the agent, and '¿me lo repite?' keeps the polite usted form.
3. How do you make the agent commit to what happens next?
- Entonces, ¿me confirma que me van a llamar antes del viernes?
- Entonces, ¿cree usted que me llamará alguien algún día?
- Vale, pues ya veremos qué pasa la semana que viene.
- Entonces, le confirmo que me llama usted el viernes.
Show the answer
Entonces, ¿me confirma que me van a llamar antes del viernes?
You are asking them to confirm, so the verb stays with them: '¿me confirma que...?', not 'le confirmo'.