# Are there regulations on telemarketing in Spain?



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Last week I hooked up my land line and I've been getting what I think are telemarketing calls. They're asking for the name of the previous tenant, which I know lived here because I also get mail for that person. But today they asked for that person or the "senor de la casa," and they were selling private insurance. So I'm thinking there may be telemarketing lists where my phone # is listed. I absolutely detest telemarketers and they put me in a tizzy.

In Canada in recent years they started a National Do Not Call List, where you can register your phone # to prevent telemarketers from calling:

https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/index-eng

So my questions are... Is there a lot of telemarketing in Spain? If there is, is there something similar to this National Do Not Call List here in Spain?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> Last week I hooked up my land line and I've been getting what I think are telemarketing calls. They're asking for the name of the previous tenant, which I know lived here because I also get mail for that person. But today they asked for that person or the "senor de la casa," and they were selling private insurance. So I'm thinking there may be telemarketing lists where my phone # is listed. I absolutely detest telemarketers and they put me in a tizzy.
> 
> In Canada in recent years they started a National Do Not Call List, where you can register your phone # to prevent telemarketers from calling:
> 
> ...


Yes, there is a lot of telemarketing.
There's this...
https://www.listarobinson.es/


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Yes, there is a lot of telemarketing.
> There's this...
> https://www.listarobinson.es/


Thank you, Pesky Wesky! So is this something you've used personally and know to work?


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Regulations are very lax in Spain that is why many British scammers have set up shop there.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Isobella said:


> Regulations are very lax in Spain that is why many British scammers have set up shop there.


Hi Isobella. I didn't know that. Until the National Do Not Call List (NDNCL) in Canada, it was horrific how often telemarketers would call. I had an unlisted number for many years and had to pay extra for it, but it helped a lot. Once this NDNCL came into effect, the calls almost stopped dead in their tracks. Over the years, I've set a lot of my friends up on this list, and it works for them too. 

I'm just nervous signing up on the list Pesky Wesky gave me, without personal reference, just in case I go on yet another list.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> Thank you, Pesky Wesky! So is this something you've used personally and know to work?


No I haven't used it.
You used to have to pay, I don't know about now...


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Pesky Wesky said:


> No I haven't used it.
> You used to have to pay, I don't know about now...


Okay, thanks for letting me know. Perhaps someone else on the forum is familiar with this and knows it works? 

The thing is, I've had my mobile # since I got here, and there hasn't been a single telemarketing call. I hope it stays that way!

It's especially difficult with the language barrier because they talk so fast, so it takes me quite a while to figure out whether or not the call is for me. So by the time I've figured out it's not for me and that they've wasted my breath, I'm positively furious. I haven't learned to use my words well yet in Spanish to tell someone off, although they've got me practicing. Perhaps I should be paying them for that service?


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

We have owned our house for 4yrs, and we still get phone calls from Banks asking for the previous owner. Plus the odd tele sales people.
Twice since Christmas we have had policia local at our gates, with a clip board, checking a padron list, the previous owners name is still on the padron list. My husband told them when we bought the house ,the previous owner (a Brit) was now living in France as far as we know. The second time they came here about a week later my husband had to repeat the same information.
We registered on the padron as soon as we moved to Javea, previously we had been registered on St. Javier padron.
I find this quite annoying, when the town hall had to see our ownership papers, and also when we both bought brand new cars, we had to get a new padron paper, to register for buying the cars, and also our car taxes, council tax and basura charges,are sent out regularly from the town hall office, I wonder who the heck do they think lives here. We both have residencia as well.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

AllHeart said:


> Okay, thanks for letting me know. Perhaps someone else on the forum is familiar with this and knows it works?
> 
> The thing is, I've had my mobile # since I got here, and there hasn't been a single telemarketing call. I hope it stays that way!
> 
> It's especially difficult with the language barrier because they talk so fast, so it takes me quite a while to figure out whether or not the call is for me. So by the time I've figured out it's not for me and that they've wasted my breath, I'm positively furious. I haven't learned to use my words well yet in Spanish to tell someone off, although they've got me practicing. Perhaps I should be paying them for that service?


We don't have a landline so are spared telemarketing calls by that route, we don't get many on our mobiles either, except from Vodafone and we recognise the number so just don't answer. A technique my OH swears by is to answer in English if the number comes up as Unknown or isn't one we know, and just keep repeating "Hello, hello" until the non English speaking caller gets fed up. It is costing them money to call, at any rate!


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## fergie (Oct 4, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> We don't have a landline so are spared telemarketing calls by that route, we don't get many on our mobiles either, except from Vodafone and we recognise the number so just don't answer. A technique my OH swears by is to answer in English if the number comes up as Unknown or isn't one we know, and just keep repeating "Hello, hello" until the non English speaking caller gets fed up. It is costing them money to call, at any rate!


I do exactly the same!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> Thank you, Pesky Wesky! So is this something you've used personally and know to work?





Pesky Wesky said:


> No I haven't used it.
> You used to have to pay, I don't know about now...


I've used it - actually I'm currently signed up for it

it's free

and it works


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## amespana (Nov 10, 2009)

I do what I did in the uk "just a moment(momentito)",then just leave the phone off the hook for ten minutes.They,ll soon cross you off their list.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

We only get calls from Orange (yes I am touching wood - REAL wood not plastic imitation.)


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## Madliz (Feb 4, 2011)

I signed up years ago after getting fed up with cold calls, normally at the most inconvenient times of day. Almost instantly the problem went away. I only get calls now from companies I deal with anyway, which I feel is fair enough.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

We only have mobiles and get bothered from time to time.
I never answer my phone unless I know the number or am expecting a call back, I always google the number to see what it comes up as and generally it is either orange who are a persistent bunch. Last time they called me up to 4 times a day for a month every day before they gave up.

The other one we get are dodgy debt collectors who get quite angry if you do mistakenly answer and tell them you are not the droid they are looking for. They don't believe you and pester you for ages as well threatening all kinds of nastiness.

My wife just blocks the numbers on her phone and I could do that but I enjoy the fact that people are wasting their time and money so I let them ring.

That said I haven't had anything for a couple of months so touch wood it'll stay like that.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

AllHeart said:


> Last week I hooked up my land line and I've been getting what I think are telemarketing calls. They're asking for the name of the previous tenant, which I know lived here because I also get mail for that person. But today they asked for that person or the "senor de la casa," and they were selling private insurance. So I'm thinking there may be telemarketing lists where my phone # is listed. I absolutely detest telemarketers and they put me in a tizzy.
> 
> In Canada in recent years they started a National Do Not Call List, where you can register your phone # to prevent telemarketers from calling:
> 
> ...


Just speak English. Do not give any indication that you speak Spanish. That got JAZZTELL (OMG) to stop calling me.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I signed up too. No calls from Spanish companies any more, just British ones trying to sell me pension advice, funeral insurance or UK TV - they go through the phone book looking for English names.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Alcalaina and Xabiachica, thank you for your personal recommendation. I'll have my Spanish Bestie help fill out the form for me next time we get together. Yay!

As for the other tips, thank you. Here's my tip... My favourite is going on and on and on about my litany of life problems, as if I was at the shrink's office on the 50-minute hour. That's another incentive to learn Spanish now - psychiatric telemarketers.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I forgot to say thank you to you too, Liz, for your personal recommendation. Thank you Liz!


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