I have read that Telef?nica have a helpline you can call that uses English for problems with the internet. I have now found this to be untrue. They do have several lines where people are rude though.

Welcome to the World of Telefonica… There Techs are not english speaking….. So you deal with either school children or students that say on there CV “We Speaky English” anyway revenge is near as Telefonica are doing what Movistar are doing… and thats outsourcing all Customer Services and Technicals to Columbia & Bolivia and some other latin Americas countries…

Shite happens….

I have read that Telef?nica have a helpline you can call that uses English for problems with the internet. I have now found this to be untrue. They do have several lines where people are rude though.

I don’t think Telefonica have ever claimed to have an English speaking Internet Advice service; in fact when you ring 1004 and get through to their English speaking section they will tell you quite categorically that the Internet advice is only available in Spanish.

You should also be made aware that like nearly all ISP call centres, calls are made at a premium rate…
Telefonicas Internet Help line is available on 902-357000.

HOWEVER…I had occasion to call them last Thursday when our DSL line speed fell to less than dial-up and after I halting explained in Spanish “Mi velocidad del Internet es muy lenta” and explained that “Soy Ingles, mi espanol es muy poco…” the technician on the other end immediately started speaking English…

OK so there were a few incorrect words from both ends as the conversation progressed but between us we ran a line speed check that confirmed the problem; he explained that he would pass on the query to the service dept, took a note of my mobile number as well as confirming my landline number. Satisfied that he had done as much as he could we ended the call. Within 2 minutes we had a text from Tfonica advising the Service call reference number and a chain of events then followed.

Over the next 24 hours we were phoned three times by humans (Spanish speaking only) and twice by an automated system which when we cut through the crap amounted to a single question, is the problem fixed (Press 1) or does the problem still persist (Press 0). Having pressed zero on both of these occasions we were advised by another human that an engineer would call at our house on Sunday to check our line and Installation (I queried the Sunday part with the caller and this was confirmed).

It turned out the house call wasn’t needed because late Sunday afternoon out of curiosity I ran a series of line speed checks and they were all satisfactory. At 6pm we had another call from the automated service and this time I was able to press 1 indicating that all was well. We then had a text stating that the technical query serial number so and so was now closed.

This is not the first time that I have had to use the help line and despite the fact that the first call was with a non-English speaking technician we managed to sort out the problem.

I have to say that I find it annoying when people have a go at non-English speakers on Spain’s utility services; Outside of the enclaves on the CDS and CB Brits are still very much a minority group…Imagine a Spaniard living in England contacting wanadoo (or Orange) dot co dot uk; Sorry but, how much help do you think he would get if he asked for a Spanish speaking rep…(For a start all of their reps are outsourced to India…

fb

I think its bad service that BT and Virgin both don`t speak Castellano in the UK.

My OH would have had a nightmare when she moved to the UK, had it not been for her ablility to speak English, well it would have been horrendous if she hadn`t bovered to learn the lingo. 😊

foxbat - 24 July 2009 05:59 AM

I have to say that I find it annoying when people have a go at non-English speakers on Spain’s utility services; Outside of the enclaves on the CDS and CB Brits are still very much a minority group…Imagine a Spaniard living in England contacting wanadoo (or Orange) dot co dot uk; Sorry but, how much help do you think he would get if he asked for a Spanish speaking rep…(For a start all of their reps are outsourced to India…

fb

Well said Fb !
My Father has called Telephonica a few times and whenever a Spanish operator picks up he kindly asks / repeats - English Speaking please.

ALWAYS they have diverted him to an English Speaking Operator.
Too easy 😊

DSB.

foxbat - 24 July 2009 05:59 AM

I have read that Telef?nica have a helpline you can call that uses English for problems with the internet. I have now found this to be untrue. They do have several lines where people are rude though.

I don’t think Telefonica have ever claimed to have an English speaking Internet Advice service;

Well I never saidTelef?nica offer that service. I just said that’s what I had read (somewhere). Could have been anybody posted that misinformation.

foxbat - 24 July 2009 05:59 AM

I have to say that I find it annoying when people have a go at non-English speakers on Spain’s utility services;

Well how about you save that for a thread where somebody is actually complaining about Spanish utility services not speaking English?

Warren P - 24 July 2009 02:13 PM

Well I never saidTelef?nica offer that service. I just said that’s what I had read (somewhere). Could have been anybody posted that misinformation.

Well how about you save that for a thread where somebody is actually complaining about Spanish utility services not speaking English?

Please save your sarcastic notes and lack of formalities for some other forum..
Fb gives out VERY VERY good information and is also a knowledgeable person, if you must insist on forum fighting keep your digs to PM’s please !

//YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN//

DSB.

Warren P;
Sorry I misinterpreted your initial statement.

It’s true that the Spanish do have some very rude people, but they are equally rude to each other, not just the expats.
And as for being rude the Brits pretty much invented that game! Try being at the pointy end of any job which involves direct interface with Joe Public…nursing and public transport come to mind immediately. I rest my case!

bealer DSB Thanks for the compliment; it’s most appreciated.

We had so many problems when we first came here despite all of the research we did jointly before making the move, that if I can find a way of helping folks avoid the problem in the first place or come up with a possible solution then so much the better for all.

What I find so annoying is the fact that Brits in general are all to ready to have a go at the Spanish way of doing things, forgetting totally that we are guests in their country and why they left the UK in the first place; yes there is widespread corruption over here but to my mind its no worse than in the UK; over here when someone is found to have been raiding the cookie jar it is publicised widely and someone goes to jail; in the UK its generally hushed up. Just now and then someone decides to spill the beans over there, as witness the Telegraph Expose on MP’s expenses; but did any one of these over-indulgent MP’s go to jail…Of course not.

fb

bealerDSB - 24 July 2009 02:24 PM

Warren P - 24 July 2009 02:13 PM

Well I never saidTelef?nica offer that service. I just said that’s what I had read (somewhere). Could have been anybody posted that misinformation.

Well how about you save that for a thread where somebody is actually complaining about Spanish utility services not speaking English?

Please save your sarcastic notes and lack of formalities for some other forum..
Fb gives out VERY VERY good information and is also a knowledgeable person, if you must insist on forum fighting keep your digs to PM’s please !

//YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN////YAWN//

DSB.

Well if people start with me even if unbeknown to me they have misunderstand me then they are likely to get the same back no matter how much good information they have given out in the past.

foxbat - 24 July 2009 06:42 PM

Warren P;
Sorry I misinterpreted your initial statement.

Thank you and I apologize to you for being grumpy.

foxbat - 24 July 2009 06:42 PM

Just now and then someone decides to spill the beans over there, as witness the Telegraph Expose on MP’s expenses; but did any one of these over-indulgent MP’s go to jail…Of course not.

And the thing is they have these expenses scandals every few years and bring in new measures that are supposed to put a stop to it once and for all but just you wait and see there will be another expenses scandal in the near future.

foxbat - 24 July 2009 06:42 PM

yes there is widespread corruption over here but to my mind its no worse than in the UK; over here when someone is found to have been raiding the cookie jar it is publicised widely and someone goes to jail; in the UK its generally hushed up. Just now and then someone decides to spill the beans over there, as witness the Telegraph Expose on MP’s expenses; but did any one of these over-indulgent MP’s go to jail…Of course not.

fb

Not really true.

If you look into the Transparency International Corruption Index 2008 Spain is 30th, 1st being the least corrupt, the UK is ranked at 17th.

http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/2008-transparency-international-corruption-perceptions.html

Spain recently prosecuted the anti corruption judge Garzon, for corruption. Last week a Spanish mayor was released from prison. Three weeks ago a famous Spanish pop star was arrested for tax avoidance.

Homes have been demolished due to council corruption, many thousands have been built without permission. Malaya has never happened in the UK, yet in Spain the same situation went on for decades after people got prosecuted.

The UK scandal wasn`t corruption or illegal, immoral and stupid yes, but nobody lied, the info was in public domain and followed rules.

Its the responsibilities of leaders to ensure there not misleading the public, to date the UK hasn`t been presented with any evidence that politicians mislead the public.

Now had the politicians been taking money home in bin bags in exchange for favours, for the next 15 yrs and still remain in power, then the UK would be around 10% closer to being as bad as Spain.

santanah,

Why are you spamming a spanish site with American car sales?
Have you nothing better to do?

Go get a life….

foxbat - 08 September 2009 09:59 PM

santanah,

Why are you spamming a spanish site with American car sales?
Have you nothing better to do?

Go get a life….

Fb,
    His profile states he works for a Spanish Company, yet his Spanish Level is Uno, dos, tres, four…
I’ve noticed quite a few new Site Arrivals of late not quite adding up, especially the way in which they introduce..

Hmmm.
DSB.