Calling customer service in Spanish: the phone menu, the agent and the complaint, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
The internet is down, the bill is wrong, or the flight has moved, and the only way through is a phone line in Spanish. There is no face to read, the audio is poor, a recorded menu comes first, and the agent speaks fast. This page has the menu words, the sentence you say to reach a human, how to describe the problem, what the agent will ask, and how to escalate, with what changes between Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.
The phone menu
The recording is fast and formulaic. You only need to catch the verb and the number.
| What the recording says | Meaning | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Marque uno. | Press one | Everywhere |
| Presione dos. | Press two | Latin America |
| Oprima tres. | Press three | Mexico, and some Colombian lines |
| Pulse la tecla almohadilla. | Press the hash key | Spain |
| Digite su número de cédula. | Enter your ID number | Colombia |
| Para español, marque dos. | For Spanish, press two | Lines serving the United States |
| Para consultas de facturación… | For billing enquiries | Everywhere |
| Para soporte técnico… | For technical support | Everywhere |
| Para bajas y cancelaciones… | For cancellations | Spain |
| Si ya es cliente, marque uno. | If you are already a customer, press one | |
| Permanezca en la línea. | Stay on the line | |
| Su llamada puede ser grabada. | Your call may be recorded | |
| Todos nuestros asesores están ocupados. | All our agents are busy | |
| El tiempo estimado de espera es de… | The estimated wait is |
Marcar, presionar, oprimir, pulsar and digitar all mean press or enter. Mexico’s is oprima, Spain’s is pulse, and marque is used in all four.
What the department is called
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The department | servicio al cliente or atención a clientes | atención al cliente | servicio al cliente | atención al cliente |
| The person | un ejecutivo, un agente | un operador, un agente | un asesor | un representante, un operador |
| Technical support | soporte técnico | soporte técnico or asistencia técnica | soporte técnico | soporte técnico |
| The call centre | el call center | el centro de atención | la línea de atención | el call center |
Asesor is the Colombian word and you will hear it in the recording and in the agent’s own greeting. Ejecutivo in Mexico does not mean a manager. An ejecutivo de cuenta is the ordinary person who answers the phone at a bank.
Getting to a person
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I want to speak to a person | Quiero hablar con una persona. | |
| With an agent, please | Con un asesor, por favor. (Colombia) / Con un agente, por favor. | Say it clearly to a voice menu; many recognise it |
| Operator | Operador. | Saying the word alone sometimes works |
| I’d rather speak to someone | Prefiero hablar con alguien. | |
| This is not what I need | Ninguna de esas opciones. | None of those options |
| Can you put me through to a person? | ¿Me puede comunicar con una persona? (Mexico, Colombia) / ¿Me puede pasar con una persona? (Spain, Argentina) | Comunicar is the Latin American verb for putting a call through |
Saying what is wrong
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I have no internet | No tengo internet. | |
| The internet went down | Se me cayó el internet. / Se me fue el internet. | Spain says se me ha caído internet, often without the article |
| It hasn’t worked since yesterday | No funciona desde ayer. | |
| It keeps cutting out | Se corta a cada rato. | |
| It’s very slow | Va muy lento. | |
| You charged me too much | Me cobraron de más. | The key sentence for a wrong bill |
| There’s a charge I don’t recognise | Hay un cobro que no reconozco. | |
| I was charged twice | Me cobraron dos veces. | |
| I want to cancel | Quiero cancelar el servicio. | Universal |
| I want to cancel my contract | Quiero dar de baja la línea. | Spain, and understood elsewhere. La baja is the cancellation |
| I want to make a claim | Quiero hacer un reclamo. (Latin America) / poner una reclamación (Spain) | |
| My card was blocked | Me bloquearon la tarjeta. | |
| My flight was changed | Me cambiaron el vuelo. | |
| I want a refund | Quiero que me devuelvan el dinero. | The plain, unambiguous version |
| The power is out | Se fue la luz. | Everywhere, and it is the sentence people use |
| Nobody came | No vino nadie. | For a missed appointment or technician |
| I’ve called three times | Ya llamé tres veces. | Say this early. It changes the call |
Dar de baja is the phrase to know in Spain. Darse de baja is to cancel a subscription, and a Spanish phone line will have a whole menu branch for bajas. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, cancelar and dar de baja are both understood.
Giving your details
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| My customer number is… | Mi número de cliente es… | |
| My contract number | el número de contrato | |
| My account number | el número de cuenta | |
| My date of birth | mi fecha de nacimiento | |
| The last four digits | los últimos cuatro dígitos | Of the card or the ID |
| My ID number | mi DNI (Spain, Argentina), mi cédula (Colombia), mi CURP or mi RFC (Mexico) | Mexico’s bank lines usually ask for the account or the card |
| My name is spelled… | Mi nombre se escribe… | Then spell it |
| B as in Barcelona | B de Barcelona | Pick a city or a name when you spell out loud |
| The address on the account | la dirección que está en la cuenta | |
| The number I’m calling about | el número de la línea |
Spelling your name on a Spanish phone line is its own small skill. The hard letters are b and v, distinguished as b larga and v corta in much of Latin America and b de Barcelona and uve in Spain; g and j; and y, which most people call i griega. If your surname is not Spanish, offer to spell it before you are asked.
What the agent will say
The script is close to identical in the four countries, with different courtesy wrapped around it.
¿Me indica su nombre completo? Your full name, please. Colombia and Mexico especially. Spain: ¿Me dice su nombre completo? Argentina: ¿Me decís tu nombre? or, on a formal line, ¿Me indica su nombre?
¿Con quién tengo el gusto? Who am I speaking to, literally “with whom do I have the pleasure”. Standard in Mexico and Colombia, and it is a real question, so answer with your name.
¿En qué le puedo ayudar? How can I help you. Colombian agents often make it ¿en qué le puedo colaborar?
Permítame un momento. One moment please. Also deme un segundo, un momentito por favor, and in Spain un momento, no se retire, do not hang up.
Le voy a pasar con el área de facturación. I’m transferring you to billing. Latin America: lo voy a comunicar con…
Voy a validar sus datos. I’m going to verify your details.
¿Me confirma su fecha de nacimiento? Can you confirm your date of birth.
No me aparece nada en el sistema. Nothing is showing in the system. Or the flat, resigned se cayó el sistema, the system is down, which in Mexico and Colombia means call back.
Le vamos a generar un folio. We’ll open a case number for you. Mexico. Colombia: le genero un radicado. Spain: le doy el número de incidencia. Argentina: le doy un número de reclamo.
En un plazo de 48 horas hábiles. Within 48 working hours. Listen for hábiles: weekends and holidays do not count.
¿Algo más en que le pueda ayudar? Anything else I can help you with. Say no, muchas gracias, muy amable and the call ends well.
Gracias por comunicarse con nosotros. Thank you for contacting us. The sign-off.
Holding, being cut off, and calling back
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I’ll hold | Aquí espero. | |
| I’ve been holding twenty minutes | Llevo veinte minutos esperando. | |
| Are you still there? | ¿Sigue ahí? / ¿Me escucha? | |
| I can’t hear you | No lo escucho bien. / No le escucho. (Spain) | |
| Can you speak more slowly? | ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor? | The most useful sentence on this page |
| Can you repeat that? | ¿Me lo repite, por favor? | |
| The call dropped | Se cortó la llamada. | |
| They cut me off | Me colgaron. | Literally they hung up on me |
| I’m calling back about the same thing | Vuelvo a llamar por lo mismo. | |
| My case number is… | Mi número de caso es… | |
| Can you give me a number to call back on? | ¿Me da un número para volver a llamar? | |
| Can you call me back? | ¿Me pueden devolver la llamada? |
If the line drops mid-call, you only avoid repeating the whole story if you have the case number. Ask for it early: ¿me puede dar el número de caso antes de seguir?
Chat and WhatsApp
In Latin America the fastest route is often WhatsApp rather than the phone line.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a chat? | ¿Tienen chat? | |
| Can I write to you on WhatsApp? | ¿Les puedo escribir por WhatsApp? | Mexico and Colombia in particular run full support on it |
| I want to speak to a person, not a bot | Quiero hablar con una persona, no con el bot. | Typing asesor or agente into a chat bot usually escalates it |
| I’m sending you a photo of the bill | Le mando una foto de la factura. | |
| Here is the screenshot | Aquí está la captura de pantalla. | |
| I’m attaching the receipt | Adjunto el comprobante. |
Written chat is easier for a learner. You can read at your own speed and look a word up. If the call is going badly, ¿me puede atender por chat? is a fair thing to ask.
Complaining, and escalating
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A complaint | una queja | una queja or una reclamación | una queja or un reclamo | un reclamo |
| To file it | poner una queja | poner una reclamación | poner una queja or radicar un reclamo | hacer un reclamo |
| The case number | el folio | el número de incidencia | el radicado | el número de reclamo |
| A supervisor | un supervisor | un supervisor | un supervisor | un supervisor |
| The consumer body | la Profeco | la OMIC or the regional consumer office | la Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio | Defensa del Consumidor |
El radicado is the Colombian word for a filed case and its number, and radicar is to file something formally. In Mexico el folio is the reference number on anything: a complaint, a receipt, a form. Spain has la hoja de reclamaciones, the official complaint form that businesses have to make available on request, and asking for it in person is a recognised escalation.
The sentences:
- Quiero poner una queja formal. I want to make a formal complaint.
- ¿Me puede comunicar con un supervisor? Can you put me through to a supervisor?
- ¿Cuál es el número de radicado? What is the case number? (Colombia)
- ¿Me da el folio, por favor? Can I have the reference number? (Mexico)
- Necesito la hoja de reclamaciones. I need the complaint form. (Spain, in person)
- Si no se resuelve, voy a acudir a Defensa del Consumidor. If this isn’t resolved, I’ll go to the consumer authority. (Argentina)
Name the authority only when you mean it. In all four countries the agent’s tone changes when you do.
The courtesy that gets things done
Colombia. Usted throughout, to everyone, including someone your own age. ¿Me colabora con una cosa?, will you help me with something, is the standard opening, and muy amable, que esté muy bien is the close. Agents answer con mucho gusto rather than de nada, and you get further with a warm tone than with an impatient one.
Mexico. Usted on the phone. People soften everything with diminutives: un momentito, una preguntita. Una disculpa before asking for something awkward, and muy amable, gracias at the end. Saying ¿me podría ayudar con…? rather than stating a demand is the difference between a fast call and a slow one.
Spain. Tú with an agent of your own age is normal and not rude. You hear usted in the recording, and often not from the person. Spanish calls are direct and short. State the problem in one line and ask what happens next, ¿qué hacemos?
Argentina. Vos with an agent, unless the line is a bank. ¿Me podés ayudar con un problema? Argentines are direct and expect the same back. Dale, fine, is the acknowledgement you will hear throughout.
Everywhere, say the problem in one sentence, then stop. Agents are trained on scripts, and if you explain at length they wait for the part that fits the script.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- Buenos días, no tengo internet desde ayer. Good morning, I’ve had no internet since yesterday.
- ¿Me puede comunicar con un asesor, por favor? Can you put me through to an agent, please? (Colombia, Mexico)
- ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor? Estoy aprendiendo español. Can you speak more slowly, please? I’m learning Spanish.
- Me cobraron de más este mes. I was overcharged this month.
- Quiero dar de baja la línea. I want to cancel the line. (Spain)
- Mi número de cliente es 4-4-0-2-8-1. My customer number is 440281.
- ¿Me da el folio, por favor? Can I have the case number, please? (Mexico)
- Ya llamé dos veces y sigue igual. I’ve called twice and it’s the same.
- Se cortó la llamada, vuelvo a llamar por lo mismo. The call dropped, I’m calling back about the same thing.
- Muchas gracias, muy amable. Que esté bien. Thank you very much, that’s kind. Have a good day.
Questions people ask
How do I say “press one”? Marque uno everywhere, oprima uno in Mexico, pulse uno in Spain. You will hear one of them in the recording, and the number is the part that matters.
What word do I say to reach a human? Say asesor in Colombia, agente or ejecutivo in Mexico, operador in Spain and Argentina. Many people also get through by repeating una persona into a voice menu.
Is “reclamo” or “reclamación” correct? Reclamo in Latin America, reclamación in Spain. A queja is a complaint about how you were treated. A reclamo or reclamación is a claim for something owed.
What is “el folio”? The reference number, in Mexico. In Colombia it is el radicado, in Spain el número de incidencia, in Argentina el número de reclamo. Get it before you hang up.
Should I use usted? Yes, on any phone line in Mexico and Colombia. In Spain, tú is fine and normal. In Argentina, vos, unless it is a bank.
What does “se cayó el sistema” mean? The system is down. It is a real and common answer in Mexico and Colombia, and it means nothing can be done on that call.
How do I ask them to slow down? ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor? If you add estoy aprendiendo español, the agent almost always speaks slower and more clearly for the rest of the call.
Can I do this by WhatsApp instead? Often yes, especially in Mexico and Colombia, where banks, airlines and telecoms run real support on it. Ask ¿tienen atención por WhatsApp?
Practise these words
marcar, llamar, colgar, esperar, cobrar, cancelar, funcionar, reclamo, queja, cliente, ayudar, comunicar, resolver. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.