Try canceling a service in Brazil. You’ll be sent from one department to another. You’ll sit on hold for hours. You might even be told to call another number - multiple times. Well, not anymore.

Brazil has traditionally been a highly regulated country with mechanisms in place to protect consumers. For example, we wrote about PROCON before - a consumer protection agency that helps resolve disputes between companies and their customers.

There’s also another way that Brazil seeks to protect consumers. Large companies like banks, airlines and phone service providers each have a SAC (Serviço de Atendimento ao Consumidor) - an ombuds department with customer service agents to address issues like cancellation. Decreto 11.034, which went into effect on October 3, regulates how these SACs operate.

Now, consumers may cancel services using the same method they used to purchase the service. So if you hired a company via Whatsapp, a chatbot, or even Facebook, you’re free to cancel the same way.

The law also requires these companies offer at least 8 hours of live customer service by telephone each day. And they must inform callers of their estimated wait time - either in minutes or by their position in the queue.

And you know those automated questions they like to ask? “Please enter your account number to speak to the next available agent.” They can’t do that anymore either.

Little by little, Brazil is looking out for the little guy. These new changes represent just a few ways that big companies are being prevented from sending their small customers around and around in circles.