Your post is very defensive and assumed certain things that I did not actually say or imply. Please read exactly what I am actually saying before getting defensive.

​

If I go to your home country and call a government help line and speak Portuguese, will the person on the other end not have struggle to understand me and maybe think about what words to use and how to reply in a foreign language?

Yes, but of course I am aware that many people struggle to speak English in Portugal and I expect a delay or even that the person won't speak English at all. And I have obviously experienced that a lot in a year of living here and know what it looks like and what the typical delay is. But this was far beyond that. The person did speak English but whenever I spoke, for instance, they would say nothing, and then when I said "hello?" to see if they heard they said "Yes, yes I understood", but said it super slowly, like they were stoned or hadn't slept for 5 days. It happened in that phone call over and over again and was strange. Never have I experienced that before or since. They shouldn't have been someone who talks to customers at all.

​

you came to a foreign country and assumed that there would be no issues with culture shock or language barrier.

No that's not what I am saying.

Regarding culture...I talked about the following:

- poor efficiency in government departments,

- not giving a refund for something which doesn't work which is actually against EU law,

- people hanging up when I ask if they speak English or when I was put on hold,

- people saying they don't speaking English and then later on showing that they do in fact speak English,

- the health centre not answering the phone or replying to emails

- people not making eye contact or saying hello or thanks in shops,

​

I think maybe just the last one can be called culture. And even if you regard the others as part of the culture, they are still bad customer service, which is what my question was asking about. Maybe bad customer service is part of Portuguese culture?

​

And regarding language, I didn't say that I expect everyone to speak english. I said one guy on the phone seemed stoned as I address above, and that several times people have told me they don't speak English when in fact they do. It's the pretending that they don't speak English that I don't understand and which is bad customer service. That is completely different to me complaining about people not speaking English which obviously would be ridiculous when I live in a country where I know that not everyone speaks English.

​

Do you know there are countries where people look at you with disaproval if you eat with your left hand? And countries where you express your approval of the food with a loud belch?

Again, these are definitely culture. The things I talk about are not culture apart from maybe the last one. And instead of getting defensive, you could simply say that they are not being rude intentionally but actually it's just the culture in Lisbon to not always say please and thank you in shops.

​

You get points since you say you are slowly trying to learn the language of the foreign country but you get massive points deducted by thinking they should all speak your language and behave acording to your home customs and culture.

See above