The new SAC decree brings stricter customer service rules and takes effect 20 days after publication.
Decree No. 13,135/2026 regulates the Consumer Protection Code and revokes the previous decree on the SAC (Serviço de Atendimento ao Consumidor, the consumer customer service system). The new SAC decree requires human service from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., every day, and cancellation with immediate effect. The rule applies to suppliers in sectors regulated by the federal Executive and to financial services supervised by the Banco Central (Brazilian Central Bank). It takes effect twenty days after publication.
What changes for service channels and waiting times
Every supplier subject to the decree must maintain an electronic channel open 24 hours a day. Through it, the consumer must be able to speak with a person, in real time, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Telephone service is also mandatory, with a human attendant during the same hours. In urgent situations, service must be available at any time.
On telephone calls, the maximum waiting time is twenty seconds for at least 80% of requests. The remaining ones may wait up to three hundred seconds. However, regulatory agencies may set their own rule for waiting times.
In addition, the menu may not have more than five levels. If the call drops, the company must call back within three hundred seconds. Any advertising during the service call is also prohibited, including while the consumer is on hold.
Cancellation and improper charges are now subject to a clear rule
Consumers may request cancellation through the same menu or the same type of service channel they are already using. The company may not require another attendant or another channel. The effects are immediate, even where payments are outstanding, unless the company expressly justifies the need for technical processing. Confirmation is sent by electronic means.
Where a service has not been requested or a charge is improper, the company must act immediately. The matter must be concluded within a maximum of forty-eight hours.
Records and oversight require internal organisation
The history of each request must be sent to the consumer within five business days of the request. The company must keep it for at least six months after resolution. Recordings and messages must be retained for ninety days. Systems and filing routines therefore need to be reviewed.
The Secretaria Nacional do Consumidor (Senacon, the National Consumer Secretariat) oversees compliance and imposes penalties for breaches. In our view, the short period before the decree takes effect calls for an immediate review of existing channels. The first step is to compare service hours, menus and cancellation routines with the new requirements.
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