England:
Just got back from two weeks in England. The local chemists has a sign on their wall saying that if we feel we haven't received our prescription medicine fast enough, then we should mention it and it will be delivered to our home free of charge. I waited twenty minutes and went to the counter, where I was told that the medicine was already waiting for us, that it had been for ten minutes ("we usually have in ready in about eight minutes"), and that my name had been called out. It was true: I'd been playing with the kids near the TV set they've installed to make your ten-minute wait less painful. The assistant apologised profusely: she was apologising to me because I hadn't listened.

Spain:
Me: Good afternoon. I'm calling to see whether you have any flat screen televisions in stock, say 20"-23".
Assistant: Wait a moment.
(3 minutes later)
Assistant: Yes, we have two 42" plasma televisions in stock.
Me: Actually, I was wondering about 20"-23" televisions.
Assistant: Oh yes, we have lots of those.
Me: Great. Could you give me a rough idea of how much they cost, please?
Assistant: I'm not at liberty to give out that kind of information by phone.
Me: Thank you! Bye!