Language inspectorate raps Bolt CEO after firm’s customer service replies to Estonian complaint in English

On 1st August 2024, an Estonian Bolt customer contacted the firm with a complaint – in Estonian – about the parking of its vehicles and scooters.

Bolt replied – in English.

So far, the situation will be familiar to Maltese people, who have grown begrudgingly accustomed to a lack of customer service in their own language.

The next step, however, will seem wildly alien: Bolt founder and CEO Markus Villig was called to answer for what is – in Estonia – a violation of the country’s Language Act and Consumer Protection Act.

Ilmar Tomusk, director general of Estonia’s Language Inspectorate, immediately intervened and demanded an answer from the powerful CEO of a firm that was valued over €7.4 billion in early 2022.

“That’s a good question, I don’t have an answer to it,” Mr Villig told Estonian media house ERR regarding the issue.

Just like in Malta, the proportion of foreign labour in Estonia increased markedly over recent years as the small nation of just 1.3 million struggled to meet the labour needs of its growing economy.

The inflow of foreign workers who do not know Estonian has put pressure on the legislative requirements for every business to present information in the language, with Mr Tomusk, noting that such complaints about Bolt occur “from time to time.”

Such complaints are practically unthinkable for a Maltese context: “In June, a customer of Bolt Food’s delivery service complained that they received a response in English through the company’s mobile app without an Estonian translation for an order placed in Estonian.”

While many might wish for sweeping changes that make the use of Maltese mandatory, reaching the level of attention given to Estonian is evidently a long way off.

After all, English is an official language in Malta, whereas Estonian is the sole official state language of Estonia, a strict rule introduced after the fall of the Soviet Union, during which time a policy of Russification led Estonian to became a minority language.