Thank you all very much for your comments. It does seem that saying Adios on the phone is not obligatory in Spain in the same way as it is in the UK. I reckon its different strokes for different folks! BTW, I have never been treated badly or felt unwelcome in Spain because of my nationality. I find the Spanish people charming and far too well mannered to behave in that way - unlike some users of this forum

Bricamb, rudeness doesn't really translate cross-culturally. I too have made several calls to businesses AND FRIENDS in Madrid while I'm visiting there and from time to time there's no final "Goodbye". You may say, "Okay! I'll talk to you later!" and the next sound you'll hear is CLICK! hehehe.. Don't take it personally. Trust me, in their minds they aren't intending to hang up on your.

I've also noticed that when listening to phone conversations in a room, for example, the talking is rolling along fast and furious and then, often VERY suddenly, someone says "Well, talk to you later" like out of the clear blue sky and BAM! The phone conversation is over and phones are put down. Kind of like at a boxing match at the bell. I sometimes chuckle to myself when I see this. It's like RUN RUN RUN RUN and then (SCREEEEEEECH) STOP!

Oh, and another thing, don't feel disrepected if you're interrupted on the phone or in a normal conversation. This used to drive me nuts but I've gotten used to it. Conversations are usually a little more highly charged to Spaniards, no matter the topic, than to some non-Spaniards. Look, I'm REALLY generalizing here and maybe I'm wrong, maybe I've only seen this by coincidence from my friends in Madrid, but this is what I've noticed.

Saludos, MadridMan