I.    Objectives

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a.    To be able to comply with the requirement of ISO / IEC 17021;

b.    To define the actions to be taken in the event that a complaint or appeal is received from other interested parties with decisions related to the certification process or services of WQA Phils Inc. 

Note: This policy is not applicable for appeals or complaints related to alleged illegal, financial, or regulatory issues, which will be handled in accordance with the applicable legal laws

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II.    This policy covers any complaints and appeals related to breach of contract, code of conduct, or dissatisfaction related to the certification process including the application, assessment, decision on certification, recertification, certificates, logos or mark, and handling of complaints, among others.

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III.    Rules

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a.    Complaint or an appeal submitted by the complainant shall be validated. Any complainant commits to reporting facts completely and truthfully.

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b.    Any complainant who provides any proven false statements in their complaint or appeal shall be considered.

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c.    Any unsubstantiated elements that are not supported with real evidence regarding the complaint or an appeal (hearsay, rumors, unproven accusations, etc.) will not be taken into consideration.

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d.    This policy shall not deal with alleged illegal, financial, or regulatory issues. For any complaint or parts of a complaint related to alleged illegal, financial, or regulatory issues, WQA PHILS INC. will respond by recommending that the complainant shall be filed with the proper authorities. 

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e.    No complaint will be processed if it is done anonymously. Complainants must provide personal information in filing complaints. All complaints need to be shown to the individuals being complained about, as applicable, so that they can have an opportunity to respond. If the complainant does not give the authorization for the complaint to be shown to the person or function being complained against, the complaint will not be processed.

f.     All reports, findings, and materials created, collected, or submitted in connection with this Complaint and Appeal Policy, including but not limited to information submitted by a Complainant shall become WQA PHILS INC.’s confidential property.

g.     Materials submitted to WQA PHILS INC. in connection with a Complaint or an Appeal will not be returned, unless agreed to prior, by both parties. 

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h.    WQA Phils Inc. shall take reasonable measures to ensure that any files resulting from the implementation of this Complaint and Appeal Policy shall be and remain confidential except as required by law, or as necessary to fully investigate a complaint and appeal. Parties are encouraged to maintain confidentiality.

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IV.     Procedure Details

a.    All complaints relating to the certification process are reviewed by the Managing Director and/or a designated employee assigned by him. The designated employee will not be part of the staff involved in the assessment against which a certification complaint or appeal is being raised.

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b.    In the event that the individuals filing the certification complaint are not satisfied with the review and the decision made upon the complaint, they may consider filing an appeal.

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c.    WQA PHILS INC. appoints a Complaints and Appeal Committee which is in charge of the appeal process and is accountable for safeguarding the impartiality with regard to the appeal.

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d.    The Complaints and Appeal Committee can be composed of at least three members with a majority of members being independent of the WQA PHILS INC. personnel. Upon the request of the Complaints and Appeal Committee, the management will provide the committee with all the necessary information, including the reasons for all significant decisions, actions, and the selection of persons responsible for particular activities, to allow the committee to ensure proper and impartial decision.

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e.    The Complaints and Appeal Committee is independent of management in their recommendations. If the recommendation of the committee is not respected by the management, the committee will take appropriate measures, which may include informing the accreditation body.

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V.    Criteria for Selecting the Complaints and Appeal Committee Members

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The members of the Complaints and Appeal Committee are independent and impartial members assigned by WQA PHILS INC.. In the event that a member or members of the Complaints and Appeal Committee have a conflict of interest, based upon the facts or circumstances of a specific appeal, including employment or other affiliations of the appellant, WQA PHILS INC. management in conjunction with the Complaints and Appeal Committee will select a substitute member or members to hear and decide upon that claim. WQA PHILS INC. has the right to appoint Complaints and Appeal Committee members if the criteria are met.

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VI.    When complainants disagree with the decisions made by WQA PHILS INC. related to their certification process, they must declare in writing the reasons for disagreement to WQA PHILS INC., and ask for a re-evaluation, via email, within 30 days from receiving WQA PHILS INC.’s initial decision. Re-evaluation requests received after 30 days will not be processed. Re-evaluation requests are not considered complaints.

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VII.    If complainants still do not agree with the re-evaluated decision from WQA PHILS INC., they should submit a certification complaint in writing to the Accreditation Body. 

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VIII.    Certification Complaint

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a.    A clear explanation, or a repeated explanation of the assessment decision following a re-evaluation of the evidence.

b.    The reviewer of the certification complaint should reply within 60 calendar days after receiving a complaint. The complainant will receive an answer on the decision in writing.

c.    If the complainant agrees with the outcome at this stage, the certification complaint shall not proceed to succeed stages.

d.    If the complainants are not satisfied with the outcome, then they may file an appeal, within 30 days from receiving the reply from WQA PHILS INC. 

e.    WQA PHILS INC. shall take appropriate correction and corrective/preventive actions regarding customer complaints.

f.    All certification complaints, including actions taken, will be tracked and recorded by WQA PHILS INC.

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IX.    Instructions on Filing a Certification Complaint 

a.    To file a certification complaint, the following steps should be taken:

i.    Go to https://wqaph.com
ii.    Click “Contact”, then message and send complain
iii.    Or email directly to admin@wqaph.com; operations@wqaph.com
iv.    Besides personal information (full name, email address, telephone), write in the message box your opinion about the assessment process