Complaints and appeals
A complaint tells us that something went wrong. An appeal asks for a certification decision to be looked at again. Both are answered in writing, and neither counts against the person or organization that makes it.
01Which is which
A complaint, an appeal or a disagreement
This page summarizes how it works. AQC Group is the certification body, and the authority is AQC Group's appeal and complaint procedure, which we last read on 9 October 2026.
A complaint
A complaint says that something is wrong and expects an answer. Anyone can make one. It can be about an organization that holds a certificate issued by AQC Group, about an auditor or the way an audit was carried out, or about our own conduct: how we sold, quoted, supported, trained or handled your information.
An appeal
An appeal asks AQC Group to reconsider a decision it has made about certification, for example to refuse a certificate, to suspend or withdraw one, or to reduce its scope. It usually comes from the organization the decision is about. AQC Group's published procedure also lets an applicant or any other interested party appeal.
A disagreement during an audit
A disagreement about a finding is neither, at first. If you think a finding is wrong, say so to the audit team leader, at the closing meeting at the latest. The rules for certification bodies say that a disagreement left unsettled is recorded and referred to the certification body. If the decision then goes against you, you can appeal.
02How to send one
How to send a complaint or an appeal
Use the form on this page, or write to info@
You can also go straight to AQC Group. Its procedure accepts a complaint in writing, by email or by telephone, about its own certification work or about a company it has certified. Its contact details are on its website.
What to include
- Who or what it concerns: the name of the certified organization and its certificate number if you have it, the date and place of the audit, or the service we provided.
- What happened, where and when, and who was involved, as far as you know.
- What evidence you hold. The form takes text only, so say what you have and we will ask for it.
- What you would like to happen.
- For an appeal: the decision you are appealing against, its date and your reasons.
- Whether we may give your name to the organization or person concerned.
The form asks for your name and an email address because every complaint and appeal is acknowledged and answered, and that cannot be done without them.
An appeal has a time limit
AQC Group's published procedure says that an appeal must be filed within 30 days of the decision. Send it as soon as you have the decision in writing.
03What happens
What happens next
The steps are the same for a complaint and an appeal. Who decides is different.
It is acknowledged in writing
We acknowledge every complaint and every appeal by email. If the matter is one for AQC Group, we tell you that it has been passed on.
It goes to whoever is responsible
A complaint about our own conduct is handled by Northwind. A complaint about a certified organization, a certificate or an audit concerns certification, and AQC Group is responsible for every decision on it. The same is true of every appeal. We pass these to AQC Group.
It is handled by someone not involved
Nobody examines a complaint about their own work or decides an appeal against their own decision. If you think the person dealing with your case is too close to it, say so and it will be given to someone else.
Under AQC Group's procedure, a valid complaint about a certified organization is checked by competent auditors who were not previously involved with that organization. The decision given to the complainant is reviewed and approved by people not previously involved in the subject of the complaint.
The facts are gathered
Whoever handles the case collects what is needed to establish what happened: records, reports, and what the people involved have to say. You may be asked for more detail.
An organization that is complained about is told of the complaint, because it has to be able to answer it and to put right what is wrong. AQC Group's procedure says that the organization is written to within 30 days of the complaint being received.
You are kept informed
AQC Group's procedure says that a complainant is told of progress in writing every month until the complaint is closed, and that an appellant is told of progress and of the action taken. For a complaint about our own conduct, we tell you if it is taking longer than we expected, and why.
You are told the outcome
You receive the outcome in writing: what was found, and what has been or will be done about it.
AQC Group's procedure says that a complaint is to be closed within 60 days of receipt, and that the whole appeal process is to finish within 60 days of the appeal being filed. Those are AQC Group's limits, for the cases it handles. For a complaint about our own conduct we set no number of days, and answer once the facts are established.
An appeal is decided by AQC Group
Under AQC Group's published procedure, an appeal goes to an appeal panel drawn from its impartiality committee, and the panel's decision is final. The panel can ask both the appellant and AQC Group for information, and it takes account of how similar appeals were decided before. When the process is complete, AQC Group gives the appellant formal notice.
If you are not satisfied
If you are not satisfied with how we handled a complaint, take it to AQC Group. AQC Group's procedure says that a complainant who is not satisfied with its decision may appeal, or may take the matter to the accreditation body. The accreditation body is named on an accredited certificate, and the accreditation page says who accredits AQC Group.
04No penalty
Raising one never counts against you
A complaint or an appeal never counts against the person or organization that raised it. An organization that appeals is audited afterwards exactly as it would have been, under the rules that apply to everyone. A person who complains about a certified organization, about an auditor or about us is not treated worse for having done so, in price, in service or in any later dealing.
AQC Group's published procedure says the same of both: submitting an appeal or a complaint, its investigation and the decision on it must not lead to any discriminatory action against the person who raised it.
If you believe you have been treated worse because you complained or appealed, that is a new complaint, and a serious one. Send it in the same way.
05Confidentiality
Who is told what
- You
- An acknowledgement, news of progress and the outcome. Where the complaint is about another organization, the outcome says whether the complaint was upheld and whether action was taken. It does not include that organization's confidential information, such as its audit reports.
- Whoever is complained about
- What the complaint says, so that they can answer it. We do not give them your name unless you agree, and when we pass a complaint to AQC Group we tell it what you have agreed to. Some complaints cannot be examined without saying who raised them. Where that is so in a case we are handling, we tell you first and you decide whether to continue.
- AQC Group
- Every appeal, and every complaint about a certified organization, a certificate or an audit, as you sent it and with your contact details. AQC Group is responsible for the decision and may need to ask you questions.
- The accreditation body
- Accreditation bodies look at how a certification body has handled complaints and appeals when they assess it, so AQC Group's record of a case can be seen by its assessors.
- Everyone else
- Nothing. AQC Group's procedure says that confidentiality is kept, and that how far a complaint is made public is agreed with the certified organization and the complainant.
06The form
Send a complaint or an appeal
Say which it is, what it concerns and what happened. You will receive an acknowledgement by email.
Prefer to write an email.
Send it to our general address and say at the top that it is a complaint or an appeal. It is handled in the same way as the form.