Appeals and complaints handling process

Clients of the TCI may appeal to any decision of the TCI not to award, withdraw, cancel, or suspend certification. Complaints will only be accepted from those entities that are in a contractual relationship in good standing with TCI, or those with an interest in the certifications issued by the TCI, and are limited to the certification programme requirements, except under extenuating circumstances (e.g., report of a client using the certification in an unauthorized manner.)

Where such disputes may arise, the dispute will be resolved in accordance with the laws of Egypt.

 

Upon receipt of the request, complaints and appeals are acknowledged to sender within five working days, General manager shall liaise concerned person, in order to solve.

For complaint and appeal received from a complainant or appellant, which is not a TCI client, the consideration shall be given whether it is appropriate to answer, taking into account potential liability. In such cases, content of the answer is coordinated with client. This process is subject to requirements for confidentiality.

Personnel who investigate complaints and appeals shall be different from those who carried out the audits and made certification decision, without discrimination against the appellant or complainant.

The Appeals panel shall be comprised of members from the Impartiality Committee or personnel who the Impartiality Committee considers competent to review the appeal.

 

The resolution process for complaint/appeal includes the following steps.

  • o Investigation, including business impacts and analysis of the situation,
  • o Structured response (root cause analysis, correction, corrective action),
  • o Implementation of correction and corrective action,
  • o Information to the client of findings and actions taken,
  • o Monitoring of results: check if the solution is implemented and effective,
  • o Record and traceability of documents
  • o Follow up on sustainability of results and of resolution.

An initial response shall be made to the complainant within five working days. An audit may be initiated to proceed with investigation, and the client shall be notified with reasons for the audit.

The closure timeframe is within 90 days from the date of receipt of the Appeal /complaint, TCI will provide the client with liberty to approach the Accreditation Board in case client is not satisfied or the complaint has not been resolved.