Complaints
Raising a Concern or Complaint
How a complaint reaches an impartial review, and when a written answer follows.
Definitions
Complaints are welcome here, and so are appeals. Both are covered, and the difference between them matters.
- Complaint. Any expression of dissatisfaction with a service arranged through cmmcalibrationindianapolis.com, or with a certificate or report issued for it.
- Appeal. Reconsideration of a decision already taken: a statement of conformity, the rejection of an item at review, or the outcome reached on an earlier complaint.
This policy governs the handling of both, and a complaint is read as evidence about the process, not as a nuisance.
Last updated 18 October 2026.
Submitting a Complaint or Appeal
Use the contact page to raise a complaint or an appeal; it lists the contact details for the desk that receives them.
What helps:
- the quotation or certificate number
- the item concerned, and the date of the work
- what was expected, and what occurred
- the outcome sought
Complaints are accepted in any form, and acknowledgement is never delayed by a missing reference number.
Investigation and Response
Receipt of a complaint is acknowledged within three (3) business days.
It is then recorded, validated and investigated. The investigation is carried out by a person who was not involved in the work being complained about, so that the review is impartial, and where an external laboratory performed the work the matter is raised with that laboratory in parallel, its findings forming part of the response.
Within twenty (20) business days of acknowledgement a written response is issued, setting out the findings, the decision and any corrective action. If the investigation needs longer, an interim response is issued explaining why and giving a revised date. People with the competence to judge the technical question at issue gather and verify the evidence and decide the outcome.
Appealing the Outcome
Outcomes that are not accepted may be appealed within thirty (30) days of the response. The appeal is reviewed by someone who took no part in the original decision, and the decision on it is issued with reasons within twenty (20) business days.
Where an accredited laboratory performed the work, a matter still unresolved after that may be escalated to that laboratory's accreditation body.
Record Keeping and Fair Treatment
Complaints, appeals, investigations and outcomes are recorded and retained, and the record is reviewed periodically for patterns that point to a systemic cause. Corrective actions are tracked through to closure, and their effectiveness is checked afterwards.
Customers who raise a complaint or an appeal are not disadvantaged for it, and the handling of their other work is unaffected. The management arrangements this process sits inside are set out on the quality system page.