Complaints and appeals
If we get something wrong
Two different things, with two different routes. Anyone may complain. Only the party a decision was made about may appeal it.
A complaint
Dissatisfaction with anything we do, or with a product carrying our mark. From a consumer, a buyer, a rabbi, a competitor — anyone at all, whether or not they are our client.
Typical: a product you believe is mislabelled, a mark used on something we did not certify, a concern about our impartiality, or how we handled something.
An appeal
A request to reconsider a decision we made about you: a refusal, a reduction of your scope, a suspension, or a withdrawal.
Only the applicant or client the decision concerns can appeal it. There is no fee for appealing, and appealing never affects how we treat you.
What happens
- 01We acknowledge it. In writing, so you know it arrived and is being handled.
- 02We check it is ours. Whether the matter concerns certification activities we are responsible for. If it is not ours, we say so and, where we can, point you to who is.
- 03We gather and verify. Evidence, not impressions — records, the file, the plant, the supplier letters, and where necessary a visit.
- 04Someone independent decides. The decision is made, or reviewed and approved, by a person who was not involved in the activity being complained about. An appeal against a decision is never resolved by the person who made it, and never by anyone who advised that client in the previous two years.
- 05We tell you the outcome. Formally, with the reasons, and we tell you when the process is closed. Complainants are told the outcome wherever we are able to.
- 06We act on it. A substantiated complaint about a certified product can lead to reduction, suspension or withdrawal, and to a public alert.
Confidentiality
We keep the identity of a complainant confidential, and information we obtain from third parties is treated as confidential unless the person who gave it agrees otherwise. Every complaint and appeal is recorded, tracked to its conclusion, and reviewed by management.
Or write to complaints@emetkosher.com. Tell us which of the two it is — it decides who is allowed to handle it.