Complaints and Appeals

• Establish the methodology for receiving, analyzing, handling, monitoring and closing complaints and appeals related to FVR's training and certification services — across both lines (Persons ISO/IEC 17024 and Systems ISO/IEC 17021-1) —, ensuring impartiality, transparency, non-discrimination and continual improvement, with appeal decisions made by personnel different from those involved in the evaluation/decision under appeal.
• Regulatory compliance:
• - 17024 §9.8 Appeals and 17024 §9.9 complaints; 17024 §3.19 *appeal*; 17024 §3.20 *complaint*; §4.3 impartiality.
• - 17021-1 §9.7 Appeals (9.7.1–9.7.8) and 17021-1 §9.8 complaints (9.8.1–9.8.11) are separate processes with distinct requirements.
• - 9001 §9.1.2 Customer satisfaction; 9001 §10.2 nonconformity and corrective action.

• Applies to expressions of dissatisfaction and reconsideration requests relating to:
• - Person certification services (17024 line)
• - Management system certification services (17021 line)
• - General operation of the body
• Origen de quejas/apelaciones / Source of complaints/appeals:
• - Candidates, certified persons (17024 line)
• - Certified clients (17021 line)
• - Employees of certified clients
• - Employers, users of the services of certified persons
• - Authorities, NGOs, consumers, contractual parties
• - Any legitimate interested party
• - Complaints directed at the activities of a client certified by FVR (17021 17021-1 §9.8.3)
• > Nota CB virtual / Virtual CB note. FVR opera como organismo de certificación 100% virtual sin oficinas físicas; por lo tanto, "vecinos físicos" no aplica como parte interesada. / FVR operates as a 100% virtual CB without physical offices; therefore "physical neighbors" does not apply as interested party.

• 1. Free of charge — FVR does not charge for submitting a complaint or appeal.
• 2. Accessibility — Multiple channels: web, email, form, postal mail.
• 3. Impartiality — Reviewer different from the person or team whose decision is questioned *(17021 17021-1 §9.7.2)*.
• 4. Confidentiality — Case file information is kept confidential in accordance with FVR_IM-MZ-01 *(17021 17021-1 §9.8.5)*.
• 5. Complainant protection — No appellant or complainant suffers adverse treatment for submitting.
• 6. Traceability — Every case recorded, assigned, resolved and documented on the platform.
• 7. Non-discrimination — Transparent and non-discriminatory process *(17021 §9.7.3 / §9.8.2)*.

• Complaint (17024 17024 §3.20 · 17021 17021-1 §9.8) — Expression of dissatisfaction, other than an appeal, submitted by a person or organization to FVR, relating to the activities of FVR, a certified client or a certified person, for which a response is expected.
• Appeal (17024 17024 §3.19 · 17021 17021-1 §9.7) — Request for FVR to review: in the 17024 line, a certification-status decision concerning an applicant, candidate or certified person; in the 17021 line, an adverse certification-status decision concerning the client.
• Decisor de apelación / Appeal decision-maker — Person or persons assigned to investigate and decide on the appeal, different from those who carried out the audit/evaluation or took the decision under appeal (17021 17021-1 §9.7.2).
• Receptor designado / Designated receiver — Person designated by the GD to receive, process, follow up and maintain communication with the complainant until closure. They did not take part in the assessment or decision that is the subject of the case.

• 5.1 General Management — Ensure the impartiality and non-discrimination of the process; resolve critical cases; present results in the Management Review. · 17021 17021-1 §9.7.3 / 17024 §9.8.2 / 17024 §4
• **5.2 Technical Manager — Analyze technical complaints or appeals; ensure an objective review. They may not decide appeals where they took part in the assessment or the decision under appeal.** · 17021 17021-1 §9.7.2
• 5.3 Commercial / Administrative Area (designated) — General Management designates a person responsible for the receipt, handling, follow-up, response and closure of complaints and appeals, ensuring impartiality, objectivity and independence. The designated person must not have participated in design, evaluation or certification-decision activities, or in any activity directly related to the case. Where the MS Representative simultaneously performs technical or decision-making functions that could compromise objectivity, they may not assume responsibility for complaints and appeals. The function may be assigned to administrative personnel formally designated by General Management with authority to: (a) receive and record the complaint/appeal; (b) acknowledge receipt to the user; (c) follow up on the case; (d) request and coordinate information for the analysis; (e) communicate the formal response; (f) document actions; (g) record the closure. Where technical analysis is required, they may draw on competent personnel who have not previously intervened in the case. · 17021 §9.7.4 / §9.7.5 / 17024 §9.8.5
• **5.4 Impartiality Committee (where applicable)** — Review appeals that may compromise objectivity or impartiality. · 17024 §4 / 17021 17021-1 §5.2
• **5.5 Appeal decision-makers — Persons different from the team that carried out the audit/assessment and from whoever took the decision under appeal. · 17021 17021-1 §9.7.2**
• **5.6 Appeal against a verdict of the defence AI (17024 line) — Where the determination under appeal came from a verdict of the AI verified by the Technical Director (FVR_IM-PR-03-17024 §4), the appeal is resolved with a full human evaluation of the interview, on its transcript, by an evaluator of the standard's roster who took no part — not the evaluator of the defence, not whoever verified the verdict, not the Technical Director — and without seeing the reading of the AI; a new interview is held only if the transcript is not enough. Whoever resolves appeals assigns that evaluator. The appeal is not resolved until the evaluation is complete, and it is resolved by the Technical Director or an Administration account**, never by whoever verified the verdict. An upheld appeal switches the guide of the AI off (FVR_IM-PR-03-17024 §3).
• Independence controls (17024 §9.8.4; 17024 §9.9.10)
• General Management appoints a person responsible for receipt, handling, follow-up, response and closure who has not participated in the design, evaluation or certification decision of the case under review; admin personnel may be assigned with documented authority covering (a)–(g) above; technical support is allowed when the supporting person has no prior involvement.

• Queja administrativa · Administrative complaint · Dissatisfaction on FVR's operational service — 17021 + 17024
• Queja académica · Academic complaint (17024) · Dissatisfaction on training content / evaluation process — 17024
• Apelación técnica · Technical appeal · Reconsideration of certification/evaluation/NC classification decision — 17021 + 17024
• Queja de tercero interesado (17021) · Third-party complaint · Third party reports nonconformity about certified client's system — 17021
• Queja sobre el CB · Complaint about CB · Third party alleges CB malpractice (not the certified client) — 17021 + 17024
• Digital reputational incident · Public comment affecting the certification body's credibility — 17021 + 17024

• Acuse de recibo · Receipt acknowledgment — 24 business hours
• Clasificación · Classification — 48 business hours
• Resolución queja administrativa · Administrative complaint resolution — 15 business days
• Resolución apelación técnica · Technical appeal resolution — 30 calendar days
• Resolución queja de tercero sobre cliente certificado · Third-party complaint resolution — 30 calendar days (extendable to 60 with notification)
• Cierre con evidencia · Closure with evidence — 5 days after resolution

• Complaints and appeals may be received through:
• - Email (`support@fidesveritasregister.com`; `support@fvr.mx` also receives)
• - Public page (`www.fidesveritasregister.com/como-trabajamos.html#reclamaciones`; submission by email; no complaints form)
• - Direct communication
• - Postal mail
• Every complaint or appeal must be entered in the Complaints and Appeals Register (FVR_QA-FO-01) within 24 working hours. The designated person acknowledges receipt to the complainant.
• > [!note] Initial validation (17021 17021-1 §9.7.1)
• > Receiving an appeal entails its validation: confirming that the appeal concerns a decision open to reconsideration. Where a complaint about a client certified by FVR is found valid, FVR refers it to that client at an appropriate time (17021 17021-1 §9.8.4).

• Type + line + severity in accordance with the table in §6. Deadline: 48 working hours.

• When the complaint concerns a client certified by FVR, the client is notified, unless legally prohibited.
• Notification to a certified person (17024 line). When a complaint concerns a certified person, FVR notifies that person at an appropriate time, provides sufficient information for a response, and communicates the outcome and decision. No consequence under FVR_GD-POL-08 is applied before the person has been notified and given an opportunity to respond.

• 1. The information and the evidence are reviewed.
• 2. Admissibility of the appeal/complaint is verified.
• 3. For technical appeals: the assessment criteria are reviewed and the objective evidence is validated.
• 4. Where a conflict of interest may exist, the case is escalated to General Management / Technical Management.
• 5. Possible actions: documentary investigation + visit or special audit.
• > [!important] 17021-1 §9.7.2 — Different decision-makers
• > Appeals shall be reviewed, evaluated and decided by persons who have not previously taken part in the assessment or certification decision under appeal. This safeguards the impartiality of the process and is a minimum requirement of 17021-1 §9.7.2.
• The designated recipient is responsible for gathering and verifying all the information needed to validate the complaint/appeal (17021 17021-1 §9.8.5 lit. b).
• — Previous similar appeals are consulted before deciding. In deciding how to handle an appeal, FVR takes into account the results of previous similar appeals, so that two comparable cases do not receive different treatment for no reason. The record of appeals (FVR_QA-FO-01) is consulted as part of the analysis; any departure from the outcome of a comparable previous appeal is justified in the case record.

• Maximum time limit: as per the SLA table in §7. The response must be:
• - Formal and documented.
• - Technically justified where applicable.
• - Confirm that the acknowledgement of receipt was issued within the deadline established in §7.
• - Inform the complainant of the status of the process during the investigation *(17024 §9.8.6; 17024 §9.9.5; 17021-1 §9.7.6; 17021-1 §9.8.8)*.
• - Communicate the final outcome of the analysis, including the decision taken and the actions implemented.
• - For persons certification (17024): the decision on the appeal is taken by persons not involved in the original decision, safeguarding the due process of the candidate/certified person.

• Hallazgo aislado · Isolated finding — Client corrective action verified next audit
• Falla sistémica · Systemic failure — Special unscheduled audit — see FVR_EC-PR-01
• Pérdida de confianza · Loss of trust — Certification suspension
• Fraud or safety allegation — Investigation and, where applicable, a special audit; any certification action follows FVR_GD-POL-08 and the applicable certification-cycle procedure

• Where applicable, corrective action will be implemented in accordance with procedure FVR_MC-PR-02 Corrective actions. The need to update materials, procedures or assessment criteria will be evaluated.

• The case is considered closed when:
• - A formal response with the final decision has been issued to the complainant.
• - Any applicable correction and corrective action have been carried out.
• - The evidence has been recorded in the complaints and appeals log (FVR_QA-FO-01).
• - For the Personnel line (17024): conformity of the process with the principles of fairness, validity, reliability and impartiality is documented.
• The minimum elements a–c of 17021-1 §9.7.4 and 17021-1 §9.8.6 are documented: (a) receipt/validation, (b) investigation + follow-up, (c) actions (including corrective ones).

• Submitting appeals to FVR is free of charge for the applicant. FVR guarantees that the process will be impartial, transparent and non-discriminatory.

• Every complaint or appeal shall be handled with confidentiality and without retaliation. The complainant's identity is protected by default. It is disclosed only if:
• - The complainant authorizes it in writing, or
• - Applicable law requires it.

• FVR maintains a publicly available and accessible description (reference FVR_QA-PR-02) of:
• - The appeals process.
• - The complaints-handling process.
• - The time limits, criteria and submission channels, accessible to all interested parties.
• - The no-cost policy.
• - Annual aggregate results (statistics, with no case identification).
• In addition, FVR determines, together with the certified client and the complainant, whether the subject matter and the outcome of the complaint are to be made public and to what extent *(17021-1 §9.8.11)*.

• Semi-annual indicators:
• - Volume of complaints by type
• - Average resolution time
• - % of upheld appeals
• - Trends by client, sector, auditor (where applicable)
• - % SLA compliance by stage
• Six-monthly trends to the Impartiality Safeguard Committee (FVR_IM-PR-02). Annual report in the Management Review (FVR_GD-PR-02).

• - FVR_QA-FO-01 Complaints and appeals record.
• - Documentary evidence of the analysis.
• - Minutes of the Impartiality Committee (where applicable).
• - FVR_MC-FO-04 Corrective Action Record.
• - Communications with the complainant (acknowledgement, status, final outcome).
• Retention: 5 years after closure (reference FVR_CD-MZ-01).

• This annex was withdrawn on 2026-08-23. It was a clause-by-clause correlation kept by hand, which FVR_CD-PR-01 §5 prohibits explicitly: the system derives the correlation of requirements, sections and ERP modules on its own, and a separate list is the first thing to fall out of date. Nothing is lost by withdrawing it — the chapters of this document declare 69 `@cubre` annotations between them, and the correlation is read from those, always current, in the platform's normative view.

Approvals / Aprobaciones