My ISO auditor and I were talking over lunch today, and I asked him what kinds of bad experiences he's had in audits. (without mentioning names, of course) He's had a couple of doozies.

We regularly talk about our experiences with difficult auditors or Registrars. How about the Auditors on The Cove sharing some of their bad experiences with us?

Maybe it will help us be better customers!

So far the worst for me was being asked to leave about 5 hours into a 4 day audit:o

I've turned the experience into a positive by incorporating it into the auditing courses I deliver as a "How not to do it" example.

So far the worst for me was being asked to leave about 5 hours into a 4 day audit:o

I've turned the experience into a positive by incorporating it into the auditing courses I deliver as a "How not to do it" example.I remember that story!:applause:

I'm in the middle of a TS recertification audit this week. The other auditor I'm working with was telling me a couple of stories driving back to the hotel today.

One was from a certification audit where the company's consultant showed up drunk on the final day of the audit and fought and argued about everything. After the auditor had taken about as much as he could, he pulled the company president aside and asked if he could have the consultant removed. The President responded that he would love to, except that the consultant was also one of the company's biggest customers. :eek: They ended up hiding in a room for the closing meeting while the consultant wandered around cursing and looking for them...

I was performing source audits and was calling upon a supplier who supposedly was producing parts for jet engines and had been doing so for sometime. As I got involved with the paperwork I discovered they were actually producing a first article. When I called this to their attention they gave me the "old marine salute". I called my dispatcher and after much discussion I was asked to terminate my audit and depart the premises, which I gladly did.
I was later contacted by my field supervisor who asked if I wished to accompany him back into the plant to conduct a first article as soon as they were ready, I agreed . He said he would call me, I'm still waiting and its been 6 + years.
The supplier didn't have a clue and never heard of "Contract Review".

here is my contribution....

i was hired to pre-audit the company before the real iso 9001 registration audit...the company was in no shape or form for the iso 9001 audit and i told the plant manager of my findings...after a detailed discussion, i was shown the door...anyhow, one month later, they got the iso 9001 registration...of course, i was very curious of how they got their registration...well, it seems they put on their best tap dance shoes and they tapped around the issues...it seems the audit bought the concept of "what they will do", not "what they do now"...and you wonder why there is such negative attitude toward the iso 9001 registration process.

:caution: The most uncomfortable audit scenario for me is inconsistency among auditors and sanctioned interpretations etc. Auditor interpretation of elements and what satisfies them is a drag and can lead to credibility loss for you and your auditor. To prevent unnecessary corrective action, and process re-engineering, I recommend working with your registrar to ensure you get a balanced perspective by alternating auditors periodically. This also helps keep the auditors in check.

...the consultant was also one of the company's biggest customers.

Now that's got to be about the most scary thing I've ever heard!