Complaints vs. Non Conformances - When is a Complaint a Nonconformance?

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pearsonow

Good Morning (here at least) fellow covers,

As I said in another thread I am currently in the process of implementing ISO9001:2008. I went home last night and had a thought spinning through my brain for most of the night.....

When is a complaint a none-conformance? Is it valid to seperate the 2?

I "think" that customer complaints should almost always be a none-conformance, but what happens if a requirement isn't mentioned and the complaint is a result of this?

I would suggest our implied needs analysis has not been good enough and therefore there is a None-conformance lurking, but am happy to be persuaded otherwise.:2cents:

Any thoughts?

Olly, stepping back to watch the show:popcorn:
 

sagai

Quite Involved in Discussions
Re: Complaints vs. None Conformances

I think when there is no such requirement to complain (or moan :) ) about, than ... that is not a complaint, but a feedback, that's all.
You may need to make sure to clarify what would you consider as a complaint and what is not.
Cheers!
 
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troymason

Re: Complaints vs. None Conformances

Hi There,

Complaints and non conformances should be kept separate to a certain level that level will be where the complaint is a direct result of a product being issued incorrectly therefore it becomes a non conformance. But when a customer complains about prices of your product then this is customer complaints/feedback therefore should be logged and analyzed regularly, but you may have feedback where you will need to implement CAPA. It’s a case of telling one from the other, popular topic to bring up though when implementing 9001, Masonconsultancy
 
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troymason

Re: Complaints vs. None Conformances

p.s. how do you create a post here, i have totally forgot :frust:
 
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pearsonow

Re: Complaints vs. None Conformances

a thread?

go to the forum group you want to create it in and then click the create thread button.
 

NikkiQSM

Quite Involved in Discussions
Re: Complaints vs. None Conformances - When is a Complaint a Nonconformance?

A complaint should be seperate from a NC. When you take a look at the company I work for, a customer complaint is stated as "Any dissatisfaction with our Company". Sometimes we will get a complaint that the product provided is not processing well for them. I will then issue a complaint, so that it can be investigated. Let's say the investigation points out that the customer themselves were processing the product wrong. No fault on us. Therefore, there is no NC.

Now if the opposite happens, and the investigation finds that the product is contaminated, contains the wrong ingredient, is the wrong product all together, then I would issue a Corrective Action - That would be a non-conformance, since we basically missed the issue and our processes either didn't catch it, or the processes were not followed at all.
 

Jim Wynne

Leader
Admin
Good Morning (here at least) fellow covers,

As I said in another thread I am currently in the process of implementing ISO9001:2008. I went home last night and had a thought spinning through my brain for most of the night.....

When is a complaint a none-conformance? Is it valid to seperate the 2?

I "think" that customer complaints should almost always be a none-conformance, but what happens if a requirement isn't mentioned and the complaint is a result of this?

I would suggest our implied needs analysis has not been good enough and therefore there is a None-conformance lurking, but am happy to be persuaded otherwise.:2cents:

Any thoughts?

Olly, stepping back to watch the show:popcorn:
It's best to stick with the normative (ISO 9000) definition of "nonconformity" which is "non-fulfillment of a requirement." Before there can be a nonconformity, there must be a requirement.
 

somashekar

Leader
Admin
When is a complaint a none-conformance? Is it valid to seperate the 2?
They are separate, so do not try any separating.
A complaint is an information of some adverse nature, which after analysis is made into a proper problem statement, which states what is not conforming to requirement.
This can be compared against specification for root cause analysis and CAPA.
This can be an input to improve, correct or change a system in operation.
 

Sidney Vianna

Post Responsibly
Leader
Admin
It's best to stick with the normative (ISO 9000) definition of "nonconformity" which is "non-fulfillment of a requirement." Before there can be a nonconformity, there must be a requirement.
True, but ISO 9000 also has a definition of the term requirement
need or expectation that is stated, generally implied or obligatory

So, an unfulfilled "generally implied need" can equate to a nonconformity. One of the problems with that is the fact that needs and expectations vary quite significantly depending on the market, consumer awareness, geography, etc.

NOTE 1 “Generally implied” means that it is custom or common practice for the organization, its customers and other interested parties, that the need or expectation under consideration is implied.
NOTE 2 A qualifier can be used to denote a specific type of requirement, e.g. product requirement, quality management requirement, customer requirement.
NOTE 3 A specified requirement is one which is stated, for example, in a document.
NOTE 4 Requirements can be generated by different interested parties.
 
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