Including Product Trade-Ins in our Quality Management System (QMS)

[Sardokar]

Hello

During our last surveillance visits our auditor asked us to Include our Trade-Ins services in Our QMS

Problem is ... I am not sure how to do that . I mean trade-ins conditions and modalities vary according to the products and and according to customers .

Should i just mention that we perform Trade-ins in the Quality Manual or do i need to write a work instruction about it ?

In case i need to write a work instruction can i keep it very general ( since modalities and conditions are negotiated with each customer and depend on product.location)

 

[Stijloor]

Hello

During our last surveillance visits our auditor asked us to Include our Trade-Ins services in Our QMS

Problem is ... I am not sure how to do that . I mean trade-ins conditions and modalities vary according to the products and and according to customers .

Should i just mention that we perform Trade-ins in the Quality Manual or do i need to write a work instruction about it ?

In case i need to write a work instruction can i keep it very general ( since modalities and conditions are negotiated with each customer and depend on product.location)

Comments, suggestions anyone?

Thank you!!

Stijloor.

 

[Sardokar]

No one can help ???

 

[SteelMaiden]

You do realize that you do not have to have a work instruction for everything you do, right? don't go backwards to that old mindset that there had to be a work instruction to take out the trash, sharpen a pencil, etc.

If Trade-Ins is significant to your business, then you should probably include it as a process. You might not have to document it any further than your top level policy, or you may need to have some general procedure(s) for it. It all depends on how (what other methods) you make sure that all your employees are taught how to do it correctly, and if said training is all you need.

 

[Sidney Vianna]

No one can help ???

A suggestion for you: If you want people to provide suggestions, please elaborate (a lot) on the situation at hand. While the scenario is clear in your mind, a few lines don't clearly describe it to outside people (like us). I think you stand a much better chance to get feedback if and when you take the time to describe the problem you have with the auditor. The scope of the QMS should be in your manual. Why does the auditor think that scope should be broadened? What type of products are we talking about? Cars, consumer products, clothes? Do you want the trade-ins product line to be part of the certified system?

In my experience, a lot of Covers like to help, but as good as we are, we are not psychic. The more information you provide, the less guessing we have to do and the higher the chances of you getting meaningful responses.

 

[Sardokar]

Well i work in an IT company that provides solutions ( servers,networking,virtualisation ) to its customers

Sometimes we offer solutions to customers that had older solutions ( ex: newst servers while they had servers that were 3-4 years old )

In that case we do what is called Trade-Ins ...we take back what the customer had and we give him our products , offering sometimes(but not always) discounts on the new servers

The reason the auditor wanted us to incorporate trade ins services is because he found a non conformity based on 7.5.1 f) :

"the organisation shall plan and carry out production and service provision under controlled conditions.
Controlled conditions shall include,as applicable :

f) The implementation of product release,delivery and post delivery activities "

He said trade-ins were part of post delivery activities

Anyway ...

does that make trade-inssignificant to our business ? (not sur e by what you mean by "significant" )

should I include it in a procedure/work instruction or just mention it in Quality Manual ?

Thanks for the help

 

[Sidney Vianna]

From what I understand, your auditor is off base. Accepting trade-ins as a form of payment/credit for your services has nothing to do with post-delivery services.

It could be connected with customer supplied product, if they ever get put back in use with that customer.

Do you re-sell the old servers & hardware?

 

[Sardokar]

Not usually (may have happened ... I'll need to check)

most of the time we use them as spare parts for our support services with customers that have the same type of servers/hardware.

Sometimes we collect them from the customer and dump them (basically we are doing the customer a favor and taking away his old hardware and replacing it with new )

 

[SteveK]

FYI we as a medical device company offer what we term “service exchange” – or new for old. If a customer has product which needs replacing due to its age, state of repair etc, they can send us the item and we will offer an equivalent at a discount price (we will scrap the item). This has a brief mention in our ‘Goods In’ SOP. Also we offer a repairs service (with a ‘Repairs’ SOP). If the item cannot be repaired this is documented (the form returned to the customer indicates the option of “service exchange”). So the ‘trade-in’ aspect is covered in our QMS – however limited. I think that is all it needs.

Steve