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Whether or not your ISO auditor ‘fits in’ with you company is important.  If you are unhappy with your current auditor or registrar, start by reviewing your contract closely.  If the contract does not have a cancellation clause mandating that you pay ahead or that you cannot change during the certification cycle, you can transfer to anyone at any time.  Even if a company is in a three year certification contract with one registrar or audit service, it can be easy to transfer if that company has a cancellation clause. 

To transfer ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 registrations, the registrar would review previous reports, findings, etc. then perform the next audit as scheduled.  That’s it, no extra money, no extra cost.  But that’s only good for ISO 9000 and 14000. The specialty standard audits such as aerospace, automotive, and medical do require an extra audit or a little extra time at the next surveillance.  Again, it is recommended that all companies perform a thorough contract review prior to signing.  Some registrars do put in a cancellation clause stating a company cannot transfer during that certification cycle.  That’s what companies have to watch for in the contract review.  Make sure that you have an open ended agreement that you can give a thirty day notice and leave at any time you want.  If somebody is locking you in, there might be a problem.  You have a right to change if you feel there is something wrong that can’t be remedied. 

Complaints about some audit services and registrars include unreturned calls and employees that are unable to answer their questions.  They are told to go online and look for themselves, but some of people like to be guided.  They are paying for a service.  As a registrar their product is service, and that service is to give you as much knowledge as they have.  There are also complaints about auditors that go in and sit all day in one room and go through papers.  An auditor should go out in the factory to interview people.  They should look at the process, not just the documents.  They can’t do that if they are sitting in one room.  Some people, on the other hand, don’t even see their auditors.  You would think people would be glad, but, again, they’re paying for a service.  Why aren’t they there?  They get a report saying – we read your paperwork and it’s fine.  They never even went to the facility to complete the audit.  To many clients, this is unacceptable.

However, this doesn’t have to be the case.  There are some tips that you can follow to find a registrar or auditor that you know you will work well with your company.