Can You Reject an Auditor?

Sidney Vianna said:

only your CB can determine that. The point is: be aware of all possible ramifications of your decisions. There is a reason why your organization decided to engage with the current CB. You might not be aware why, but someone made that decision.

Good luck.

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True - good point. However, this company has had a huge change in management in the last year - new CEO, Quality Manager retired and not replaced and they've gone thru two other Quality Managers in 2021 or was it 3?
Regardless, I won't push it - being the only Quality employee now and I myself haven't personally experienced this guy yet....but have experienced numerous AS9100 auditors in the last 10 years so I get to see for myself this time with a boat load of experience to compare it to.
After all, what's the worst that can happen - some minors and maybe even a major or two? Been there, done that.

AuditFan said:

Yes. The fact that their management don't know they have engaged with such a person is, itself, reason to change. CBs don't like to manage their auditors - it costs them money.


In some geographies and industry sectors (auto, aero) or specialisms (software etc) there are few auditors. The industry has a LOT of "grey hair" and there aren't enough (effective) auditors to go around.

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True...

In my geography, an AS9100D auditor has developed quite a reputation for creating "honey do" lists of "silly" work for clients. Nothing is formally recorded in visit reports. The client is threatened with non-conformity reports, if the list isn't acted upon. Of course, this is passive-aggressive behavior, since next visit, the same cycle is repeated. To help the client feel good they are offered platitudes about the work which has been done and that the help they received will become the source of a recommendation to other clients - but that never happens. And so it goes on. Numerous organizations describe the behavior. Meanwhile, the CB management don't know this happens and are staffed by people who know little/nothing about such practices, so they don't know to ask about the behaviors. Instead, they do nothing to improve the service. They put transfers etc down to "low cost", or being "high maintenance", instead of looking at themselves in the mirror.

I hear these stories, and I think: I have been very fortunate with the auditors I've worked with. There was the one dude that showed up in sandals on the last day of the audit that one time, lol, but I've been very fortunate.

Cari Spears said:

There was the one dude that showed up in sandals on the last day of the audit that one time

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I had a wee computer company in Cupertino Ca that asked if I could wear jeans or anything else non-business (even shorts) so as to not stifle "creativity" .

Cari Spears said:

I hear these stories, and I think: I have been very fortunate with the auditors I've worked with. There was the one dude that showed up in sandals on the last day of the audit that one time, lol, but I've been very fortunate.

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Apparently you have been lucky if you don't have auditor horror stories to tell. There are some major losers out there and some really good ones. Sadly, the last good one I had has decided to retire and now just audits the quality of the adult beverages on cruise ships.

They haven't all been super awesome, and I've disagreed with them on occasion but still accepted some nonconformances that I could have fought, but chose not to. But, all in all, nothing so bad that I would not have them back.

A few years ago I even formally contested a major nonconformance written by our current lead auditor, and we're still cool.

Cari Spears said:

They haven't all been super awesome, and I've disagreed with them on occasion but still accepted some nonconformances that I could have fought, but chose not to. But, all in all, nothing so bad that I would not have them back.

A few years ago I even formally contested a major nonconformance written by our current lead auditor, and we're still cool.

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Did you prevail?

LOL, no.

Some CB auditor do get things to their heads. As a junior intern associate and many other lowly title, I just say 'I'll look into it' and say it like a graduate student.