What happens on the first day decides most of what follows. Three things must happen: the complaint is captured completely, the customer is acknowledged, and anything that could put more bad product in the customer's hands is stopped.
Capture it completely
Use the Intake record on the complaint log (AQL-B14) while you have the customer's attention. Ask for everything the investigation will need, because what is not asked on the first call usually has to be chased for days.
| Ask for | Why |
|---|---|
| The part number, revision, lot, serials, shipment and ship date | The suspect window and the containment start here. |
| What they found, in their words and units, and against which requirement and revision | Many disputes are a different revision or a different reading of the drawing. |
| How they checked: gauge, instrument, method, how many of how many | You need to be able to repeat their check. |
| Photos the same day, and the parts or samples if they can send them | Evidence decays: parts get scrapped, used or mixed. |
| Whether a safety, key or flight-critical characteristic is involved | If yes, it goes to your escalation path today. |
| What else they hold from you from the same period | The lots they have not found yet. |
| Whether their line or a delivery is affected | Sets how fast you must move and who else to tell. |
| What they want, by when, and in what format | Their dates and their form go on the log. |
Acknowledge the same day
Send letter 1 from the response letter template (AQL-B15) the same day, within hours if the customer's line is down. It says the complaint is received, gives your reference and the owner's name and number, says what you have already done, and says when the next update comes. It says nothing about the cause.
Stop the flow
Before the end of the first day, hold every part of that part number, and any that share the process, in your stock, work in process and shipping area, and place a system hold so nothing can be picked. Ask the customer to hold what they have. Escalate under your escalation criteria (AQL-B13) if a safety or key characteristic, a repeat or a line stoppage is involved.
- The complaint is on the log with a reference, the customer's reference and an owner.8.2.1
- The customer's words, the requirement and their method are recorded and read back.
- Photos, data or samples have been requested.
- The customer has been acknowledged, with the next update time.8.2.1
- Our stock, work in process and shipping area are on hold, with a system hold placed.8.7.1
- The customer has been asked to hold what they have.8.7.1
- Safety, key characteristic, repeat or line stoppage: escalated if any applies.
- Commercial content (costs, charges, terms) passed to its owner.
Answer each: Yes / No / N/A, with your notes and evidence. The Word and fillable PDF handbook have the check boxes.
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Clause numbers refer to AS9100D (SAE AS9100 Rev D) unless another document is named. The standards' text is not reproduced here: use your own licensed copy.
Aegis Insights are our own guidance, labeled wherever they appear: how we approach this work, not a requirement of any standard or customer.