Policy on Certification Program Complaints
Individuals with concerns regarding the assessments, personnel, or other elements of the certification program are encouraged to discuss these with the individuals involved to try to resolve the matter informally. In some cases, however, informal resolution is not possible, and individuals may wish to file a formal complaint.
A complaint shall be submitted in writing to the CFRE President and CEO and/or the CFRE certification department within 30 days of the incident’s occurrence. In the case of complaints related to exam administration, those must be submitted in writing within 2 weeks after the applicable exam administration. The submission may be mailed, e-mailed or faxed. The submission shall include sufficient objective evidence to substantiate the claims and allow for a decision to be made and the appropriate action to be taken. Dissatisfaction based on hearsay shall not be considered as a complaint. Anonymous complaints shall not be considered.
The President and CEO shall serve as the first level of complaint consideration to determine its validity. He or she shall investigate the circumstances of any valid complaint and 1) determine and implement corrective action, 2) refer the complaint to a different suitable staff member to determine and implement correction action, or 3) escalate it to the Grievance Committee for review. If addressed by staff, the President and CEO shall communicate the resolution to the complainant within a period of no longer than 30 days.
If a complaint is found to warrant escalation, the appropriate Certification Commission Chair(s) is notified and the complaint shall be reviewed by the Certification Commission and a decision shall be communicated to the complainant within a period of no longer than 60 days.
The determination of staff or a Certification Commission is appealable and the Appeals policy shall apply.
All complaints and dispositions shall be recorded in the Complaints Register, which shall be maintained by the President and CEO or appointed staff. The Complaints Register shall be reviewed periodically, at a minimum as part of the internal audit of the complaints policies and procedures, to identify the need for corrective or preventive action
