Our Customer Service Promise and Complaints Procedure

Introduction

NSAI is committed to providing a quality service to its customers and strives to continuously improve its services.
We have a wide range of external customers such as manufacturing and service businesses, importers, distributors, retailers, consumers, professionals, media, business representatives, non-governmental spokesmen, researchers, students and personnel from Government departments and official agencies.

We do this through:

• Our commitment to customer service outlined in our Customer Charter / Cairt Chustaiméirí.
• Our ongoing standard setting and monitoring of our activities under the 12 Principles of Quality Customer Service as set down in our Customer Action Plan.
• How we handle complaints about our services through our Complaints Policy.

Our Promise to You

We will:

• Deal with you promptly, efficiently and to the best of our ability
• Provide clear and accurate information
• Be courteous, friendly and attentive in our dealings with you
• Treat our customers equally and with respect
• Consult with our customers on a regular basis in order to evaluate our services
• Set real and achievable targets and monitor performance against the achievement of those targets
• Protect any personal information you give to us
• Listen to your feedback and deal promptly when you have a complaint
• Should you contact us about matters or issues which are not part of our operations or services, we will do our best to inform you about which other organisation, if any, we believe can best help you with the information you require.

Key NSAI activities

Our key activities are development and publication of written standards; traceability and enforcement of measurement standards; and certification of products, processes and services.

For written standards we can tell you:

• How to search the standards catalogue
• Whether a standard is being developed and, if so, what stage the work is at
• How to become a participant of a standardisation work group
• How to see and make comments on draft standards
• How to buy a standard
• How to view a standard abstract
• What professional bodies or government bodies/agencies might be able to help you to look at a standard in more detail

For physical measurement standards we can tell you:

• Whether we provide traceability or a calibration service for a measurement unit
• How to get a quote for calibration
• How to interpret the information on the calibration certificate
• About the topics and dates of the metrology training programme
• What your obligations and liabilities are as a user of a measuring instrument in trade use
• What your obligations and liabilities are as a packer of pre-packaged products
• About the inspection of measuring instruments in trade use and manufacturers of pre-packaged products

For certification services we can tell you:

• What products, processes and services we certify
• How to get a quote for certification
• What your obligations are as a certified business or provider of certified products
• What products must be certified in order to comply with CE marking requirements
• How to find a certification body for your product if we do not provide that service
• What government departments or agencies are responsible for market surveillance of CE marked products

We Value Your Opinion

Let us know when you are happy with the service we have provided for you. Equally, if you are unhappy with our service or if you have suggestions to improve our service, we would like to hear from you.

• To do this:
• Log onto our website at www.nsai.ie
• Email: info@nsai.ie
• Call into our office at: 1 Swift Square, Northwood, Santry, Dublin 9
• Write to us at: 1 Swift Square, Northwood, Santry, Dublin 9

How to Make a Complaint

Information about our complaint procedure can be downloaded: Complaints and Appeals Handling Procedure

If you are not satisfied with any aspect of our services or you believe the services you have received fall short of what is outlined in our Customer Charter you have a right to complain. All complaints will be dealt with fairly and independently under our complaints investigation procedure and if we have made a mistake we will do our best to put things right.

You can contact us by phone, email or in writing to make an informal (less serious) complaint and formal (more serious) complaints, preferably in writing, should be addressed to:

Customer Service Administrator
National Standards Authority of Ireland
1 Swift Square, Northwood, Dublin 9
Tel: +353 1 8073800
Fax: +353 1 8073838
Email: info@nsai.ie

We will acknowledge all formal complaints within ten working days and respond to you in writing.
 

Ombudsman Review

From 1 May 2013 NSAI falls within the remit of the Office of the Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for Children.
If you believe that you, or a child (a person under 18 years of age), has been adversely affected by an action taken by NSAI, on or after 1 May 2013, and are dissatisfied with the outcome of the NSAI complaints investigation process, you may seek an external investigation of your complaint.

Complaints should be made directly to the Ombudsman at:

Office of the Ombudsman
18 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2
Tel: +353 1 6395689
Lo-call: 1890 223030
Fax: +353 1 6395674
Email: ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.ie

or the Ombudsman for Children at:

Ombudsman for Children Office
Millennium House
52-56 Great Strand Street, Dublin 1
Tel:+353 1 865 6800
Complaint line: 1800 20 20 40
Email: oco@oco.ie