Complaints Procedure

Complaints Procedure for Gardeners Norwood Green

Gardeners Norwood Green is committed to providing reliable, professional and courteous gardening services. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. When this happens, we want to hear from you so we can put matters right and improve our service for all customers.

This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern about our gardening work, how we will handle your complaint, and what you can expect from us throughout the process.

1. Purpose of this Complaints Procedure

The purpose of this complaints procedure is to:

Ensure customers know how to raise a concern or complaint about our gardening services.

Describe how complaints will be recorded, investigated and responded to.

Set out clear timescales, expectations and possible outcomes.

Help us identify areas where we can improve our garden maintenance, landscaping and customer care.

This procedure applies to all customers who use Gardeners Norwood Green for gardening and related services.

2. What We Class as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about the standard of our work, the behaviour of our gardeners, the information you have received, or the way your enquiry has been handled, where a response or resolution is expected.

Examples of complaints may include, but are not limited to:

Concerns about the quality of lawn care, planting, hedge cutting or other gardening tasks.

Damage to property or garden features alleged to have been caused by our team.

Missed or delayed appointments for gardening visits.

Perceived unprofessional or discourteous behaviour from staff.

Issues with invoices, quotations or agreed work schedules.

General feedback or minor comments that do not require a specific outcome are treated as customer feedback rather than formal complaints, but they are still valuable to us.

3. How to Make a Complaint

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our gardening services, please raise it as soon as possible so we can address it promptly.

You can make a complaint in writing or verbally. When submitting your complaint, please provide:

Your full name and address.

Details of the gardening service or visit your complaint relates to.

A clear description of what went wrong and when it occurred.

Any supporting information you feel is relevant, such as photographs or notes.

What you would consider to be a reasonable resolution, if you have a preferred outcome in mind.

We encourage customers to raise issues directly with the gardener or team leader on site at the time, wherever practical. Many concerns can be resolved immediately in this way. If the matter cannot be resolved on site, it will be handled through this formal complaints procedure.

4. Our Complaints Handling Process

Once we receive your complaint, we will follow a structured process to ensure it is handled fairly and consistently.

Stage one: Acknowledgement

We will acknowledge your complaint as soon as reasonably possible, and within a reasonable number of working days. The acknowledgement will confirm that we have received your complaint and that it is being reviewed in line with this procedure.

Stage two: Investigation

Your complaint will be passed to a member of our management team to investigate. This may include:

Reviewing job sheets, schedules and any relevant documentation.

Speaking with the gardeners or staff members involved.

Considering any photographs or evidence provided by you.

Assessing whether our usual gardening standards and procedures were followed.

Stage three: Response

After the investigation, we will provide you with a written or verbal response setting out:

Our understanding of your complaint.

The findings of our investigation.

Whether your complaint has been upheld, partially upheld or not upheld.

Any actions we propose to take to put things right or to prevent similar issues in future.

We aim to provide a full response within a reasonable timeframe. If, for any reason, the investigation takes longer, we will update you and explain the delay.

5. Possible Outcomes and Remedies

Where we find that we have not met our usual standards of gardening work or customer service, we will aim to offer a fair and appropriate remedy. Possible outcomes may include:

Arranging a return visit to correct or repeat certain gardening tasks.

Providing a partial or full reduction to the relevant service charge, where appropriate.

Offering an alternative practical solution to address the issue in your garden.

Reviewing or updating our internal procedures, training or supervision.

Where we do not uphold a complaint, we will explain the reasons clearly and provide any supporting information we have relied upon.

6. Escalating Your Complaint

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint at the first stage, you may ask for it to be reviewed. Your request for escalation should explain why you remain dissatisfied and what further outcome you are seeking.

We will arrange for a more senior manager, or someone not previously involved, to review both the original complaint and the way it was handled. This review will focus on whether the investigation was thorough, fair and consistent with this procedure.

After the review, we will provide you with a final response. This will normally conclude our internal complaints process.

7. Our Commitment to Fairness and Confidentiality

All complaints are handled confidentially and with respect for your privacy. Information will only be shared with staff who need it to investigate and respond to your concerns.

We treat every complaint seriously and use the information gathered to improve our gardening services, from routine maintenance visits to larger garden projects. Raising a complaint will not affect your right to use our services in future, and we will always treat you fairly and professionally.

8. Continuous Improvement

Gardeners Norwood Green reviews complaints on a regular basis to identify trends, recurring issues and opportunities to improve how we work. This may include updating staff training, refining our appointment scheduling, or adjusting the way we plan and carry out gardening work.

By following this complaints procedure, we aim to resolve issues promptly and constructively, while maintaining the high standards of care and reliability that our customers expect for their gardens.