Gardeners Selsdon Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Selsdon is committed to providing reliable and professional gardening services. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. When this happens, we want to know about it so we can put matters right and improve our service. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern, how we will respond, and the standards you can expect from us.

Purpose of This Complaints Procedure

The purpose of this complaints procedure is to provide a clear and fair process for resolving concerns about our gardening services. It applies to all customers who have received work from Gardeners Selsdon, whether for regular garden maintenance, one-off tidy ups, planting, or related services. Our aim is to handle every complaint promptly, politely, and consistently.

What We Class as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction with our services, staff, or contractors, whether that dissatisfaction is spoken or written. This may include issues such as the quality of work carried out, how our team behaved on site, missed or delayed appointments, or how you were notified about changes to your booking. We treat all complaints seriously, regardless of their nature or size.

How to Make a Complaint

You may raise a complaint verbally or in writing. If possible, please provide the following information so that we can investigate fully:

Your full name and the address where the gardening service was carried out, the date or dates of the service you are unhappy with, a clear description of what went wrong, including any relevant details such as times, specific areas of the garden, or the names of staff if known, and what you would like us to do to resolve the matter. Supplying photographs of any issue in the garden can also help us understand the problem more quickly, although this is not essential.

If you raise a complaint during a visit, you may speak directly to the gardener on site. Where possible, they will try to address the problem straight away. If the issue cannot be resolved during the visit, it will be passed to a manager for further review.

Time Limits for Raising a Complaint

We encourage you to raise any concerns as soon as possible after the service has been carried out. This allows us to investigate while the details are still fresh and helps us resolve the matter more effectively. Where a complaint relates to the physical condition of your garden following our visit, we ask that you contact us within a reasonable time of noticing the problem so that we can assess it properly.

How We Will Handle Your Complaint

Once you contact us with a complaint, we follow a structured process.

First, we will acknowledge your complaint. We aim to acknowledge verbal complaints at the time you raise them, and written complaints within a reasonable working period. In this acknowledgement, we may ask for any additional information we need.

Next, we will investigate. A manager or senior member of the team will review the details you have provided, speak to any staff involved, and where necessary, arrange to inspect your garden. If an inspection is needed, we will agree a suitable time with you.

Following the investigation, we will respond with our findings and proposed resolution. We aim to provide a full response within a reasonable number of working days from acknowledging your complaint. If the matter is complex and we need more time, we will let you know and explain the reason for the delay.

Possible Outcomes and Remedies

Our goal is always to reach a fair outcome. Depending on the nature of the complaint, potential remedies may include an explanation of what happened and why, an apology where we have fallen short of our standards, a return visit to correct or complete work, adjustments to future scheduled work, or other actions we believe are fair in the circumstances. Any decision will take into account the original scope of work agreed, the condition of the garden, and what is reasonably achievable.

If You Are Not Satisfied With the Outcome

If you are unhappy with our initial response, you may ask for your complaint to be reviewed by a more senior member of the team. When requesting a review, please explain why you are dissatisfied with the outcome and what you feel has not been addressed. We will then re-examine the complaint, and may ask further questions or revisit the garden if required. After this review, we will provide a final response setting out our position and any further actions we will take.

Our Commitment to Fair Treatment

We handle all complaints confidentially and with respect. Raising a complaint will not affect your right to use our services in the future, and we will not treat you less favourably as a result of expressing dissatisfaction. Our staff are expected to remain courteous and professional at all times during the complaints process, and we ask that customers act in the same way.

Using Feedback to Improve Our Service

Complaints and feedback are important tools for improving our gardening services. We regularly review complaints data to identify patterns, such as recurring issues with scheduling, communication, or the standard of work carried out. Where we identify areas for improvement, we use this information to provide additional training, update our procedures, and refine how we plan and deliver gardening work across our service area.

Review of This Complaints Procedure

This complaints procedure is reviewed periodically to ensure it remains clear, fair, and effective. Gardeners Selsdon may update the procedure from time to time to reflect changes in our services, internal processes, or relevant best practice. The most current version of the procedure will always apply to any complaint under consideration.