Gardeners Greenwich Complaints Procedure

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

Our Commitment to Resolving Complaints

We aim to handle all complaints fairly, consistently and promptly. Every complaint is taken seriously, whether it concerns a one-off visit, an ongoing maintenance schedule, or any aspect of our customer service. We will always aim to:

Listen carefully to your concerns, treat you with respect and courtesy, acknowledge when things have gone wrong, explain what we can do to put matters right, learn from the issue and improve our services.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our gardening or customer services, whether you consider the issue minor or serious. This may include concerns about the quality of gardening work carried out, damage to property, lateness or missed appointments, conduct or behaviour of staff or contractors, communication and administration, or how we have handled a previous issue.

If you are unsure whether your concern is a complaint, please still raise it with us. We would rather resolve a small issue early than allow it to develop into a larger problem.

How to Make a Complaint

You can make a complaint in person to a member of our team on site, in writing, or through any normal communication channel you use to arrange gardening work with us. Please provide as much detail as you can, including your name, the address where the gardening work took place, the date or dates of the work or interaction you are unhappy with, a clear description of what went wrong, and what outcome you are seeking, if you have a preferred resolution.

If the complaint involves ongoing work or a regular maintenance schedule, it is helpful if you let us know as soon as you notice a problem, so that we have the opportunity to address it promptly.

Stage One: Initial Resolution

In the first instance, we will try to resolve your complaint informally and as quickly as possible. Where appropriate, the gardener or supervisor responsible for the work will discuss the issue with you and seek an immediate solution. This may include revisiting the garden to inspect the issue, correcting work that does not meet the agreed standard, adjusting future visits to address your concerns, or explaining any practical limitations that may apply.

Many concerns can be resolved at this stage through open discussion and a clear understanding of your expectations. If you are satisfied with the outcome, your complaint will be closed at stage one.

Stage Two: Formal Review

If you are not satisfied with the initial response, or if the issue is more complex, you may ask for a formal review. At this stage, your complaint will be reviewed by a senior member of our team who was not directly involved in the original work, where possible. They will investigate the matter, which may include reviewing schedules and notes, speaking with the gardeners involved, visiting the garden to assess the work carried out, and requesting additional information from you if needed.

We will then provide you with a written response setting out our understanding of the complaint, the findings of our investigation, any steps already taken, and any further actions we propose to resolve the matter. We will also let you know if we consider the complaint closed and why.

Stage Three: Escalation

If you remain dissatisfied after the formal review, you can request that the complaint be escalated. At this stage, a more senior decision-maker within Gardeners Greenwich will review the handling of your complaint and the conclusions reached. They may revisit the garden or seek additional information if necessary. Their decision will aim to be final within our internal process.

We will provide a further written response explaining the outcome of this review, any final remedies we can offer, and the reasons for our decision. Once this stage is complete, we will normally consider the complaint process concluded.

Timeframes

We aim to acknowledge all complaints within a reasonable period from receipt. We will also aim to provide a full response as promptly as we can, depending on the complexity of the issue and whether a site visit or further investigation is required. If we cannot give a full response within our usual timescales, we will let you know the reason for the delay and when you can expect a further update.

Possible Outcomes and Remedies

Where we find that something has gone wrong, we will consider appropriate remedies. These may include repeating or correcting work, adjusting future work plans, offering a partial or full reduction in charges where appropriate, providing an explanation or apology, and reviewing our internal procedures or staff training to prevent similar issues in future.

Not every complaint will result in a financial remedy, but we will always explain clearly what we can and cannot do to put matters right.

Fairness, Respect and Confidentiality

All complaints are handled in a professional and respectful manner. We do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour towards our staff and may end contact where this occurs. We will treat the information you provide in connection with a complaint as confidential and will only share it internally with those who need it to investigate and resolve the issue.

Learning and Service Improvement

Feedback from our customers, including complaints, is a valuable source of information about how our services are working in practice. We regularly review complaints to identify patterns, common causes and opportunities to improve. This may involve updating our working methods, refining our customer communication, or providing additional guidance or training to our gardeners. By following this procedure, we aim to maintain the quality and reliability of our gardening services and to build long-term trust with our customers.