Gardeners Erith Complaints Procedure

This complaints procedure explains how customers can raise concerns about the gardening services provided by Gardeners Erith, how those concerns will be investigated, and the steps we take to resolve issues fairly and promptly. Our aim is to handle every complaint professionally, learn from feedback, and continually improve our services.

1. Our Commitment to Resolving Complaints

Gardeners Erith is committed to providing reliable, courteous and high quality gardening services. If something goes wrong, we want to know about it so that we can put things right whenever possible. We treat all complaints seriously, whether they relate to lawn care, garden maintenance, planting, clearance or any other aspect of our work.

We will always aim to:

Listen carefully to your concerns, treat you with respect, and keep an open mind.

Acknowledge and investigate your complaint in a timely manner.

Provide a clear explanation of what happened and what we can do to resolve the issue.

Use your feedback to improve our services and standards.

2. What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our gardening services, our staff, or the way we have handled an enquiry or booking, where a response is expected. Examples include:

Concerns about the quality of gardening work carried out at your property.

Issues with how a visit was scheduled, changed or cancelled.

Concerns about conduct, attitude or behaviour of our gardeners or office staff.

Disagreement about what was quoted compared with the work delivered.

Dissatisfaction with how we have previously responded to a concern.

This procedure is designed for customers of Gardeners Erith and relates to services we have provided at residential or commercial properties in our operating area.

3. How to Make a Complaint

You may raise a complaint as soon as you become aware of a problem. The sooner we know about an issue, the easier it is to put it right. You can make a complaint in the following ways:

Speak to a member of our team during or immediately after a visit and explain what went wrong. Many issues can be resolved on the spot.

Contact our office to outline your concerns, including details of the service, dates and any relevant information.

Provide photographs or other supporting information if this helps to explain the issue clearly.

Please include the following information where possible:

Your name and the address where the gardening work was carried out.

The date or dates of the service and the names of any staff you dealt with, if known.

A clear description of what went wrong and how you would like the matter to be resolved.

4. Stages of Our Complaints Handling Process

Our process is designed to be clear and straightforward. There are three main stages.

Stage 1: Informal Resolution

In the first instance, we will aim to resolve your complaint informally. This may involve:

Discussing the issue with the gardener or team leader who attended your property.

Clarifying what was agreed for the job and what work was actually carried out.

Offering a practical solution, such as returning to complete or correct the work where appropriate.

If the issue is straightforward, we will usually be able to resolve it quickly at this stage.

Stage 2: Formal Review

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the informal stage, or if the matter is more serious or complex, you can ask for a formal review. At this stage:

A manager will take responsibility for reviewing your complaint objectively.

We may contact you to request further information or clarification.

We will review any notes, photographs or records relating to the service.

We will consider whether our service met our usual standards and any relevant policies.

After the review, we will provide you with a clear response setting out:

Our understanding of your complaint.

Our findings after investigation.

Any proposed actions, such as remedial work, a goodwill gesture or changes to our procedures.

Stage 3: Final Position

If, after the formal review, you remain dissatisfied with our response, you may request that we confirm our final position. At this point we will:

Reassess the information provided by you and by our staff.

Consider whether any further steps are reasonable or proportionate.

Provide you with a final written outcome, explaining our decision and any further options that may be open to you.

5. Timescales for Responding

We aim to handle complaints as quickly as possible while ensuring a thorough review. Although timeframes may vary depending on the complexity of the issue, our general approach is as follows:

Acknowledge your complaint and confirm that we are looking into it.

Investigate and respond in detail, explaining what we have found and what we propose to do.

If we are unable to provide a full response within a reasonable period, we will keep you informed about progress and when you can expect a final reply.

6. Possible Outcomes and Remedies

Depending on the nature of the complaint and the outcome of our investigation, possible remedies may include:

Arranging for our gardeners to return to your property to correct or complete work, where practical and appropriate.

Adjusting future service plans to better reflect your preferences or requirements.

Providing an explanation or clarification where there has been a misunderstanding.

Offering a goodwill gesture where we consider it appropriate to do so.

In every case, we aim for a fair and proportionate resolution that takes into account the circumstances and the impact on you.

7. Your Responsibilities as a Customer

To help us deal with your complaint effectively, we ask that you:

Raise concerns as soon as you can after the problem arises.

Provide clear and accurate information about what happened.

Allow us reasonable access to the garden or property if we need to inspect the work.

Communicate with our staff in a respectful and constructive manner.

These steps help us investigate fairly and reach a solution as quickly as possible.

8. Confidentiality and Data Protection

All complaints are handled in confidence. Information about your complaint will only be shared with staff who need it in order to investigate and resolve the issue. We will store and process any personal data in line with our data protection obligations and only for as long as is necessary for handling your complaint and improving our services.

9. Monitoring and Service Improvement

Gardeners Erith records and reviews complaints regularly to identify recurring issues or areas where our gardening services could be improved. Feedback from customers across our service area helps us refine our working practices, staff training and quality standards, so that we can provide more reliable and consistent results in future.

By following this complaints procedure, we aim to ensure that all customers are treated fairly and that any problems related to our gardening services are addressed promptly and professionally.