Complaints Procedure at Gardeners Farringdon

Gardeners Farringdon is committed to providing reliable, professional and courteous gardening services. We recognise that, on occasion, you may feel that something has not met your expectations. This Complaints Procedure explains how you can tell us about a concern, how we will respond, and what you can expect from us throughout the process.

Our commitment to you

We aim to resolve any complaint quickly, fairly and in a way that treats all parties with respect. When you raise a concern about our gardening or maintenance work, we will listen carefully, investigate thoroughly and keep you updated. We use all feedback, both positive and negative, to improve our services and customer care across the area we serve.

What is a complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our services, staff, workmanship, communication or the way we have handled a previous request. You can complain about issues such as the quality of gardening work, how a visit was scheduled, the conduct of our team on site, or delays in communication.

We encourage you to raise issues as soon as possible so that we can put things right promptly and minimise any inconvenience to you or your property.

Who can make a complaint

Any customer, whether domestic or commercial, can make a complaint about our services. You may also complain on behalf of another person if you have their permission to do so, such as a relative or a property manager acting for a client.

How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint in writing or verbally. Although we will always do our best to help however you contact us, we encourage written complaints where possible so that we can keep a clear record of the issue and respond in detail.

When making a complaint, please provide the following information to help us investigate efficiently:

• Your full name and the address where the gardening work was carried out.
• The date or approximate date of the service or visit concerned.
• A clear description of what went wrong or why you are unhappy.
• Any steps you have already taken to resolve the matter informally with a member of our team.
• Any supporting details that may help, such as photos of the garden, written notes or job references.

If you are unable to set out your complaint in writing, you may raise it verbally and we will make a written record for you.

Stage 1: Informal resolution

In the first instance, we encourage you to raise your concern with the team member or supervisor responsible for your booking or site visit. Many issues can be resolved quickly through a conversation, such as arranging a return visit, clarifying what was agreed, or rectifying a minor problem at no additional cost.

Our aim at this stage is to put things right as soon as possible and to agree a practical solution that works for you, such as adjusting the schedule, revisiting specific areas of the garden, or reviewing the tasks included in a regular maintenance plan.

Stage 2: Formal complaint

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the informal stage, or if the issue is more serious, you may make a formal complaint. Once we receive your formal complaint, we will:

• Acknowledge receipt within a reasonable time.
• Record the details in our complaints log.
• Assign a person responsible for handling your case, who may not have been directly involved in the original work.

We will review your complaint carefully, which may include speaking to the team who attended the property, examining work schedules, and considering any photographs or documents you provide.

Investigation and response timescales

We aim to complete our investigation and provide you with a full response within a reasonable timeframe, depending on the nature and complexity of the complaint. Where possible, we will give you an estimated timescale when we acknowledge your formal complaint.

If, for any reason, our investigation will take longer than expected, we will let you know and explain the reason for the delay. Throughout the process, we will keep you updated on the progress of your complaint.

Our decision and possible outcomes

When our investigation is complete, we will provide a written response setting out:

• What we have understood your complaint to be.
• The steps we took to investigate.
• Our decision and the reasons for it.
• Any actions we will take to put matters right, where appropriate.

Depending on the circumstances, possible outcomes may include a full or partial apology, a plan to rectify the work, a revisit to your property, a review of our internal procedures, or other reasonable forms of redress. Our goal is always to reach a fair and practical solution.

Escalating your complaint

If you remain unhappy with our response to your formal complaint, you may ask for the matter to be reviewed again by a more senior member of our team. They will consider the original complaint, the way it was handled, and the outcome reached, and will decide whether any further action is appropriate.

We will confirm the result of this review in writing and explain our final position. Once this stage is complete, our internal complaints process will normally be considered exhausted.

How we use complaints to improve our services

Complaints are an important source of feedback that help us improve how we deliver gardening services. We regularly review our complaints log to identify patterns, training needs and opportunities to raise standards. This may include refreshing staff training, updating checklists for garden maintenance visits, or reviewing how we communicate with customers before and after each job.

By following this Complaints Procedure, Gardeners Farringdon aims to ensure that every concern is taken seriously, handled consistently and used to enhance the quality and reliability of our services for all customers.