Gardeners Dalston Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Dalston is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening services across our local area. We take all feedback seriously and see complaints as an opportunity to put things right and improve our services. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern, how we will respond, and what you can expect from us throughout the process.

Purpose of this Complaints Procedure

The purpose of this procedure is to provide a clear, fair and transparent route for customers to raise any dissatisfaction with our gardening services, customer service, communication, or conduct. It applies to all domestic and commercial clients using Gardeners Dalston for regular maintenance, one-off garden tidy-ups, landscaping support and related services.

We aim to resolve complaints promptly and informally where possible. When a more formal approach is needed, this procedure sets out the steps we will follow.

What We Class as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether spoken or written, where you would like a response or resolution. Examples include:

Concerns about the quality of gardening, maintenance or tidy-up work carried out on your property.

Issues with punctuality, attendance, or appointment scheduling.

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

Concerns about how we have communicated with you before, during or after a visit.

Disputes regarding invoices, quoted prices, or agreed work schedules.

Even if you are unsure whether your concern counts as a complaint, we encourage you to raise it. We would rather hear about issues early so we can address them quickly.

How to Make a Complaint

You can make a complaint in the way that is most convenient for you, including in writing or by speaking to us. When raising a complaint, please provide as much detail as possible, such as:

Your full name and the service address.

The date or dates when the issue occurred.

A clear description of what went wrong or what you are unhappy about.

Details of any conversations already held with our gardeners or office team about the issue.

Any supporting information that may help us to understand the situation.

Providing clear information helps us to investigate more effectively and respond promptly.

Informal Resolution

Where possible, we encourage you to raise any concern informally with the gardener on site or with our office team at the earliest opportunity. Many issues can be resolved quickly by adjusting the work, clarifying what has been agreed, or arranging an additional visit.

If an informal discussion does not resolve the issue, or you feel that your concern is more serious, you are welcome to follow the formal complaints process set out below.

Formal Complaints Process

When you make a formal complaint, we will follow these stages.

1. Acknowledgement

We will acknowledge your complaint as soon as reasonably possible, and normally within five working days. In our acknowledgement, we will confirm that we have received your complaint and outline the next steps we will take.

2. Investigation

Your complaint will be reviewed by a member of our management team. This may include:

Speaking with the gardeners or staff members involved.

Reviewing job notes, schedules and any before-and-after records of the work.

Considering your original instructions, quote or service agreement.

We may contact you to clarify details, request further information, or arrange a visit to your garden if needed to assess the work.

3. Response

Once we have completed our investigation, we will provide a clear written response. We aim to respond in full within 15 working days of acknowledging your complaint. If the issue is complex and we need more time, we will inform you and provide an updated timeframe.

Our response will explain:

What we have understood your complaint to be.

The steps we have taken to investigate.

Our findings and any conclusions reached.

Any actions we propose to resolve the matter, such as remedial work, adjustments to future service, or other appropriate steps.

Possible Outcomes and Remedies

Depending on the nature of the complaint and the outcome of our investigation, we may offer one or more of the following:

Additional gardening work to correct or complete services where appropriate.

Adjustments to future visits or schedules to better match your requirements.

Review of how we manage your garden maintenance plan to prevent similar issues.

Internal staff training or process changes where we identify room for improvement.

Where our service has fallen short, we will aim to offer a solution that is fair and proportionate to the issue raised.

If You Are Not Satisfied with the Outcome

If you are unhappy with our response, you can ask for your complaint to be reviewed by a senior member of the team who was not directly involved in the original investigation.

They will review the original complaint, the steps taken, and the decision reached, and will provide you with a final response. In doing so, they may contact you for further information to ensure they fully understand your concerns.

Time Limits for Complaints

We encourage customers to raise any concerns as soon as possible after the service has been provided, ideally within a reasonable time frame. This makes it easier for us to investigate, to revisit the garden if necessary, and to put things right quickly.

Our Commitment to Fairness and Confidentiality

All complaints will be handled fairly, sensitively and without discrimination. Your complaint will not affect the level of service you receive from Gardeners Dalston in the future. We will only share information about your complaint with those who need it to investigate and resolve the issue.

Continuous Improvement

We view complaints and feedback as a valuable part of improving our gardening services. Where appropriate, we will use insights from complaints to review our working practices, staff training and quality control, so that we can continue to maintain and enhance the standard of service offered by Gardeners Dalston.

If you have any concerns about our services, please raise them. We appreciate every opportunity to learn, resolve issues and ensure your garden is maintained to a high standard.