Gardeners Surrey Complaints Procedure

This complaints procedure explains how customers can raise concerns about the gardening services provided by Gardeners Surrey and how those concerns will be managed. Our aim is to resolve issues fairly, promptly and transparently, while using feedback to improve our services across the area we serve.

Our Commitment to Handling Complaints

Gardeners Surrey is committed to delivering reliable, high quality gardening work, from regular maintenance to larger garden projects. If something goes wrong, we want to know so we can put it right. We treat all complaints seriously, handle them with respect and confidentiality, and use a structured process to investigate and respond.

We will always aim to:

Listen carefully to your concerns, understand the problem and its impact on you.

Respond in a timely manner with clear communication at each stage.

Provide an honest explanation and, where appropriate, an effective remedy.

Use your feedback to review and improve our gardening services.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our gardening services, our staff, our contractors, or how your booking or account has been handled, where you would like a response or resolution.

Examples of issues that may lead to a complaint include:

Concerns about the quality of lawn care, planting, pruning or general garden maintenance.

Work not completed as agreed in your quotation or service schedule.

Delays, missed appointments or repeated cancellations.

Behaviour or attitude of team members working at your property.

Issues with billing, invoicing or payment allocation.

If you are unsure whether an issue is a complaint, you can still raise it with us and we will advise you on the best way forward.

How to Raise a Complaint

You can raise a complaint in the way that is most convenient for you. We encourage you to provide as much detail as possible so that we can fully understand and investigate the issue.

When submitting your complaint, please include:

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

The date or dates when the issue occurred.

A clear description of what went wrong and how it has affected you.

Any relevant supporting information you may have, such as photographs, written notes, or copies of quotations or invoices.

What outcome you are hoping for, for example, a return visit, correction of work, or an explanation.

Informal Resolution

Where possible, we aim to resolve complaints informally at the earliest opportunity. In many cases, concerns about garden work or site conditions can be put right quickly if you speak to us soon after noticing a problem.

If you contact us informally, we will:

Listen to your concerns and, if appropriate, arrange for a gardener or supervisor to revisit your property.

Offer practical solutions, such as rectifying or repeating parts of the work.

Agree a reasonable timescale for any corrective action.

If you remain dissatisfied after an informal response, or if the matter is more serious or complex, you can ask for your complaint to be handled as a formal complaint.

Formal Complaints Process

When you submit a formal complaint, we will follow a clear and structured process:

1. Acknowledgement: We will acknowledge your complaint as soon as reasonably possible, confirming that it has been logged and will be reviewed. At this stage we may request any further information needed to understand the situation fully.

2. Investigation: A manager or senior member of staff will review your complaint. This may include checking service records, speaking with the gardeners who attended your property, and reviewing any relevant photographs or documents. If necessary, we may arrange a visit to your garden to inspect the work that has been carried out.

3. Response: Once the investigation is complete, we will provide a written or verbal response setting out our findings. We will explain whether your complaint has been upheld in full, upheld in part, or not upheld, and the reasons for our decision.

4. Resolution: If your complaint is upheld, we will outline any proposed remedial actions. These may include corrective gardening work, a revised timetable, staff training, or other appropriate steps. We will agree any next steps and realistic timescales with you.

Timescales for Complaints

We aim to handle complaints as quickly as possible while allowing sufficient time for a fair and thorough review.

We will normally acknowledge your formal complaint within a reasonable period of receiving it.

The time needed to investigate and respond may vary, depending on the complexity of the issue, the availability of staff and the need for site visits. If we need more time than initially expected, we will keep you informed and provide an updated timescale.

Outcomes and Remedies

The outcome of a complaint will depend on the circumstances of each case. Possible remedies may include:

Additional or corrective gardening work at your property.

Changes to future service schedules to better meet your requirements.

A review of how we manage bookings, communications or teams in your area.

Guidance or additional training for the staff involved.

We will always aim to reach a fair outcome that reflects the nature of the problem and its impact on you, while also taking into account the agreed scope of work and any limitations previously discussed.

Escalating Your Complaint

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you may ask for it to be reviewed at a higher level within Gardeners Surrey. In this case, your complaint and our initial response will be re-examined, and we may request additional information or arrange a further site visit.

The review will focus on whether the complaint was handled fairly and whether the outcome was reasonable in light of all available evidence. We will then provide a final response outlining our conclusions and any further steps we can reasonably take.

Using Feedback to Improve Our Services

Gardeners Surrey values feedback from customers across the region we serve. Every complaint, whether resolved informally or through our formal procedure, is recorded and reviewed. This helps us identify recurring issues, improve our standards, refine our processes and provide a more reliable gardening service for all customers.

By following this complaints procedure, we aim to ensure that your concerns are heard and addressed, and that we continue to maintain and improve the quality of our work and customer care.