Complaints Procedure for Gardeners Forest Gate

Gardeners Forest Gate is committed to providing reliable and professional gardening services across our local service area. We aim to deliver high standards of work and customer care on every visit. However, we recognise that occasionally things may not go as planned. 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 You

We treat all complaints seriously and see them as an opportunity to improve our gardening services. Whether your concern relates to a one-off garden tidy, ongoing maintenance, planting work, lawn care or any other service we provide, we will handle your complaint promptly, fairly and with respect.

Our main aims when dealing with a complaint are to:

Clarify the issue and understand what has gone wrong from your point of view.

Put things right where we reasonably can.

Learn from the situation so we can avoid similar issues in future.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our services, conduct, communication, pricing clarity or how we have managed an appointment or project. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Concerns about the quality of gardening or landscaping work carried out.

Issues with how our gardeners have treated your property, plants, lawn or outdoor structures.

Disagreement about what was agreed in advance compared to what was delivered.

Problems with scheduling, punctuality or communication about visits.

Concerns about the professional behaviour of any member of our team.

If you are unhappy about any aspect of our gardening service, we encourage you to let us know as soon as possible so we have the chance to resolve it.

How to Make a Complaint

You can raise a complaint in writing. Please provide as much detail as you can so that we can investigate and respond effectively. Where possible, include:

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

The date or dates of the visit or service you are unhappy with.

A clear description of the issue and what you believe has gone wrong.

Any photos or notes that help show the problem, such as damage to plants, incomplete work or missed areas of the garden.

What outcome you would like to see, for example, a return visit, correction of work or another proposed solution.

We encourage you to raise your concern as soon as reasonably possible after the visit, so the details are fresh and the garden conditions are easier for us to review.

What Happens After You Complain

Once we receive your complaint, we will follow a clear process to review and respond:

Acknowledgement: We will acknowledge your complaint in writing. In this acknowledgement, we will confirm that we have received your concerns and explain the next steps.

Initial Review: We will review the details you have provided, along with our job notes, any photos taken by our team and the agreed scope of work. If necessary, we may contact you to request further information or clarification.

Site Visit: In some cases, particularly where the complaint relates to workmanship, quality of finish, plant health or potential damage, we may arrange a site visit. This allows us to inspect the garden in person and better understand the issue.

Investigation: We will consider whether the work carried out matched what was agreed, whether it was performed with reasonable care and skill and whether there were any external factors that may have affected the final result, such as weather conditions or pre-existing garden issues.

Response: After completing our investigation, we will send you a written response explaining our findings. Where we uphold your complaint, we will set out what we propose to do to put things right. Where we do not uphold the complaint, we will explain the reasons for our decision.

Timescales

We aim to acknowledge all complaints within a reasonable period of receiving them. We then aim to complete our investigation and provide a full response as promptly as we can, taking into account the need for any site visits or further information.

If, for any reason, we are unable to provide a full response within a reasonable timescale, we will update you, explain the delay and give you an indication of when you can expect a final outcome.

Possible Outcomes and Remedies

If we find that we have not met our usual standards, we will consider a range of possible remedies, which may include:

Carrying out remedial gardening work to correct issues, such as re-cutting lawns, re-trimming hedges or re-planting agreed areas.

Returning to site to complete any part of the agreed work that was missed, where practical and appropriate.

Discussing alternative solutions where a direct correction is not possible, for example where plants have been affected beyond recovery.

We will always aim to agree any remedy with you in advance and carry it out within a reasonable time.

When We May Not Uphold a Complaint

There may be times when we do not uphold a complaint. Common reasons include:

The gardening work was carried out in line with what was agreed and to a reasonable standard.

The issue has arisen due to factors outside our control, such as extreme weather, existing plant disease, soil conditions or later changes to the garden.

The complaint relates to work or areas that were not included in the original agreement.

Where this happens, we will explain our reasoning clearly and, where helpful, may still offer practical advice or guidance on how to address any remaining concerns.

Respectful Communication

We ask that all complaints are made respectfully. Our team will treat you courteously and will not tolerate abusive, threatening or discriminatory language or behaviour. In serious cases, we reserve the right to withdraw our services.

Continuous Improvement

Every complaint is logged and reviewed so that we can identify patterns, improve our gardening practices and enhance our service across the local area. Feedback from customers plays an important role in helping us maintain and build on our standards.

This complaints procedure is intended to be clear and straightforward. If anything in this document is unclear, you are welcome to ask us for further explanation. We appreciate the opportunity to resolve problems and to keep your garden looking its best.