Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Kingston Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Kingston is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening and grounds maintenance services. We aim to resolve any concerns quickly, fairly and transparently. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise an issue with us, what information we need from you, how we will respond, and the timescales you can expect.

Our Commitment to You

We take all complaints seriously and treat them as an opportunity to improve our services. Whether your concern relates to lawn care, planting, hedge cutting, garden clearance, regular maintenance visits or a one off project, we will listen carefully and seek a practical resolution.

Our goals when handling complaints are to:

Clearly understand your concerns and the outcome you are seeking.

Respond in a timely, respectful and professional manner.

Put things right where we have made a mistake or fallen short of expectations.

Use feedback to review and improve our working practices, training and communication.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our gardening services, our staff, our contractors, our communication, or the way we have handled a previous enquiry. Examples include concerns about the quality of work completed in your garden, damage to property, missed appointments, conduct or behaviour of team members, invoicing or payment issues, or health and safety concerns relating to our work.

You do not have to use the word complaint for us to treat your feedback seriously. If you tell us you are unhappy with any aspect of our service, we will handle it in line with this procedure.

How to Make a Complaint

You can raise a complaint in writing or verbally. Written complaints are generally easier for us to investigate, as they provide a clear record of the issues and dates involved.

When you contact us, please provide as much detail as possible, including:

Your full name and the address where the gardening services were carried out.

The date or approximate dates of the work or incident you are unhappy about.

A clear description of what went wrong or did not meet your expectations.

The names of any staff members or contractors involved, if known.

Any photos or notes relating to the issue, if you have them.

What you would like us to do to resolve the matter, for example, a revisit to correct work, a partial refund or an explanation.

Providing detailed information helps us to understand your concern and carry out a fair and thorough investigation.

Stages of Our Complaints Process

Stage One: Initial Review and Acknowledgement

Once we receive your complaint, we will record it and arrange for an appropriate member of our team to review it. We aim to acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable time. In this acknowledgement we will confirm that we have received your complaint, clarify any missing information, explain who will be handling it, and outline the next steps and anticipated timescales.

Stage Two: Investigation

We will then investigate your concerns. Depending on the nature of the complaint, this may involve reviewing job sheets, schedules and invoices, speaking to the gardeners or team leaders who attended your property, visiting your garden to inspect the work, and considering any photographs or other evidence provided by you. We may contact you to request further information or to arrange a site visit. Our aim during this stage is to fully understand what has happened and whether our service has fallen below our usual standards.

Stage Three: Response and Resolution

After we have completed our investigation, we will provide you with a written or verbal response. This will include a summary of your complaint and the issues raised, an explanation of our findings, any action we propose to take to put things right, and any changes we intend to make to our processes as a result of your feedback where relevant.

Where we agree that remedial work is needed, we will discuss suitable dates and times to revisit your garden. Where a financial adjustment is appropriate, we will explain how this will be applied. If we do not agree with some or all of your concerns, we will explain our reasons clearly.

Timescales

We aim to handle complaints as promptly as possible while ensuring a fair investigation. Most straightforward complaints can be resolved in a short period. More complex issues, particularly those involving large garden projects or multiple visits, may take longer. If for any reason we are unable to respond fully within our usual timescales, we will keep you informed, explain the delay and let you know when you can expect a full response.

If You Are Unhappy with the Outcome

If you are dissatisfied with our proposed resolution, you can ask for your complaint to be reviewed by a more senior member of the Gardeners Kingston team. During this review, we will look again at your concerns, the evidence we have gathered, and the actions we have proposed. We will then provide a final response explaining our position.

Respectful Communication

We are committed to treating all customers with courtesy and respect, and we ask the same in return. Our team members have the right to work without harassment or abuse. If communication becomes unreasonable, threatening or abusive, we may need to set boundaries on how we will communicate with you while still seeking to address your concerns.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

All complaints are handled in confidence. Information is only shared with the team members who need it to investigate and resolve the issues raised. We store and process any personal data provided in accordance with applicable data protection requirements. Details of your complaint may be used internally for training and service improvement, but they will not be shared externally without a lawful reason.

Continuous Improvement

Feedback from our customers is essential in helping us maintain and improve the quality of our gardening services. We regularly review complaints to identify any recurring themes, training needs or process changes that could prevent similar issues in the future. By raising a concern, you are helping us to provide a better and more consistent service for all our customers.