Complaints Procedure

Complaints Procedure for Gardeners St Giles Clients

Gardeners St Giles is committed to providing reliable and professional gardening services for homes, communal spaces, and commercial outdoor areas. We recognise that, on occasion, clients may feel dissatisfied with some aspect of our work or service. This complaints procedure explains how to raise a concern, how we will respond, and the steps we take to reach a fair resolution.

Our Commitment to Handling Complaints

We aim to deal with all complaints promptly, politely, and consistently. Every complaint is treated seriously and as an opportunity to review and improve our services. We will always do our best to:

• Listen carefully to your concerns
• Understand the outcome you are seeking
• Investigate matters thoroughly and fairly
• Communicate clearly and in good time
• Put things right where we are at fault and explain when we are not

What This Procedure Covers

This complaints procedure applies to all gardening and related services provided by Gardeners St Giles, including regular garden maintenance, one-off tidy-ups, landscaping preparation, lawn care, hedge trimming, planting, and seasonal work. It covers concerns about:

• Quality of workmanship
• Conduct or behaviour of our gardeners or representatives
• Adherence to agreed schedules or appointments
• Clarity of information about work proposed or carried out
• Billing issues, where they relate to the service provided

This procedure does not cover matters that fall wholly outside our control, such as severe weather affecting schedules or plant survival, or third-party actions that impact your garden. However, we will always try to offer guidance or support where possible.

How to Make a Complaint

We encourage you to raise any concerns as soon as possible so that we can address them without delay. You can make a complaint verbally or in writing. In your complaint, please provide:

• Your name and the address where the gardening work was carried out
• A clear description of what happened and when
• Details of the service or visit that you are unhappy with
• Any relevant supporting information, such as dates or photographs
• What you would like us to do to resolve the issue

Raising your complaint promptly and with these details helps us investigate more effectively and reach a quicker resolution.

Informal Resolution

Where possible, we aim to resolve issues informally and quickly. If you are comfortable doing so, please speak to the gardener on site or to your usual point of contact for Gardeners St Giles as soon as you become aware of a problem. Many issues can be resolved immediately or during the next visit, for example by:

• Repeating or adjusting part of the work
• Clarifying what was agreed or possible within the scope of the booking
• Agreeing a follow-up appointment to put matters right

If you are not satisfied with the informal response, or you prefer not to raise the issue in this way, you can use the formal complaints process set out below.

Formal Complaints Process

When a concern cannot be resolved informally, or you submit a written complaint, it will be handled as a formal complaint following these stages.

Stage 1: Acknowledgement

We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within a reasonable timeframe. In this acknowledgement, we will confirm that we have received your complaint and outline the next steps in the process.

Stage 2: Investigation

A member of the Gardeners St Giles team who has not been directly involved in the issue will review your complaint. This may include:

• Looking at records of the work carried out
• Reviewing any photographs or supporting documents
• Speaking with the gardener or team who attended your property
• Clarifying details with you if further information is needed

We aim to complete this investigation within a reasonable period, depending on the complexity of the matter and availability of relevant information.

Stage 3: Response and Outcome

Once the investigation is complete, we will provide you with a clear written response. This response will set out:

• A summary of your complaint
• The steps taken to investigate
• Our findings and any conclusions reached
• Any actions we propose to resolve the complaint

Where we identify that our service has fallen below the standards we expect, we may offer appropriate remedies, which could include corrective work, adjustments to future planned visits, or, where justified, a partial or full refund.

If You Are Still Unhappy

If you feel that your complaint has not been addressed fairly after our formal response, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed. A different member of the management team will reconsider the complaint, the investigation carried out, and the outcome proposed. We will then provide a final response explaining whether the original decision is upheld or varied, and our reasons.

Time Limits for Complaints

To help us investigate thoroughly and fairly, we ask that complaints are raised as soon as possible after the issue occurs. Complaints about specific gardening work should generally be made within a reasonable period from the date of the visit or completion of the job, so that evidence and recollections remain accurate and any necessary remedial work can be effective.

Recording and Using Complaint Information

We keep a record of all complaints received, the investigations carried out, and the outcomes reached. This information is used to:

• Monitor service quality across our gardening work
• Identify recurring issues and areas for improvement
• Provide additional training or guidance to our team where needed
• Review and update our procedures, including this complaints process

Any personal information you provide in the course of a complaint is handled securely and used only for managing your complaint and improving our service, in line with applicable data protection requirements.

Working Together Towards a Resolution

We understand that raising a complaint can be frustrating, especially when it concerns your home, outdoor space, or business premises. Our aim is always to work with you constructively to restore confidence in our gardening services. By following this complaints procedure, both you and Gardeners St Giles can ensure that concerns are heard, considered fairly, and resolved wherever possible.