Gardeners Camden Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Camden is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening and grounds maintenance services. We recognise that occasionally things may not go as planned. When this happens, we want to know so we can put matters right and improve our service for clients across our local area.

This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern, how we respond, and what you can expect from us at each stage. We aim to deal with all complaints fairly, consistently, and in a timely manner.

Scope of this complaints procedure

This procedure applies to any written or verbal complaint about the services provided by Gardeners Camden, including but not limited to garden maintenance, planting, lawn care, pruning, clearances, and related work carried out at residential or commercial properties.

It covers complaints about the quality of work, the conduct of staff or contractors, health and safety issues, damage to property, failure to deliver services as agreed, and administrative errors such as scheduling or invoicing issues.

Our complaints principles

When you make a complaint to Gardeners Camden, we will follow these principles:

We will treat you with respect and courtesy at all times. We will listen carefully to your concerns and aim to understand what has happened and what outcome you are seeking. We will investigate your complaint impartially, and we will not treat you unfavourably for raising a concern. We will keep your personal information secure and only use it for the purposes of dealing with your complaint, in line with our privacy practices.

How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint in writing or verbally. If possible, we encourage you to put your complaint in writing, as this helps us understand the issue clearly and respond more effectively.

When you contact us, please provide the following information:

Your full name and the address where the gardening work was carried out. The date or dates of the service you are complaining about. A clear description of what went wrong and how it has affected you. Any supporting information, such as photographs of the garden or damaged items, if relevant. What you would like us to do to resolve the issue, for example, a return visit, a correction of work, or another form of remedy.

If you first raise your concern in person or by phone, we may ask you to confirm the details in writing. This is to ensure that we have an accurate record of your complaint.

Stage one: Informal resolution

Where possible, we aim to resolve complaints informally and quickly. If you are unhappy with a gardening service, please tell us as soon as you can. Many issues can be resolved at this stage, for example by arranging a follow up visit, adjusting work that has been completed, or clarifying what was agreed in the service specification.

At this stage, we will normally:

Listen to your concerns and ask any necessary questions. Check the original service booking, quote, or agreement. If appropriate, arrange to inspect the garden or outdoor area. Seek to agree a practical solution with you, such as remedial work or another suitable outcome.

If you are not satisfied with the informal response, or if the matter is more serious or complex, you can ask for your complaint to be dealt with formally under stage two.

Stage two: Formal complaint review

When you ask us to treat your complaint as a formal complaint, we will:

Acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable period of time, setting out the next steps and anticipated timescales. Assign a member of the management team to review the matter. Carry out any necessary investigation, which may include speaking to the gardener or team who attended, reviewing photographs or job reports, and, where appropriate, arranging a site visit.

Once we have completed our investigation, we will provide you with a written response. This will usually include:

A summary of the complaint and the issues you raised. A description of the steps we have taken to investigate. Our findings and whether we uphold your complaint in full, in part, or not upheld. Any actions we will take to put matters right, such as rectifying work, offering a goodwill gesture, or improving our internal processes.

We aim to complete this stage within a reasonable and proportionate timescale, depending on the complexity of the complaint and the need for any site inspections.

Stage three: Further review

If you remain dissatisfied after receiving our formal response, you can ask us to review the outcome. In doing so, please explain which aspects of the decision you disagree with and why.

Where possible, a different senior person will review the handling and outcome of your complaint. They may revisit evidence, consider any additional information you provide, and determine whether the original decision should be upheld, changed, or added to.

We will then provide a final written response, setting out our conclusions and any further actions we propose to take.

Possible outcomes and remedies

Depending on the nature of your complaint, possible outcomes may include:

Rectification or completion of gardening work. A follow up visit to assess or improve the condition of the garden. A partial or full adjustment to an invoice where appropriate. An apology and explanation. Changes to our internal procedures, staff training, or quality checks to help prevent similar issues in future.

We will always seek to reach an outcome that is fair and proportionate to the issues raised and the impact on you.

Time limits for raising a complaint

We encourage clients to raise any concerns as soon as possible after the service, ideally within a reasonable period of time. This makes it easier for us to investigate, especially for gardening work where plants, lawns, and outdoor conditions can change quickly.

If a significant amount of time has passed, it may be more difficult for us to assess what happened, but we will still consider your complaint and explain what we can reasonably do in the circumstances.

Confidentiality and data protection

All complaints are handled in confidence. Information you provide will only be shared with those who need it to investigate and respond to your complaint or to improve our services. We will keep records of complaints securely and for no longer than is necessary for these purposes.

Continuous improvement

Gardeners Camden values feedback from clients across our service area. We regularly review complaints and outcomes to identify patterns and areas where we can improve our gardening and maintenance services, communication, and customer care. Your complaint helps us to deliver a more reliable and consistent service to all our clients.