Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Lewisham Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Lewisham is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening services and clear communication with every customer. We recognise that, on occasion, you may feel that an aspect of our service has not met your expectations. This Complaints Procedure explains how you can raise a concern, how we will respond, and the steps we will take to put things right wherever possible.

Our Commitment to You

We aim to handle all complaints in a fair, consistent and timely manner. We treat every concern as an opportunity to improve our garden maintenance, landscaping and related services across our local service area. Our main objectives when dealing with a complaint are to listen carefully, investigate thoroughly, and offer a clear and reasonable resolution.

What This Procedure Covers

This Complaints Procedure applies to any dissatisfaction relating to the services provided by Gardeners Lewisham, including but not limited to routine garden care, one-off clearances, planting, lawn work and other gardening tasks carried out at your property. It covers issues such as quality of work, conduct of staff, punctuality, communication, and adherence to agreed specifications.

It does not cover matters that fall outside our control, such as extreme weather or restrictions imposed by property owners or local regulations. However, if you are unsure whether your concern is covered, you are still encouraged to raise it and we will clarify the situation.

How to Make a Complaint

You can raise a complaint verbally or in writing. Providing as much detail as possible will help us investigate your concerns promptly. Where you feel comfortable doing so, please include the following information:

The name and address where the gardening work was carried out
The date or dates when the service took place
A clear description of what went wrong or fell below your expectations
Any steps you have already taken to resolve the issue with our team on site
Any photos or notes that may help explain the problem

If you raise your complaint verbally while our gardeners are still on site, they will do their best to address straightforward issues immediately. Where a matter cannot be resolved at the time, it will be passed to a senior member of our team for further review.

Complaint Handling Stages

Stage One: Initial Review

Once we receive your complaint, we will log it and carry out an initial review. We aim to acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable timeframe. During this stage, we may contact you to clarify details, request additional information, or arrange a suitable time to visit your garden if an inspection is required.

Stage Two: Investigation

A senior member of the Gardeners Lewisham team will investigate your complaint. This may involve speaking with the gardeners who attended your property, reviewing work schedules and photographs taken before or after the job, and comparing the work completed with the agreed quotation or service description.

Where necessary, we may arrange a follow-up visit to inspect the garden in person. This helps us understand any practical issues, such as plant health, access constraints, or site conditions that may have affected the work.

Stage Three: Response and Outcome

After we have completed our investigation, we will provide you with a clear response, explaining:

Our understanding of the complaint
Any findings from our investigation
Whether we uphold the complaint in full, in part, or not at all
What steps we propose to take to resolve the matter, if applicable

Depending on the nature of the issue, the outcome may include a return visit to complete or correct work, practical advice for garden maintenance, a partial adjustment to the fee, or an explanation where we believe the service met the agreed standard.

Timescales

We aim to deal with all complaints as promptly as practical. The time taken will depend on the complexity of the issue and whether an on-site inspection is needed. Where we anticipate that an investigation may take longer than usual, we will keep you informed of progress and let you know when you can expect a full response.

Further Review

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint at the end of our internal process, you can request that the matter is reviewed by a different senior member of our team, where this is possible. They will consider whether the original investigation was thorough and whether the decision reached was reasonable in light of the available information.

This internal review is intended to provide an additional level of reassurance that your complaint has been handled fairly. Following this review, our decision will be final within the scope of our own procedures. Your statutory rights are not affected by this Complaints Procedure.

Your Responsibilities

To help us resolve complaints effectively, we ask that you:

Raise any concerns as soon as possible after the issue arises
Provide accurate and complete information about the service and the problem
Allow reasonable access to the garden for inspection or remedial work
Treat our staff with courtesy at all times

We reserve the right to end communication where a complainant behaves in an abusive, threatening or unreasonable manner. In such cases, we may choose to respond only in writing or to cease further correspondence where appropriate.

Continuous Improvement

Gardeners Lewisham uses feedback from complaints to improve how we plan, carry out and review our gardening services. We may adjust our working methods, staff training, scheduling or customer communication in response to the issues raised. By sharing your experience with us, you help us maintain and enhance the standard of service we aim to deliver to all customers in our area.

This Complaints Procedure is reviewed periodically to ensure it remains clear, fair and effective. Any updates will apply to future complaints and will not affect how existing complaints are handled unless we inform you otherwise.