Gardeners Shacklewell Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Shacklewell is committed to providing reliable, professional and courteous gardening services. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. This Complaints Procedure explains how you can raise a concern about our services, how we will respond, and the steps we take to put things right and learn from any issues.

Purpose of this Complaints Procedure

The purpose of this procedure is to offer a clear and fair way for clients to raise concerns about gardening or maintenance work carried out by Gardeners Shacklewell. It applies to all services we provide, including regular garden maintenance, one-off tidy-ups, lawn care, hedge trimming, planting and related garden improvement work.

We aim to resolve problems as quickly and informally as possible. Where a more formal approach is needed, this document sets out each stage of the process and what you can expect from us.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our service, whether justified or not, that requires a response. Examples may include:

Work not completed as agreed in the service description or quotation.

Concerns about the quality or timing of gardening work.

Issues with how our team behaved on your property.

Problems with communication, such as missed messages or unclear information.

Concerns about how we have handled a previous issue or request.

We welcome feedback of all kinds, including compliments and suggestions. Feedback that does not require a resolution is not treated as a formal complaint, but we still record and review it to improve our service.

How to Make a Complaint

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our gardening services, please raise it as soon as possible so we can investigate while details are still fresh. You can make a complaint in the following ways:

Speak directly to the team member on site at the time of the visit, where appropriate and safe to do so.

Contact the office or your usual point of contact to explain the issue in more detail.

Submit your complaint in writing, giving a clear description of what happened, when it happened, and what outcome you are seeking.

When making a complaint, please provide your name, property address where the service took place, the date of the visit, and any photographs or notes that help explain the issue.

Our Complaints Handling Stages

Stage 1: Informal Resolution

In many cases, complaints can be resolved quickly and informally. The first person to deal with your concern will usually be the gardener who carried out the work or a member of the office team.

We will listen carefully, ask any necessary questions and, where possible, offer an immediate solution, such as:

Arranging a revisit to correct or complete work.

Clarifying what was agreed in the original service specification.

Providing further explanation of what has been done and why.

If you are satisfied with the outcome at this stage, we will record the matter and treat it as closed. If you are not satisfied, you may ask for a formal review.

Stage 2: Formal Review

If your complaint cannot be resolved informally, or you prefer a formal approach from the outset, it will be reviewed by a manager or senior member of the Gardeners Shacklewell team.

We will acknowledge your formal complaint within a reasonable time and confirm that we are investigating. During the review we may:

Examine visit notes, schedules and any photographs taken.

Speak to the gardeners or coordinators involved.

Request additional information from you if anything is unclear.

Once the investigation is complete, we will provide a written response setting out:

Our understanding of your complaint.

The findings of our investigation.

Any actions we propose to take, such as remedial work, a goodwill gesture or changes to our processes.

Timescales for Responding

We aim to respond to complaints promptly and to keep you informed of progress. While timescales may vary depending on the complexity of the issue and the gardening season, our general approach is as follows:

Acknowledge receipt of your complaint within a reasonable period.

Carry out an initial assessment and, where possible, offer an informal resolution promptly.

Complete any formal investigation and provide a detailed response within a reasonable timeframe, or explain if more time is needed and why.

Possible Outcomes and Remedies

Our priority is to resolve your complaint fairly and restore your confidence in our services. Depending on the circumstances, possible outcomes may include:

Corrective gardening work, such as redoing or finishing a task.

Adjusting future visits or schedules to better meet your needs.

A partial or full refund where appropriate and justified.

An apology and explanation, along with steps to prevent a similar issue in future.

We will always explain the reasoning behind any decision and remedy we propose.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

All complaints are handled sensitively and kept confidential as far as possible. Information is shared only with those who need it in order to investigate and resolve the matter. Any personal data you provide will be processed in line with applicable data protection requirements and used only for managing your complaint and improving our services.

Learning From Complaints

Complaints are an important source of feedback for Gardeners Shacklewell. We regularly review the issues raised to identify patterns, training needs and opportunities to improve our gardening practices, customer service and health and safety standards.

By following this Complaints Procedure, we aim to deal with concerns in a constructive way that benefits both our clients and our team, helping us to maintain gardens to a high standard and build long-term relationships based on trust.