Complaints Procedure for Gardeners Newbury Park

Gardeners Newbury Park is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening and grounds care services. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern, how we will respond, and what you can expect from us at each stage. Our aim is to resolve issues fairly, promptly and in a constructive way.

Scope of this complaints procedure

This procedure applies to all domestic and commercial customers who use the services of Gardeners Newbury Park, including regular garden maintenance, one-off tidy ups, lawn care, planting, pruning, hedge work and related outdoor services. It covers complaints about the quality of work, conduct of our gardeners, scheduling, access issues, communication and billing disputes.

This procedure does not cover general enquiries, requests for quotations, or routine rescheduling requests where no dissatisfaction is being raised. Those matters will be dealt with as part of our standard customer service processes.

Our complaints principles

In handling every complaint, Gardeners Newbury Park will follow these principles:

We will treat you with respect and courtesy at all times. We will listen carefully to your concerns without making assumptions. We will keep an open mind and investigate impartially. We will aim to put things right where we have made a mistake. We will learn from complaints to improve our gardening services and customer care across our local service area.

How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint verbally or in writing. You may contact us by your usual method of communication for bookings or general enquiries. Please tell us as clearly as possible what went wrong, when it happened, and which property or garden the work relates to. It is helpful if you can provide:

The date or approximate date of the visit or service. A brief description of the work that was agreed. What you are unhappy about, including specific areas of the garden or tasks. Any steps you would like us to consider to resolve the matter.

We encourage customers to raise issues as soon as possible, ideally within a reasonable time of the gardening visit, so that we can investigate effectively and, where appropriate, view the garden while the issue is still visible.

Stage one: Initial review and response

Once we receive your complaint, we will acknowledge it as soon as reasonably practical. An initial review will be carried out by a member of the management team, or by a senior person not directly responsible for the work where possible, to maintain fairness.

During this stage we may:

Contact you to clarify details or request further information. Review the original booking, agreed specification and any notes from the gardening team. Speak to the gardeners who attended your property. Where appropriate, arrange to revisit the garden to inspect the work.

We aim to provide an initial response within a reasonable time period, explaining our understanding of the issue and any immediate steps we can take.

Stage two: Investigation and resolution

If the matter is not resolved at stage one, or if the complaint is complex or involves multiple visits, it will move to a fuller investigation. This may include a more detailed review of work completed, photographs where available, and any communication between you and our team.

Following the investigation, we will set out our findings, which may include:

Whether we consider the service fell below the standard reasonably expected. Any contributing factors such as access, weather or safety considerations. What remedial action we propose, if any.

Possible outcomes may include:

A return visit to complete or correct specific gardening tasks. Adjustments to future scheduled work or service plans. A partial or full credit on your account where appropriate. An explanation where we believe the service was delivered as agreed, with reasons.

We will explain the reasons for our decision and the evidence considered. Our objective is always to reach a fair and practical resolution tailored to the circumstances of each garden and service.

Stage three: Further review

If you remain dissatisfied after stage two, you may request a further review. This should be done within a reasonable period of receiving our stage two outcome. Where possible, a different senior member of the team will review both your original complaint and the handling of it so far.

The further review will consider whether:

The complaints procedure has been followed correctly. All relevant information and evidence have been considered. The outcome at stage two is reasonable in light of the facts.

Following this review, we will confirm our final position and whether any additional steps will be taken. This will usually conclude our internal complaints process.

Timeframes

We aim to acknowledge complaints and provide responses as quickly as reasonably possible, depending on the complexity of the issue and the need for site visits. Some gardening-related matters may require observation over time, such as plant establishment or lawn recovery, and we will explain if this affects timeframes.

If we require more time to investigate, we will let you know and keep you updated on progress.

Customer responsibilities

To help us deal with your complaint effectively, we ask that you:

Provide accurate and complete information about the service and the issue. Allow reasonable access to the garden or property where a visit is required. Communicate with our team in a polite and respectful manner.

We reserve the right to withdraw services where there is abusive or threatening behaviour towards our gardeners or office staff.

Learning from complaints

Gardeners Newbury Park uses complaints as an opportunity to review and improve how we deliver our gardening and maintenance services. We may use anonymised information from complaints to provide additional training, adjust work processes, improve communication with customers, or refine our service descriptions and expectations.

Updates to this procedure

This complaints procedure may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in our services, operational practices or applicable guidance. The version made available on our legal and policy pages will always be the most current. Customers are encouraged to review this document periodically if they have ongoing service arrangements with Gardeners Newbury Park.