Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Coney Hall Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Coney Hall is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening and grounds care services. We aim to deliver high standards on every visit, but we recognise that problems can occasionally arise. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern, what you can expect from us, and how we work to resolve issues promptly and fairly.

Our Commitment to You

We take every complaint seriously and see it as an opportunity to improve our services. When you raise a concern about gardening work, communication, conduct, or any other part of our service, we will treat you with respect and handle your complaint in a professional, fair and consistent way.

Our key commitments are:

To listen carefully to your concerns and understand the issue from your point of view.

To acknowledge your complaint clearly and within a reasonable period of time.

To investigate what has happened and why, using any relevant information or records.

To respond to you with clear outcomes and, where appropriate, practical solutions.

To learn from complaints so that we can prevent similar issues in the future.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our gardening or customer service, whether it is made verbally or in writing. This can include, but is not limited to:

Concerns about the quality of gardening work carried out at your property.

Issues with reliability, timekeeping, or adherence to agreed schedules.

Disputes about quotations, invoices or pricing for our services.

Concerns about the behaviour, attitude or conduct of team members.

Problems with communication, such as lack of updates or unclear information.

If you are unsure whether your concern is a complaint, you are welcome to raise it with us and we will clarify the best way to handle it.

How to Make a Complaint

You can raise a complaint verbally or in writing. While we will always try to resolve issues on the spot wherever possible, we recommend putting more serious or ongoing concerns in writing so that the details are clearly recorded.

When you contact us, it is helpful if you include:

Your full name and the address where we provide gardening services.

A clear description of what went wrong and when it occurred.

Any relevant details, such as dates, times, and the type of work booked.

What you would like us to do to put things right, if you have a preferred outcome.

Providing this information helps us to investigate your complaint more effectively and respond to you as quickly as possible.

Acknowledgement of Your Complaint

We will acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable timeframe after receiving it. The acknowledgement will confirm that we have received your concerns and will be looking into the matter. Where possible, we will also let you know who will be responsible for handling your complaint and how you can contact them during the process.

Our Investigation Process

Every complaint is investigated carefully and objectively. Depending on the nature of the issue, our investigation may include:

Reviewing work schedules, service notes, photographs or other relevant records.

Speaking with the gardeners or team members involved in the work.

Reviewing any previous communication or agreements with you.

If necessary, we may arrange a visit to your property so we can assess the garden and any work carried out. We will always aim to complete our investigation within a reasonable time, depending on the complexity of the issue.

Our Response and Possible Outcomes

Once we have fully investigated your complaint, we will provide you with a clear response. This response will explain:

What we have found during our investigation.

Any factors that may have contributed to the issue.

What we propose to do to put matters right, if appropriate.

Possible outcomes may include:

Additional gardening work to correct or complete a service.

Adjustments to future schedules or working practices at your property.

Review of internal procedures or team training to prevent similar issues.

Where we do not agree that a complaint is justified, we will explain our reasoning clearly and provide any supporting information we relied upon when making our decision.

If You Are Not Satisfied With the Outcome

If you remain unhappy with the outcome of your complaint, you may request that the decision is reviewed. We will arrange for a more senior person, or someone not previously involved, to consider the matter again where possible. They will review the details of your complaint, the steps already taken and the outcome previously offered, and will then provide a final response.

We will always aim to handle any escalation in a fair, reasonable and timely way.

Time Limits for Raising a Complaint

We encourage you to raise any concerns about our gardening services as soon as possible after the issue occurs. This helps us to recall the work, check records, and put things right quickly if needed. While we will consider complaints raised at a later date, it may be more difficult to investigate fully if significant time has passed.

Recording and Using Complaint Information

We keep a record of complaints we receive, along with information about how they were resolved. This helps us to identify any patterns, improve our services, and ensure that our standards remain consistent for customers across our service area.

Any personal information you provide during the complaints process will be handled in line with our general obligations to keep your data secure and to use it only for appropriate purposes.

Continuous Improvement

Feedback from customers is an important part of how Gardeners Coney Hall maintains and improves service quality. We review complaints regularly to identify areas where our gardening work, scheduling, communication, or internal procedures can be improved. By following this complaints procedure, we aim to ensure that every concern is dealt with fairly and that we learn from each experience to provide a more reliable and professional service across the gardens we look after.