Gardeners Crofton Park Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Crofton Park is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening services. We aim to resolve any concerns quickly, fairly, and transparently. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a complaint, how we will handle it, and what you can expect at each stage.

Our Commitment to You

We recognise that, from time to time, things may not go as planned. When that happens, we want to know so that we can put matters right and improve our services. We are committed to treating every complaint seriously, handling it respectfully, and resolving it wherever possible to your satisfaction.

We will always aim to:

Listen carefully to your concerns and understand what has gone wrong from your perspective.

Deal with your complaint promptly, usually within the timescales set out below.

Keep you informed throughout the process.

Use the outcome of complaints to improve the way we work and the services we deliver in gardens across our service area.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our gardening services, our staff, or the way we have handled an enquiry or booking, where you would like a response or resolution.

Examples of issues that may be treated as a complaint include:

Concerns about the quality of lawn care, planting, pruning, or other gardening work.

Problems with appointments, such as missed visits or significant delays without explanation.

Issues with communication, such as not returning messages, not providing agreed information, or unclear quotations.

Concerns about the conduct or behaviour of our gardeners or office staff.

This procedure is not intended to deal with general feedback or routine queries, which can be raised with us informally at any time.

How to Make a Complaint

You can make a complaint in writing or verbally. We encourage you to raise any concerns as soon as possible after the issue arises, so that we can investigate while details are still clear.

When making a complaint, please tell us:

What happened and when it happened.

Which property or gardening visit your complaint relates to.

Who was involved, if known.

How you would like us to put things right.

Providing as much detail as you can will help us investigate more effectively.

Step One – Informal Resolution

In many cases, complaints can be resolved quickly and informally. If you feel comfortable doing so, you may raise your concern directly with the gardener on site or with the person you usually deal with for your bookings.

We will try to resolve the issue on the spot, or as soon as reasonably possible, for example by:

Clarifying any misunderstanding.

Arranging a revisit to put work right.

Agreeing adjustments to the service for future visits.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this informal stage, or do not wish to raise the matter informally, you can make a formal complaint.

Step Two – Formal Complaint

To make a formal complaint, please put your concerns in writing so that there is a clear record of the issues you are raising. Once we receive your formal complaint, we will:

Acknowledge receipt of your complaint within a reasonable period.

Record details of your complaint securely so that it can be tracked and monitored.

Assign a person with appropriate responsibility to review your concerns.

The person handling your complaint will usually be different from the staff member directly involved in the matter you are complaining about, wherever practicable.

Investigation and Response

We will investigate your complaint by reviewing relevant records, speaking with the staff involved, and, if necessary, inspecting any related gardening work. We may contact you to clarify details or to request additional information.

Once the investigation is complete, we will provide you with a written response that includes:

A summary of the complaint and the issues considered.

Details of the investigation carried out.

Our findings and conclusions.

Any actions we will take to remedy the situation, such as rectifying work, offering a goodwill gesture, or changing internal procedures.

We aim to issue a final response within a reasonable period of receiving your formal complaint. If we need more time due to the complexity of the matters raised, we will let you know and explain the reason for the delay.

If You Are Still Unhappy

If you remain dissatisfied after receiving our formal response, you may ask for a further review. In doing so, please explain which parts of our response you disagree with and why, and what outcome you are seeking.

We will then arrange for a senior member of the team, who has not previously been involved in the complaint, to review both your original complaint and the way it has been handled. Following this review, we will write to you with a final position.

Confidentiality and Fair Treatment

All complaints will be handled in confidence and shared only with those who need to know in order to investigate and respond. Raising a complaint in good faith will not negatively affect any ongoing or future services you receive from us.

We expect our team and our customers to treat each other with respect throughout the complaints process. If communication becomes abusive or threatening, we may restrict how we communicate with you, while still working to address the substance of your complaint.

Using Complaints to Improve Our Services

Complaints help us identify areas where we can improve, whether that is in how we carry out garden maintenance, how we manage bookings and schedules, or how we communicate with customers in our service area.

We regularly review complaints data to identify trends and make changes to our working practices, staff training, and quality control. By doing this, we aim to reduce the likelihood of similar issues arising in the future and to continue improving the service our gardeners provide.

This complaints procedure is kept under review and may be updated from time to time. Any changes will apply to complaints raised after the updated procedure has been published.