Gardeners Cubitt Town Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Cubitt Town is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening services and building long-term relationships with our clients. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as expected. This Complaints Procedure explains how you can raise a concern about our services, how we will respond, and what you can expect from us at each stage.

Our commitment to resolving complaints

We treat all complaints seriously and use them as an opportunity to improve our gardening and grounds maintenance services. Our aims are to make it easy for you to tell us what went wrong, to respond promptly and clearly, and to reach a fair resolution whenever possible.

We will always:

Listen carefully to your concerns, treat you with respect, and keep your information confidential within our business. Investigate what has happened and take appropriate action. Keep you informed about the progress of your complaint and the outcome.

What counts as a complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our gardening services, our staff, our communication, or how we have handled a previous issue. Examples include, but are not limited to:

Concerns about the quality of garden maintenance or landscaping work. Issues with missed or delayed appointments. Problems with conduct or attitude of team members. Disagreements about quotations, invoices, or agreed work. Dissatisfaction with how a previous concern was handled.

You do not have to use specific wording or call it a complaint for us to treat it as one. If you tell us you are unhappy with our service, we will follow this procedure.

How to make a complaint

You can raise a complaint using the communication method that is most convenient for you. Please provide as much detail as possible so we can understand and investigate the issue thoroughly.

When making a complaint, it is helpful if you can include:

Your name and how you would like us to contact you. The date and time of the service, and where the work took place. A clear description of what went wrong and how it affected you. Any photos or other information that might help us understand the problem. What you would like us to do to put things right.

We encourage you to raise your concern as soon as possible after the issue arises so that we can investigate while details are still fresh.

Stage 1: Informal resolution

Where possible, we aim to resolve issues informally and quickly. In many cases, concerns can be addressed by speaking directly with the gardener or team leader who carried out the work, or with the person who arranged your gardening service.

At this stage we will:

Listen to your concern and clarify any details. Offer an explanation if there has been a misunderstanding. Agree any immediate steps required, such as revisiting the garden or adjusting a future service.

Most issues are resolved at this informal stage. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, or prefer not to deal with the matter informally, you can ask for a formal review.

Stage 2: Formal complaint review

If your complaint cannot be resolved informally, we will handle it as a formal complaint. This ensures that the matter is investigated in more depth and fully documented.

Once we receive your formal complaint, we will:

Acknowledge receipt of your complaint and confirm that we are investigating. Review any relevant visit notes, schedules, and job details. Where appropriate, speak to the staff members involved. Consider any photos or evidence you have provided.

We aim to provide a full written response within a reasonable timeframe. If we need more time, we will let you know, explain why, and give you an updated timescale.

Outcomes and remedies

After investigating, we will explain our findings and any actions we will take. Possible outcomes may include:

An apology and an explanation of what went wrong. A return visit to complete or correct gardening work. Adjustments to a future service to address your concerns. Review of our internal processes or staff training to prevent a recurrence.

We will always aim to reach an outcome that is fair and proportionate to the issue raised, and that reflects our commitment to quality gardening services.

If you remain dissatisfied

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the formal complaint review, you can tell us why and ask us to reconsider. We may:

Arrange for a more senior member of the team to review the complaint. Re-examine any information or evidence you provide. Clarify any points that may have been misunderstood.

We will then confirm our final position and any further steps we are able to take.

Confidentiality and data protection

All complaints are handled in confidence. Information you provide is only shared within Gardeners Cubitt Town with staff who need it to investigate and respond to your complaint. We handle your personal data in line with applicable data protection requirements and store complaint records securely.

Using feedback to improve our services

Every complaint is recorded and reviewed so that we can identify patterns, learn from issues, and improve our gardening and maintenance services. Feedback from clients helps us refine our working methods, training, and communication, supporting better standards for all customers in our service area.

By setting out this Complaints Procedure clearly and following it consistently, Gardeners Cubitt Town aims to give you confidence that any concerns about our gardening work will be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and used to enhance the services we provide.