Gardeners Chessington Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Chessington is committed to providing reliable, professional and courteous gardening services. We aim to resolve any concerns quickly and fairly so that our customers feel confident in using our services. This Complaints Procedure explains how you can raise an issue, how we will respond, and what you can expect from us at each stage.

Our Commitment to You

We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. When this happens, we want to know about it so we can put things right and improve our services for the future. All complaints are taken seriously and handled with respect, confidentiality and without discrimination.

Our objectives when handling complaints are to:

Listen carefully and understand your concerns about our gardening services.

Respond in a timely, clear and constructive manner.

Investigate thoroughly and fairly, considering all relevant information.

Offer appropriate solutions and, where necessary, learn from the outcome to prevent recurrence.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about the standard of work, conduct, communication, or service you have received from Gardeners Chessington. This may include, for example:

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

Issues with reliability, such as repeated delays, non-attendance or poor communication regarding appointments.

Concerns about the behaviour, attitude or professionalism of our gardeners or support staff.

Disagreement about costs, quotations, or the scope of agreed work.

Any other matter where you feel we have not met the standard of service you reasonably expected.

How to Make a Complaint

You can raise a complaint in writing. Providing information in writing helps to ensure that we fully understand your concerns and can investigate them accurately. When submitting your complaint, please include:

Your full name and, if relevant, the property address where the gardening services were carried out.

Details of the work or service you are complaining about, including dates and times where known.

A clear description of what went wrong and why you are dissatisfied.

Any relevant supporting information, such as photographs or job references, if available.

What outcome or resolution you are seeking, if you have a preferred solution.

Timescales for Acknowledgement and Response

Once we receive your complaint, we will:

Acknowledge receipt of your complaint as soon as reasonably practicable.

Begin our investigation, which may include speaking to the gardeners who attended your property, reviewing job records and considering any supporting information you have provided.

Provide you with a written response once the investigation is complete. In most cases, we aim to issue a full response within a reasonable timeframe. If we anticipate any delay, we will let you know and explain the reason.

How We Investigate Complaints

Our approach to investigating complaints is based on fairness, thoroughness and transparency. Depending on the nature of your complaint, we may:

Review service records, schedules and any relevant notes made at the time of the visit.

Speak with the gardener or team who attended your property to understand what took place.

Consider any photographs, correspondence or other evidence you have provided.

Assess whether the work met the standards set out in our service commitments and any quotation or written agreement.

We will consider both your account and our own records before reaching a conclusion.

Outcomes and Remedies

When our investigation is complete, we will write to you with our findings. Where we uphold your complaint in whole or in part, we will explain what went wrong and the steps we propose to take. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Arranging for remedial gardening work to be carried out.

Reviewing or adjusting future service arrangements to better meet your needs.

Offering an appropriate gesture of goodwill where we consider it reasonable to do so.

Where we do not uphold your complaint, we will explain the reasons clearly and provide the information we relied upon in reaching that decision.

If You Are Not Satisfied With the Outcome

If you remain unhappy after receiving our written response, you may ask us to review the decision. In your request for a review, please explain why you believe the outcome is not fair or accurate and provide any additional information you would like us to consider.

We will then arrange for a further review, which may involve a different person within Gardeners Chessington considering your complaint and our initial decision. After this review, we will send you a final written response.

Respectful Communication

We understand that complaints can arise from stressful or frustrating situations. Our team will always strive to communicate politely and professionally, and we ask that you treat our gardeners and staff with the same respect. We may bring a conversation to a close if behaviour is abusive, threatening or unreasonable, but this will not prevent us from properly considering the substance of your complaint.

Using Complaints to Improve Our Services

Every complaint, whether upheld or not, is an opportunity for us to review how we work and to identify where our gardening services can be strengthened. We may keep internal records of complaints, outcomes and any changes made as a result. This helps us to monitor performance, provide additional training where needed, and improve the experience for all customers in the area we serve.

Confidentiality and Data Handling

All complaints are handled as confidential. Information you provide will be used only for the purposes of investigating and resolving your complaint, managing our services and meeting our legal obligations. We will not share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

By following this Complaints Procedure, Gardeners Chessington aims to resolve concerns fairly, maintain high standards of gardening work and continue building long-term relationships with our customers.