Complaints Procedure for Gardeners Sanderstead

Gardeners Sanderstead is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening services and maintaining strong relationships with our customers. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. When this happens, we encourage you to tell us so that we can put things right and improve our services for the future. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern, how we will handle your complaint, and what you can expect from us throughout the process.

Our Commitment to You

We aim to handle all complaints promptly, fairly, and consistently. Every complaint is treated seriously, whether it relates to lawn care, hedge cutting, garden maintenance, seasonal tidy-ups, or any other service we provide. Our objectives are to:

Listen carefully to your concerns and understand the issue in full.

Resolve the matter at the earliest possible stage.

Provide clear explanations of what we will do and why.

Use your feedback to review and improve our gardening services.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our services, staff, or contractors, where you would like us to investigate and respond. Examples may include:

The quality of gardening work carried out on your property, such as planting, pruning, lawn care, or weed control.

The conduct, attitude, or professionalism of our team members.

Delays in attending scheduled visits or repeatedly missed appointments.

Concerns about how we have communicated with you or handled your booking.

Disagreements about invoices, quotes, or agreed work.

If you are unsure whether your issue is a complaint, you are welcome to raise it with us and we will advise you on the best way forward.

How to Raise a Complaint

You can raise a complaint verbally or in writing. While we will accept complaints made in any reasonable form, we encourage you to set out your concerns in writing wherever possible, as this helps us to understand the issue clearly and investigate efficiently.

When making a complaint, please provide the following information:

Your name and your preferred way for us to contact you.

The address of the property where we carried out the gardening work.

The dates and times of the service you are complaining about, if known.

A clear description of what went wrong and how you have been affected.

Any steps you have already taken to try to resolve the issue informally.

Any supporting information such as photographs or written notes, if you have them.

Stage One: Informal Resolution

We encourage customers to raise concerns as soon as possible, ideally while our team is still on site or shortly after the service has been completed. In many cases, issues can be resolved quickly and informally by speaking directly with the gardener attending your property or with the relevant supervisor.

At this stage we will:

Listen to your concerns and clarify any details.

Seek to agree a practical solution, which may include correcting the work, revisiting your garden, or making other reasonable adjustments.

Confirm with you that the agreed solution is acceptable.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this informal process, or if the matter is more serious, you can ask for your complaint to be handled formally.

Stage Two: Formal Complaint

If your concern cannot be resolved informally, you may escalate it as a formal complaint. Once we receive your formal complaint, we will:

Acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable timeframe, confirming that it is being investigated.

Assign a person with appropriate responsibility to review your case. This may be a manager or senior member of the team.

Carry out a thorough investigation, which may include reviewing service records, speaking with the staff involved, and, where appropriate, visiting your property to inspect the garden work.

We aim to provide a full written response within a reasonable period. If, for any reason, we need longer to investigate, we will let you know and explain the reasons for the delay, together with an updated timescale.

Our Response and Possible Outcomes

When we have completed our investigation, we will write to you to explain:

What we have found after reviewing your complaint.

Whether your complaint has been upheld in full, in part, or not upheld.

Any steps we have taken or will take to put things right, if we are at fault.

Any improvements we plan to make to our services or procedures as a result of your feedback.

Depending on the circumstances, possible outcomes could include:

Providing a clear explanation or additional information.

Correcting or redoing gardening work where this is practical and reasonable.

Reviewing how we schedule appointments or communicate with customers.

Taking appropriate action in relation to staff conduct or training.

If You Remain Dissatisfied

If you are not satisfied with our formal response, you may let us know and request that your complaint be reviewed again. In such cases, a senior person who has not been directly involved in the original investigation will carry out a further review where possible. They will consider whether the complaint procedure has been followed correctly, whether the investigation was fair, and whether the outcome remains reasonable in light of all available information.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

All complaints are handled in confidence. Information you provide will be used only for the purpose of investigating and resolving your complaint and for improving our services. We will share details internally only with those who need to know in order to handle the matter appropriately. Any personal information will be managed in line with relevant data protection principles.

Using Complaints to Improve Our Services

Gardeners Sanderstead values all feedback, including complaints, as an important tool for service improvement. We regularly review the issues raised by customers, such as recurring concerns about garden maintenance standards, timing of visits, or communication, and use this information to refine our processes, training, and quality checks. By telling us when something has gone wrong, you help us maintain and improve the quality of our gardening services.

Accessibility of This Procedure

This complaints procedure is intended to be clear and straightforward for all customers. If you require the information in a different format, or need additional support to raise a complaint, you can let us know and we will do our best to assist you. Our goal is to ensure every customer feels able to share their concerns and have them addressed fairly.