Gardeners Preston Complaints Procedure

At Gardeners Preston, we are committed to providing reliable, high quality gardening services and a positive experience for every customer. If something goes wrong, we want to know about it so that we can put things right and improve our service. This complaints procedure explains how you can raise a concern, what you can expect from us, and how we will work with you to resolve the matter fairly and promptly.

What This Complaints Procedure Covers

This procedure applies to any complaint about the gardening and related services provided by Gardeners Preston, including work carried out at domestic gardens, communal areas, and commercial outdoor spaces. It covers issues such as quality of work, conduct of team members, communication, missed appointments, and any other aspect of our service that you are dissatisfied with.

This procedure does not cover employment disputes, business-to-business contractual disputes beyond the scope of normal service delivery, or matters that are already the subject of legal proceedings.

Our Commitments When Handling Complaints

When you raise a complaint with Gardeners Preston, we will:

Listen carefully to your concerns and treat you with respect at all times.

Acknowledge your complaint promptly and explain the next steps.

Investigate the matter fairly, objectively, and without unnecessary delay.

Keep you informed of progress and expected timeframes.

Provide a clear response, including any findings, decisions, and actions we will take.

Use the outcome to review and, where needed, improve our gardening services and internal processes.

How to Make a Complaint

You can raise a complaint in the way that is most convenient for you. You may speak to a member of the Gardeners Preston team in person at your property during a visit, or contact us through our standard communication channels as set out in your written correspondence or service documentation. Please explain that you wish to make a complaint so we can treat your concern under this procedure.

To help us deal with your complaint efficiently, please provide the following information where possible:

Your full name and the address where the gardening work was carried out.

The date or dates of the service you are unhappy with.

A clear description of what went wrong and how it has affected you.

Any photos or supporting information you wish us to consider.

How you would ideally like us to resolve the issue.

Stage One: Initial Review and Response

In the first instance, your complaint will usually be handled by the member of staff best placed to understand the work carried out, which may be the gardener or team leader responsible for your visit or the office representative managing your booking.

We will aim to acknowledge your complaint as soon as reasonably possible. Where appropriate, we may ask you for additional information to ensure we fully understand the issue. We may also propose a site visit if this will help us assess the gardening work or any reported damage or omissions.

After reviewing all relevant details, we will provide you with an initial response. This may include an explanation, an apology where appropriate, and one or more proposed remedies such as rectification work, a partial adjustment, or another reasonable solution.

Stage Two: Escalation and Further Review

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of Stage One, you may ask for your complaint to be escalated. Your complaint will then be reviewed by a more senior member of the Gardeners Preston team who was not directly involved in the original work, wherever possible.

During this stage, we will re-examine the information already provided and may request further details or carry out an additional inspection of the garden or outdoor area. Our aim is to provide a fresh and balanced assessment of the situation and to determine whether the initial response was fair and reasonable.

We will provide you with a written or clearly documented outcome, explaining our findings, the reasons for our decision, and any further action we propose to take.

Possible Outcomes and Remedies

The action we take will depend on the nature of the complaint and the results of our investigation. Potential outcomes may include:

A clear explanation or clarification if there has been a misunderstanding.

Repeat or corrective gardening work, such as revisiting to complete, adjust, or improve the service originally agreed.

A partial adjustment or other gesture of goodwill where appropriate.

Changes to our internal procedures, staff training, or service practices to help prevent similar issues arising in the future.

Where we do not uphold a complaint, we will explain the reasons clearly so you understand how the conclusion was reached.

Timescales

We aim to handle complaints as promptly as we reasonably can. The time needed will depend on the complexity of the matter, whether a site visit is required, and the availability of any relevant team members. If at any point we expect a delay, we will let you know and provide an updated timescale.

Your Responsibilities

To help us deal with your complaint effectively and fairly, we ask that you:

Raise concerns as soon as reasonably possible after the issue arises.

Provide information that is accurate, complete, and honest to the best of your knowledge.

Treat our staff with courtesy and allow reasonable time for us to investigate and respond.

Allow access to the garden or outdoor area when a site visit is required to assess or rectify the issue.

Further Action

We aim to resolve most complaints directly with our customers through this procedure. If, after we have completed our internal process, you remain dissatisfied with the outcome, you may consider seeking independent advice regarding your options. This may include contacting a relevant advisory body or exploring other resolution routes where appropriate for consumer or business disputes.

Continuous Improvement

Feedback is an essential part of maintaining a high standard of gardening services. Gardeners Preston reviews complaints regularly to identify trends and opportunities to improve how we plan, carry out, and follow up our work. By raising concerns, you help us deliver a better and more reliable service to all customers in our service area.

This complaints procedure does not affect your statutory rights.