Complaints Procedure for Gardeners Morden Park

This complaints procedure explains how customers of Gardeners Morden Park can raise concerns about our gardening and grounds maintenance services, and how we will respond. Our aim is to handle every complaint promptly, fairly and consistently, so that issues are resolved and our services continue to improve.

1. Purpose of this complaints procedure

The purpose of this complaints procedure is to set out a clear and accessible process for reporting dissatisfaction with any aspect of our work. This includes lawn care, hedge cutting, planting, garden tidy-ups, regular maintenance visits, and any related customer service or conduct issues.

We use feedback from complaints to review working practices, staff training and communication with customers. Every concern is an opportunity to improve how we deliver gardening services in the local area.

2. What counts as a complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our services or the way we have handled a previous issue, where a customer is seeking a response or resolution. Examples include:

Work not carried out as agreed, such as incomplete gardening tasks or missed visits.

Perceived poor quality of work, including planting, pruning, lawn care or clearance.

Concerns about staff behaviour, attitude or professionalism while on site.

Disputes about agreed quotations, invoices or changes to scope of work.

Problems with communication, such as a lack of updates or unclear information.

This procedure does not cover general enquiries, requests for quotes or routine scheduling questions, which are treated as standard customer service matters.

3. How to make a complaint

We encourage customers to raise concerns as soon as possible, so that we can address them quickly and effectively. You can make a complaint in writing or by speaking to us directly. When submitting a complaint, please provide:

Your full name and the address where the gardening work took place.

Details of the work or service involved, including dates and times where possible.

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

Any photos or notes that help explain the issue, such as areas of the garden affected.

What outcome you would like, for example a return visit, clarification, or another form of resolution.

If the complaint relates to an ongoing maintenance schedule, please tell us whether you want visits to continue while the complaint is reviewed.

4. Informal resolution

Whenever appropriate, we will attempt to resolve concerns informally first. If you raise an issue with a gardener on site or with our representative shortly after the work, we may be able to put things right immediately, such as revisiting a particular bed, border or lawn area.

If your complaint can be resolved informally, we will confirm what has been agreed and what actions we will take. If you are not satisfied with an informal response, or the matter is more serious, you can move to the formal complaint stage.

5. Formal complaint process

Once a formal complaint is received, we will acknowledge it within a reasonable timeframe and begin our investigation. Our process normally follows these steps:

Initial review: We review your description of the issue, along with any notes from the gardeners who carried out the work and any relevant records about your booking, quote or previous visits.

Site inspection where needed: For issues related to workmanship or garden condition, we may request a visit to inspect the area. This helps us assess the standard of work and identify practical solutions.

Assessment: We consider whether our service met the standards we aim to maintain for gardening work, safety, communication and conduct.

Response: We will provide you with a clear explanation of our findings and, where appropriate, a proposal to resolve the complaint.

We aim to complete the investigation and provide a response within a reasonable timescale. If there is a delay, we will let you know and explain the reasons.

6. Possible outcomes and remedies

Depending on the nature and impact of the complaint, possible outcomes may include:

A return visit to complete or correct gardening work, such as re-cutting a lawn, re-shaping hedges or clearing remaining debris.

Adjustments to future maintenance plans to better match your expectations and the needs of your garden.

Guidance on realistic outcomes where plant growth, weather or seasonal conditions affect results.

An apology and explanation where service has fallen below our usual standards.

Other appropriate remedies that are fair in the circumstances.

Any agreed actions will be confirmed, along with timescales for completing them.

7. If you are still not satisfied

If you remain unhappy after our formal response, you may ask for a further review. At this stage, a different person, where possible, will reconsider the complaint, the steps already taken and the outcome offered.

During this review, we may:

Re-examine information already provided and any new details you wish to add.

Carry out an additional inspection of the garden where this would be helpful.

Clarify any misunderstandings around the original quote, agreed work or limitations.

Once the review is complete, we will send you a final response. This will set out our position and any further steps we are able to take.

8. Our commitment to fairness and improvement

Gardeners Morden Park aims to handle all complaints impartially and with respect for everyone involved. We will not treat any customer less favourably because they have raised a concern or complaint about our services.

We regularly review complaints to identify patterns, such as recurring issues with certain tasks, tools, timings or communication. This helps us to improve work planning, training and customer information, so that our gardening services remain reliable and responsive to local needs.

By following this complaints procedure, we aim to resolve problems efficiently while continuing to provide well-maintained gardens and outdoor spaces for our customers.