Gardeners Archway Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Archway is committed to providing reliable, high quality gardening services. We recognise that, on occasion, things may not go as planned. When this happens, we want to hear from you so we can put matters right quickly, learn from the experience, and improve our services for all customers.

Our commitment to resolving complaints

We treat all complaints seriously and handle them with fairness, courtesy, and confidentiality. Our aim is to resolve issues at the earliest possible stage and to keep you informed throughout the process. We will always investigate complaints thoroughly and use the outcome to review our working practices, especially in relation to garden maintenance, landscaping, and related services.

What is a complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about our gardening services, our staff, our contractors, or our communication, where a response is expected. This could include concerns about the quality of work, the conduct of our gardeners, missed appointments, delays, or how your enquiry has been handled.

We encourage you to raise issues as soon as possible, so that we can address them while details are still fresh and any impact on your garden or outdoor space can be minimised.

How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint in writing or verbally. When you contact us, please provide as much information as you can, including:

Your name and preferred method of contact.

The address or location where the gardening work was carried out.

Details of the service you received and the date or dates of the work.

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

Any steps you have already taken to try to resolve the issue informally with our gardeners or office team.

Any supporting information, such as photographs of the garden area, written notes, or dates of conversations, can also help us investigate more effectively, but they are not essential.

Informal resolution

Where possible, we encourage you to raise your concern informally with the gardener on site or with our office team at the earliest opportunity. Many issues can be resolved quickly by clarifying expectations, revisiting a specific area of the garden, or arranging a return visit. If you are not satisfied with how your concern has been handled informally, or you prefer to make a formal complaint, you may do so at any time.

Formal complaints procedure

Our formal complaints procedure has three main stages: acknowledgement, investigation, and response.

Acknowledgement

Once we receive your complaint, we will record the details and send you an acknowledgement. We aim to acknowledge all complaints within three working days. The acknowledgement will confirm that we have received your complaint and explain the next steps in the process.

Investigation

A designated member of our team, who was not directly involved in the original work where possible, will investigate your complaint. This may involve reviewing job records, speaking with the gardeners who attended your property, and, if necessary, arranging an inspection of your garden or outdoor space.

We may contact you during the investigation if we need more information or clarification. We aim to complete most investigations within ten working days of acknowledging your complaint. If the matter is complex or requires further site visits, it may take longer. In such cases, we will let you know and provide an updated timescale.

Response and outcome

When our investigation is complete, we will provide a clear, written response. This will explain:

What we have understood from your complaint.

The steps we have taken to investigate.

Our findings and whether your complaint is upheld in full, in part, or not upheld.

Any actions we will take to put things right or to prevent similar issues in future.

Where appropriate, we may offer to revisit your property to correct work, carry out additional gardening services, or agree another form of resolution. Our intention is always to reach a fair and practical outcome.

If you remain dissatisfied

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may ask for your complaint to be reviewed. A senior member of the Gardeners Archway team, not previously involved in the matter, will reconsider the complaint, the investigation, and our original decision.

We will aim to complete this review within ten working days and will provide a further written response setting out our final position. This internal review marks the end of our formal complaints procedure.

Timescales for raising a complaint

To help us investigate effectively, we ask that complaints are raised within six months of the event you are concerned about, or from the date you first became aware of the issue. We may still consider complaints outside this timeframe, particularly where there is a good reason for the delay and it is still practical to review the matter, for example in relation to longer term gardening projects.

Confidentiality and data protection

All complaints are handled in confidence. Information you provide will be used only for the purpose of investigating and responding to your complaint, improving our services, and meeting any legal or regulatory requirements. We will store and process your information securely and in line with applicable data protection laws.

Using complaints to improve our gardening services

Every complaint, whether upheld or not, is an opportunity for Gardeners Archway to review and improve how we work. We routinely analyse complaints to identify patterns, such as recurring issues around scheduling, communication, or particular types of gardening tasks. Where we identify areas for improvement, we may provide additional staff training, adjust our procedures, or update our service standards so that future customers benefit from a better, more reliable gardening service.

Accessibility and support

We want our complaints procedure to be accessible to all customers. If you have any additional needs or require assistance in raising a complaint or understanding our response, please let us know. We will make reasonable adjustments to support you, which may include offering alternative ways to communicate or providing information in a different format where feasible.

Gardeners Archway values your feedback and is committed to dealing with all complaints fairly, promptly, and constructively, ensuring your garden and outdoor spaces receive the standard of care you expect.