Gardeners Hornsey Complaints Procedure

Gardeners Hornsey is committed to providing reliable, professional gardening services and clear communication with every client. We recognise that, on occasion, concerns may arise. This Complaints Procedure explains how you can raise an issue with us, how we will respond, and what you can expect at each stage. Our aim is to resolve matters fairly, promptly, and transparently.

Purpose of this Complaints Procedure

The purpose of this procedure is to give clients a straightforward way to tell us when something has gone wrong with our gardening or customer services, and to explain how we will work to put things right. We use feedback from complaints to review our standards and improve the quality and reliability of our work across the local area we serve.

What Counts as a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about the service you have received from Gardeners Hornsey, whether it relates to garden maintenance, landscaping work, communication, appointments, behaviour of staff, or how we have handled a previous query. You do not need to use the word complaint for us to treat your concern seriously; if you are unhappy and want us to respond, we will regard this as a complaint.

Who Can Make a Complaint

This procedure is for any client who has used, or has tried to use, gardening services provided by Gardeners Hornsey. You may raise a complaint on your own behalf or, with consent, on behalf of a household member or neighbour directly affected by our work. We may ask for basic information to confirm we are discussing the matter with an appropriate person.

When to Make a Complaint

You should raise your complaint as soon as reasonably possible after the issue arises. Doing so helps us investigate while details are fresh and, where relevant, while recent work in your garden is still visible for inspection. As a general guideline, we ask that complaints are raised within a reasonable time so that we can respond effectively.

How to Make a Complaint

You may contact us in writing or verbally, whichever you prefer. When submitting a complaint, please include the following information so that we can respond efficiently:

• Your full name and the address where the gardening work was carried out
• The date or dates when the issue occurred
• A clear description of what happened and why you are dissatisfied
• Any steps you have already taken with our team to resolve the issue
• What you would like us to do to put things right, if you have a preferred solution

If you require support to make your complaint, for example due to language or accessibility needs, please let us know and we will do our best to assist.

Our Complaints Handling Stages

We aim to resolve most concerns informally at an early stage; however, this procedure also provides a clear formal route if that is not possible.

Stage 1: Informal Resolution

In many cases, speaking directly with the gardener on site or with our office team will resolve the issue quickly. We encourage you to contact us as soon as you notice a problem. Where appropriate, we may:

• Clarify what was agreed in your booking or quotation
• Arrange a revisit to inspect the garden or repeat part of the work
• Offer practical solutions to improve the outcome

If you remain dissatisfied after this initial contact, or if you would prefer not to discuss the matter informally, you may move to the formal complaints stage.

Stage 2: Formal Complaint

When you make a formal complaint, it will be recorded and reviewed by a person with appropriate responsibility, who was not directly involved in the original work where possible. We will:

• Acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable timeframe
• Review the details you have provided, along with any notes, photos, or relevant records
• Where necessary, arrange a visit to your property to inspect the garden work
• Contact you if we need further information or clarification

After our investigation, we will provide a written response outlining:

• What we have understood about your complaint
• The steps we have taken to investigate
• Our decision and the reasons for it
• Any actions we will take to resolve or remedy the issue

Possible Outcomes

Depending on the nature of the complaint and the findings of our investigation, possible outcomes may include:

• A clear explanation or clarification about the work carried out
• An apology if we have not met our usual standards
• A return visit to correct or improve the gardening work, where appropriate
• A review of our internal procedures, staff training, or service approach
• Other practical steps aimed at resolving the matter fairly

Timescales

We aim to deal with all complaints as quickly as reasonably possible, while ensuring a careful and fair review. Actual timescales may vary depending on the complexity of the issue, weather conditions affecting site visits, and the need to gather additional information. If we anticipate any significant delay, we will inform you and explain the reason.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Your complaint will be handled in confidence and shared only with those who need to know in order to investigate and respond. We will store complaint records securely and in line with our obligations under data protection law. Information about you or your property will not be shared with third parties except where required by law.

Using Complaints to Improve Our Service

Every complaint is an opportunity for Gardeners Hornsey to review how we work and to strengthen our standards for clients in the area we serve. We regularly review complaint trends to identify any recurring issues and to make improvements in planning, communication, and the delivery of our gardening services.

Review of this Procedure

This Complaints Procedure is reviewed periodically to ensure it remains clear, fair, and effective. We may update it from time to time in response to changes in our services, client feedback, or applicable regulations. The version published here replaces any earlier versions.

If you have any questions about this Complaints Procedure, or if anything is unclear, you may contact us and we will be happy to explain how it applies to your situation.