Complaints Procedure — Garden Maintenance Herne Hill

Scope and purpose. This Complaints Procedure explains how we manage concerns about our garden maintenance Herne Hill services. It applies to complaints relating to lawn care, pruning, planting, seasonal maintenance and other Herne Hill garden maintenance activities provided by our team. The aim is to ensure fair, prompt and transparent handling of all expressions of dissatisfaction about our garden upkeep, whether raised by a household, landlord, tenant or property manager. We commit to treating each complaint seriously and resolving issues consistently with our service standards.

How to raise a concern

To make a formal complaint about garden maintenance in Herne Hill, please describe the issue clearly and include dates, locations and any relevant job references. A clear account helps us investigate quickly. We accept complaints about workmanship, missed visits, damage to planting or features and failure to follow agreed instructions. While informal concerns can often be resolved at the time of service, this policy covers those matters needing formal review. We will acknowledge receipt and explain next steps.

What we will not treat as a complaint. Routine enquiries, general requests for information, or matters unrelated to our Herne Hill gardening services are not handled under this procedure. If a concern is about safety, health hazards or criminal activity, that should be brought to the appropriate authority; our process focuses on service quality and contractual obligations. When a matter overlaps different areas, we will clarify where responsibility lies and advise you accordingly.

We aim to acknowledge formal complaints promptly and to provide a transparent timeline for investigation. Initial acknowledgement will normally be within five working days and will outline the person responsible for managing the complaint. During the investigation we may contact you for clarification and to request supporting information such as photographs or delivery notes. Our objective is to complete a full review within 20 working days wherever reasonably possible, but complex cases may require more time and we will keep you updated.

Investigation process

Investigation steps: We will review job records, crew notes, service schedules and any photographic evidence. Where appropriate we will speak with the team members who attended the site and, if necessary, arrange a site visit to verify the situation. Our assessment will consider the original work specification, any subsequent instructions and the relevant horticultural standards for the task. We document findings in a written report that becomes part of our complaint record.

Possible outcomes of an investigation include: a formal apology, remedial work at no extra charge, partial or full refund in line with our terms, or a written explanation if we determine the service met agreed standards. If remedial work is offered, we will agree a reasonable timescale for completion. Remediation may include returfing, additional planting, corrective pruning or re-scheduling missed visits. Where liability is shared or the cause is external to our services, we will explain the rationale and any limitations to remedies.

Record keeping and confidentiality are key parts of our complaints handling. We maintain a secure record of each complaint, the steps taken during investigation, communication logs and the final outcome. These records support continuous improvement of our garden maintenance Herne Hill operations and help identify training needs or process changes. We treat personal information in accordance with applicable privacy requirements and retain records for a defined period consistent with business needs.

Escalation and review. If a complainant is not satisfied with the initial outcome, the complaint can be escalated internally for an independent review by a senior manager who was not involved in the original decision. The escalation review will consider the evidence afresh and provide a final internal determination. This is our internal final stage; where applicable, we will outline any further independent routes for resolution without providing contact details here.

Service standards and prevention. We use complaint records to identify recurring problems and to prevent recurrence. Actions may include changes to our scheduling process for garden upkeep, updates to written job specifications, additional staff training on planting and pruning techniques, or revised quality checks for Herne Hill gardening services. Our goal is continuous improvement so that similar issues are less likely to reoccur.

Time limits and practical considerations: complaints should be raised as soon as possible after the event to allow accurate investigation; however, we will consider older complaints where there are valid reasons for delay, such as delayed discovery of a problem. For plant health and landscaping matters, early notification helps preserve evidence and provides the opportunity for corrective action that limits further loss.

Third-party providers and subcontractors. Some elements of garden care may be carried out with the assistance of approved subcontractors. Where a complaint relates to subcontracted work, we will coordinate the investigation and action as appropriate. Any remedy we offer will reflect contractual responsibilities and may involve arranging remedial work with the third party or undertaking corrective measures ourselves.

Behaviour and communication expectations. We expect all interactions during a complaint to be courteous and constructive. Aggressive, abusive or threatening behaviour is not acceptable and may affect how we proceed with an investigation. Our representatives will also approach the process professionally and provide clear, timely updates. When interruptions to service are required to remediate an issue, we will explain the impact on scheduling and resourcing.

Continuous improvement. Complaints are an important source of information for improving our garden maintenance offerings. We review complaint trends at regular management meetings, adjust policies and update training where needed. This helps ensure that our Herne Hill garden maintenance and related gardening services meet the standards our customers expect.

Final note: This complaints procedure is designed to be fair, impartial and transparent. It complements our standard terms of service and forms part of our commitment to high-quality garden care. If there is any uncertainty about how a concern will be handled, we will explain the process and timescales at the start of the investigation.

Acknowledgement. We value the opportunity to resolve issues and to improve our maintenance services. Thank you for raising concerns so we can work to maintain safe, attractive and well-managed outdoor spaces across the area we serve.