Complaints Procedure for Gardeners Wembley

Purpose and scope: This complaints procedure explains how Gardeners Wembley and associated gardening teams respond to concerns about garden maintenance, landscaping, planting, or other service delivery. It applies to all customers, property managers and third parties who use or evaluate our gardening services in the Wembley area. The policy sets out roles, timescales and the steps we take to investigate, resolve and learn from complaints while ensuring fair treatment and clear records.

Principles we follow

We handle complaints with impartiality, professionalism and openness. Our approach is to accept responsibility where appropriate, to provide clear explanations, and to offer remedies that are proportionate to the issue. We aim to treat complainants with respect, to maintain confidentiality where needed, and to avoid discriminatory behaviour. These principles support continuous improvement of local gardening operations and wider landscaping services.

If you raise an issue, we will acknowledge it promptly, investigate fully and keep you updated. Timely responses, a fair investigation and documented outcomes are essential to our approach. The procedure below describes how concerns are recorded, who will manage investigations and what outcomes you can expect when complaining about Wembley gardeners or related horticultural work.

How to raise a complaint

You can make a complaint in writing or verbally through the channels your service agreement identifies. When raising a concern, please include: date and location of the work, the name of the gardener or team if known, a clear description of the problem, and any supporting evidence such as photos or notes. Providing details helps us investigate effectively. Complaints may relate to quality of workmanship, missed appointments, damage, safety issues or customer service matters.

Upon receipt, an initial assessment will identify whether the complaint requires immediate action (for example, a safety risk) or a standard investigation. Immediate actions may include suspending certain activities on site, arranging an urgent visit by a supervisor, or temporary remediation to prevent harm. For non-urgent issues we will initiate a formal investigation and set reasonable timelines for updates and final response.

Acknowledgement and timescales — We aim to acknowledge all complaints within three working days and to provide an initial response or interim update within ten working days. Where a full investigation will take longer, we will inform you of the reason for delay and provide a new expected completion date. These timeframes apply to both domestic and commercial gardening contracts across our service area.

Investigation responsibilities: a designated complaints officer or a senior member of the gardening operations team will lead the investigation. They will gather evidence, interview staff or contractors involved and review any relevant records such as job sheets, photos taken before and after work, and quality check reports. Objectivity is essential: the investigator will not be the person who originally carried out the work, where feasible.

Possible outcomes and remedies include offering a rework or remedial visit, a partial re-credit when work materially failed to meet the contract, or where appropriate, a formal apology. In some cases we may offer further monitoring visits or changes to future maintenance schedules. Remedies are chosen based on the nature and severity of the issue and the practical steps required to put matters right.

Escalation and review

If the complainant is not satisfied with the initial outcome, the complaint may be escalated to a senior manager for a second review. This stage involves reassessment of the investigation, any additional evidence and potential alternative resolution options. The escalation review aims to be completed within 15 working days of escalation, though complex matters may require more time — in which case we will communicate revised expectations.

Recording and data retention: all complaints, correspondence, investigation notes and outcomes are recorded in our complaints register. Records are retained in line with statutory and business retention policies and are used for trend analysis and service improvement. We treat personal data in accordance with applicable privacy requirements and only share records with third parties where necessary for investigation or required by law.

Unreasonable or persistent complaints: where complaints are abusive, repeatedly raised without new evidence, or intended to harass staff, we will apply a proportional approach. This may include limiting contact to written communication, setting reasonable boundaries, or closing the complaint after a clear explanation. Decisions on this basis are documented and subject to internal review to guard against unfairness.

Monitoring, learning and improvement

Garden maintenance providers regularly review complaint trends to identify training needs, process changes or equipment improvements. We use lessons learned to update operational guidance, quality checklists and contractor contracts. Our aim is not only to resolve individual issues but to reduce recurrence and raise standards across all gardening and landscaping services provided in the area.

Independent review and external resolution: if a complaint remains unresolved after internal escalation, customers may seek independent mediation or pursue alternative dispute resolution through relevant consumer bodies depending on contract terms. Our procedure will always signpost this option without providing direct contact details, respecting that complainants can choose the most appropriate external route for their circumstances.

Policy governance: this complaints procedure is reviewed periodically to ensure clarity, fairness and compliance with regulatory expectations. Changes are made when new legal obligations arise or when operational improvements are identified. The governance process helps ensure the procedure remains effective for those using gardening services across Wembley and nearby communities.

Commitment: We are committed to resolving complaints constructively and to using each complaint as an opportunity to improve the quality, safety and reliability of our gardening services. If you have a complaint about any aspect of the service delivered by Wembley gardeners, this procedure explains how we will act to investigate, respond and learn.