Complaints Procedure for Garden Maintenance Barnes

Purpose and scope: This complaints procedure sets out how our garden maintenance Barnes team responds when clients raise concerns about the quality, punctuality or conduct of our gardening services. It applies to routine garden care, seasonal maintenance visits, landscaping works and related services provided within our service area. The aim is to resolve matters fairly, promptly and transparently while using every complaint as an opportunity to improve our gardening services and protect standards across the area where we operate.

Who can raise a concern: Anyone receiving or directly affected by our Barnes gardening services may submit a complaint. This includes private household clients, property managers and community groups. Complaints can relate to planting work, lawn care, pruning, health and safety issues, missed appointments, or the behaviour of on-site staff. We treat all complaints seriously and accept both written and verbal notifications, ensuring each is logged and acknowledged.

Initial acknowledgement: On receipt of a complaint our garden maintenance in Barnes team will acknowledge it promptly, usually within three working days. The acknowledgement will confirm the matter is being recorded and set out the next steps and expected timeframes. If additional information is needed, we will request it at this stage to ensure the investigation can proceed effectively. Our goal is to be clear about how the issue will be handled and by whom.

How to submit a complaint

We encourage complainants to provide a clear description of the problem, including dates, locations and any supporting photographs or documents. While contact details are necessary to progress a complaint, we respect requests for confidentiality. Ways to submit include a written statement, an email, or a recorded note during a site meeting. Please include:

• What happened and when
• Which element of the Barnes garden maintenance service was affected
• What outcome you would like to see

Investigation process: After acknowledgement, a designated complaints officer will investigate the issue. The investigation typically involves reviewing job records, visiting the site if relevant, interviewing staff involved and reviewing any photographic evidence. Investigations are conducted objectively and aim to identify the root cause, whether procedural, operational, training-related, or an isolated oversight. We will keep the complainant updated at key stages and provide a clear written response once the investigation is complete, normally within 15 working days.

Resolution options and outcomes

Where a complaint is upheld, we will propose reasonable remedies such as redoing the work, offering a partial refund, providing a discount on future maintenance, or issuing a formal apology. Remedies are tailored to the nature of the fault and the reasonable expectations of the client. If a complaint is not upheld, we will explain the reasons and the evidence considered. All outcomes are recorded and communicated clearly so there is no ambiguity.

Confidentiality and data handling: We treat complaint records as confidential and store them in accordance with our data retention policies. Only staff directly involved in resolving the complaint and those responsible for learning and quality control will have access to the records. Personal details will not be shared outside our organisation except where required by law. Records are retained to monitor recurring issues and to inform training and service improvements.

Escalation and review: If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the initial response from our Barnes gardening services team, you may request an internal review. An independent senior manager who was not involved in the original investigation will oversee the review and re-examine the evidence. Reviews seek to ensure fairness and adherence to our complaints policy; they may uphold, amend or reverse the original decision. Requests for review should explain the grounds for escalation and any new evidence.

Timescales and monitoring: We aim to acknowledge complaints within three working days and to provide a substantive response within 15 working days. Complex cases may require longer and will be communicated with interim updates. We monitor complaints trends to identify systemic problems and to direct training, operational changes, or supplier audits. This continuous monitoring supports consistent improvement across our garden maintenance offerings in Barnes and surrounding localities.

Roles and responsibilities: Our frontline teams are responsible for resolving straightforward, low-risk issues promptly on site where feasible. The complaints officer coordinates more complex investigations, liaises with clients, and ensures decisions are implemented. Senior management reviews complaint logs regularly to ensure policies are followed and to allocate resources where patterns of failure are identified. All staff receive guidance on handling complaints professionally and courteously.

Learning and service improvement: Complaints are treated as a constructive source of information. Following closure, each complaint is reviewed to extract lessons and to update procedures, training or quality checks. Records are anonymised when used for staff training or for reporting to management. Our commitment is to make sure each complaint helps strengthen our gardening services, reduce repeat issues and maintain high standards in garden maintenance throughout Barnes and the neighbouring service area.