Complaints Procedure — Garden Clearance Fulham

Purpose and scope

This document sets out the formal complaints procedure for clients of Garden Clearance Fulham and associated rubbish removal services across our service area. It explains how concerns about garden clearance work, waste disposal, or service delivery are handled, the expected timescales for responses, and the steps available if a customer remains dissatisfied. The procedure applies to all stages of garden waste removal, including site preparation, removal of green waste, disposal of bulky items and any ancillary clearance work.

To ensure transparency, we maintain a clear and consistent approach. Complaints can relate to quality of work, missed collections, safety incidents, damage to property, or billing disputes. We will acknowledge every complaint, record it on our complaints register, and assign it to an appropriate investigator. Typical acknowledgement will be issued within three working days and initial contact made to confirm the scope of the complaint and the remedy sought.

How to submit a complaint

Customers are asked to provide a concise account of the issue, including dates, a brief description of the service provided, and any relevant reference numbers. While this policy does not include contact details, the information requested will enable prompt logging and allocation to a complaints handler. Please include any supporting evidence such as photographs or job documentation where available.

The complaints handling process follows a structured review: the assigned investigator will gather facts, consult internal records, and, where appropriate, interview staff involved with the job. We aim to complete the investigation and provide a substantive response within 10 to 15 working days of acknowledgement. Where a full investigation requires longer, we will provide interim updates at reasonable intervals.

We adopt an impartial approach. Investigators do not report to the operational team responsible for the job to maintain objectivity. Records of the investigation, findings and outcome are retained in accordance with our data retention policy. Any personal information provided as part of a complaint will be handled in line with data protection obligations.

Investigation and decision criteria: Investigations consider whether the work met the agreed specification, whether statutory or safety requirements were followed, and whether any damage resulted from negligence. The decision will identify whether the complaint is upheld in whole, in part, or not upheld, and will set out proposed remedial actions where appropriate.

Possible outcomes include:

• Rectification of outstanding or defective work at no additional charge.
• Financial remedy such as a partial refund or credit for future garden clearance services.
• Explanatory response and confirmation of steps taken to prevent recurrence.

Where an outcome involves remedial action, the timescale for completion will be made explicit. If special arrangements or third-party interventions are needed for waste transfer or disposal, those logistical steps will be documented as part of the remedy plan.

Escalation and independent review: If a complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome, they are entitled to request an internal review. The review will be conducted by a senior manager who was not involved in the original decision. We will aim to conclude an internal review within 20 working days of receipt of the escalation.

Further options: Where dissatisfaction persists after internal escalation, complainants may seek an external review from an appropriate third party such as an industry ombudsman or a regulatory body that oversees waste services. Any referral to an external body will be documented in the complaint file and a final internal position statement will be provided to support that process.

During escalation, we will continue to keep records updated and notify the complainant of the review steps. Confidentiality is maintained throughout, and personal data is shared externally only where necessary and with lawful basis.

Information to include in a complaint: To facilitate a prompt review, complaints should, where possible, include the job reference, the date(s) of service, a clear description of the issue, and the remedy sought. Supply of photographic evidence or site plans will assist assessment of alleged damage or incomplete clearance.

Assessment of refunds and credits: Financial remedies are calculated on a case-by-case basis and may consider the cost of services rendered, the scale of any shortfall, and any additional costs incurred by the customer due to the issue. Decisions on compensation are made in line with fairness and proportionality and recorded in the complaint outcome.

Closing complaints and record keeping: Once a complaint is closed, the outcome and any actions taken will be entered into our complaints register. We retain complaint records in line with our retention policy to ensure lessons are learned and that recurring issues are identified. A closed complaint may still be reopened if new substantive evidence is presented within an agreed period.

Continuous improvement — We treat complaints as a source of operational intelligence. Regular auditing of complaints concerning garden clearance operations and rubbish removal will inform training priorities, updates to working procedures, and supplier management to reduce future issues.

Accountability and transparency: Senior management review aggregated complaint data to identify trends. Where systemic problems are found, corrective action plans are implemented and monitored. This ensures the garden clearance services in Fulham and wider service area remain reliable and compliant with relevant standards.

Commitment statement: We are committed to resolving complaints fairly, promptly and transparently, and to using the outcomes to improve our Fulham garden clearance operations. This complaints procedure provides a clear framework for redress while protecting the rights of customers and the integrity of our service delivery.