Complaints Procedure — Gardening Victoria

Purpose: This Complaints Procedure explains how Gardening Victoria and associated garden care teams manage concerns about gardening services in Victoria. It is intended to be clear, accessible and fair for clients, contractors and stakeholders who want a formal pathway for resolving service issues. The policy sets out the principles we follow: respectful communication, timely acknowledgement, impartial investigation and appropriate remedies where a service has not met expected standards.

Scope and Principles

This procedure applies to all garden maintenance, landscaping, pruning and related services provided by our organisation and our subcontracted teams across the service area. It covers complaints about workmanship, scheduling, site conduct, safety matters and billing disputes linked to garden services. Our approach is to resolve issues at the earliest possible stage; we encourage direct contact with the staff member involved, but we also provide a formal path for complaints that cannot be resolved informally. We commit to transparency, confidentiality and non-retaliation for those who raise legitimate issues.

Definitions and Confidentiality

For the purposes of this document, a complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about a service or practice that requires investigation or action. Complaints may be made by service recipients, property owners or authorised representatives. Information gathered during a complaint will be treated as confidential and used only for investigation, improvement and reporting. Records are retained securely and access is limited to authorised personnel; personal information will be handled in accordance with privacy principles and applicable regulations.

How to Lodge a Complaint We accept complaints in writing or verbally through our official channels. When making a complaint please provide as much of the following information as possible so we can investigate efficiently:

• Date and time of the incident or service visit
• Location where the garden service was performed (street name or property reference)
• Details of the issue, including what went wrong and any safety concerns
• Names of staff involved, if known
• Desired outcome or what you would like us to do to resolve the matter

Acknowledgement and Initial Assessment: We aim to acknowledge all complaints promptly, usually within a short business timeframe. An initial assessment will determine whether the issue can be resolved immediately or requires a formal investigation. If further information is needed, a staff member will request clarification and advise on the expected timeframe for a full response. Our goal is to handle routine service concerns quickly while ensuring more complex matters receive a careful, documented review.

Investigation Process Once accepted, a complaint is assigned to an investigator who is independent of the day-to-day delivery team where possible. The investigator will gather evidence, which may include site inspection, photographic records, work orders and interviews with staff. Investigations are conducted impartially and aim to establish the facts and any root causes. Possible outcomes include remedial work, partial or full refunds where appropriate, process changes or training to prevent recurrence. Decisions are documented and retained as part of our quality assurance for garden maintenance Victoria operations.

Resolution and Remedies We will communicate the investigation findings and proposed remedies in writing. Remedies are proportionate to the issue and may include offering to reperform work, providing adjustments to invoices or other fair outcomes. If the complaint is substantiated, actions will be taken to prevent similar incidents, such as revising protocols for equipment use, scheduling or client instructions. Records of corrective actions feed into continuous improvement programs across our gardening services and landscape teams.

Escalation and External Review If a complainant is not satisfied with the internal outcome, we outline the next steps for escalation to an independent review or external oversight body where appropriate. We will provide details of how an external review can be requested without endorsing or directing complainants to any specific organisation. This ensures that those seeking further review understand their options beyond our internal process.

Record Keeping and Reporting

All complaints are logged, tracked and analysed to identify trends across the service area. Summary reports inform management about recurring issues within garden maintenance, arboriculture and landscaping operations so training and procedural changes can be implemented. We use this information to strengthen service reliability and to support safe, professional conduct by our team of Victoria gardeners.

Timeframes and Fair Dealing

Reasonable timeframes are applied to each stage of the complaint lifecycle: acknowledgement, investigation and final response. Complex matters that require third-party input may take longer, but we will keep complainants informed of any delays. Our commitment is to treat all parties fairly, ensuring an impartial process and avoiding any discrimination or bias during the handling of complaints about gardening services.

Continuous Improvement We review complaint outcomes periodically as part of our quality and compliance activities. Lessons learned inform training programs, contractor selection and operational planning to reduce repeat incidents. The procedure supports our objective of delivering high-quality garden care across the service area and maintaining community confidence in our gardening and landscape services.

Final Notes This Complaints Procedure is part of our governance framework and is reviewed regularly to reflect changes in practice and expectations of service recipients. It is intended to be straightforward and accessible so that concerns about garden work, maintenance schedules or site conduct can be resolved constructively. We encourage everyone involved with our gardening operations to familiarise themselves with this procedure and to use it in the spirit of improvement and fair resolution.