With an increasing number of gardening services now available throughout the UK, it can tricky to find the perfect garden services company that can tend to your every needs! This is why we’ve prepared a guide to help you understand how the market works and what to look out for when you need a garden clearance, landscaping design or even hedge trimming and pruning.
First of all before even considering hiring experienced effective gardening professionals you need to understand exactly what it is you need doing to your outside space. Are you in need of a domestic or commercial job? How large is your garden? These two factors are important when hunting for a garden services firm, to determine the amount of labour needed and man power to get the job done!
Be careful of rogue traders offering gardening services and posing as legitimate businesses. There are some tell-tail signs to look out for hiring a gardening service company:
• Firstly don’t use a service that comes to your door promoting its services or handing out leaflets.
• Ring around various companies to hear quotes for the same services to ensure the prices on offer are reasonable. Make sure quotes are given in writing as well as just over the phone, as the latter is not binding and there might be hidden fees presented on an invoice once the gardening job has been completed. Meanwhile if a price seems too good to be true, it probably is. It’s most likely that the low price means the gardeners are far from professional.
• Cowboy gardeners could rush the work and do a botch job, leaving your garden in need of lawn repair and restoration once you’ve already paid out a hefty sum!
• Don’t trust a company that only supplies a mobile phone number and doesn’t have a landline.
• When speaking to a gardening service company insist that you are given a written estimation and presented with an invoice at the end of the garden waste removal or any other gardening service. Never pay for a service upfront or in cash. Wait until the job has been completed and to your satisfaction before paying up! And always demand a receipt!
• If a company tries to lure you into purchasing special deals that you don’t want or need, be cautious, as this is often a scam and way to cheat unsuspecting people out of their money.
• When you get in touch with a gardening services company, don’t be afraid to ask questions about their practice. Ask them how long they have been in the business and also how they carry out garden landscaping, waste removal as well as patio cleaning. If they are unable to give you precise and accurate answers as well as a flat rate, then they are obviously not reliable and you’re best to steer clear of them.
• Remember that professional gardeners will be more than happy to pay you a home visit and evaluate your garden and give you a quote. Before you hire a gardening service company why not ask around and ask friends and neighbours with enviable lawns who is in charge of their garden maintenance. Word of mouth is the oldest and most reliable means of promotion!
If you’re concerned about rogue gardeners working in your area, or you yourself have been duped by people posing as gardening experts, then don’t hesitate to call your local council, the police or your local Trading Standards office. Don’t let others be victims of the same fate as you.