Customer Welcome Pack : simplebooklet.com

ABOUT US- 3 -Paul JohnsonOwner & Head Gardener Plus our Gardeners, Shayne & Dave (who are a little too shy for a picture 😉) About UsJanet JohnsonOwner & Business Support It occasionally surprises people to learn that there are just 4 of us in the team, butwhilst we are only a small family business, we are one that cares. We care aboutproviding exceptional service coupled with the sound knowledge and experience thatcan only come from a team who genuinely loves gardening and horticulture. The truthis, we are fortunate enough to be paid for our hobby and passion, and so when wework in your garden, we treat it as our own and then hand it back for you to enjoy. Andas Paul always says, your summer evening drink always tastes better when sat in abeautiful garden! And in maintaining your garden for you, that is our focus. Yourgarden should be an extension of your home and something to enjoy, and we takepride in being part of the process that allows that to happen.

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OUR ETHOS- 5 -Our EthosKnowledge. Skill. Passion.We pride ourselves on providing the highest level of service in allareas. We are RHS trained and always maintain the highestattention to detail in providing our service. This means we useour horticultural skill & knowledge to bring the very best out inthe plants and shrubs in our care, being sure to always maintain& prune them in accordance with the very latest advice. We are hard workers with an enduring belief that if a job is worthdoing, it is worth doing well. We don’t cut corners (like blowingpruning’s under shrubs) or leave a job half-finished becausewe’ve somewhere else to be. You are our priority and wemaintain a constant focus on being as efficient as possible toensure the greatest amount of work is completed within the timeallowed. In doing so, we are always certain to prioritise work inthe most effective way. Maintaining both a professional service and professional image iskey to our service. We always work in recognisable and tidyuniforms in a clean and well-maintained sign-written van, usingthe latest and most efficient tools and equipment.At Johnson Gardening Services Ltd, we don’t necessarily want to bethe biggest, but we do want to be the best! And one of the reasonsfor our continued success and popularity is our working ethos.

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GETTING STARTED- 6 -Getting Started &What to ExpectFirst of all, thank you for accepting ourquote for Regular Garden Maintenance. Asa small business, we really value each andevery customer, and as passionategardeners, we look forward to maintainingyour garden and helping it thrive to it'sfullest potential. As for getting started, wehave now allocated you a regular date andMoving forward, as we move from the Summer Season into the Winter Season,the frequency of our visits will change and so might the day. I will get in touchwith you via email (usually in the last week of March & November) to let youknow the new regular date and time we plan to visit you for the followingseason, and whilst I always do my best to keep this consistent through the year,in order to organise our team and routes as efficiently as possible, it sometimesmeans I have to move things around a bit and so some changes may need to bemade. Crucially though, you don’t need to be at home when we visit. As long aswe can access through an unlocked gate, we will be able to carry on diligentlywithout you needing to make sure you are home. However, if there is a “HardNo” relating to a day or time we must not make our gardening visit, please let meknow as soon as possible so I can do my best to reorganise things accordingly.That said, please be aware that after many years of trying, we are not able toguarantee to coordinate our visit with the emptying of your council green bin. time for your visits which is fixed a season in advance (please see further belowfor more information on our seasons). By now, you should have received anemail from me to let you know the day, time and frequency of your visits. Ialways try to schedule the same gardener to regularly maintain your gardenbut sometimes during sickness or holiday or simply because we’ve had to movethings around a bit, it may be someone else. Regardless though, you’ll alwaysknow your garden is being cared for and maintained by someone who cares andwith the necessary knowledge and experience required.

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Fundamental to how we work, how we calculate the cost of your service andcollect payment is our Gardening Year. Unlike the calendar year, our GardeningYear starts in April and runs until the end of March each year but is separatedinto two sections: The Summer Season (April to November, inclusive) and thenthe Winter Season (December to March, inclusive). Depending on the plan you’reon, we will either reduce our visits to you over the winter season or we will pauseour visits altogether. Your quote will make this clear, although please remember,the way we’ve set up our business and the nature of our monthly payment planmeans the cost of your visits are spread equally over a FULL 12 MONTHS from1st April to 31st March and so payment will still be due over the entire winterperiod even when your visits are reduced or paused altogether during that time(see further below for more information on how your quote has been calculatedand how our monthly payment plan works, including your responsibilities shouldyou ever wish to terminate our service). 1st April- 30th NovemberSummer SeasonIMPORTANT INFORMATION- 7 -Our Gardening Year1st December- 31st MarchWinter Season

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION- 8 -Monthly Payment Plan: Your 'Per Visit Value' and 'Per Month Cost' explainedMany gardening firms invoice ‘pervisit’, taking full payment for each visitas they go. However, the challengewith this (and why so many gardeningfirms struggle to stay in business) isbecause when winter comes and thevisits reduce or stop, maintainingenough income to cover fixed costsand keep everybody employed isincredibly difficult. One way seasonalbusinesses like ours survive is to 'lettheir staff go' over the winter butwhen you employ a small but fantasticteam like we do, that's the last thingwe want to do as this doesn’t just goagainst our family, caring ethos but itmeans we’ve no guarantee of gettingour experienced and knowledgeableteam back following the winter periodin spring when the visits increaseagain. Therefore, instead of taking fullpayment for each visit as we performit, we spread out the cost of ourRegular Garden Maintenance Serviceover an entire year in 12 monthlypayments from April to March. Thisnot only spreads out our income overthe year to provide stability for us, butit safeguards our ability to continue toprovide our service and keep thesame great team employed.Per Visit vs Per MonthYour Per Visit ValueIn order to calculate your monthlypayment, we first need to calculatethe cost of each visit, also known asthe 'per visit value'.When calculating your per visit value,we take several factors intoconsideration. On top of the actualtime we anticipate to spend in yourgarden during each visit, we alsoconsider the type of work involvedand whether it requires machineryand tools that will need fuel, forexample. This is why we don’t charge‘by the hour’ but always ‘by the job’,simply because different gardens havedifferent needs. Having considered allthese factors, we then calculate thecost of each visit: the Per Visit Value.You'll see this noted in the 'Terms'section of your quote.The Per Visit Cost is then multiplied bythe number of visits you will havebetween 1st April and 31st March(noted on your quote) and then wedivide that cost by 12, resulting in your'per month cost'.And of course, it also provides ourcustomers with a flexible andconvenient way to spread out andbudget for their gardening serviceover a longer period.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION- 9 -Monthly Payment PlanExample - 22 visits per yearIn this example, you can see we have fortnightly visits during Summer and monthlyvisits during Winter. These are charged at £65 per visit and during the Summer Season,the monthly payment pays off some but not all of the charge. However, by continuingthe same payment over the Winter Season, even when visits reduce, we can see thatover an entire Gardening Year, the full annual cost gets paid off.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION- 11 -As a result of the confidence we havein our service, and our knowledge,skill and passion for gardening, wedon’t ask our clients to commit to aminimum term contract when takingon our Regular Garden Maintenanceservice on a Monthly PaymentProgramme. We want our clients tostay with us because we provide aquality service rather than becauseyou are tied into a contract. Our‘contracts’ are, therefore, rolling andall we ask is that you provide us with4 weeks notice if you wish toterminate our service. However, itneeds to be understood that,because of the nature of ourMonthly Payment Programme,there may be a balance to pay ifyou terminate your contractbefore the Gardening Year hascompleted at the end of March.See below for the 'Effects ofTermination'.ContractAm I tied into a "Minimum Term Contract"?In a word, no. As I mentioned before, we are truly passionate about gardening andhorticulture and spend time and effort ensuring we only employ people with the samevalues (great people are hard to find which is why we have remained a small teamdespite having a long waiting list of customers. We could have employed lower skilledstaff to meet the demand but then standards would definitely drop which we aren'tprepared to do). We genuinely love gardening and therefore always work diligently,with care, and using the skill, knowledge and passion we’ve built up over the years tomaintain our clients gardens.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION- 12 -Termination of ContractAs I mentioned before, we don't tie you down to a Minimum Term Contract, whichessentially means you are free to terminate your contract if you ever need to with just 4weeks notice. However, it is important to remember that because we don't invoice youfor the full cost of your visits each month and are on a monthly payment plan instead, there may be a balance to pay. As mentioned before, wecalculate your monthlygardening schedule invoicesbased on a full year ofpayments from the start of ourgardening season in Aprilthrough until the end of ourwinter season in March. Thismeans that if you cancel beforethe end of the season in Marchis complete, there will be abalance to pay to fully pay offthe cost of services you havealready received. We calculatethe remaining balance verysimply by totalling up the valueof the visits you have alreadyreceived since the beginning ofthe Gardening Year in April andthe sum of the monthlypayments you’ve madetowards your visits during thattime and then calculate anydifference. This is the sum thatwill be invoiced to you ontermination. Please seeexample for providing notice toterminate on 6th November.

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Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQ- 13 -When will you visit?What can I expect from each visit? Do I need to be home when you come to do the garden?Do I need to tell you what to do each time you visit?Can I request other jobs be completed when you’re here?Can I ask my gardener to do some extra work for me in their own time?When will I receive my invoices and how do I pay?How do I set up my direct debit or change an existing direct debit?What happens when I go on holiday or if I need to cancel a visit?What happens if my visit is scheduled for a bank holiday?When do your seasonal schedules change and when will I find out if thereare any changes to my schedule?What happens to the Waste?Can you source plants and bulbs for me?Can I always have the same gardener?

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Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQ- 14 -Can I rely on your knowledge and experience to know how and when toprune my shrubs or care for things in my garden.Am I tied into a contract?Can I terminate my service?Why might I owe you money if I terminate my service?How is my monthly payment calculated and do I pay more by spreadingpayment over a full year?When do price increases come into effect?What happens if the weather affects your ability to carry out my visit? Eg if itrains, snows or if there are extremes of temperature? (See T&C 12.2)What happens if my gardener is unwell or if you have a cancel a visit.I am in a residential parking area. Am I obliged to supply you with a parkingpermit? My service includes lawn fertilisation and treatments. Will you performthese treatments at the same time as my Regular Garden Maintenanceservice or does it get done separately?When will you perform my lawn care treatments?Where can I find the full T&C’s?

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Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQ- 15 -When will you visit?What can I expect from each visit?Do I need to be home when you come to do the garden?Do I need to tell you what to do each time you visit?Can I request other jobs be completed when you’re here?Once you have accepted our quote, we will work out our availability in your area and will be intouch via email to let you know the regular day, time and gardener for your visit. When wemove from our Summer schedules over to winter, I'lll be back in touch via email to let you knowof any changes.The needs of the garden change throughout the season and so what we do during each visitmay vary. Your quote will detail the different gardening tasks that will be completed over thecourse of a year, but when, will be determined by the needs of the garden and our availabletime during your visit. This means we may focus our attention on a few tasks one week and onothers the next.No. As long as we can get access through an unlocked gate, our gardeners will enter and carryon working diligently. Once finished, we will make sure everything is tidied away properly andall gates closed or left as we found them.We are passionate gardeners and horticulturists with over 100 years of combined gardeningexperience. Because we understand the needs of the garden and have the knowledge requiredto care for each shrub individually and the adaptations that need to be made as the seasonschange, our team don’t need to be told what to do during each visit (although you areabsolutely welcome to do so if you feel something specific needs attention).It depends.... The Regular Maintenance Programme you are on has been designed and pricedto include the jobs detailed on your quote, and so if you would like something else done, itmeans one of the main jobs we have planned for can't be completed which can have a knockon effect. However, if it is something that doesn't require the use of machinery, have a chatwith your gardener and he will see if he can fit it in. If it is something that will require the use ofmachinery (and therefore fuel), like hedge pruning, then this must be quoted for andcompleted separately by Paul. Just drop me an email and I'll arrange a quote to be sent over toyou.

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Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQ- 16 -Can I ask my gardener to do some extra work for me in their own time?When will I receive my invoices and how do I pay?How do I set up my direct debit or change an existing direct debit?What happens when I go on holiday or if I need to cancel a visit?What happens if my visit is scheduled for a bank holiday?Absolutely not. Under the terms in our Employment Contracts, our employees must not undertake anywork 'on the side' in their own time. Not only does it cause a conflict of interest, but it can risk othersignificant problems for our business and so would result in instant dismissal. We value our teamenormously and would never want them to be put into the position of being asked to do extra work, norus in the position where we would have to dismiss them. We therefore respectfully request that if youneed any extra work doing, you contact us directly so we may assist you in the normal way.Our Regular Maintenance invoices are emailed out to you automatically on the 30th of everymonth. Payment is due 5 days later. For your convenience, payment can be made automaticallyby direct debit, although if you would rather pay by direct bank transfer, this is also possible.The bank details are included in the invoice.To set up or change your direct debit mandate, simply click the "Pay Now" button shown inyour invoice. You will then be directed through to our direct debit provider, GoCardless, whowill take the necessary details and get the mandate set up or altered. One of the benefits our clients appreciate is the knowledge and confidence that we will always arrive atthe same day and time each week, fortnight or month (depending on your schedule). We do this byallocating you a set day and time for each visit and don’t change or prioritise anyone else over youduring this allocated time. As a result, we book the day and time of your visit out a full year in advancewhich means that we can’t fill that slot should you cancel or forget to leave a gate open, for example.Therefore, no financial credit can be provided against your monthly charge for cancelled visits, nor canwe reschedule visits as all our slots are already reserved for other customers. We, therefore, suggestarrangements are made for any gates to remain unlocked so we can still tend to your garden whilst youare on holiday.Our team are given flexible options regarding bank holidays and annual leave and so they maychoose to continue working and, in which case, your visit will go ahead as planned. However, ifnot, we will be in touch in order to arrange for the work to be completed on an alternate day -usually during the weekend before or after.

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Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQ- 17 -When do your seasonal schedules change and when will I find out if thereare any changes to my schedule?What happens to the Waste?Can you source plants and bulbs for me?Can I always have the same gardener?Our Gardening Year starts on 1st April with the "Summer Season" and runs until 30thNovember. Our "Winter Season" runs from 1st December to 31st March. I will communicateany changes to your schedule at the end of November and the end of March.For Regular Garden Maintenance, we suggest customers take advantage of the council Green BinScheme (details can be found at www.swindon.gov.uk). That said, if you can't or don't want a greenbin or too much waste is created to fit in your bin, we can remove it for you. We are fully licensed forgreen waste removal and dispose of any waste at Crappers & Son's in Royal Wootton Bassett. Wasteis charged at £10 - £12 per bulk bag (depends on weight & contents).Yes. We are able to source a huge range of plants, shrubs, trees and bulbs through KingsdownNurseries or through our facility to buy directly from growers across Europe. The quality isoutstanding and often allows us to source more mature plants & shrubs not normally stocked bygarden centres at more favourable prices. For more information, check out the stocklist on theKingsdown Nurseries website (https://www.kingsdown-uk.com) or drop us an email.We always do our best to ensure you retain the consistency and routine of having the samegardener. However, sometimes due to sickness, holiday or because we have to reorganise ourroutes or schedules, it may mean another gardener is assigned to you. Regardless though, weonly employ fantastic staff and so you can always be assured that your garden is being caredfor and maintained by someone who cares and with the necessary knowledge and experiencerequired.

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Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQ- 18 -Can I rely on your knowledge and experience to know how and when toprune my shrubs or care for things in my gardenAm I tied into a contract?Can I terminate my service?Why might I owe you money if I terminate my service?We are proud to be RHS trained and only employ people truly passionate about gardening. Ourteam have a combined experience of over 100 years and so you can be confident in both ourknowledge and skills to properly care for your garden. However, as Paul always admits, "ingardening, you never stop learning" and so if on the rare occasion, we aren't sure about something,we will check. Our focus is always on "the health of the plant over the health of our pocket" and sowe will never suggest or do anything other than what is right for the plant itself.You are not tied into a Minimum Term Contract which means you can cancel at any time withjust 4 weeks notice. However, you are tied into the Terms and Conditions of our Service whichmeans that if you cancel before the end of the Gardening Year in March, you are responsiblefor paying any remaining balance. See page 12 for more information.Yes, at any time with at least 4 weeks notice (3 months notice for commercial or communalestate contracts). Please see page 12 for information regarding the Effects of Termination asyou will be responsible for paying any remaining balance due on your account if you terminateour service before you've finished paying for it in March. Instead of paying the full amount for each visit as we perform it, we spread the cost of yourservice out over a 12 month period which makes it easier for our customers to budget and alsomeans we maintain an income all year round instead of it being front-loaded in the summerseason. We calculate the amount you pay based on the Gardening Year that runs from April toMarch each year and so if you terminate your service before you've finished paying for it inMarch, there will be a balance to pay. See page 12 for more information.

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Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQ- 19 -How is my monthly payment calculated and do I pay more by makingpayment over a full year even when my visits reduce or pause?When do price increases come into effect?What happens if 'force majeure' prevents us from carrying out our visit? Eg. if it rains, snows or if there are extremes in temperature?What happens if my gardener is unwell and you have a cancel a visit.We don't charge by 'the hour' but by 'the job' and calculate our 'Per Visit Value' based on severalfactors, including things like the fuel needed in our tools to carry out the work required in yourgarden. We multiply the 'Per Visit Value' by the number of times we are scheduled to visit youbetween April and March and then divide the total annual cost by 12, resulting in the monthlypayment due. You absolutely do not pay more by doing it this way. We are simply taking thesame cost for the service you receive and spread it out equally over a 12 month period fromApril. For more information, see page 8.We do our very best to work as efficiently as possible and keep our running costs as low aspossible, whilst providing a really high quality service with reliable, knowledgeable and skilledstaff. We know we're not the cheapest but we definitely strive to be the best and we know ourcustomers value that. This inevitably means we do occasionally have to put our prices up in linewith our increased costs. We don't blindly put them up based on inflation though but based onthe actual cost of providing our service, which we think is fairer and provides peace of mind ingetting value for your service. If we do need to pass forward a price increase, this is done at thebeginning of the Gardening Year in April and will be reflected in your invoice of 30th April andwill be notified to you by the end of March.If we are unable to work due to circumstances beyond our control, including extremes ofweather such as rain, wind, heat or snow, we will let you know as soon as possible and do ourbest to re-arrange your visit to another date. We will try to make this as soon as possible afteryour original planned visit but may be any time within the same Gardening Year of the originalvisit. If we haven't been able to re-arrange your visit to another date by the end of the sameGardening Year in March, a credit equal to the Per Visit Value will be placed on your account tobe redeemed against an invoice in the following Gardening Year or at Termination, whichever issoonest.If one of our team is unwell, we will do our best to re-arrange your visit to another date withinthe following fortnight. If this doesn't prove possible, a credit equal to the Per Visit Value will beplaced on your account to be redeemed against your invoice the following month.

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Frequently Asked QuestionsFAQ- 20 -I am in a residential parking area. Am I obliged to supply you with aparking permit?My service includes lawn fertilisation and treatments. Will you performthese treatments at the same time as my Regular Garden Maintenanceservice or does it get done separately?Where can I find the full T&C’s?Yes, the council don't issue any working permits for tradesmen and so if you live in a residentsparking area, visitor permits need to be supplied by you to the gardener in attendance each time.If you don't provide a permit and we subsequently get a parking fine, then the fee will be passedon to you for payment in your next invoice. In the past we worked for a resident who had an'agreement' with the parking attendant to allow us to park there without displaying a permitwhich worked well, until the attendant changed and we received a ticket. Any similar agreementyou have with your local parking attendant is taken at your own risk.We don't perform lawn treatments during time allocated for your Regular Garden Maintenanceservice and so if you are on our Gold package with lawn treatments included, then we will be intouch separately by text to confirm when we will be over to apply the treatment.Acceptance of our quote and continuation of our Service is subject to the terms containedwithin our Terms and Conditions. A copy of this can be downloaded at https://bit.ly/JGSTerms

Customer Welcome Pack

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