Terms of Service.
Updated 04.05.2023
If you book a garden service with The Growing Cycle, you agree to our following Terms of Service. The Growing Cycle is a garden care provider in inner north Naarm/Melbourne. If you have any questions regarding these terms, please email or call us and we will be happy to explain them in further detail.
GARDEN PACKAGES
Regular Mow, Line Trimming & Tidy is based upon a recurring agreement between client and The Growing Cycle. This package includes the mowing, line trim and leaf blowing of nearby hard surfaces.
Maintenance - Half Day Ongoing is based upon a recurring agreement between the client and The Growing Cycle. This service is inclusive of between 3 and 3.5 labour hours and can be at a monthly or fortnightly frequency.
Maintenance - Half Day One-off is based upon a first visit or recurring visit with a frequency greater than one month in interval. This service is inclusive of between 3 and 3.5 labour hours.
Two Hour Blitz is calculated based upon 2 labour hours.
LABOUR HOUR
A labour hour is defined as 1 hour of labour performed by 1 professional. Therefore, a team of 2 professionals completing 1 hour of work is equivalent to 2 labour hours. Labour hours may include time taken to load and unload supplies & equipment from vehicles. If you have any questions regarding labour hours or billing procedures, please contact The Growing Cycle prior to your scheduled service.
RATE CHANGES
The Growing Cycle reserves the right to re-evaluate garden package rates at any time. Regular clients will be contacted in writing of any rate changes that affect their ongoing garden care service. These rate changes will then come into effect 60 days after the time of notification.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
The Growing Cycle prides itself on meeting client expectations and caring for others gardens as if they are our own. If there are concerns with the garden care service you have received, we will work with you to make it right. Below is our procedure.
1. Contact us within 48 hours of your booking and provide us with details about your issues.
2. Photos may be required for future reference.
3. We will re-schedule a Two Hour Blitz package at no cost to you as soon as possible if you didn’t receive the service you have paid for. We will use this allotted time to resolve any issues you may have.
ARRIVAL TIME WINDOWS
Please be aware that we provide an arrival window of 1 hour to allow us to deal with jobs running into overtime, travel delays and other surprises. An arrival window may look like: 9:00 am – 10:00 am, 1.30pm – 2:30pm. If our team happens to be running late to your appointment, we will notify you with a revised arrival time.
BREAKAGES AND LOSS
Our team always takes extra effort and care whilst caring for your garden. If there is a breakage or loss during your service, notification of such an event must be made to The Growing Cycle within 48 hours of service by email or phone. Provide us with photos and estimates of the damage. Once The Growing Cycle receives the notification, we will try our best to repair or replace the broken or damaged item.
The Growing Cycle reserves the right to contract suitable professionals to repair damages and will make payment arrangements directly with its contractors to settle any damage repair.
The Growing Cycle is not responsible for breakage due to normal wear and tear, deterioration caused by age, or damage caused by improper assembly, construction, or mounting of an item. Please inform us immediately if any items in your garden require this type of attention.
BIO-HAZARDS
Human and animal urine and faeces, medical syringes, mucous, vomit and blood all fall into the categories of biological hazards and blood-borne pathogens. A biohazard is organic matter that poses danger to humans. For this reason, we ask our gardeners to avoid potential biological hazards and blood-borne pathogens beyond what is part of our service checklist. We work around them to the best of our ability and notify you of their presence. In any case where the gardener feels unsafe, we have the right to cancel the service.
SAFETY
If the condition of your property is beyond our regular garden environment that is covered in our garden care packages, our team has the right to walk away or re-evaluate the rates in order to complete the job to client’s expectations. In the event where our team members decide to refuse service, you will be charged a $50 booking fee due to incorrect description of job. This fee is in place to cover expenses incurred for lost travel time.
If a client or clients manner at any time makes a team member feel uncomfortable or unsafe, our team members have the right to walk away.
Due to safety concerns, we do not allow our team members to move and/or lift heavy items that is not related to our line of work. If you would like us to tend to certain garden areas that have large logs or other items, please move them out before our arrival.
BIKE PARKING ACCESSIBILITY
We do require a place to park a cargo bicycle or bike and trailer close to your front door, so your garden care service is uninterrupted. We ask that driveways be left clear for our vehicles at the time of service. Bicycle security is important to our operation and we ask that clients assist us in identifying a secure location for vehicles during servicing.
LATE CANCELLATIONS/RESCHEDULING
We want to make sure everyone’s appointment is serviced with the best team for the job. It takes time for us to allocate tools and garden professionals for you. That is why we ask for at least 24 hours’ notice for all cancellations or rescheduling. Cancellation or rescheduling 24 hours prior to the initial appointment will incur a $50 charge. Repeated cancellations will cause a disruption in our service and may result in a cancellation of your service altogether.
ACCESSIBILITY
Please ensure that The Growing Cycle has full access to your garden during the service. This includes easy access to the lawn without anything blocking the way of the lawn mowers or other equipment. Any pets or minors should be monitored to ensure they are not interrupting the service. A $50 fee may apply if the gardener arrives and is unable to complete their job due to any kind of interruptions. This fee is in place to cover expenses incurred for lost travel time.
PETS
We reserve the right to cancel/reschedule any services in the event where our professionals feel unsafe to enter due to unsecured pets. We require that any pets are always secured during garden service. Our teams are instructed not to enter a property if they believe that a pet could be a potential threat. Please keep in mind that pets may behave differently if a family member is not around. A $50 fee may be assessed in the event where team members cannot enter the property due to unsecured pets.
ENTRY & LOCK OUTS
If you will not be home to let us in, we ask that you provide us with entry instructions and, if necessary, an alarm code. A $50 fee may be applied if we arrive and are unable to access the property. This fee is in place to cover expenses incurred for lost travel time.
KEYS
The Growing Cycle is unable to accept keys from our customers due to unpredictability and security concerns. We recommend using a key lockbox as a secure and convenient way to give teams access to your keys at home. If you have any entry or alarm instruction, you may add this to your booking notes or emailing/calling us so we can add this to your notes.
PAYMENTS
Our preference is bank transfer on the day of service. We can provide bank account details or PayID. We also accept cash or card payments. However, we do not carry cash change. Card payments incur a 1.9% fee which we pass onto clients. Regular clients can authorise a card on file for payment ease. This incurs a 2.2% fee.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
The Growing Cycle may choose to close for business during the following public holidays: New Year’s Day, Labour Day, Good Friday & Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Monarch’s Official Birthday, Friday before the AFL Grand Final, Melbourne Cup Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The public holiday on January 26 is observed at another time at our discretion.
If your scheduled service falls on a public holiday, we will contact you before your service to reschedule your booking. Any bookings completed on public holidays will incur a 15% surcharge.
WEATHER
We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule jobs in the event of severe weather. We may determine that it is not safe to travel or perform work during this time, therefore, we may need to cancel or reschedule your service. We are not liable for any outcome in this event.
UNPREDICTABLE EVENT
We reserve the right to cancel/reschedule any services in the event of any unpredictable events. Such events may include car accidents, traffic blocks, health & family emergencies. These events are uncontrollable and may lead to us cancelling or rescheduling your service. We are not liable for any outcome in this event.