Comments regarding Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC)

I placed an order for 1500 live lady bugs to help control the aphids in my garden. The order was placed back on 1/28/06. Three days later I find that the business site I ordered from (www.abetterplant.com) had been taken down. The site only displayed an expired domain notice stating that the company is no longer in business. I immediately used the displayed company contact info to inquire about my order. I was contacted by abetterplant.com on 2/4/06 and was told that my order was out for shipping already and that the business was closing down over personal issues/ divorce.
I contacted the business again on 2/16/06 to get a confirmation number since it was 2/16/06 and my order was still not in my possession. I never got a response to my email. I reported the business (ABetterPlant.com) to ripoffreprt.com today and then began doing my own research.

A search on google (//www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&q=%22Chris+Gilcrest%22&btnG=Search) brings up a whole slew of commentary and people's experiences with the guy.

As it turns out the business owner Mr.Chris Gilcrest was arrested prior to 1/27 for fraudulent business practices and other charges (source: //www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060127/NEWS01/601270309/1002). I am just shocked and can't really believe all that is unfolding. My point in posting this was to warn everyone about the site growquest.com. Chris Gilcrest also owns and operates this business and still doing business. I was trying to order ladybugs from a different company since abetterplant.com was not shipping my order and I discovered both companies were owned by the same person. I am not sure why the site is still up an operating after all the fraud and other charges but don't order from them!!

I placed an order with Growquest on 12/26/05 & 1/24/06 to ship to Corpus Christi, TX. I never recieved any shipments. I called over 30 times and spoke with Chris a few times and even last weekend. He PROMISED me he would ship my trees out on Monday (2/20/06) and I believed him. He has told me this the last three times I've called and a woman said the same thing last month. Chris is a liar and he is still taking money from the Growquest website. He hasn't shipped or refunded the money for the trees, as he promised. He is a con-artist and a liar. Do NOT get near this company or Chris.

My experience was actually closer to negative, but since I'm not out any money I chose to list it as Neutral. My biggest problem with this company is that it seems that all along they have charged credit cards immediately, whether or not the order was available or ready to ship. If they only charged customers once orders were ready to go, I think most of the problems could have been avoided or at least minimized.

So that everyone is aware, the business is apparently back up and running again as of 2/11/06:
//growquest.com/growquest%20refunds.htm

My experience was that late June 2005 I talked to Chris about what avocado trees would do best in my area. He gave me some good recommendations, but sounded rushed so I submitted my order on the website rather than on the phone. Several weeks later I noticed they charged my credit card, and assumed that meant I would get the trees soon (as would be the case with most mail order companies). I waited a month, but didn't receive the trees. It was very hot in this area so I thought that might be the reason for the delay, but I never was able to confirm that. I called and emailed about once a week, but got no replies to my emails and usually no answer on the phone. Finally in September I reached a woman on the phone who said I had to talk to Chris because the order was so old. I never got a call back. I waited until the last day to dispute it with my credit card company, and I was able to get a refund from them.

I finally thought it was over, but on Sept. 28 05 I received an email from Chris (using Jamie's email address) stating that he was going to fill any old orders and pay for them out of his own pocket, but that he would charge packaging and shipping charges. I replied that I no longer wanted anything to do with my old order, and haven't heard anything. I still watch my credit card very closely and have requested that they reject any charges from Growquest, A Better Plant Grower, or ABP.

I placed a phone order for a Little Cado on April 8, 2005. My credit card was promptly charged on April 11. I was told that the tree would ship in 7-10 days. On June 5, I received an email from Chris that the trees were prime and were shipping the next week. I received another email from Chris on June 23, apologizing for the delayed order due to health problems and complications of moving into new facilities. He said that the tree would ship that week. I have left numerous messages on answering machines (when the mailboxes weren't full) and numerous emails in the 10 months since placing this order. I have not heard anything from Growquest except for the aforementioned emails.
I just spoke to the Tulare County D.A. about Growquest. On. Jan. 26, 2006 Mr. Gilcrest was arrested, served with search warrants and his computers were confiscated. The D.A. had just interviewed Mrs. Gilcrest before I spoke with him. I did not ask him about any health problems that she may have had, but it seems she divorced him BECAUSE of his fraudulent dealings in the operation of these companies (Growquest and A Better Plant). It was NOT the divorce taking a toll on the business, but his business dealings that caused the divorce. The "company comment" from Mr. Gilcrest states that for orders prior to Oct. 2005 for us to ask for a refund from our credit card companies. Mr. Gilcrest is fully aware that there is a 60 day timeframe for disputing charges with the credit card companies; his modus operandi is to delay and put off the customer until it is too late.

Thank you Garden Watchdog.Mr.Growquest is now in jail. One should check out your website before ordering from a company. They should beware of sites with a few positive comments and an overwhelming number of negative. This is a church and he cheated us while saying he was going to send us a couple of roses free.He did not mention that they would not be alive. Thank you again.

FYI:

Today's paper had this article in the Valley News section:

Fresno Bee January 28, 2006

A Visalia man who operated an online nursery business was arrested Thursday on suspicion of taking money from customers without supplying them with promised products.

Investigators from the Tulare County District Attorney's Office served search warrants Thursday on the residence and business of Visalia resident Christopher Morgan Gilcrest, 41.

District Attorney's Office officials say Gilcrest operated three Internet-related businesses--"Growquest," "ABP Growquest," and "A Better Plant Grower"--from a warehouse and his home in Visalia.

Investigators discovered that more than 100 complaints of petty theft and fraud had been lodged against Gilcrest. Customers said Gilcrest and his staff would take credit card orders from rose growers and distributors for roses, ladybugs and citrus trees, but failed to give them the merchandise.

Investigators also learned that Gilcrest employed people for manual labor and other services without providing workers' compensation insurance or withholding taxes.

Gilcrst was arrested on suspicion of grand theft and failure to provide insurance. He was taken to Tulare County Jail, where is bail was listed at $25,000.



No comment necessary.

Growquest Owner Chris Gilcrest is lying!
There is an open investigation by the District Attorney:Phillip J. Cline 559-733-6600 Please call him and get info on how you can recover your money and perhaps punish this fraud expert.

My story is he sold me a dead tree, then when I complained he said he would give me a refund then sue me for non-payment. This is not a statement from a man getting a Divorce but a cold calculating perpetrator of consumer fraud.
I sent 6-12 emails called many times but never was I helped only threatened and the BBB was not very effective either. I suspect he will change business names and continue his practice so bewary! Investigate before buying.

"

First, let me again apologise to all those people people who got an even worse end of marriage break up then I did.

We have filled orders for customers who were not able to get a refund and will do so as weather and circumstances allow.

With as big a mess as this became I would be surprised if public servants did not want to look into these problems. To what extent that happens to fall on me, the future will tell.

The new website is my idea and filling the orders is my job, but it is not my web site and the business of that web site is not mine. I have a huge role in filling the orders and building it.

As for the author's post. We never packed and shipped a single dead plant. We have packed and shipped plants that died in transit, that is for sure, the retail shipping system is not well suited for large heavy plants. We shipped tyically very large or heavy plants, 22 to 42 pounds each in boxes 3 feet to 6 feet tall. On average about 5 in every 100 got damaged (depending on the weather and carrier sometimes a lot more than that) and were replaced per the terms of purchase.

If you get a heavy plant shipment and turn around and refuse to pay the cost of packing ($10 to $14) and shipping (about $22 to $28) then we are at impass. This was billed after the plants left since there are too many variables for these large plants and the orders people made to put into a shopping cart. We have done our job which is to take a good plant and pack it in a way that experience tells us will get there in good to excellent shape. If the customer is not willing to do their part which is to pay for that cost and service, then I would like to know ust how are we going to proceed? This is a

The terms of purchase clearly explained and the sections where the plants were bought that there was going to be an addtional cost in packing and shipping. The author is putting forth the idea the we took a dead plant, spent money on labor, packaging and shipping cost so we could intentionally send him a plant was dead or would die so that we can replace it again (replacement shipping comes out of our pocket, not the customer) is just rubish.

Chris Gilcrest"

I ordered some roses from this company. I called to ask when I would recieve them, because the site did not clarify. The women who answered reassured me that they would arrive shortly after her husband went to the nursery to order them. Weeks went by I recieved nothing from Grow Quest
I called over 30 times leaving messages, asking for some information. I also asked if they could send me a refund because I didnt like the wait and decided to go elsewhere.
I emailed numerous times.
After three months of calling, I reported them.
Right before I reported I called to notify them that, that was the avenue I was taking. I hoped they could at least return my phone call this one time.

I recieved no call.
I recieved no roses.
I recieved no refund from them.
Visa will not issue a refund in most cases.
I could not recieve a refund from Visa

I understand family problems. If they would of at least communicated with me, then everything would of been fine.
It is disheartening that someone could take so easily. Then blame it on their family.
I feel I should at least recieve an apoligy. Then a thank you, for the donation I made towards their crisis.
Angie

"

A simple email to info@growquest.com with the order number at this point will get the problem resolved.

The funds went to Jamie Gilcrest becuase it was her merchant account, it was a family company not corporation, where else were they going go too?

I am not in a position where I could refund the funds myself. I have to choices ship bare root plants to those old orders that are emailed to me or go bankrupt and never fill an order to anybody. I am choosing to rebuiId my life and I have filled orders where people have brough them to my atttention, have their shipping charges paid (for heavy orders).

My suggestion is to get you order infomation in as soon as possible so that during this bare root season I can fill the order. "

(559) 308-2270 is Chris Gilcrest cell phone number

He stole my $50. A crook for sure. I don't care what the last post said about sponsoring crap in Iraq. Lies. I hope everyone calls him on his cell and drives him crazy.

"

A simple email to info@growquest.com with the order number at this point will get the problem resolved. My suggestion mimizan is too send an email to let me know what item they are short on and to get it filled.

First of we have sent plenty of items to help soliders serving in Iraq. We have even filled orders for them, them that they emailed or did on line from in Iraq or elsewhere.

I would like to thank those peole who did call with the posting my cell phone nubmer and the support they have offered after learning more about the facts, instead blindly following rumor.

chris"

I looked into ordering a large (36") box olive tree back in August. I spoke to Chris personally to place the order. A few days later, I received notification the order had been cancelled. I called and left a message. I was out of town when Chris called back to explain what was going on. Once we touched base, he explained what had happened and what would be required to get the order going. Once the tree arrived, it was everything I had hoped for.
I don't know that I would be able to even keep my head during that period, let alone try keep a business going too. I did not experience any lack of courtesy during the delay, and got an honest explanation of what was going on. I also recieved regular updates when necessary from Chris. What I saw was someone trying to keep it all going during an extremently difficult situation, and managing to be nice about it, and still meeting his customer's need.

"

This was not just any olive tree. It was a Majestic Beauty 36" boxed olive that really was ready for a 60" box. It was sold for $525.00 but was worth more around $950.00. This plant was huge. It took more than 16 hours to build a crate nearly 5 feet wide and 5 feet tall and 14 feet long ( we had to care fold back the branches), pack the root ball in about 50 pounds of ice, spray the whole thing with Anti Stress 550 several times and then pray that the heat between here and the new home Nashville Tenn, did not dry it out.

For sure a lot of mistakes happened during the last 12 months, and things got really lame from April through early August, (and a simple email will get them fixed) but that was still a small percentage of the orders that we had in our system.

If you have a special plant need and your are not going to act like a jerk when you find out the cost of labor, lumber, packing materials and shipping, I will and can get it done for you, as I have for many people like John.

Chris Gilcrest
"

ordered a AVOCADO, HASS, tree. 3-28-05...after waiting an unusual time, was informed they were moving...another 3 weeks and then some other excuse...went on until I rec'd the letter they were shutting down...my order number ( 01008175 ) was prior to the order number given so proceeded to cancel my visa charge...too late, had to be done within 90 days...that is a hard hit when you're on "fixed" income...followed up their closure announcement with a return email, saying I would still like the tree, but NO response...from all the Negatives I've seen, sounds like this was a "planned" thing....

"

As stated if you cannot get refund we will ship the plant. The wrong variety has been ordered by the customer and a Little Cado is needed but otherwise pending a resolution on the payment of the shipping charges the plant will be shipped in mid February when weather is safe enough allow.

chris "

Order was placed in late May..and credit card was promptly charged for a hardy Avocado tree -Mexicola Grande I believe. I called once when there was a delay and they told me it could take three weeks. Three months later I called again and received a notice from a woman that Chris would call me back.

Of course this never occurred. The only good news is they are out of business. As to the posting about them supporting servicemen..that is irrelevant to the difficulties they have created and by having taken my money with no product are no better than internet thieves.

"

When we get the order number or last name the order will be filled with an agreement on the shipping costs. We sent a lot of plants to Las Vegas and value our Vegas clients.

Chris"

Like so many others, I ordered and was immediately charged for a plant that never arrived. On July 26 I ordered a Cecil Brunner rose bush as a birthday gift, and was assured it would arrive in early August. It never got here, despite numerous calls to Growquest.

Here's my concern: if you call the old Growquest phone number today (9/23), you will get a message that you have reached "A Better Plant Grower" in Tulare, CA (7 miles from Visalia).

If you then check the website http://www.abetterplant.com you will find it looks REMARKABLY similar to Growquest's old site. Is there a pattern here?

I intend to pursue my Growquest complaint with A Better Plant Grower. If they are a reincarnation of Growquest, they should make every attempt to resolve the open issues with Growquest's victims.

"

I took the order over the phone and it was told "I want to plant a Cecil Brunner in my back yard," never did anybody say birthday present, I am not sure that events would have allowed to leave a few days later, but it would have been closer to the front of my mind.

We had plenty of Cecil Brunners on hand.
I am sorry the order did not work out. Within days of this order the whole business as it was then fell apart as a result of Jamie's medical and personal problems.

The sites look similar, becuase it was clear that while a family disaster was going to ruin my life as I had known it, I would still need to work and go forward. I shared the idea with those close to me they decided to help support me creating a better business built from the experiences of the old. Growquest was down for about a month or more, but becuase of the refunds and reshipments that are needed, Growquest was put back up. This allows people the contact and product infomation they need to make their orders.

Since I was only one person trying to do many things I routed both phone numbers through call forwarding to single point where I could answere them.

Chris Gilcrest

"

I ordered 5 Citrus trees from this company almost two months ago. Once I found this site I immediatly called to cancel my order. 25 phone calls and emails later I got a hold of Chris to cancel. He badgered me and said some really mean and cruel thinsg to me that i think no business man should ever say to any customer. I immediatly got an email saying my credit card was refunded. It didn't show up on the actual bank statement untill 35 days after that email was sent. I think this just gors to show how wierd Chris is that he told everyone on his website all about his family, it's a bit strange to say the least. God do I feel sorry for those kids.
I am so glad that Growquest is gone, it was a horrible horrible HORRIBLE company runned by horrible people.

"

Said author is a liar. Nothing less, and I challenge him to post the all of the emails. His refund was made by me and posted to the credit card system before he ever ask for it. How long his card company took on their end I do not know. It was becuase it was refunded without his direct request that he got so mad.

This man got a refund, even while he did not want it. Which is interesting, because reading this web site you would think we never made refunds.

It was clear that he was not going to pay the shipping charges for his plants. He told me that "no way" does it cost that much to send citrus trees to him. I let him know we ship full size dwarf or standard plants in their pots and that each plant travels in its own box and what the cost would be.

When I could see him trying to figure out several different ways to get the plants without paying all of the shipping costsI canceled the order. Said customer got very upset that I would not ship the order, and then proceeded to trash me in emails. I challanged him to prove his point and failed to do so.

Chri Gilcrest"

I am very unhappy thus far with this place also...ordered from them, email them, call them, no emails back, dont know where my decollate snails are...they already charged my visa for them, ask where they are, no response...maybe tomrrow they will reply-yah right!

"

I have asked for additional information so that I can repair any outstanding problem.

Chris"

I don't usually post experiences from buying on the Web, but I felt obligated in this instance. The postings on this board so far are just extreme examples of people who lack patience, who don't read, and who threaten sueing or using their VISA to get money back without realizing how immature they are being.

I am in Minnesota. I ordered a Feijoa tree on June 13. On June 19 it arrived -- faster than I thought it would. The tree was absolutely beautiful. They charged me a few days after it arrived for the shipping at $27.00. It says on their web site that they will charge for shipping afterwards because there is no way to tell what this price would be before hand. It also says that they charge $28 per hour if they have to build a special box for it. This is quite understandable. Who wants a damaged plant? But the people who posted here about "faudulent charges" don't know how to read. They think that a specially constructed box with wooden protection inserts is supposed to be cheap? There are a lot of plant companies on the Web, and I have received packages from several, but they have never been as expertly crafted and contained such high quality as with growquest--the same quality they promise on their Web site.

I quickly ordered to passifloras from Growquest as I am very confident in this company. I check the Web site frequently and they update at least every monday telling the status of particular plants. I have yet to receive my passifloras, but it says on the Web site

"7-24-05 through 8-10-05 Plant shipping will is still on hold for most portions of the Country. It is simply too HOT! A cooling trend is starting to be seen after the 10th."

They have said this repeatedly since the beginning of July. I have no sympathy for people who don't bother to think that growquest isn't going to send out product to be killed in the heat. Waiting 20 days then contacting VISA to deal with the matter is inexcusable.

It also explains on their Web site the problem they have had with their internet phone system.

Lastly it says on their Web site:

"Cancellation or request of refund of an order must be submitted to us 14 days prior to requesting a refund from your credit card provider."

Apparently, no one reads and decides that it is better to stiff it to the vendor. It costs the vendor every time you do this and obviously does not help the situation.

You all need to learn how to order over the Web, or stay off and buy from your local nursery. You are ruining the reputation of a quality company with your ignorance, impatience, and over zealous tempers. This is a specialty nursery. It is a mom and pop place. This is not Walmart.

I have had an open order for 20 days now. My CC was charged within minutes of placing the order. I received an Electronic Receipt.

My order status has been "in process" for 20 days. I have called 4 times. Each time I was told the item was in stock and would "go out today".

An E-mail exchange threatening to cancel got the following reply from Chris Gilcrest: "got it".

If that meant he understood my displeasure, I don't think he "got it" because the order is STILL listed as "in process", and I have received not a single shipping status E-mail.

On Monday, I will initiate a dispute with VISA, and will register a complaint to the BBB.

Interestingly, if you look at their 'shipping info' page, you will note EXTENSIVE statements regarding complaints. I should have put 2 & 2 together and determined that Growquest is no stranger to complaints...

Good luck if you go with them.

I have a vineyard and have been ordering beneficial insects this spring to control leafhoppers. I saw Grow Quest's website and decided to order 18,000 lady bugs from them. I ordered them by phone on 7/8 and was promised they would arrive 7/13. They did not arrive, I called the company, they admitted they lost my address and would ship them 7/18. I did not receive them. I emailed the 4 times and left 4 phone messages, none of my correspondence was answered. I finally got ahold of Chris. He was rude and unprofessional, but he did agree to refund my money. I have still not seen the refund which should have taken someone 2 minutes to do. DO NOT BUY FROM GROWQUEST.COM!! I wished I had found the information at your website first. If you need lady bugs get them from Ladies in Red or Buglogical.com. Both of those companies provided great service.

DD

I PURCHASED ONLINE FROM ABP GROWQUEST A MANGO TREE AND AN AVOCADO TREE LAST DECEMBER 1, 2004. SPRING HAS COME AND GO AND IM STILL WAITING FOR MY ORDER. I HAVE SENT EMAILS AND MADE SEVERAL PHONES CALLS AND THE REPLAY I GOT WAS " MY ORDER WILL BE DELIVERED IN A FEW DAYS". AND FINALLY LATE IN MARCH MY AVOCADO TREE WAS DELIVERED. I PLANTED THE AVOCADO TREE AS PER INSTRUCTIONS BUT AFTER 2 WEEKS THE TREE DIED.
AND FOR THE MANGO TREE, IM STILL WAITING FOR IT TO BE DELIVERED. AND EVERYTIME I CALLED TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE DELIVERY OF THE MANGO TREE I GET THE SAME REPLY "IT WILL BE DELIVERED IN A FEW DAYS". AND THE MANAGER, CRIS GILCREST WAS VERY RUDE....HE HANG UP ON ME WHEN I WAS STILL TALKING TO HIM ON THE PHONE TODAY JULY 25. AND HE NEVER RETURN YOUR CALLS WHEN YOU LEAVE A MESSAGE.
BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY....I PURCHASED A LOT OF ITEMS ONLINE FROM DIFFERENT COMPANIES AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I DID NOT GET THE ITEM THAT I PAID FOR!

I ordered plants in March and they billed the credit card immediately. I heard nothing for weeks. When I called, the answering machine was full, so I couldn't leave a message. I tried emails and more phone calls. When I finally got the owner I was told it was shipping "soon". Then weeks later, they were shipping "this week". After 3 months I had the credit card company dispute the charge. I wish it had worked out....their website seemed nice.

"

I have asked for more information to see if there is any way of correcting this order.

Chris"

I was really hoping that I would not have to add my story to this, as up until last Friday, I still had some hope that Chris would take care of our issue. I placed my order August 2004 for three roses. Naturally, my credit card was billed immediately for all three. I received two of the roses, Chris indicated that he was sold out of the third and it would be shipped the following spring. This was acceptable to me, as I have a new yard still and was in no rush. I finally had to email Chris in April to remind him of our arrangement. He apologized for the oversight, and told me it would be shipped immediately. I waited a week, then emailed him to ask what day he planned to ship it so I could watch for it. He told me he had already shipped it. I waited another two weeks, and when I did not receive it, I emailed him to confirm the ship date. It had not yet been shipped apparently, as his response was "soon". We went back and forth this way until I finally lost patience and told him if he could not ship it by June 22, to issue me a refund so I could order it elsewhere. On June 16, he agreed to issue me a refund. I have contacted him on a weekly basis to check on this promised refund and he keeps telling me "soon" but still no credit to my card as of 07/13/05. I'm not getting the impression that he is even reading the emails at this point, just sending out generic replies to put off the customer. We are talking about a measley $20 bucks here, so why the lengthy delay? What's the problem? I just want my money back as promised!!

My experience at Growquest was horrible. And unfortunately, it just keeps going.

I ordered a two to three year old lemon tree back in May for a Father's Day delivery. It was supposed to be in a 5 gallon container and weigh about 20 pounds. I called to check and make sure it could be shipped by Father's Day. Chris assured me it would be and even sent me an email confirming the ship date. He never shipped it.

When Father's Day came and went and the tree never made it to my father-in-law, the ridiculous excuses and drama began. And that is when I could actually get through via phone. I googled the company for more info and to my horror found Dave's Garden Watchdog. The only email Growquest responded to was sent through this website. Chris' email response to a legitimate query was childish and extremely unprofessional. I immediately called to cancel my order and get a refund. I had dealt with their excuses, but I wasn't going to deal with his childish antics.

He insisted that the tree had already shipped. He agreed that they messed up my order and that for all my trouble I wouldn't be charged anything other than the initial tree cost +9.99 shipping that had already been charged to my credit card. I agreed to this and told them I wanted a real tracking number, not the forever "in process" tracking they provide on the website.

The total package weight provided by the shipping company was 8 lbs. (I have the tracking information to prove it.) Obviously, this was NOT what I had ordered. I was so fed up with this company that I decided to let it slide. We apologized to my husband's father about the delay and the puny tree.

I thought it was all done. But last Friday Growquest made an unauthorized charge on my card. I called the CC company on Saturday. I explained the situation and forwarded all the information, tracking, emails, etc... to them. The CC representative put through a three way phone call to Growquest to try to resolve this. Chris admitted that he agreed to not charge me anymore. Then he recanted that and said I still owed them money for crating. He rambled on about how the plant weighed over 20 lbs and there was a lot of work involved in crating it, etc... I told him that the plant only weighed 8 lbs, plus we agreed previously that we were already squared away. He went off on a long rant about the weight, called me a liar, accused me of not wanting to pay for the tree, disrespected the CC representative and yelled over her every time she tried to clarify something. She requested that my CC number be deleted from his files. After he claimed he didn't have it on file, he then said he just deleted it. He started yelling and threatening the CC representative with legal action then hung up on us.

The credit card company reversed the unauthorized charge and credited me the amount of my initial purchase in perks. My account is now flagged, and if Growquest tries to charge my card again, it will be automatically reported to the police.

Even after all that, he sent me a threatening (and incoherent) email demanding even more money. He just made up all new amounts and threatened me with legal action if I didn't send him a check for the amount. Hopefully his absurd scare tactics never actually work on people. If Growquest had spent a fraction of the energy spent making excuses and harassing me into filling the order correctly, they would have had a happy, repeat customer. As it is, I'm telling all the folks in my online plant exchange to stay away no matter what Growquest promises.

If Chris is foolish enough to follow through on his threats, I have meticulous documentation of all that transpired. And I'm a law student. ;) And as a previous poster noted, it isn't libel or slander if it is true.

(In the course of his diatribe he said that the only problems his company has are with people who don’t want to pay shipping and handling and then whine about it online. After reading all of these horror stories, I beg to differ.)

"

We there is quite bit of mis truth in this statement. I had told the customer that we would cut her a break on the packing costs, not the shipping costs.

The customer did get the plant she wanted and was never complaining about the quality of the plant. She simply did not want to pay for the cost of shipping.

That someone made a mistake in entering the shipping weight into the shipping program has little to do with the bill that came from the shipping company. As most items, particularly large items are almost always scaled by the carrier and the re billed for differences.

The bill for the shipping amount was correct, the packing charge was a mistake by us and we offered to correct it. In the end the customer got the plants they wanted without pay their bill. This was done by making an wrongful claim to their credit card company. At know point did she ever turn around and mail a payment for her shipping costs, she just decided to keep the plant and get away with free shipping.

This raises an ineresting question. If I am going to try and clean up the mess that was left behind, which is money out of my pocket and not from the other half that was here, do I also pursue the hundreds of people who as this point have not paid their shipping costs?

I suspect that legal action will be required to collect the money from these people and they will come sceaming and yelling to Dave's Garden that they are they victims, having got their shipment and now not wanting to pay for the cost of getting it.

Chris

"

HI ,
I orderd citrus trees from growquest , i really throught i had found a great place, when i called my order in i told them the day i needed to recieve the trees as they were being resold to my coustomers and i had promised delivery to them the next day after they were to arrive here. i checked with my credit card company and they had billed my card six days earler which was fine, if i had gotton the trees. When they did not arrive i started trying to call them, both numbers had been disconnected, that was a red light to me so i called my credit card company and they gave me credit back for the money i had paid groquest and said they would get their money back from them, I dont want to bash them but they are to many nurseries out there for you to even chance doing business with growquest, and really i wish i could have . kyartist.

"

This was about the middle point of my family break down. While I would have wished for better service things were starting to really get hard to handle. I was shipping a lot of orders and trying to keep up with events as they unfolded.

I would take issue that the phones were disconnected though, they were ringing off the hook and I was doing the best I could at the time to get all the calls.

Chris"

Incomplete order. Full billing though! Little or no response of a satisfactory nature. Unprofessional and inaccurate. Growquest has promised a refund after a threatening fax. (We'll see.) Central California Better Business Bureau has several complaints, including mine, on their site regarding this company. I should have looked them up on your site first!

I also have had a very frustrating experience with GrowQuest. I ordered 3 bareroot roses in Feb. and after hearing nothing from them for months, tried to contact them repeatedly by e-mail, and they said they would ship Tuesday. Nothing happened. I finally called them and they said they would ship that week. Nothing. No roses, no e-mail, nothing. I tried to e-mail them over and over. Finally they said they would bring the roses since they would be in the area. Now we're at Memorial Day. So I tried contacting them again. (I paid for these roses!) Finally they say they're going to ship. June 17th; one 3 gallon pink Altissimo shows up. SOOO....I e-mailed them -I really should know better by now. Nothing. Ever. I realize that we have had a terrible rainy year here in California, and I realize they were moving, so perhaps they should have taken some time off to straighten things up. I got the feeling that the customers were just a bother to them, and they wish I would just go away. I will. Never again. I think that lack of communication is their biggest flaw.

"

She got a #5 gallon 3 ft staked huge Altissimo, (pink from the blooms being a box for few days) worth abput 3 times the bare root price, for no extra charge with packing and shipping worth an extra $30.00.

She got two of the three, at least, fully potted 3 year old roses, not bare root, without being asked to pay a dime extra.

I was really trying to find some light at the end of the tunnel during the near middle of a family crises by catching up with old orders and making sure they got really nice plants for the wait.

Chris

"

I ordered 2 tree roses for a client of mine in May. As of this date I have yet to receive them. I called 2 weeks ago and they assured me they were being sent. I have now called and spoke with the owner. He was the rudest person I have dealt with. He was very blase about my situation. He didn't look up my information and said "Oops it was an oversight and would send today." When I questioned the wisdom of shipping of plants to my area which is averaging 96 degrees daily and he became even ruder. Stated he knew what he is doing and just say I don't want the plants. I told him I didn't want the plants and he hung up the phone. Of course without getting any information. I called him back and wouldn't answer the phone. I thought I had found a great source for roses. I now know I was dead wrong!!!

Yet another terrible experience with Growquest, sigh. Avoid this company.

I ordered a white sapote tree a month ago. I live a couple of hundred miles from the company, and they deliver to my area (i.e. not use a shipper). When I called I was told that they were delivering "this weekend" and they would deliver my tree. No delivery. I waited two weeks and called. In response to my call I received email from Chris saying that my plant would be mailed "in the next couple of days." After a week, no plant. I called and was told that the plant would be shipped "today". Now it's a week later, no plant. I tried to call but they took my number and said that they'd call me back. So far, no call back.

I guess that I'm going to have to use my credit card company to crack the whip on these guys.

I have reviewed the chains and see that many are upset with this company due to service issues. I was displeased to see some had called Chris a crook. I am a sales manager and a supplier of Growquest, and know this man well enough to know that he is not a crook. I also have spoken to Chris and listened to his concerns of finding competent help in a busy spring, one man cannot do it all. This is not an excuse for poor service, but some kind words for a man who has some big challenges ahead of him. His family sponsors soldiers in Iraq, and that is not something a crook would do. I believe this is an issue of a business with growing pains, and definitely no pun intended.

I clicked positive but in truth I'm really hoping the end will turn out to be a positive one. Maybe it's just wishful thinking. I ordered two roses May 17, 2005. Called like many and came to almost memorize the message on the GrowQuest machine. I was very,very happy when I received two messages on my answering machine from Chris!
Finally we talked and I was promised the roses would be here by Wednesday and felt pretty good! It's Friday and frankly I was still okay with it until I came upon your site.
It was very depressing. Came close to tears because I was taken once by a landscaper for $1,000. Reading all of those negatives brought back bad,bad memories. The many excuses ... the many delays ... the promises.
Bad signs ... and the signs are always there.
*I'm hoping this won't happen to me again. I hope Chris turns out to be a nice responsible guy after all. Pipe dream? We'll see. I'll keep you posted. Tick Tock goes the clock~

"

If there was ever a case of wanting something for nothing this is one of best.
Here is person who got exactly what they wanted and then when they got the bill for getting it, decided the dishonest part was the person asking for the cost of provided the service.

Many people are wondering just what the Sam Hill was going over at Growquest? Well the answere was very simply we had a huge amount of orders pouring in like this;
we were filling them,
our shipping company fell behind in billing us (taking sometimes 2 to 3 months to provide the correct billing amounts,
when we did properly bill the customer for the service provided,as described in detail on the web site, we did nothing more than what was written there, dead beats like this would scream, about the bill.
They would get refunds from their credit card companies, taking money for filled orders out of our account, with large fees for the "chargeback" screwing up the process of filling new orders.

If you want a 3, 4 or 5 foot tall climbing rose bush boxed and shipped to you, then you should expect it will run a lot more than the box of Girl Scout cookies you sent Grandma or that scrappy #1 grade rose bush you got in the winter.

I challange anybody to find where we billed something the customer did not agree too. Again people want this argument both ways, it is wrong that Chris went out of business and is trying to rebuild a new life, but it is entirely correct for people to lie to their credit card companies that "they had no idea it was going to cost this much for rose bush to be shipped."
Which is just nuts, we clearly posted to the rose section what it would cost to ship these large potted plants. So what is the complaint? If you ask us to send you item A, and we have posted item A will cost about $28.00 to ship, how can you complain about the bill?

If I am to make right from the wrongs of the family break up, then this bill like hundreds of others will be collected by the Court system this Spring.

Chris"

On 05/01/05 I placed an order with ABP GROWQUEST . Upon the 3rd week I called the company regarding my order- but nobody returned my call. After waiting another 1 1/2 weeks I called again, this time advising that the California Better Business Bureau will will receive notification of the company business practices- this time someone called back but not with any info as to the status of my order - so I went to the company's website to check my order- it showed "processing". This was about 2 weeks ago still no order!! It's kinda strange that my credit card was debited on 05/02/05!! - 1 day after my order was place!!!!!! unfortunately I came upon your website while searching for GROWQUEST address inorder to send some correspondence. thanks for letting me rant! the buck doesn't stop here Susie-

My wife place an order in 2-05 and her account was debited at that time with an expectation of an April delivery of 6 Grade 1 bare root roses. It then reached the end of May 05 and she is upset since no roses were delivered & none of her e-mails have been responded to from Growquest . She asked me to help resolve this issues. After multiple phone calls I got to Chris’ wife who told me several excuses (i.e. were in transition, we had problems with our computers, etc.). I told her I needed the order fulfilled & shipped in the next few days since my wife was due to deliver on 6-10. If this was not possible then I would like to cancel the order with a full refund. She told me that they didn’t have any bare root this late in the season & she would send out that day potted roses for the same cost & I should received them by Monday (4 days later). Monday – Wednesday came & went with no delivery. Thursday arrives & we receive 1 rose that was full of black spots & only has 2 canes (not Grade 1 as advertised & paid for). I left a message for Chris & he left me a voicemail back bitching about why the delivery was late because of his incompetent employee who did not refill his boxes required to ship the rose. Then the kicker, he told me that someone else must have sent this rose to me from the “street” in his box because he only has quality roses. At this point I realized again this was a ridiculous situation & I needed to cut my losses. I e-mailed Chris pictures of the rose in the hope to obtain a refund & a call back. Well, multiple days passed & I was told by their office that he would call me back which he never did. Finally, I got to his wife who told me that they refunded my wife’s account. I asked her the next question, how much was the refund? Her response equated to a cost to my wife of $56 for a diseased rose with 2 canes. I asked her if she saw the e-mail picture & she responded yes. I then asked her Growquest’s definition of a Grade 1 rose and she responded 4 or more canes. However, their definition of a cane counts branches on a cane. She was also charging me the uplift from a bare root to a potted rose. I then got Chris’ cell phone number & called him and had another ridiculous conversation were I told him I would be posting messages of my experience to help protect others & he told me he didn’t care.

My summary, first I thought Growquest was over their heads with their transition, however, after having multiple conversations with them and experiencing lie after lie I realize that they should be investigated for their business practices and internet buyer should research before they buy!!

Terrible experience! I placed an order April 27th; my Visa was charged 2 days later. Today, June 2nd, no plants. I've emailed; no response. Left phone message; no response. By the way, the phone number listed above is no longer valid, so don't waste long distance money on it, as I did. The current number is (877)738-3644, or for the growing fields (not sure at this point they really exist!) (559)687-2007. My credit card statement listed an 800 number, but it is disconnected. I really want the plants -- I've been delaying some other plantings, and it's getting late, but I'll be taking action to get my money back if I don't hear from them soon.

I too wish I had found this site before placing an order with this company. I placed my order on May 1, 2005 and my credit card was charged the same day for my order. Today is June 1, no roses, no answers, etc. I really wanted these rose bushes and am so disappointed in this company.

I have repeatedly tried to contact them via email since I can't seem to get any one on the phone, or the phone has been disconnected. I sent my final email to them this morning. If I don't hear from them by noon MY TIME today I'm doing a charge back on my credit card and filing and am filing and internet fraud complaint against them.

FYI...you can do this very easily with any internet company that fails to follow through by going to the internet fraud complaint center's website //www.ifccfbi.gov/cf1.asp

WOW...

Shocked to see so many negatives and neutrals here. I had a very pleasant experience with this company and wouldn't hesitate to buy again. My email was returned promptly by the owner himself and the product was delivered quickly.

If you talked to me last week, this would of definately been a NEGATIVE! Let me explain....I placed an order on April 14, 2005 for a weeping china doll rose tree 60"~ I had been pondering it for 2 years and finally took the leap....I went online and found what I was looking for( Growquest was the only company that had what I wanted.) It was expensive (about 90.00 with shipping)...believe me, this was BIG money for me to spend but I REALLY wanted it since I had finally made up my mind to do it. I NEVER did any research on this company...I thought the internet was safe! (naive me!!) Well I figured 7-10 days it would arrive so I went out and "like a pregrent women" expecting, I got the soil ready and did all my tidying up...well, after the 10 day mark I began to chomp on the bit like a racehorse...WHERE WAS MY ROSE TREE (expensive rose tree!) so I called the number and got a message for another number and then got another message for another number...the pit in my stomach began to get quite deep! When I finally reached someone "out in the fields" they assured me it would be shipped on Monday...then Monday came and went so I called again and did the same routine of all the numbers and again, I got someone out in the fields that assured me a gift would be coming along with my tree because of the delay.....o ya.....also shipping it out on Monday....so another Monday came and went....now I'm really beginning to panic...I waisted all this time and now we're into May and if this thing doesn't get here soon it will be the end of growing season ( in Rhode Island, the season is short!) so I called again and this time bypassed all the numbers and went directly to the field number where a man told me he was shipping it (of course on Monday!) and he was shipping a big full blooming beautiful 2 year old one! Well..ok, you know the story by now...Monday came and went so I called Wednesday and a women answered and I was trying to remain in a very Christlike state but I was at their mercy and could not say what I wanted...they were holding my rose tree randsom!!! So she told me that it had been raining and they could not ship a wet rose tree and when it dried off it would be shipped. So finally about the 11th of May I was at the end of my rope and called the field number and was told by Chris they shipped it yesterday by DHL...so I called DHL to verify it and they told me they could not give me any info on shipping without my track number or for me to give them their zip code. So I went and logged on to find the zip code and what do I find while i'm searching for growquest but DAVE's GARDEN!!!!!!!! and what did I start reading but the same horror stories I had been living!! I got chills reading the same exact words I too had been feeling and dealing with....I was outraged! I would not be lied to anymore!!! Even if I was on the other side of the United States! So I called the answering machine at Growquest and left a message yelling at them for lying to me and I was calling my Visa to restore the money they stole from me and I never swore but just kept saying...how can you look in the mirror everyday knowing you deliterately do this to people!! SHAME ON YOU!!!! after my outburst of rage, I called DHL and ...gulp....yes..., my beloved weeping china doll was on her way and shipped on the 10th like Chris said....well...always take the high road my husband says, so I had to call and apologize! Well, today the Weeping China Doll Rose Tree arrived in a gigantic cylinder tube...and not trying to act like a kid on Christmas morning I very gently RIPPED the tube open.....and there she stood...alive and healthy after 10 days in a cylinder..and she had a rather short "crew cut" ...not the long weeping flowering 2 year old expected but that's okay....I plan on keeping her a very long time. So there she stands in my yard....and I am just so grateful everytime I look out the window at her knowing I got out of this with my tree (of course, you'll be hearing from me if she's not a weeping china doll!!!)

"

After all that and we still never got the money. This amounted about $150.00 loss to us by the time the charge back fees and refunds were applied to us.

The best of my knowledge we never got paid for the cost of shipping this order.

That loss carried out many times by peole with a buy, then keep the merchandise, then complain about the cost of shipping is one of the primary reason things fell apart.

Another shinning example of make the order, demand the product and then protest the cost of getting it there.

A 7 feet tall flowering China Doll rose tree, shipping blooms in tack from California to Rhode Island.

Chris Gilcrest"

This post is about Growquest.com, a nursery and gardening supply business located in California and operating on-line. I have seen other recent negative posts about "customer no-service" from this company and would like to add mine. I placed an order with Growquest on 4/14/05 for some garden related material. The order was accepted and their website info stated the order would be shipped within 7-10 days. As of 5/17/05, I have not received my order or any response from two e-mails I sent to Growquest. Also on 5/17/05, I noticed Growquest had "hit" my Visa for the amount of the order, shipping and all. I called them using their "1-800" telephone number only to find it had been disconneted. It appears Growquest.com is having problems of some sort. I share this for informational purposes only.

After seeing Growquest`s statement about how "things are better now", I decided to place an order. They had a few citrus trees that I was interested in, so I disregarded my gut feelings and gave them my credit card number.

My card was charged on the very day I ordered (April 03, 05) and here it is May 14, 05 and no plants have arrived. I called Chris today and he seemed like it was the first time he had even bothered looking at the order. He offered to send my order out in 7 to 10 days. Does he think I`ll seriously believe that? What if I hadn`t called today? I`m sure my order would have just sat on his desk with all the others just gathering dust. I was amazed at how unorganized he sounded on the phone! There is absolutely no way he would have sent my plants out in 7 to 10 days. Why should he? He already has my money.

I canceled my order and my credit card company will refund my money, but what a headache waiting and waiting for plants that never arrive.

His "shipping status" page is a joke. The only thing it tells you is that the shipping of your plants is pending. Yes, pending till doomsday.

Today is May 14, 2005. NOTHING HAS CHANGED! DO NOT BELIEVE THAT SOMEHOW CHRIS HAS GOTTEN IT TOGETHER AND NOW RUNS A COMPANY THAT YOU CAN TRUST TO SEND YOU THE PLANTS YOU ORDER!

STAY FAR FAR FAR AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!

I ordered two potted roses and some ladybugs for my friend's birthday in February. I thought everything was great when, come to find out, my friend had not received the gift! To make matters worse, my credit card had already been charged! I thought they weren't supposed to charge your card until the merchandise was shipped! Anyway, I emailed them and got a canned response. Now I'm wondering if I should wait or if I should dispute the charges!

I made a purchase on 1/1/05 and paid by credit card. Time past and after a call from me, I received one out of the four trees. We are five months out and I still have not received anything, but repeated promises that they will ship. Now I can't get them to return my phone call or my e-mails. Please save your money and do not order anything from this company. They are BAD NEWS!