Comments regarding Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC)
It's time to read and vote for your favorite article in the 2013 Write-Off Contest! The four finalist's articles are featured in the May 13 newsletter and can be found through this link. Hurry! Voting ends May 18.
You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
I placed an order for ladybugs and a ladybug lure garden. I paid $28 for same and never received the lure garden. I placed many phone calls and sent many emails to resolve this situation but never received a response or my money back. After reading the comments section regarding this business, I discovered that they have a long history of taking consumers' money and not sending the items ordered.
I have placed a complaint against this company with the Attorney General's office as well as the individuals associated with same, i.e., Christopher Morgan Gilcrest (dob 5/1964), Jamie Lynn Gilcrest and Margaret F. Gilcrest (dob 6/1940). I will be following up with the Attorney Generals office until these vendors are brought to justice.
These same individuals are also associated with A Better Plant Wholesale, A Better Plant Growers, ABP Wholesale Nurseries, ABP Growquest, Frontier Farms of California, Frontier Farms Ltd.
On August 1st, 2008, takrog added the following:
No trees, I understand your compassionate comments regarding Chris Gilcrest's ALLEGED family problems. Just so you and the other readers here know, back in 2005, Gilcrest attempted to excuse his fraudulent business practices on the basis of "family problems". It's 3 years later and he's still defrauding people. Also be informed that Gilcrest has maligned those consumers who dared to tell the truth about his fraudulent activity dating back to 2005:
"I find it more than a little interesting to read some of the more insane postings of myself on the internet and can only say, it is little wonder why our Country is becoming a massive welfare State. The degree of ignorance demonstrated in these postings is stunning. Some of the best focus on why many of the details of our Jamie and I problems are posted here on this website. That "you" do not wish to read them or know about those details or that "you" find such information distasteful is irrelevant, more than likely you are the same person who grabs each addition of People or some other gossip rag to find information just as distasteful on more famous people. Frankly in given day I get a lot of calls wondering about the personal stuff. Most if not all of the losers writing their trash in the web fail to realize or understand that Jamie and I were packing and shipping since the Winter of 1996. So in 9 years we accumulated a rather large customer base.
And for the rest of the morons out there making there postings, please someone hand me a barf bag. How many of you losers have not had major family problems tear up your lives? How many of you work for bankrupt major US corporation that you had hand in running into ground? How many of you work for a government agency that would not know fiscal management if it were to be the rake about to smack you in the face? I never read more crap by more clueless, self centered, self righteous people in my life."
On Jul 17, 2008, H8growquest Long Beach, CA wrote:
I wish I would have researched this company before I wasted my money. I ordered ladybugs and mantis eggs. I paid immediately by paypal and then waited weeks. I finally started to call....and call....and call..... It is very hard to get ahold of someone at the company. Emails are not returned, messages ignored. After much persistance on my part we finally received product. On the website the ladybugs are pictured in clear plastic tubs or habitats. The bugs arrive in a canvas bag without explanation. I did the buy two get one free (should have been 4500 ladybugs total). I received one bag and there is no way that there were 4500 ladybugs. I think there were more like 1500, but hey who is going to double check them right, wink wink. I called to complain and they were rude and refused to validate my complaint. $34 down the toilet, don't let them take yours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ordered my ladybugs on June 15 and did not receive them till July 12, by then my aphid infestation was under control. I attempted to contact the company and did not receive a call back regarding the delay of my order, just a voice message stating it was too hot to ship the lady bugs.
I finally received the lady bugs and they were in great condition. I would have appreicated an update of my order since it was delayed almost a month.
I ordered 2 avocado plants last May '08 through an article written by the Washington Post that recommended Growquest. I foolishly paid by check as I understand PayPal would have refunded my $137.19. Upon numerous phone calls and e-mails to Growquest, I recv'd via e-mail a UPS tracking # for shipment of 1 plant as the other was on backorder. Upon calling UPS, they state they have never been called by Growquest to pick up the plant and ship to me. This is all part of their scam. Had I checked these scam artists out first on the net (your site had the most current information) and not placed so much trust in the Wash Post editor's article, I would be $137.19 richer! I left Growquest another v/m message today and gave them 1 week to ship my avocado plants advising that if not recv'd I will write the Wash Post editor and ask them to retract their referral of Growquest. It amazes me it is taking this long for Growquest to be shut down per numerous complaints to the Calif. Attny. Gen. and the BBB .
Spread the word...DO NOT BUY FROM GROWQUEST!
They are unethical and basically thieves!
On May 29th, 2008 I was looking thru the internet trying to find a company where I could order Lady Bugs for my garden. I found what APPEARED TO BE a reputable company, nice website and all, Growquest.com, also listed as Surf & Sierra Nursery. I soon ordered bugs, went thru PayPal and paid for them, which was quickly taken from my bank account and forwarded to Growquest. I got no e-mail from the company telling me they received my order, so I sent them an inquiry. They responded in a few days to tell me they got my order and would be shipping soon and would let me know when that happened. After several weeks without any communication, I tried calling them, but only got voice mail. Finally I got someone on the phone who told me the bugs would be shipped the next day or two, but they never got to me, so I e-mailed several times, and called several times, all with no response. I finally got ahold of someone again by phone, who told me that now it was too hot to ship bugs, so I asked for a refund and was promised one to be processed the next day. Instead of a refund, I got an e-mail telling me the bugs were being shipped by none other than Chris himself, and they were sorry for the almost month delay. I finally got the bugs today, June 28th, with NO instructions on how to release them, half the bugs are not alive, they sent them via Priority Mail when I paid more for FedEx delivery, and the packaging wasn't secure so many bugs had escaped, some were dead in the box. I will NEVER use this company again, and will be reporting them to the California Attorney General come Monday morning. They are a disgrace and a rip off, and are one of the WORST customer service oriented companies I have EVER dealt with. Shame on them.
I ordered 6 various avocado trees and one tangelo tree the last week in Jan. 08. After numerious e mails, phone calls and missed delivery dates (he never showed up), 4 of the trees were received 4/15/08. I was told that I would be receiving the other trees in the next 2-3 weeks. I was told by Chris that the 2 Holiday and 1 Wurtz avocado trees were not available and that I would get them when they are released. Out of frustration I started looking around for these particular trees. Lo and behold Louie's Nursery in Riverside had these 15 gal. Holiday trees. Again on 6/2/08 after numerious e mails requesting the statuis of my account with no return feedback I requested a full refund of the remaining undelivered 15 gal avocado trees. At this time as of 6/19/08 there have been no deliveries or return contact by Chris or his staff. I strongly do not recommend this company to any one!! Unprofessional and incompetent. A loss of a few hundred dollars but a great lession for me. I will definately check out the Better Business Bureau and the Garden Watchdog next time, it was all there. I did buy the trees from Louie's Nursery, they are great trees!, I picked them up the same day and I didn't have to pay in advance. Buyer beware.
On Jun 19, 2008, Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC) responded with:
"On Oct 14, 2009 11:45 AM, Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC) responded with:
This guy got his order in full. When he got the first part he was told that the other trees were back ordered and would sent when they grower and gown them out.
"
My mom ordered a papaya tree a year and a half ago. It came via Fed-Ex with the box crushed so that the tree broke completely in half. Someone had pulled the stump out of the dirt so when she opened the box all she saw was a 12" stump with 3 short roots. The top of the tree wasn't even there! Chris said he would take care of it, then she got an email--after numerous emails to them--from the nursery that they would take care of it. Nothing ever happened.
I called on my mom's behalf this afternoon as she is losing her eyesight. The girl who answered the phone told me the order was too old for them to do anything about. Only because we had the email confirmation of the order and copies of the numerous emails we had sent, plus the picture we sent of the broken stump, plus the letter from Fed-Ex that any claim had to go through the nursery, and--finally--an email from the nursery from january 08 that they were going to send her a new papaya tree, which never arrived. All of this info was already sent to them!
THIS COMPANY IS A FRAUD AND RIP OFF COMPANY. I WISH I HAD INVESTIGATED BEFORE ORDERING FROM THEM. I ORDERED A TREE ROSE AND HAD TO CONTACT THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN JUST TO GET DELIVERY AFTER THEY ALREADY HAD MY MONEY.
THE TREE ROSE DIED AND I SENT THEM A PICTURE OF IT LIKE THE OFFICE REQUESTED AND AFTER CALLING CHRIS GILCRIST TIME AND AGAIN AND FINALLY GETTING HIM ON THE PHONE, HE SAID HE WOULD REPLACE IT IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS. IT DID NOT ARRIVE SO I HAVE TRIED MANY TIMES TO CONTACT HIM AND ACTUALLY REACHED HIM THREE MORE TIMES AND EACH TIME HE SAID HE WOULD REPLACE THE DEAD TREE ROSE AND WOULD SEND IT NEXT THURSDAY. OF COURSE, NEXT THURSDAY NEVER COMES.
I THINK I HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF. THIS MAN HAS NO INTENTION OF HONORING HIS WARRANTY. HE IS EXTREMELY HARD TO CONTACT CHANGING PHONE NUMBERS FREQUENTLY AND THE OFFICE IS NO HELP AT ALL SAYING ONLY THAT I HAVE TO CONTACT CHRIS.
On June 10th, 2008, BILLDURHAM995 added the following:
ON JUNE 10, 2008 I FINALLY RECEIVED THE REPLACEMENT TREE ROSE BUT ONLY AFTER QUITE A BIT OF CORRESPONDENCE AND PHONE CALLS TO CHRIS AND TO CERTAIN AGENCIES AND TROUBLESHOOTERS. IN FACT, THE LAST TIME I TALKED TO CHRIS HE WAS UPSET THAT I WAS MAKING A BIG DEAL ABOUT A COMPLAINT.
I WAS IN BUSINESS FOR 45 YEARS AND IF I TREATED MY CUSTOMERS LIKE I WAS TREATED, THEN I WOULD HAVE NO CUSTOMERS LEFT.On Jun 3, 2008, Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC) responded with:
"On Oct 14, 2009 11:53 AM, Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC) responded with:
This is amazing this man got a 36" Playboy tree rose, it grew and did well for him. It died during the winter. He begged me to replace it. I said I would if I had any left from filling my orders.
He agrees to pay the shipping cost, he gets the tree rose, replaced at no charge for the one he killed, and would not turn around a mail a check for the cost of shipping. Then runs his mouth as if he has been a massive injustice.
This company is terrible. Please don't buy from them. They are fraudulent.
I bought a dwarf avocado tree, sent my check. It got cashed immediately. Waited an email to confirm--nothing. Then called--voicemail, which was never replied. Called again and again, finally they said it will be shipped--lied. Called again they told me Chris will personally deliver it the next day--never happened. Called again and again they can not find the Fed Ex number but they will call me back in 24 h--never happened.
Called again requesting my money back (1 and half months dealing with this) finally they admit they did not have the tree in stock.
Please do not beilieve a word from Summer, Rose or Chris they all lied without shame.
Looked everywhere for a Polka climbing rose. Couldn't find anywhere but Growquest. Bought from them before seeing these reviews. I would not have bought had I seen these beforehand. In the end, though, we are happy.
Ordered on 4/15. Emailed them asking for cost of a potted rose since the order stated they were no longer shipping bareroot. Took them a while to respond, but they finally gave me a price on 4/24. Purchased on 4/27 via PayPal with AmEx. They gave no confirmation of the payment. Emailed on 5/5 requesting shipping status. They responded on 5/8 that the item would ship the next day and it did. They sent me a tracking number (but didn't note which shipper they used!) on 5/12. Plant arrived 5/16 and was well packed and in good condition.
I doubt we'd buy from them again giving all of the negative reviews herein, but they certainly fulfilled our order without any real issues.
My wife and I regret ordering from this company. Wish we would have known about this site and researched beforehand, We ordered a Holiday Avocado and Rangpur lime in mid February, 2008. At the end of March we sent an email requesting an update. They emailed back stating order would be shipped the following Monday (3/31/08).
On 4/21/08 we still did not have plants so emailed again. This time I told them I would post negative comments on this site unless I got satisfactory response. We got a return email stating they thought my weather was too cold for shipment but that they would ship by 4/25/08 since I was being nasty.
On 4/28/08 I emailed requesting an update and they said the order had not shipped because they were out of stock and it would be 2-3 more weeks.
At this point I told them to cancel the order and send me a refund immediately.
As of today, 5/19/08 I have not received plant or money.
On May 19, 2008, Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC) responded with:
"On Oct 14, 2009 11:56 AM, Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC) responded with:
This person got their order in full, would have been nice if they had updated it. Chris"
They got me. Tried to order online with credit card but they sent me an email saying that they needed a check because the online credit card system didn't work. I mailed the check $148.98 off 4-30-08. Haven't recieved word since. They won't even answer the phone. Does anybody know how to find out who their ISP is? I want to call them to get that site shutdown. What about the California Attorney Generals office. Do they work on this kind of thing?
On June 12th, 2008, kifaru added the following:
His isp is names4ever.com. Send them an email and let them know they are hosting a scam artist.
Domain name: growquest.com
Registrant:
Chris Gilcrest (9PGKZ) info@biopest.com
Applied Bio Pest
567 W. Channel Islands Blvd. #129
Port Hueneme, CA 93041
United States
Phone: +1 (805) 984-9224
Fax: +1 (805) 984-1517
Administrative Contact:
Chris Gilcrest (9PGKZ) info@biopest.com
Applied Bio Pest
567 W. Channel Islands Blvd. #129
Port Hueneme, CA 93041
United States
Phone: +1 (805) 984-9224
Fax: +1 (805) 984-1517
Technical Contact:
Chris Gilcrest (9PGKZ) info@biopest.com
Applied Bio Pest
567 W. Channel Islands Blvd. #129
Port Hueneme, CA 93041
United States
Phone: +1 (805) 984-9224
Fax: +1 (805) 984-1517
Billing Contact:
Chris Gilcrest (9PGKZ) info@biopest.com
Applied Bio Pest
567 W. Channel Islands Blvd. #129
Port Hueneme, CA 93041
United States
Phone: +1 (805) 984-9224
Fax: +1 (805) 984-1517
Order placed on 3/08/08 for one (1) 15 gallon, Mexicola Grande avocado tree, and one (1) 15 gallon, semi-dwarf, Oro Blanco grapefruit tree. After numerous calls to the nursery, on 4/16/08, a 15 gallon, standard size, Oro Blanco grapefruit tree that had been loped off to semi-dwarf size was delivered; no avocado tree has been delivered.
Additionally, one (1) 15 gallon, semi-dwarf Meyer lemon tree was ordered. Based on the very small caliper & small root ball, the delivered specimen appears to be 5 gallon, standard size, Meyer Lemon tree that had been put into a 15 gallon container.
Repeated attempts to contact Chris Gilcrest, over the course of a week, by Office Phone, and by Cell Phone, and by email were ignored.
I ordered two small citrus trees in November of last year. I live in Northern California, 5 hours drive from the nursery. It is now April 28th, 5 months after my check cleared. I still have not received my second tree.
I have corresponded with various employees of GrowQuest and now even they are frustrated. They have referred me to Chris. I was told that Chris would call me. He has yet to have called me. When I called him approximately a month ago, he was very curt with me saying that he was aware of the problem and would get the tree to me soon.
I have heard excuses varying from the storm last year destroyed the trees to the supplier should have them to GrowQuset shortly.
When I ordered the trees and my check cleared, the trees were in stock.
This has been an awful experience. I have tried to resolve the problem with the company numerous times by email and phone and I keep getting the run-around. I just want my tree. I paid for it last year.
I definitely would go somewhere else with my business and not use this company. Read the reviews. Most are negative and Chris gave his own comments saying he would fix the problems. His comments are dated 2006. These guys still have problems. Do not make their problems yours. Go somewhere else with your business.
On July 3rd, 2008, cabormerlot added the following:
I ordered a bare root rose from this people in February of this year. So far, have not received it or heard from them. The telephone number listed on your website for them is NOT A GOOD NUMBER. The woman that answered said hundreds of calls have come in for them - but they're no longer there. I wish I had read the comments posted for this company before I ordered. I can kiss my check goodbye.
RIP-OFF!! DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY! THEY STEAL YOUR MONEY!! Don't make the same mistake I did, and order before reading the comments! Don't believe anything the jackass owner says in his responses that are 1-2 years old. Growquest is a total fraud. I ordered some trees, they cashed my check, and still haven't received anything after 2 months. You get no response by phone or e-mail. I work in law enforcement and will be making a complaint to Ventura Sheriff's Dept. regarding fraudulent business practices very soon, and encourage anyone else who has been ripped-off by this company to do the same.
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY. This company is known for ripping people off and not paying back the money that is own. The owner was arrested and charged for grand theft and other charges in regards to other nursery businesses that he has ran in several different towns. Please look at all feedback left on this website. They dont pay their suppliers,vendors or customers money owed. These people have a history of cheating, lying, stealing from others and have shown they still wish to do business this way. I am one of their vendors and its a complete waste of time to try and collect funds owed to anyone. STAY AWAY and contact your local district attorneys office and file complaints. This guy and his staff need to stay in jail.
I ordered 5 fruit trees from growquest on March 7, 2008; a few days before I saw this page. After reading the comments I worried, but decided to just continue the purchase with my normal expectations. I contacted the office and they told me they were working on delivery schedules. Chris called me on Saturday and said he would deliver on Monday or Tuesday late afternoon. When I didn't receive the trees I called him on Wednesday. He explained that he was a little behind and appologized. He said he would deliver my trees on Thursday. He arrived on Thursday evening with the trees, all in 15 gal. containers, big trees with blooms, flowers or fruit (the lemon and orange). It was 13 days from the day I ordered my trees to the Day that Chris delivered them. I think that is very resonable for home delivery of the trees.
I've made numerous attempts to contact Growquest regarding my order. (two little cados)The items were purchased on February 6, 2008, payment posted on February 8th. It will now be a month and I've still haven't received my trees. Many more attempts have been made via email to the company to find out what the status is, and all I got was it will be forwarded to the shipping department. I have been given the runaround by him and his staff, or no answers at all. On March 3rd he stated per our phone conversation, that the trees would be here if not today, then definitely tommorrow.
The trees have not arrived as he said they would. I received no phone call after with a tracking number or verification that it has actually has been sent. He is deceiving and giving misleading information. First i was told that i could pick the trees up in visalia, the monday prior to valentine's day, then it gets changed to supposedly being delivered to my door with an additional $45 for shipping, and now after waiting a month I still have nothing. I am now worried that If i do get my trees that they will not be what I have believed them to be
I ordered two avocado trees in summer 2006. They arrived that October, late but in good shape. Despite reading all the negative comments here, I decided about a week ago to try ordering again, this time a single Nabal avo tree. After ordering I noticed the address in Santa Paula, not too far from my home, and decided to pay them a visit, get my tree, and save the shipping charge. I went there today, and found an empty office converted from an old residence. It had the name "Fernandez" on the front. Yahoo maps lists the address as "Medical Claims and Billing Specialist". Nowhere was "Surf and Sierra Nursery, LLC" nor any part of that name. I walked around to the back of the building to see if there were any trees. Just an empty parking lot. Something's fishy!
On Feb 20, 2008, Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC) responded with:
"On Oct 14, 2009 12:11 PM, Growquest Growers (also dba Olive-Trees.net and Surf & Sierra Wholesale Nurseries, LLC) responded with:
The "office" is converted from a large Ranch Office, this person must be blind and stupid.There are two signs Hernandez Realtor and another business sign.
And the web site makes it clear office is the office and nursery is at the NURSERY down the street.
On Feb 11, 2008, RLonkert Apache Junction, AZ wrote:
May 12th 2007 I placed 2 orders for several citrus trees with http://www.growquest.com also known as ABP Nurseries or Surf and Sierra. This online business states that they pack and ship product to my door with-in 10-15 days and that their product is superior to their competitors in quality and size for the price. I placed my order in full faith of receiving such product and service and paid immediately upon receiving their invoices via Paypal totalling $218.08 which included the price of the trees and FedEx shipping charges to my door. After a few weeks w/out being contacted after receiving my money I started contacting them via email and phone. Per Growquest they have undergone the following issues causing faulty customer service response and lack of shipments: Bad phone service, personal health problems, family problems, replacing customer service personnel, moving offices from Visalia to Ventura, Accounts payable person vacation. On the occasions when I was actually able to reach someone they told me that my order would be shipping the next week or in a couple days with the next truck to Arizona, every time but never did they actually ship.
I finally requested a refund on 7/18 and was told I would have it in 14 business days 'worst case scenario'. On 8/14 I still had no refund - I spoke with Chris Gilcrest (owner of the company) on 2 separate occasions and he promised to have the refund in my account by that night. No refund. Subsequent promises fell thorugh and I remain w/out my total refund.
3 months ago they stated that the fastest way to fix this mess was to put the refund on a payment plan in installments. They have never told me when this will be complete (despite my requests) and to date I have receive approx 30% of the total refund.
I have never had a customer service experience come close to how dismal this has been. In hind sight I will never buy off a website's advertisement of service and product without first researching them on the internet and through the BBB.
Right now I am more upset over the feeling of being scammed without conscience (though the refund would be nice too).
We received an order of citrus trees on April 27, 2007. Three of the trees were damaged in delivery and Chris (who personally delivered on that date) promised to replace them in a week and he even noted this on my invoice. After a month went by and many excuses were made, we made a request for a refund as we had already filled our clients needs through another vendor. A refund has been promised by Chris (on numerous occassions) and Leah but I am writing this on Nov. 29, 2007 and have not seen a dime of the money which we paid in advance of the delivery. We share the frustration that many apparently are having dealing with this company. The excuses and run-around babble are endless but the fact remains that seven months later we have not received our money. Our final attempt to collect our money was to propose a payment plan with installments. The first installment date came and went and the second date is in three days and we have heard or seen nothing from Chris. We have no choice now but to alert the authorities.
On Nov 27, 2007, jaraschutt Little River, SC wrote:
I placed my order in APRIL 2007. I finally received part of my order (3 rose bushes) in July 07 after many excuses. It is now almost DECEMBER 07 and I still have not received the rest of my order. I had PAID for this order in full in April. So they have my money and my product! I have a folder of email trails with the company that simply makes continual excuses as to why they "couldn't find my invoice, my name, my order info", etc. I would send an email w/ ALL of the info needed and they would still reply back (a week later) asking for information that is already in the email. I got to the point where I would email every week asking for an update. They kept telling me "it will be sent next week." Now they are saying that it was sent in July. But only part of it was sent. I notified them immediately that it was a partial shipment. They acknowledged it and said they would fix it.
I spoke to Chris (supposedly the owner) several times. He said it will ship ASAP, he'd take the bush out of his own yard if he has to, etc. Then I wouldn't hear back for 2 months! I would send him an email directly, then he would just forward it to a sales rep that knows nothing of the history of this order. Apparently, no one there knows how to handle orders.
I have NEVER had such a HORRIBLE experience as I have had with this "company." I have asked for a credit and I have asked for my product. I would take either one at this point. But they will NOT respond anymore. And when they do, it's the same thing, "what's the invoice #? what is the name on the order? that was shipped in July."
It is EXTREMELY frustrating. I have many emails showing that the product was going to be shipped to me, the owner saying he would take it out of his own yard, but none of that matters when it doesn't actually happen.
I HIGHLY DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS "COMPANY." They still have both my money and product. And it has been almost EIGHT MONTHS. I was never rude in my emails to them, so I do not understand how they can run a business that way.
I ordered on-line. Ordered a #15 Little Cado Avacado Tree. It has been a month, no tree.........I sent an e-mail today, we will see what happens. Of course I found this site after I sent the e-mail and after ordering.....after reading the issues here, I just notified AMEX to dispute the charges.
Luckily I used the AMEX card and not a check or pay-pal. I know Amex will not mess around and I will get the tree I am supposed to get, in good order, or they will credit me the charge.
Good luck to everyone who is dealing with similar issues.
These people are BAD. Run, do not order from them. I ordered a Dwarf Lemon tree on May 17th (before I found this website!) They cashed my check immediately, but I've never gotten the tree. There have been a lot of promises from owner Chris, including the the promise of a "free" second tree to accomodate me for my trouble and patience. I've gotten notices 3 times that my tree was being "shipped next week" but 4 months later, still no tree. I reported them to my State's Attorney General today.
NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY ..Wow, I finally found a forum to share the worst experience I've ever had with an online nursery. After reading other comments , our buddy (NOT) Chris sent us the most pathic Avocado & Cherimoya tree, it was WAY smaller than advertised and all the foilage was burnt. We complained and he sent a new one (Avocado)and it was as bad as the first one. BUT before he would send us a new one we had to send pictures to him to show him how bad the tree was. My husband & I are gardners and have been growing tropicals /trees , a little bit of everthing for years. We used to own a nusery. Chris accused us of killing the trees. (Even though we contacted him the day we got the trees, we didn't have time to kill them) He also told me to quit my bitching. in a e-mail. As a business person, I have never encountered anyone so rude to me, I was blown away. I made a complaint to the BBB. and found I wasn't alone . I usually let stuff go as I'm so busy ,but this guy was so rude and we totally got screwed that I complained. His wife left him I read .... Karma dude..
Now "SURF AND SIERRA NURSERY, LLC.., of Ventura CA
On 24 May 2007 I sent $131.19 to Growquest for 2 advocado trees.
After many emails and phone calls it is now Sep 7th, 2007 and no trees. I have told them to cancel and return my money - they cashed my check May 26th - they completely ignored me.
My neighbor ordered a week after I did. In July, after threatening to report them to pay pal and get her money back, they sent her 2 cheaper trees, nearly dead.
Now they say they can't ship to New Mexico because of the heat. I don't know what the excuse was all summer when it was really hot and they shipped my neighbor's trees. Temperature is a good 10-15 degrees cooler here now.
I am afraid if I tell them to cancel again they will send me cheap and/or dead trees.
I don't care what their excuses are - family, phones, etc. This is just a bad company to do business with. I have never dealt with anyone that is so conniving and crooked. How many times have they changed their company name?
If you just want what you order within an reasonable time and with reasonable service DO NOT order from this company !!!
On October 15th, 2007, MichelS added the following:
So - after at least 5 phone calls and more email.. I tried to work with the about sending trees but with no response I told them to cancel my order and refund my $131. .. haven't heard anything since. Apparently they have decided to steal my money. Money I sent in good faith and they cashed quickly and kept with no intention of honoring their side of the deal.
DO NOT ORDER FROM GROWQUEST. This company stole over 300$ for a few trees I ordered, with no return calls and no possibility of contacting people. This is what I recommend to other customers: 1) Report the company to the local Better Business Burea; 2) Register a complaint with the National Fraud Information Center by calling 1-800-876-7060; 3) Contact your state attorney general's office. If it gets sufficient complaints about this company, it may take some actions. Of course, if I were in California I would have found the thief by myself and taken care of this problem personally.
Giampaolo Talamo, Harrisburg, PA
On September 13th, 2007, gptalamo added the following:
I found this guy Chris Gilcrest was already arrested by the police... I am wondering what the California authorities are doing for monitoring his activity and prevent other customers to be fooled. But let's look at his positive aspects: at least he does not get rich by selling heroin.
I ordered and paid for 4,500 ladybugs the first part of July '07 and they "supposedly" were shipped on July 17th. They never arrived and I have been trying to e-mail, phone them many times and the two times I have talked to someone they said they were shipped but if I didn't get them they would send a new shipment. It is now around Sept. 1,'07 and they are finding new reasons, but basically will not ship them and will continue to ignore me. Daves girlfriend did a great job herself in TRYING to defend him, but no-go. He is supposed to be a business person but he has no clue what that means. In business work does come 1st and he should always have another person to take care of his job if he can't work. I will be reporting to the BBB and hope they shut him down instead of letting him SCAM people. Jill P.
On Aug 31, 2007, bennytimes San Francisco, CA wrote:
DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS PLACE. I ordered a single bergamot tree for my mother as a gift. It didn't come for three months, and after being ignored and lied to several times by the Growquest staff, I asked for a refund. After my refund didn't materialize I made a formal complaint to the San Joaquin County Better Business Bureau which then contacted Chris.
That finally was enough to have Chris send me annoying email saying that he had plenty of bergamot trees if I still wanted one. I thought , "Lord if you have my tree then why aren't you sending it to me". I rejected his offer and insisted on a refund. One week later the tree came in the mail, obviously he had ignored my refund request. Shady. If you are having Growquest pains, I recommend contacting the San Joaquin County BBB to file a formal complaint, they did a wonderful job of greasing the wheels.
I ordered from GrowQuest on July 6th, however Paypal has the date as July 9th as the date that payment actually went through. I thought, well I used to live close to where they are, so I wrongly thought they would be a great company to order from.
I ordered Ladybugs from GrowQuest. I had already been in touch with the company with regard to the Praying Mantis'. I had wanted to order them also, but they said they were out of season. However, every time I emailed the company they would only send back a one sentence email and they just kept telling me to call if I had any more questions.
Everytime I tried to call, the message said they were busy and that they couldn't come to the phone. SINCE WHEN CAN'T A COMPANY COME TO THE PHONE??? OR, RETURN A CALL??
I then realized that I hadn't heard anything about my Ladybugs. So, I then wrote them and asked them about the order. I didn't get any email back. I didn't get any call back. I told them in an email that they were going to get in trouble because my Credit Union will see it as fraud. So, a week later, now on the 27th(?) of July, I wrote Paypal and told them what happened and that I wanted my money back.
Without any email through Paypal telling their point of view or anything, I was refunded my money.
Just like that they gave my money back and they did not even defend themselves.
This is what I think about GrowQuest. I believe him (Chris) about all of his family problems that I have read here. I think that he maybe using family to help him get his company off the ground and this is a mistake. Because unless his family takes their job seriously, well then, you will get the type of servie that we have been getting. I really feel sorry for Chris because apparently he doesn't have the heart to let them go and to hire people who will take him seriously when it comes to business.
Just my opinion. Because so people are having great service ONLY if they deal with Chris himself. However, when we do not hear that the person has dealt with Chris himself, well then... No one gets their order. Or, it is some one from his organisation that is posting the positive ratings. And, in that case then this company is a fraudulent company and you should never do any business with thm.
I've made three orders from Growquest in the last four months. The first order arrived within one day of my receiving the email conformation. The plants were very healthy and bloomed within six weeks as his website stated. I did however have one tree rose to die. I called Chris and informed him of this. I expected to get some kind of run around about this. I had only had them three weeks. Didn't happen! He stated that he did not have that particular rose in stock but he was willing to replace it with a comparable one at on cost to me. He left me in shock. Three days later I received a 36" tree rose that had several blooms on it right out of the box. To say that I was pleased is an understatement.
I again ordered more roses in late June, to arrive just before the forth of July. I received part of the order. Chris called the day before the fourth to inform me of what had happen. He stated that he had sent the part of the order that I had received from another location where he stores plants. His staff was to send the remainder of my order from the home location. He was three hundred miles away in Anaheim. He was very upset about this and very apologetic.
I just placed another order to arrive in mid Aug. Chris call me to let me know that he was in the meddle of re-organizing and replacing some staff. But my order will be filled and sent on time. I have nothing but good things to say about him and his business ethic. Any future plants needs that I may have, he will get my order.
It was good to find this site and now I understand that I am not the only one experiencing the worst service I have ever had from an Internet-contacted company. My story is just a repeat of everyone else's. An order, followed by no word and no idea of when the rose would be shipped. Correspondence was met by excuses and requests to be patient since it was the busiest time of the year. I was patient but to no avail. I finally demanded they cancel the order and send a refund. they promised immediate shipping. Two weeks passed and shipping was never initiated. I finally said July was too hot in Denver to plant new roses. I said their service was awful and I was through doing business with them. They promised to return the money within ten days. I just got a notice from FedEx about a shipment coming from this company. They ignored my request to cancel the order. I imagine the next step is to receive a low-grade token of a pathetically wrapped plant in distress as others have reported. What a horrendous company. Don't do business with them. they are totally disorganized or unethical, I am not sure which.
We ordered 2 packages of 1,500 ladybugs from ABP-Growquest on June 6th. When the ladybugs hadn’t arrived by June 13th and we were unable to contact Growquest either by email or phone, we bought them from a competitor and left a message on Growquest's answering machine asking that our order be cancelled. They responded: “Your order has been cancelled.” (We live in Northern California, about 350 miles from Growquest).
Suddenly last week a single order of 1,500 baked Growquest ladybugs arrived not by UPS, which we'd paid for, but by mail. We put them in our cool basement overnight thinking a few might still be alive. Not a single one was!
Today we received our Visa bill and found our payment to Growquest in the amount of $24.86 has not been refunded.
In short, we paid ABP-Growquest $24.86 for a single order of 1,500 dead ladybugs.
This is obviously a scam operation.
Ted Keller
On Jun 12, 2007, SurferLowell Half Moon Bay, CA (Zone 9b) wrote:
I ordered two citrus trees from GrowQuest, including a hard-to-find Clementine Mandarin, to grow near the northern California coast. I know it may be hard to grow citrus in redwood country, but I spoke to the GrowQuest horticuluralist first, and he helped me choose the right trees for our climate.
I had some problems with the first trees I received and, instead of getting the ecommerce run-a-round that's all too common, Chris Gilcrest personally answered the phone and said he would correct the problem right away.
Well, if actions speak louder than words, than his actions were like rock concert loud! Within 48 hours following the call with Chris, I received two very healthy, vigorous trees with thick trunks for their size and full canopies! It blew me away that he responded so quickly and so completely. I know some eBay-based nurseries that sure could use some lessons in customer service from Chris and GrowQuest. Wow!
While I had some issues with my first delivery from GrowQuest, the horticuluralist service they offered before I bought and the service I received after I bought were both absolutely great. The owner was willing to immediately take action and solve a problem without argument or questioning. I will absolutely buy again from GrowQuest and, compared to other experiences buying plants on the web, GrowQuest rocked!
From my new southern exposure, semi-dwarf citrus orchard here in Half Moon Bay, CA.
On Jun 3, 2007, karenannen Cumberland Furnace, TN wrote:
I recently placed an order with GrowQuest; I will post a review on that order soon.
For now, I want to post their phone number.
It is 1-559-553-0524.
On June 9th, 2007, karenannen changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
I ordered 2 rose bushes from them in April.
The first one arrived about 2 weeks later, but they notified me that the other one was on back order.
That's when I came here and looked them up in the Watchdog.
After reading the posts, I figured I'd never get the other rose bush or a refund.
So I was shocked when it arrived a few days ago.
I want to add that their office personnel are not professional, however. Each time I called to inquire about my order, the girl I was talking to would talk to other people in the office at the same time, leaving me feeling ignored.
The rose bushes arrived in good condition. However, this will be my only order with this company.
I have ordered so many times from ParkSeed.com, and always had top quality plants and service from them.
On April 26, 2007, I ordered 2 Black Magic Tree roses from Growquest. The strange way that their web site worked for ordering should have been a clue. I paid with my AMEX, after having to get in touch with the company since their site doesn't accept payment at the time of ordering. My card was charged right away. I was told that I would receive a tracking number within 10 days. 2 weeks passed, and no tracking number. I called Growquest and was told that they would ship next week. I waited another week and no tracking number. I called again and was told that they don't ship out roses on a Wednesday, even though the site says they ship all week, because they don't want the roses sitting around for 2 days. I was told they would ship the first of the next week. The following Wednesday, when no tracking number was received still, I called again and was told to call the Ventura shipping location. I called there and was told that he was sorry, but the roses would ship this last Friday. Friday came and went with no shipping notice. I called and cancelled my order and placed a dispute with AMEX. I will follow up with a post when my account is credited and report if it was in a timely manner.
On June 26th, 2007, kbmartin9 added the following:
It's been about a month since I first posted. After several calls and e-mails, still no roses. I'm just going to let AMEX take care of it. They've already given me a conditional refund. I anticipate no problems with them. Do not send Growquest any money.
There's no lower form of life on earth than someone who steals other's money or property.
