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I did receive the 6 rose bushes that I brought from GROW QUEST (plus Chris gave me 1 free) and I received them basically when promised. The 3 Milwaukee's Calatrava that I order was 1 TWIG with some new growth on it although the roots look long. I would expect a below standard grade rose bush at a bargain price but I paid 19.99 for each rose bush. The rose bushes that I rooted myself late last year look better than these 3 Milwaukee's Calatrava. The 2 Golden Shower and the Mustard and Ketchup Rose Bushes rarely passed the grade but they are decent. These roses have not grown, no sprouting, no nothing so hopefully they are in dormant from the shipping. Stick with your local nursery, department store, home and garden center etc... because I surely will!!! I can't wait to replace the Milwaukee's Calatrava with another shrub rose.
On Feb 26, 2012, mlaiuppa San Diego, CA (Zone 10b) wrote:
Wish I had done some research on Growquest before ordering from them. A simple Google would have found this site and I would have saved myself $60.00 I'll never see again.
I ordered a Chihuly 36" standard rose tree from Chris on Dec. 1. He required payment through Intuit. I usually use Paypal. (They have a money back guarantee for non-delivery. Must be why Chris prefers Intuit, the do nothing tax people)
I waited for a bare root rose tree. Finally e-mailed him on Feb. 1 as I think 30 days is quite long enough to get a tree. He then e-mails me on Feb. 16 that he has to call me for a credit card for delivery since it's no longer in his system. (It was never in his system). The tree is all "boxed" and waiting for FedEx but I haven't paid for shipment. Apparently the $10 was for a wooden crate, not shipping a bare root rose in a cardboard box like any other nursery. Then he says he's just going to delivery it himself. Well, that's come and gone and still nothing.
So now I'm doing the research I should have done to begin with and I find this guy is a grifting fraud. He provides just enough to appear to be legit, while defrauding thousands of dollars from customers.
Hey, Chris. I'm not waiting any more. It appears I'll never see my $58.94 again. I could *really* use that money. You've got family problems? (Hey, you're a business and that shouldn't interfere. Man up.) Well, I've got my own. I'm a teacher, haven't had a raise in 6 years, plus I've got furlough days that further reduce my income. But the cost of everything goes up. I saved a long time to be able to afford a $60 tree rose because Chihuly is what I wanted. Thanks for stiffing me.
I've gone ahead and called Intuit. I'm going to try to get Chris' account closed so he can't use them to bilk people anymore. I've filed with the BBB (yeah, get in line). I'm posting here.
Not that I've heard he's got videos on YouTube I'll be posting comments there too.
If I can't get my $60 back in cash, I'll take it out in covering the net with negative feedback for Growquest. Oh, I'm Italian so retaliation is all part of the package.
I'm tempted to drive up to Santa Paula, show up at his door and demand my rose. But I really don't want to make a 7 hour round trip wasted trip because I'm pretty sure he doesn't have my rose and I'd leave empty-handed; no rose and no money.
Chris, I only hope God reins fitting Karma down on you. Like having all four tires go flat at the same time. Of course, then you'd just scam some more poor mark out of the money to replace them. I look forward to the indictment and jail time you'll serve when you finally defraud someone of enough to qualify as a felony rather than a misdemeanor. Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.
On Feb 20, 2012, elisecaraveo Chappaqua, NY wrote:
I only discovered recently the Dave's site, which is why I'm only relating now my experience with Growquest from 2010. Hopefully, it will help other people.
I sent a check to pay for my order which was $333.96 in 2010. He asked that I send the check first, then he would inform me of the shipping costs. He deposited my check on 6/4/10, but I didn't hear back from him, nor did I get my order. Eventually I asked that he refund me, threatening to get the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Department of Agriculture involved if he didn't. His only response (email) was: "Well it would be better for you if I was to ship it. The proper place to complain to would be the BBB, in any event." He said he would call me a few days later to get my credit card info to finally ship the plants. That was September 26, 2010 but I never received anything, despite the $333.96 check he used.
Posted on February 6, 2012, updated February 20, 2012
Ordered 5 roses in December. I am very disappointed in myself that I did not read the reviews before using Growquest. Would never have ordered from them. Was promised shipment the first week of January. It didn't happen. After emails and calls, was told that they had been shipped. Wrong again. Didn't happen. It is now February 6th and multiple emails and phone calls and still no roses and many promises and lies. Don't know who is giving him positive reviews, must be his friends. If you want good service and an easy transaction, do use them.
On February 20th, 2012, neilljudy added the following:
Finally received the roses I ordered with one substitute, after giving up and buying them at our local nursery for less. Won't do that again.
Posted on February 9, 2012, updated February 18, 2012
Posted on February 8, 2012, updated February 9, 2012
Posted on November 8, 2011, updated February 8, 2012
Posted on June 13, 2011, updated July 26, 2011
Posted on May 25, 2011, updated June 13, 2011
Posted on May 23, 2011, updated May 25, 2011
I ordered and paid for a little cado tree in July of 2010. Here it is, the end of May 2011 and still no tree. After numerous phone conversations and emails over the last 9 months, I still have no tree.
Chris, if you are reading this, I would like a refund of my $72.00 or the little cado tree you promised me last year. Every communication with you is a lesson in conniving and lying. You make excuses... I don't care about your family issues or your marriage or your divorce... this is business... or did you use my $72.00 for your wedding? If you can't supply the demand, stop indicating you can. Stop taking money from folks who could spend it elsewhere and actually GET the merchandise they've purchased.
Today is May 23, 2011. If I don't hear from you in 24 hours, I will be another victim filing a complaint with the District Attorney.
On May 25th, 2011, MzTicklz added the following:
Today is May 25, 2011 and I got a response yesterday simply asking for the order number. I'm waiting a couple of days and then I will be contacting the District Attorney of Ventura County, CA. Evidently, if you tell Chris if you don't hear from him within 24 hours, you'll be contacting the DA, then and ONLY then will you receive a response.
On June 13th, 2011, MzTicklz added the following:
UPDATE: Sunday, June 12, 2011, Chris sent me an email. All it says is:
the order will be refunded per your request
chris
===========================
I'll believe it when I see it but will keep you updated. I'm going to order a little cado from Amazon.com. I've always had good luck with them.
Will keep you posted!
TicklzOn July 26th, 2011, MzTicklz added the following:
Here it is July 26th, 2011 and still no refund, no tree and no answers for my emails/phone calls. Please stop posting positive comments in hopes of getting your trees. It's not going to happen. He's got your money, now he just wants you to quit bothering him.
To Chris' new girlfriend: Beware honey, he's a no-good thieving liar. And that's not liable, it's TRUE!On February 8th, 2012, MzTicklz added the following:
I posted some comments on the YouTube videos growquest has online and got this response from Chris
"Oh, you are nut case that keeps trashing my positive posts at Daves Garden, I have your order paper here. I have been debating about what to do with your issue. On one hand you are owed a refund in full, on the other hand your ass is on the chopping block for a civil action.
What I decided last week was that I was going to refund the order first, give you about 3 to 7 days to remove every oneo f your post from the GWD except for your fist post and clean up any other remarks you have around the web. If those things were not fixed that file the summons and complaint that I written up, that has been gather some dust.
So yeah look for that refund payment in your email in the next few days, and since we are topic know you will have less than a week to remove all other post other than your first post, or spend a lot of money in court.
Chris"
I wonder what he meant by "MY" positive posts
And I'M the nutcase? OH... OK...On February 9th, 2012, MzTicklz added the following:
OK so when I checked my email this morning, this was in my inbox from Chris. I wish I would have saved the entire email but I accidentally deleted it from the youtube inbox. And when I clicked reply, I cannot send him an email anymore... I don't know if he deleted the account after sending the following or if he just blocked me. Either way, it forced me to get in touch with him, again, through posting on his YouTube video sites. Here's what I managed to save:
"please forward a copy of the payment. While the 72.00 figure may be correct it is not a typical payment for a Little Cado which is the tree plus a 8 or 10 dollar box charge.
What you are doing on the GWD is really going to be expensive to you. Since each post creates a new negative point against me and seems to encourage non customer copy cat posts.
You are factually wrong on almost everything you write on the internet and going to find it hard to remove it or costly to leave it. As soon as I get a copy of the payment it will be refunded, which has been my stated policy since last summer. When I get into positive growth I would be refunding old orders.
I the mean time you authoring content that based upon a lot of false information that you create or repeat from others. You need to know that I do not have ability to respond to any of those posts, the GWD staff blocked me 2 or 3 years ago and cannot investigate most of them, since the... "
I'm not copying anyone's negative information. Everything I've typed is true and I have all the documentation to back it up. I saved ALL of the email correspondence! I've sent a copy of the check I sent and the documentation showing where it was paid from my account to his "office" and "sales" email accounts. It's all I can do since I'm no longer able to send email to his youtube account.
BTW - I ordered an avocado tree from Amazon.com and it was sent from Clifton's Nursery. It's beautiful and came within 10 days. Amazon also has a huge selection of Dwarf citrus trees through various nurseries in addition to Dwarf Avocado trees! And if you're lucky enough to live in CA, Home Depot had them as well as the citrus fruit salad trees!On February 18th, 2012, MzTicklz added the following:
I told Chris I would set the record straight once I received my refund. Well, it's official, I got my $72.00 back. So I have to say, it took almost two years, but he DID refund my money.
HOWEVER, it was not a positive experience. It was not a neutral experience. It took over 20 long distance calls and I had to put up with threats, negative comments and insults from this seller; therefore I'm leaving my rating as negative.
In addition, I am not removing anything I've posted because everything is true and I have documentation to back up everything I've typed in this forum.
Oh but I'd better take back the part about his being a thief. He just "BORROWED" my money... for a year and half... without asking.
Oh and maybe he's not a liar, he just didn't tell the truth to me... for a year and a half...
I've done nothing illegal so threats of legal action against me carry no weight.
I will remember to check this watchdog site any time I consider buying from anyone online aside from Amazon. Good luck everyone!
On Feb 9, 2012, hardyinokc Oklahoma City, OK wrote:
I've never actually ordered from this company, but I can say that after reading Chris' response and threats of legal action, I will NEVER order from this company. I do not understand how ignoring and then threatening your customers with legal action could ever help improve Growquest's image/reputation. And all of those Positive posts do seem very suspicious, as they all seem to be the only reviews those "people" have ever left. Chris, you cannot ignore and then threaten your customers & still expect for people to want to order from you. Very bad business practice in my opinion.
I ordered 16 roses from Dave (Owner of Growquest) and was promised delivery on Jan 8 or 9, 2012; they did not arrive. He kept pushing the delivery date out. He finally gave me Fed Ex tracking # - only 6 of 16 roses arrived Jan 24th. I complained, he told me other box was delivered to wrong customer and would be here late Friday (Jan 27th) - they did not arrive. I sent e-mail & he replied telling me to "chill dude" they're on the way. I sent e-mail back cancelling remainder of order, called my credit card company (Chase) and they took immediate action to refund the money we paid for the 10 roses that were not sent. I WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY AGAIN.
Sounds like if ANYONE wants to FURTHER attempt a purchase with this company... I certainly wouldn't based on all of the NEGATIVE comments... They just MIGHT CONSIDER USING their AMERICAN EXPRESS card! There are just too many businesses out there that because the economy is the way it is now (2012--THIS kind of STUFF happens!! BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ordered an Improved Meyer Lemon tree and some praying Mantis egg casings in May 2011. Order confirmation made it apparent that I couldn't get the praying mantis eggs. No prob. I sent $42 for the tree. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I emailed several times and finally got a response eluding to some legal issues that apparently involve his children. I sympathize, I do. But this was a business exchange, not a charitable donation. January 2012 and still no response to emails or phone calls. I would very interested in contacting whatever DA I need to so that I can get my tree or my money. Terrible service. I will never buy from them again. Buyer be ware!!!
I ordered, and paid for, an avacado tree from Growquest Nursery on January 29, 2011. The check I sent as full payment was cashed. Numerous phone calls have been made and many, many e-mails sent, most with no response. I have provided copies of the original order form and copies (front and back) of the cashed check to prove that I ordered and paid for a tree. The few responses were very apologetic, and I was always assured that my tree, or refund, would be sent. It is now November 9, 2011...I no longer receive responses to my inquiries, I still have no tree and I have not received a refund. It's hard to believe that Growquest Nursery is still taking hard earned money from others. I strongly recommend that no one do business with this nursery!!!!
DLFryer
Redlands, CA
September/October 2011 Read all the negative comments about Chris and Growquest and it's hard to believe we're talking about the same guy. I know Chris has been through some tough personal times but he is now in a healthy and loving relationship which has changed him, as it does us all. Chris created a garden of cold tolerant avocado trees for me, (6) from 15 gallon to a 45 gallon tree. He also put in a citrus garden of a blood orange, a meyer lemon and a satsuma mandarin. In addition he planted 10 bouganvilla which are thriving and beautiful. I have already picked 3 avocados from my Zutano tree and they are huge. Watching him plant all of these was a real education and one I'm hoping to benefit from in the months ahead. My experience with Chris has been very positive and I woud recommend him to anyone who wants a little more than your average nursery experience.......Expander
On Oct 15, 2011, JohnVmpla Santa Barbara, CA wrote:
Contacted Chris after seeing his YouTub videos. I wanted a Lamb-Hass and a Reed Avocado tree to compliment my Hass' in order to get near full year avocados. He delivered to Santa Barbara the next day, and the trees are great (both have fruit on them) and he was both courteous and full of excellent tips on growing the trees. I will be getting a few citrus trees from him in the near very future. No issues at all. I recommend his nursery.
man this bites i wanted to buy a 5n1 citrus salad tree!!
does any one know a reputable company where i can order such a tree or simular one that can be shipped in ca usa?
Chris and I emailed back and forth over 50 times answering all my dumb questions. He gave me great advice on planting my second Lamb/Hass successfully. The first one i killed with Miracle grow.
He is a bit hard to nail down on delivery day/time but he made it right with discounting my second tree even though I killed it. I think that is good business. I would buy from him again.
I live in Simi Valley, CA. After checking out the website, my wife and I decided to order two trees from GrowQuest. I emailed my order on 8/29/2011 and received a call that evening . We had ordered a 15 gal Washington Navel Orange and a 15 gal Sir Prize Hass Avocado. The prices were good and the delivery charge was very reasonable. During the week I had asked if he knew when he could possibly deliver the trees, he indicated he was targeting Saturday Sep. 3rd. He showed up right on time as promised with both trees. The trees were in very good shape and we moved them into the backyard. I explained to Chris that we were having real problems getting trees to grow on our "hill". He looked around for a few minutes, asked me a bunch of questions and then proceeded to explain everything we had been doing wrong. He explained how I could correct several of the issues and showed me how to do several things, we even took a few videos. Our experience with Chris / GrowQuest has been a very positive experience and I would use him again.
I wish I had found this site sooner so I could have avoided sending my money to this fraud!!! In early May after several emails to Growquest about best varities of olives to grow in Hawaii I ordered $301.86 of olive trees for immediate shipping. Chris sent a thank you for the payment email and said he'd send a few extra trees to try over here.
Needless to say, it is now Sept. 3, and all we've received from Growquest are a few emails. No trees, no refund. Clearly neither are forthcoming and it's time for legal action.
Please save yourselves the money and headache of "doing business' with Growquest. We learned the hard way.
On Sep 1, 2011, knife977 Desert View Highlands, CA wrote:
I order some olive trees from Chris almost a year ago and didn't recieve them. I understand that Chris has had some problems with his life but I believe he is trying to get back on track. Chris contacted me a few days ago about my order and has has delivered the trees that I ordered with an additional tree as payment for my long wait on that order. I think Chris is really trying to get his good name back by slowly making good on his promises.
On Aug 29, 2011, cholgreenhouse Burlington, MA wrote:
Posted on July 13, 2011, updated August 29, 2011
Posted on March 1, 2010, updated July 13, 2011
I have worked with Chris for more than 4 years with great experience and courtesy from him. I was new to gardening and did not have good knowledge to take care of the plants. Chris has educated me tirelessly to make sure I am comfortable working with my plants. The plants I ordered from him mostly are rare tropical plants. Although Chris did not have them at the time I needed, he took time to find the plants for you. He selected the high quality plants for me. The quality of his plants is superb. When the problems were encountered, he took care of the problems for me as soon as he could get into them. I am aware that he is always busy working with many large orders. I sometimes had to wait for the order, but I understood the situation and his limitation and was willing to wait for him. When I called his office, I learned that my plants were there and Chris wanted to take care of my order by himself. I appreciated his time in caring my plants and my need. Often time he sent me pictures of the plants before shipping them out to make sure that I was satisfied with them. When the plants arrived, they were as what I saw from the pictures. If there was any problem, he sent me replacement.
His price and services are superb for me. Unlike some nurseries I used to work with in Texas and Florida. Their plants stayed for a short time and died or they are not growing. When I called or sent them an email informing them of the situation, they just said sorry or never heard from them again.
We are in the East Coast. I am glad to hear that he will have a new location in the East. It will help us to get pants faster. I also love his new marketing strategy and education he puts up on Youtube and Twitter. I continue being his loyal customer. I ordered many plants from him for resale every year. My customers love his plants and they keep coming back.
On July 13th, 2011, cholgreenhouse changed the rating from positive to negative and added the following:
He asked me to give him a good comment and he would send me my trees, but he did not. Here is his message why he wanted good comment.
"thats fine it more for the factI have anew girlfriend nad do not want her family seeing all that lying ass crap up there without some nice things. I had a lot of nice comments and then the crazies went out and buried them with negative shit.
THANK YOU MY LOVE LIFE NEEDED THAT
CHRISTOPEHR"
On July 17, 2010 I wrote a check $450 to deposit on his Bank of America account for my order on 50 Kaffir Lime trees. I never received my trees for this order. I sent him so many emails and called him for more than 3 years for my order (this and previous), but never received the trees from him. I usually paid by credit card in the past, but he requested a check for this order. He keeps lying to me or ignoring me.
He sent me an email with his Bank of America's account # to request the advance payment. He indicated that the nursery where he would get the trees for me needed advance payment. I desperately needed my trees because I have been waiting for many years. I checked with that nursery later and found that there was no contact about this transaction.
here is a message from him ----
"I was told this morning due to other bad customers and the economy that all orders must be paid in advance from my grower. So you will need to pay for 35 (15 at no charge) trees at 19.00 each prior to shipping $665.00
Chris,
The policy for payment of orders is as follows.
Propagated Orders: 1. “The order will become effective when signed by Buyer and when deposit is received by Seller. Buyer's deposit is not refundable. Deposit(s) must be received by the date noted or this order shall be automatically canceled.” 2. “The balance of the total price including all sales taxes and delivery charges will be due and payable prior to shipment”.
Non-Propagated Orders: 1. “Full payment of the amount owed including all sales taxes and delivery charges will be due and payable prior to shipment”.
you can deposit the money any time at Bank of america account Chris gilcrest 0151374123 call me after you make the deposit, plants will be shipped UPS Friday after noon."
In the past years (2008-2009) the trees were damaged from the shipment. he promised to replace them, but I never had the trees. I claimed to UPS and UPS sent the check of $100 to him because he shipped under my UPS shipping account. He cashed the check and claimed that he did not received the check. He promised to replace 10-15 tress, but I never got them.
What can we do to help the other people not to lose money any more?On August 29th, 2011, cholgreenhouse added the following:
After reviewing all feed backs on Chris's business, I agreed with Nature4life of Visalia, CA that many "positive" feed backs are fake.
I believe that Chris started working on calling or sending emails to the people to ask for writing the positive feed back for him like he did with me, or creating the fake accounts and wrote comments on his own. This heavily "positive" feed backs happened after he saw my feed back was changed from positive to negative and I posted his email content on this section. He madly replied to my post on July 15 at 11:53 pm. I then saw many positive feed backs from July 16 on. Those accounts were just created for this purpose and they are now mostly gone, removed. Some user name he used was a part of my name such as "cholt" and the content was a part of my complaint, "50 trees".
I hope the people who read this posting do not believe those "positive" posting.
Please help to think what we should do with this man. I may be the one who gave him the most money, $450 not counting the outstanding amount that he had to compensate me for the previous orders.
I already reported to the DA of Ventura county with full documents. What should we do to get our money back and get him punished? How can this man is still in business? Please help call follow up with the DA office. We should not let him cheat the people any more.
On Aug 19, 2011, fabmv Mission Viejo, CA (Zone 10b) wrote:
Satisfied with my purchase and the service. In mid-July I ordered a #15 Lamb Hass avocado tree that was delivered without a hitch. After purchase I received an e-mail from Chris offering follow-up assistance in the event I needed it. Don't think I'll need it as I have made extensive use of the planting and care video clips on his website.
When I placed my order, I was aware of the negative comments posted on Dave's Garden but decided to take a chance just the same as no local nurseries could get the #15 Lamb Hass for me.
I had a very positive experience and I would order again from Growquest.
Do you really have to ask yourself that question? It is because this guy is so full of crap! What really bothers me is, what is worse? Chris or the DA who lets him continue his theft.
Does anyone realize that almost all of the users who submitted positive reviews for Growquest have only contributed 1 review and nothing else? No zipcode reports, no comments, nothing.
I am a landscape designer in the Phoenix, AZ metro area. I ordered from Chris several hard to find roses for a very particular client a couple months ago. Finding these roses was hard mostly because June is not rose season in Phoenix. It is not too hot to plant, but too hot to risk shipping by any other method than refrigerated truck. This shipping method made it very difficult to arrange because refrigerated trucks don't just come straight to your door, they have a regular route that they service. Between Chris and I (mostly Chris), we figured out a way to get this done and all the roses arrived safely, beautifully, and promptly. My client was very happy at the quality of the product. I was impressed at the quality, but also the effort that Chris took to find a solution and the expert way he packaged the roses. My expereince was very good.
On Aug 10, 2011, roadsterdude Bakersfield, CA wrote:
Grow Quest was able to provide me with roses that i was unable to find in my home town.
not only did Grow Quest have what i needed but they also delivered them half way to my home town, saving me time and money.
the roses i received were in good shape and delivered when they said they would be.
Thanks you Grow Quest!
Randy
I ordered one "Memorial Day" rose and it came on time. This specific type was hard for me to find anywhere else. The rose plant is very healthy and vigorous and has a magnificent smell.
On Jul 26, 2011, illinisack Eden Prairie, MN wrote:
After ordering from Chris two Rose trees, I was concerned that I was not going to receive the orders. Communication from Chris at first was poor. However, in the end, he came through! He shipped out both rose trees as stated and provided me tracking information. The trees arrived packed well. They finally bloomed last week, and they are beautiful! I understand that Chris' communication in some cases needs to improve, but for me at least, he now has his act together...
Posted on July 6, 2011, updated July 23, 2011
I ordered two calamondin plant in April 2011 and I paid 78.00 by check as instructed. It was cash in on May 5. Two months later I have not received the plants. I emailed and called him but all I got was answering machine.
I google it and found out there are hundreds of complaint about this scammer.
I filed a complaint with Better Business Bureau and I am wondering how we can take him down to jail?
I am hoping this will get to right authority.
On July 23rd, 2011, jksee added the following:
please email Ventura County District attorney to complaint about Chris so we can lock him in jail forever.
I did file a complaint with DA. I found out he is being investigated.
Overall, great experience with the purchase of two 15 gallon avocado trees (Hass and Surpize). Chris called me back immediately following my initial questions (on availability, price and rootstock), then gave me some great advice on which trees would be best for our climate and then delivered the trees in a timely manner. All I had to do was write him a check! When he delivered the trees, I asked if if could take a look at a couple of my trees that were not doing so well (previously purchased from another nursery); he did, and had some thoughts on how to get one of the trees going again (soil amendment) and pointed out that the other had some damage from a fungus and would be difficult to" revive". I have recently purchased another tree from him, this time a Lamb Hass, in order to complement my collection. Another easy and reliable transaction. Thanks Chris and I look forward to purchasing more citrus trees over the next few years!
On Jul 17, 2011, DMacGregor Jacksonville, FL wrote:
I ordered 2 green rose bushes from Growquest in Feb. or March of 2010. It took some time,however, I received the roses in April. On Growquest website it states that they will not send out plants if it is not the correct time for planting. In today's world it is nice to see someone care enough about his product to give it a fighting chance. Today the rose bushes are full, healthy, and producing buds weekly. THANK YOU GROWQUEST!
Posted on July 13, 2011, updated July 16, 2011
Posted on July 3, 2011, updated July 13, 2011
Posted on February 10, 2011, updated July 3, 2011
I wonder who wrote this one? I doubt anybody believes somebody would read all these posts and order from this crook anyway. And then take the time to sign up for a new DG account to give this guy a good rating. Don't think anybody believes this to be real
On July 3rd, 2011, nature4life added the following:
Again, I don't believe a real customer would come on here giving a positive review after reading all these horrible experiences. Anyone who actually received their order would consider themselves lucky and reading all this and thanking their lucky stars. Simply, not believable...On July 13th, 2011, nature4life added the following:
Do what the others recommend and file a complaint with the DA and with the BBB. The DA says the investigation is still open and case is not closed.
Other victims of Growquest can contact the Ventura County DA - (805) 654-3110 - to add their information to its fraud investigation.On July 16th, 2011, nature4life added the following:
I'm not buying into any of these positives here...maybe they're just like this one below who changed their positive to negative...
He asked me to give him a good comment and he would send me my trees, but he did not. Here is his message why he wanted good comment.
"thats fine it more for the factI have anew girlfriend nad do not want her family seeing all that lying ass crap up there without some nice things. I had a lot of nice comments and then the crazies went out and buried them with negative shit.
THANK YOU MY LOVE LIFE NEEDED THAT
CHRISTOPEHR"
Amusing though isn't it! Aint dat gramur o hes gr8...
These positives will probably be changing to negatives too.
This particular company was great when I had ask for 2 new roses when the other died in a month. He sent me two new rose bushes and they are doing very well now. I didn't have to send the old ones back. He believed me. I would go back again and purchases more rose bushes from him.
Thank you Chris for getting me the 50 Olive trees. They are doing great and the price was amazing. Looking froward to doing more business in the near future.
On Jul 16, 2011, fjohn56 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA wrote:
Spent considerable time on there website. Found the videos very helpful. Emailed & spoke to Chris several times before purchase. Trees are beautiful and delivered on time to rancho palos verdes, ca by Chris & his son two weeks ago. Planted as he recommended and they are healty & green. Ordered a hass 24" box which is about 8 feet tall with 80-100 avacados, a 24" reed which is 7 feet tall and very wide bearing about 80-100 avacados, a 24" box washington navel orange which is filled with fruit, and 3 ea 15 gallon citrus (Sir Prize avacado, cara cara, and moro blood orange, all healty and bearing fruit as promised on delivery. The 15 gallon blood orange is exceptional with a 2" stem at base. Wrote Chris a check upon delivery. Chris is a weath of knowledge and gave me lots of tips regarding inproving the trees I currently have planted. Warning-his trees are large and heavy. If you have to move them far you will need several guys to move these. We screwed 2 x 6's onto the 24" boxes and it took 4 guys to move them to the planting sight. Currently talking to Chris about another purchase very soon.
On Jul 14, 2011, foxysplants Greenville, NC wrote:
THIS IS MY EXPERIENCE WITH CHRIS GILCHRIST OF GROW QUEST. PLEASE DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID. UNLESS YOU LIKE TO BE CALLED NAMES, INSULTED AND TOLD HE DIDN'T INTEND TO FILL MY ORDER IN THE FIRST PLACE, HE VOIDED THE ORDER THE SAME DAY HE GOT IT?? SAYS HE SENT EMAIL BUT NEVER RECEIVED. PLEASE KEEP READING...I DELETED MY NAME AND EMAIL FOR CONFIDENTIALITY PURPOSES BUT THIS IS REAL FOLKS.
Re: EmailOrder_10013265 -
7/13/11
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Well excuse me, but you are blathering stupid fool with remarks like that. In between your yellow highlights is this paragraph
“We will email you back
> your invoice for review and approval.
> Payment of this order must be made with a check or your own bank's
> bill pay. We offer payment through Chase Bank Quick Pay, Bank
> of America Bill.”
Now to the very best of my knowledge I have not accepted a check from you for the plant. I know I have not emailed you a quick pay and had totally no interest in filling the order. It was voided the day it came in and notice of that was sent to you from the QB folder, maybe it went into your junk mail, I don’t know.
The voicemail that offended you, is current, and it is very clear I DON’T WANT TO PROCESS ANY SMALL ORDERS, and that is very much the case for roses going to the midwest and east coast.
So open your eyes, clear your ears and pay attention, NO WHERE DOES IT SAY I WANTED YOUR MONEY, WAS ASKING YOU FOR MONEY and my own voice is CLEAR, DON’T SEND ME THE ORDER.
Why? Because I am taking the summer to clear the mistakes of this last winter/ spring.
I INTEND TO REPORT GROWQUEST TO THE BETTER
BUSINESS BUREAU AND ANYWHERE ELSE I CAN
TO LET PEOPLE KNOW NOT TO DO
BUSINESS WITH YOUR COMPANY. I HAVE READ
YOUR MANY, MANY NEGATIVE REVIEWS
AND I SEE WHY YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT
MY ORDER. I WILL BE ADDING TO THOSE
NEGATIVE REVIEWS.
MAYBE ONE DAY THE INTERNET CAN BE REGULATED
ENOUGH TO KEEP THIEVES LIKE YOU FROM OPERATING
ONLINE BUSINESS AND TAKING PEOPLE'S MONEY!!
Payment By: Visa 4XXXXXXXXXXX3499
> Order: EmailOrder_10013265
>
> Product Name: Blue Girl potted rose bush, ready for full bud
> and bloom
> Item#: PRS0134
> Unit Price: $24.99
> Quantity: 1
>
> Shipping & Handling: $10.75
> Grand Total: $35.74
ATTENTION: OWNER - GROWQUEST.COM,
I WAS SO EXCITED TO FIND THIS "BLUE GIRL" ROSE BUT NOW I FIND MYSELF WONDERING IF THIS IS JUST A RIP OFF OR WHAT!!
IT PLAINLY STATES BELOW THAT IT TAKES 2 TO 7 DAYS TO PROCESS AND PREPARE FOR SHIPPING!!
I PLACED THIS ORDER ON JUNE 26, 2011, WHICH WAS 16 DAYS AGO AND HAVE NOT HEARD ONE WORD
EXCEPT FOR THIS USELESS EMAIL!! EVERYTIME I CHECK THE STATUS OF THE ORDER IT JUST SAYS "IN PROCESS".
I HAVE CALLED YOUR NUMBER EVERYDAY AND THE ONLY THING I GET IS A RECORDING STATING THAT
TODAY IS JUNE 23RD.....CLEARLY YOU ARE NOT TAKING CARE OF MY ORDER, WHICH IS PRETTY IMPORTANT
TO ME, IF NOT TO YOU. THIS IS NOT WHAT I CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE. I WILL BE CHECKING MY
BANK ACCOUNT TO MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT CHARGE ME UNLESS IT IS SHIPPING RIGHT THEN... AND I WOULD VERY MUCH APPRECIATE
A REPLY FROM SOMEONE IN THIS COMPANY IMMEDIATELY OR I WILL BE CALLING THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
TO MAKE A FORMAL COMPLAINT!! IF YOU ARE GOING TO OPERATE AN ONLINE BUSINESS YOU REALLY SHOULD
KEEP IT UP TO DATE, INCLUDING YOUR VOICEMAIL, AND DO A BETTER JOB OF KEEPING THE CUSTOMER
INFORMED OF THEIR ORDER STATUS....LIKE WHETHER THERE ARE DELAYS DUE TO WEATHER OR SOMETHING!!
ANYTHING THAT LETS ME KNOW THAT YOU CARE ABOUT MY ORDER AND YOU WANT ME TO ORDER FROM
YOU AGAIN OR RECOMMEND YOUR WEBSITE TO ANYONE ELSE!
I'LL PLASTER THIS ALL OVER FACEBOOK IF YOU DON'T LET ME KNOW SOMETHING.......SOON!!
THANK YOU,
________________________________________________
> Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2011 07:55:02 -0600
> From: shipping@growquest.com
> To: > Subject: Growquest Nursery Order Receipt
>
> Updated 6/16/2011
> EXTRA OR FREE LADYBUGS ARE ADDED TO YOUR ORDER AT TIME OF PACKING,
> THEY DO NOT SHOW UP ON THIS CHECK OUT RECEIPT.
> This order will be reviewed any adjustments that may be required
> due too; weather, plant availability, current market prices,
> shipping costs and nursery regulations. We will email you back
> your invoice for review and approval.
> Payment of this order must be made with a check or your own bank's
> bill pay. We offer payment through Chase Bank Quick Pay, Bank
> of America Bill.
>
> All plants are shipped FOB Ventura County, CA. Nearly all plants
> travel ground freight and take 2 to 7 days in transit. Orders
> take 2 to 7 business days to process and prepare for shipping.
> Bare root season is over. Roses are potted, rooted and ready
> to bloom and most are 29.99 for 1-2 plants, 27.00 for 3 to 4
> and market priced for larger orders. Trees Roses are $48.00 to
> $58.00 each.
> Plant orders are packed & shipped FedEx Ground. Shipping charges
> are billed through FedEx or UPS and are be in addition to any
> boxing fees and done when your order leaves. For more specific
> details look at our shipping page http://www.growquest.com/Growquest Terms Of Purchase.htm
>
> ========== GENERAL INFORMATION ==========
> Company: Growquest Nursery
> Order date: 6/26/2011
>
> ========== ORDER INFORMATION ==========
> Payment By: Visa 4XXXXXXXXXXX3499
> Order: EmailOrder_10013265
>
> Product Name: Blue Girl potted rose bush, ready for full bud
> and bloom
> Item#: PRS0134
> Unit Price: $24.99
> Quantity: 1
>
> Shipping & Handling: $10.75
> Grand Total: $35.74
>
> ========== CHECK ORDER STATUS ==========
> [HYPERLINK@www.rtcart.net]
>
> ========== SHIPPING/BILLING INFORMATION ==========
> Name:
> Company: .
> Day Phone:
> Email:
>
I should have caught-on when I paid with my credit card and then received an email stating I needed to transfer cash instead. Suffice it to say, as everyone else, the money is gone and the lady bugs, I was told had already shipped, haven't arrived. Daily calls and emails remain unresponded. To those of you who actually received your product....consider yourself lucky! To everyone: NOT WORTH THE RISK!
I ordered a Hot Cocoa Tree Rose. It was shipped carefully. The rose was a beautiful specimen which filled out and bloomed within a month. Gorgeous healthy specimen!
Chris Gilcrest/Growquest cashed my check and did not ship. They avoided communication until I e-mailed that I was going to the Ventura County DA. Chris Gilcrest then sent me a string of insults by e-mail that avoided the business matter of shipping plants or refunding money. Ventura County sent me paperwork to get me on a "victim's list". I am trying to work with Ventura County now in hopes that enough complaints might get something done.
On May 29, 2011, michaelduncan Simi Valley, CA wrote:
I worked for Chris a couple months ago. Fortunately I googled him first and was warned by a couple growers when I was picking up trees for him. I saw him get handcuffed, taken away and back on the streets in 2 hours. the Ventura County D A is investigating him now, but I am not sure how that is going to get anyones money back. The good news is I am selling trees now and I know where he gets everything. He didnt pay me for the few days I worked for him, but since I was expecting it, I told him the trees and delivery gear in my truck will be my payment. Thats how I started selling trees. If I can help anyone in anyway let me know. Michael
