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

Hello All,

I am one of the un-lucky people who did business with Chris Gilmore of GrowQuest Growers. I had months and months of chasing Chris down and finally got him to deliver some Avocado Trees after badgering, pleading, threatening and making Chris's life just miserable... After somewhere around 5 months of consistent contact, Chris finally showed up at my home with some rag-tag trees to accommodate my request. Rather than argue about the condition and size of trees, I handed him a check and sent him on his way.

I have been watching this slow motion train-wreck happen from afar for years. In all seriousness, Chris must have something wrong with his head to make this kind of thing a habit. It would have been much simpler for him and all concerned to have done straight business transactions, but, he somehow just could not.

Bottom line is that Chris finally pleaded guilty to felony counts of grand theft and conspiracy for not delivering the goods to customers throughout the nation. And when the goods did get delivered they did so without the proper inspections and quarantines.

Prosecutors said Tuesday that Christopher Morgan Gilcrest, 51, also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of false advertising in connection with his business, GrowQuest Growers.

The guilty pleas came after an investigation by the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Gilcrest illegally operated GrowQuest Growers selling and delivering rose bushes, citrus and olive trees, ladybugs and other items from his website.

Authorities said Gilcrest sold the items without a valid license and failed to comply with quarantine regulations and also accepted some payments without providing any products.

There were dozens of complaints filed against Gilcrest including with the Santa Paula Police that referred them to the District Attorney’s Office. Online complaints of GrowQuest’s failure to deliver started showing up more than a decade ago.

In addition, the Tri-Counties Better Business Bureau received hundreds of complaints from across the nation about GrowQuest over the past three years, according to prosecutors.

GrowQuest Growers for years had an office in Santa Paula located on Davis Street.

District Attorney Greg Totten said, “The quarantine violations,” by Gilcrest by shipping stock without the proper wait or inspections, “posed a serious threat to California’s multi-billion dollar agricultural industry.”

Prosecutors said when Gilcrest is sentenced June 24 they expect he will receive one year in Ventura County jail and five years’ probation and be ordered to pay restitution to victims. And, as part of his probation, he will be prohibited from engaging in the agriculture business or selling nursery stock.

Posted on February 26, 2012, updated July 14, 2015
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.

BEWARE! Unprofessional, endless delays, bad communication, payment issues, and to top it off, attitude from the seller. I had to file a paypal dispute to get out of this nightmare. Look elsewhere.

so much negativity and I stood up for this dude, seemed ok to me but then it came to delivery.



for my brothers birthday a del from one area of CA to another, promised the week of his birthday, nothing.



three emails sent, no reply.



emails before order sharp and aggressive and I still didn't understand because links were to web pages that didn't quite work and I couldn't roll down through. He was a bit rude 'if you had looked at', If you had bothered to read' etc. I had explained I couldn't cos his page was a bit out of whack. But I still trusted him, thought just less tetchy and more a garden person



other links sent me to unresolved server errors.



Sad cos my bro pretty reknowned in his field, coulda won a lot of kudos, but hurt me, and disappointed, and now, well, , coulda done him some good. He blew it.

Posted on June 23, 2005, updated June 1, 2014
I ordered a 10 lb container of Sluggo, as I am being overun by snails and slugs, from Growquest. On their website they show the nice neat containers of Sluggo and the sizes available much like any other website selling Sluggo. They charge my card right away. Then nothing for several weeks. I go to their website and find out the wife is supposedly ill and send a polite email sending my condolences and inquiring when I might be able to expect this order. No harm, no foul, life happens sometimes out of our control.

I recieved the order today. Well I think, sort of- maybe. What I got was a dirty, old, white, completely unmarked bucket with all kinds of stuff ( including what looks like droplets of congealed urine- maybe from a dog) all over the outside with these pasta looking grainy things about halfway filling it and the top of the bucket doesn't seal firmly enough that an animal or child couldn't get into it, just a flimsy light plastic lid (like you would use on cheap storage containers in the fridge) being held on with packing tape.

I don't know if this is actually Sluggo as I have never used snail bait of any kind before. This COULD be anything, including something that will harm my plants if I spread it around my plants (which is what I would do to get the snails and slugs), I don't know if this is safe in case my kids touch it, I don't know if this is safe in case the stupid rescue dog knocks it over, spills it because the lid is flimsy and eats it. Are they sure what it is or did they yank it out of a room of buckets half filled with misc gardening supplies and mixtures? And if they are sure it is Sluggo then why did they take it out of the sealed package to do this to it? And if there is a good reason why it was not in it's original packaging then why was it not put into a clean safe container with the info that is contained on the original label and other instructions and labeled on the container itself what it is?. Isn't it illegal to sell stuff like this without all the info and without labeling?

When I ordered like everyone else would, I expected a new sealed package of what I ordered. That way I know what it is and that it is probably fresh enough to be effective. I didn't pay nearly over $25 for what appears to be somebody's leftovers from their back shed.

I emailed- this afternoon- nothing yet. I tried calling but of course you can't get ahold of anyone in the office or in the field and I have requested a call back- They had hours and hours to call me back and no call. Considering the rating this company already has- I am posting this.

They may eventually make this particular situation right- I would hope so. This evaluation/feedback still stands regardless (though I will be fair and post if they make it right and exactly what they did to make it right). There are serious issues going on when a business let alone an owner would let something like this be boxed (or give the employees the idea that this would be acceptable practice), let alone through their door as a filled order that someone would accept. I am frankly absolutely floored by such behavior. Any nursery I have ever been to would FIRE an employee on the spot for sending or attempting to send something like this. I will NEVER EVER shop there again- If this is an example of what they consider an acceptable quality order then I hate to see what their plants are like and am not interested in finding out on my dime.

I wish my experience had been more positive but I am sitting here feeling used and scammed and cheated and not knowing what I should do with this stuff- use it and take a risk? or toss it in the garbage as that is exactly what it looks like. Just what I needed- more negativity in my life. Thanks a bunch growquest.

Paula Shepard
Stockton, California

Posted on December 5, 2013, updated December 6, 2013
Posted on December 5, 2013, updated December 5, 2013
Posted on December 3, 2013, updated December 5, 2013
Posted on December 3, 2013, updated December 3, 2013
Much delayed writing this. Do NOT do business with this company. I placed an order a few years ago with Gilchrest for a Satsuma tree. He called me to confirm the order, and in utterly surly tone went on to patronize me about how I should appreciate plants. (Is this a California thing??) He also alluded to his drug use. I then became very unsure about my order. A few months later I called the local police department, and to make long story short was told that they could not shut him down and that he had to make a living some kind of way. !!! I was completely dumbfounded. I will never do business with California again (after having other problems with plant retailers there 5 years prior, with their sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitude. Now I hear, gleefully, the over-priced Monrovia growers are suffering badly from this mentality.) Stick with the Southeastern US citrus and nursery growers -they are impeccably honest and do what they say they are going to do.

Early in the spring of 2013, I was looking for a particular Rose , Ah found a seller " GrowQuest". I place an order only to never hear anything .I called the Fone # , only to hear a bunch of gibberish ramblings that went on and on . I then sent e mail inquiring about the order . I then rc'd an Order confirmation and #. Time went by , nothing , so started e mailing and rc'd a note back " you still want the rose ?" well sure where do I submit payment with pay pal etc ? Response was " will call you back".
This went back and forth numerous times with never a definitive answer .
The last time I heard anything from this outfit , was on 06/14/2013 which stated "I have the information I need to ship the plant. I am clearing out a backlog of orders, it will leave in the next few days"
This outfit is terrible and must be run from some dark alley .

At least there was never any $$ exchanged. I will wait til spring of next year and order early from Jackson~, as they had some early in the year but I was tooo late in ordering.

I doubt that I will ever hear thing more from this Grow Quest outfit - which is fine with me and would advise others "stay away far a ya can"

FRAUDULENT WEBSITE – THEIF – STAY AWAY!
DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM CHRISTOPHER MORGAN GILCREST – AKA CHRIS GILCREST -AKA GROWQUEST

Growquest and its owner Christopher Morgan Gilcrest aka Chris Gilcrest are fraudsters pure and simple. We placed an order of more than 30 rose bushes, only after an email exchange to confirm his ability to fill the order, he offered a discount for a check, which we then mailed. The check was cashed upon receipt and endorsed by “Heather Andrews” It was NOT endorsed by any business. After time had passed we began emailing asking for tracking information – ZERO RESPONSE – Daily emails from us asking the status, then a reply saying it shipped and daily emails did not help – we received four plants ordered and a mystery plant, Chris claimed was a gift (Yes a gift that cost us over $500) – he claimed the rest would be shipped within a few days, that was a month ago – back to the daily emails asking for details of the shipments – no response – then a marketing/spam message claiming all outstanding orders would be shipped as he was getting in a large shipment – big surprise – NO EMAILs – No Tracking Detail – and NO SHIPMENTS – no replies to any email – the phone number he provided are all burn phones with the exception of his toll-free number which is just an ultra-annoying rambling that gets you nowhere. We demanded a refund after missing most our planting season – NO REPLY – We’ve now filed police reports locally and in California. There is no business, there is no nursery – he is a middleman sometimes at best and very deceitful. Though we’d love the flowers ordered to arrive – we now would settle for a refund, alas assuming the best at this point all we can do is warn everyone else to stay away. If you’ve been unfortunate enough to do business with him, file police reports, though each order on its own is small the sum of the parts is huge and amounts to Mail Fraud, Grand Larceny and a few other criminal charges will inevitably land this man in prison, which he most definitely deserves.

I purchased four Albrequina olive trees from Chris Gilcrest and paid by check per Gilcrest saying he did not take credit cards except on the shipping cost for total $131.89 on 2/7/2013. One tree died days after arrival. I emailed Gilcrest many times concerning the dead tree, sent a jpg of dead tree per his request, and he promised to replace the tree. Then his emails went cold. Filed complaint with BBB Santa Barbara on 5/5/2015 asking for refund of $32.97 for the dead tree, then Gilcrest finally responds on 5/6/2013 with a "yes" to my email asking for a refund or a replacement, so that answer does not tell me anything. Gilcrest does not respond to BBB, so the case is closed with a three-year "bad" rating for Growquest. Filed a complaint with FBI division of internet fraud. This scam business needs to be shut down! Buyer Beware!

Ordered a rose in early May. He was quick to respondwith an invoice with shipping charges and instructions to send a check. Mailed check and it was cashed right away by company. Rose was not revieved. When I emailed and inquired about the status, he sent me another invoice with additional $5 for shipping. Inquired what was going on, never received an response, tried calling and got a long babbling answering machine with no way to leave a message or reach Chris. One month later still no rose, I guess I should have researched this company further, if I had I would have seen all the negative complains about him and would never have ordered. I don't expect to receive either a retund or the rose I ordered from them. Growquest is a rip-off--DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM!!!!

Avoid doing business with this guy, Chris. He strung me along for one month on an order for an avocado tree. He confirmed a delivery schedule time after time, and never delivered with some reason or another. I followed up by email & phone and got only lies from him.

Buyer beware: I had prepaid for these roses (even forgot to deduct my "prepay" discount). Even so, they never came. The first time I emailed, I received an immediate response indicating that they would be sent in short order w/ an extra plant. I waited. Still, they never came. I sent several more emails, this time requesting a refund as I had reached the point of giving up on them and never received a response. I'll give them a week to send me a refund.

Growquest Nursery, Christopher Morgan Gilcrest, is a total scam. Do not be fooled by their beautiful website. Mr. Gilcrest will gladly take your money. You will never, ever receive your product and you will never, ever receive your order. I ordered and paid for 3 roses, plus shipping in August, 2011. He has been dancing me around since then despite my calls and e-mails. He has finally just stopped responding to me.

Posted on August 16, 2012, updated August 17, 2012
Posted on March 13, 2012, updated August 16, 2012
Posted on March 12, 2012, updated March 13, 2012
Hello Everyone,

I can't beleive all the the negative things that I have read. My name is Chris and I just placed an order from this company for one large strong Hass Avocado tree. One hour later, I got a call from Chris (the owner), he was very professional, nice and very pleasing to deal with. Here is what he did for me. He told me that he will give me two trees one "A" and one "B" to pollinate the other. He looked up my address on the google maps, look at the google earth to see my house and backyard, zoomed in and he told me how and where to plant my two Avocado trees, what kind he will give me and what I need to do to protect them from the frost. He is sending his driver over to my house tonight to drop my two trees off including some Gypsum powder for the soil. He told me that he will give me the very best strong trees that he has so they will survive the heat and frost that I get at my house. He even offered to come over to my house later this week to paint the trunk of the tree with white latex paint to protect it.

I think Chris is very nice. I work in an industry that I come in contact with over 2,000 people a year, so I can spread the word of how Chris treats his customers and how he goes out of his way to help others.

NOTE: Once I get my product tonight, then I will write him a check, per his instruction. He saved me a bunch of money, instead of shipping the tree, he is throwing in a second tree for the price of shipping cost. Basically, my bill never went up and he is giving me more than I even asked for.

WOW, awesome, business man!! I will spread the word around to buy from Chris at GROWQUEST.COM
Chris, Love your videos, thank you!!

Customer for life,
ChrisJR

P.S. Chris, I hope all your family issues are getting better. I have read so much about it. Urg!!
I stand by you and your products. I think that some people can not ever be pleased in this world and hurt others.

Posted on July 9, 2012, updated July 24, 2012
Posted on June 28, 2012, updated July 9, 2012
Posted on June 23, 2012, updated June 28, 2012
Posted on June 21, 2012, updated June 23, 2012
Posted on June 4, 2012, updated June 21, 2012
Posted on June 4, 2011, updated June 4, 2012
Posted on June 3, 2011, updated June 4, 2011
Like many others, I ordered, paid, and have not heard from Chris or Growquest since, except for additional invoices of varying amounts. I have filed an FBI complaint ( cybercrime and interstate fraud ), so anything I say here is a matter of public record. CHRIS: send me my money or my trees, and I will cancel the federal felony complaints.

Order placed 3/19/2011, for 5 bare root roses, paid this character $140 w/cashiers check, after sending him a Chase Quick Pay which he never picked up. No plants received, but several e-mails were received:

On 3/26/2011:

YOUR ORDER Has been processed & adjustments have been made based upon current market place prices, seasonal & availability issues.

One 3/30/2011:

Sorry I got married and went on my honeymoon and I have been back at work for a few days, but I am not going to be able answer you specific email because I have fallen too far behind with emails and my packing and shipping. ..........

And, on 7/28/2011:

I am contacting because I am missing a lot of records for orders from this last winter and spring.
If you made payment to Growquest for this order please E-mail back the amount of the check or electronic payment you made. Remember that I do not charge credit cards.
I am in the process of personal reorganization this summer. I am taking the this time off right not to compile a list of refunds needed.
I have a large supply of olive, citrus and avocado trees at this time if you need those plants. I am not processing new orders for roses and not shipping old orders of roses at this time due to weather.
Please get back to me ASAP so I can get compile the list of shipments and refunds needed and act on it right away.
Thank You
Chris Gilcrest
http://www.growquest.com

AKA: http://www.growquest.net
//www.youtube.com/growquest

and the guy even has the nerve to have a page on Face Book :)!

I tried getting help from the authorities, federal and local in Santa Paula, CA; no one responded.
First bad experience with a plant or related vendor, and the last !
Filed a complaint on theripoffreport.com and an ex-employee replied and stated this guy has been doing this for years, and that he had very few actual plants in stock.
Obviously, stay way away from this character and business !

I HAVE BEEN ROBBED OF $262 I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE!
I TRIED TO ORDER FROM GROWQUEST EARLY IN 2011 AND COULDN'T EVEN GET ME ORDER TO PROCESS BUT AT MY END IT SAID IT HAD, SO I THOUGHT THE ORDER WAS PLACED AND I WOULD BE BILLED, EVERY EMAIL I SENT WENT UNANSWERED AND BY THE TIME I FIGURED IT OUT IT WAS TO LATE TO ORDER FROM ANYWHERE ELSE. IT WAS A DISASTER BUT NOTHING COMPARED TO THIS YEAR.
OUT OF SHERE DESPERATION I PLACED AN ORDER WITH THEM ON 1-6-12, THE ORDER WENT THROUGH AND MY CREDIT CARD WAS CHARGED TO RESERVE MY ROSES. MY 1ST CLUE SHOULD HAVE BEEN WHEN I SENT CHRIS AN EMAIL TELLING HIM WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR THAT I WAS GIVING HIM A SECOND CHANCE AND NOT TO REPEAT WHAT HAPPENED AGAIN, HIS RESPONSE WAS RUDE, UNAPPOLIGETIC, AND BASICALLY TOLD ME TO ORDER OR NOT, HE DIDN'T CARE.
LIKE I SAID I WAS DESPERATE. IN APRIL, 3 MONTHS AFTER MY CREDIT CARD HAD BEEN CHARGED I STARTED CONTACTING CHRIS TO SEE WHEN MY ROSES WERE SHIPPING. EVERYTIME I CONTACTED HIM, IT TOOK 2-3 EMAILS TO GET A RESPONSE AND THEN HE WOULD GIVE ME A SHIPPING DATE, WHEN I STILL HADN'T RECIEVED MY ORDER A WEEK AFTER THE SHIPPING DATE I WOULD CONTACT HIM AGAIN, AFTER 2-3 EMAILS HE WOULD ANSWER AND GIVE ME A NEW SHIPPING DATE. THIS WENT ON FOR 2 MONTHS. I TRIED TO BE NICE AND UNDERSTANDING, I NEVER SAID A CROSS WORD TO HIM, SO I WOULDN'T BE GIVIVNG HIM ANY EXCUSE TO TREAT ME BADLY. IN JUNE I GAVE HIM A DEADLINE, EITHER SHIP THE ROSES BY DATE X OR GIVE ME A FULL REFUND, THAT I COULDN'T KEEP DOING THIS FOREVER, THAT I HAD BEEN THE IPITOMY OF PATIENCE AND TP PLEASE DO RIGHT BY ME. I GOT AN AMAIL THAT SAID HE WAS GOING TO SHIP THE ORDER ON HIS SCHEDULE AND HIS TIME! THAT I WOULD GET MY ORDER, MAYBE IN JUNE MAYBE IN SEPTEMBER! I WROTE BACK TOLD HIM I WASN'T WAITING UNTIL SEPTEMBER, THAT THE JUNE DATE I GAVE HIM WAS MY LAST DEADLINE AND THAT I COULDN'T BELIEVE HE HAD TAKEN THAT ATTITUDE WITH ME. NEEDLESS TO SAY THE ORDER NEVER CAME AND I NOW TRIED TO GET A REFUND. IT BECAME EVEN HARDER NOW TO GET AN ANSWER FROM HIM, WHEN I FINALLY DID CHIS SAID "I AN SENDING YOUR ORDER AND THAT IS IT!" TRYING TO BULLY ME. I TOLD HIM I HAD HEARD THAT BEFORE THAT I DIDN'T TRUST HIM, THAT IT WAS TO LATE AND TO HOT TO PLANT THE ROSES, THEY WOULD DIE AND I WOULD LOSE OUT ON MY MONEY, I WOULDN'T ACCEPT MY ORDER EVEN IF HE DID SEND IT, WHICH I DIDN'T BELIEVE HE WOULD AND TO GIVE ME A FULL REFUND. HE HAS SINCE STOPPED ANSWERING ALTOGETHER. I THINK HE DID ALL THIS TO DRAG IT OUT BEYOND THE 6 MONTH DEADLINE WHEN CREDIT CARD COMPANIES DRAW THE DEADLINE TO DISPUTE A CHARGE AND TYPICALLY WON'T HELP YOU.I HAVE A GOOD CREDIT CARD COMPANY WHO MAY HELP ME BUT I STAND TO OUT AND OUT LOSE $262 AND FOR SOMEONE WHO IS DISABLED WITH 2 SURGURIES A YEAR AND BILLS THAT PILE UP FOR DRS , SPECIALISTS AND MEDICINE, I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE THAT MUCH THAT I SLOWLY SAVED AND SHOULDN'T HAVE TO JUST BECAUSE I TRIED TO BE NICE.
THIS GUY KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING. TAKE IT FROM ME DON'T BUY FROM HIM, AND DON'T RECOMEND ANYONE BUY FROM HIM UNLESS YOU WANT TO SEE THEM SUFFER AND ROBBED, WHICH IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN. I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S ALOWED TO KEEP HIS WEB-SITE UP WHEN ITS KNOWN HE IS DOING THIS: ROBBING PEOPLE! BUT HE'S BANKING THAT WE CAN'T AFFORD TO TAKE HIM TO COURT OVER THE AMMOUNT HE ROBS FROM US AND HE'S RIGHT.
I WISH I WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT THERE WERE THESE KIND OF REVIEWS ABOUT GROWQUEST AND CHRIS SPECIFFICALLY BEFORE I ORDERED. NUMBERS DON'T LIE. LOOK AT THE % OF PEOPLE HE HAS OUT AND OUT ROBBED!

Posted on July 24, 2009, updated June 18, 2012
I can't believe any of the recent posts that give Chris Gilcrest a positive rating. I notice that many of them are posts placed the same day as the username sign up so my guess is that he is on this website posting false positives. I joined just now to post a true negative rating. This guy ripped us off of our money, was the rudest person ever on the phone, even before it was stated I was looking for my money back - what kind of a businesss is this guy running. I know he is checking this site based on the positive comments so let me add - Hey Chris, did you notice your HGTV online story is gone - that is what bad business, no let me restate that as stealing people's money, will get you.

DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM THIS SCAM ARTIST! I placed my order and paid for it in March and have yet to see a plant or a refund. I went around and around with this jerk for over a month hearing about broken transmissions, lack of personnel, and even being cursed at via email (Oh yes, Mr. Gilchrist- I have saved every one of them). He kept telling me that I needed to get my refund from Intuit. I kept telling him that HE has my money, not Intuit and HE needs to refund it. I email him on a daily basis and have contacted the BBB, the FTC, and the IC3. I now have a call in to Catherine Mano of the Ventura CA DA office 805-662-1703 asking to be added to the impending case against him (case # 9:10-BK-16202-RR). I suggest anyone else who has been scammed by him should do the same. This guy needs to be stopped. I don't have the money to throw away on supporting this kind of person, but apparently so far that is all my money is doing.

Growquest Nursery Order date: 4/16/2012. FaxMailOrder_10014631 Buddah's Hand Citron 5 gallon potted nursery tree Product number CtrCitron5 $39.99 Shipping & Handling: $10.75 / Grand Total: $50.74

I purchased a tree to be shipped to FL from Growquest TX or NC nursery trying to be in compliance with the citrus regulation that I had just been informed about in CA. I asked for my money back since it had not been shipped. He said no I will ship it to your CA address. I agreed. Twice he said he would ship the tree and I would have it in 48 hours. The first: Growquest Growers Monday April 30, 2012 1:10pm ended chat. The second: Growquest Growers Thursday May 10, 2012 10:19am ended chat. I contacted Intuit, the payment prepossessing company he used and was told the his account has been cancelled due to numerous customer complaints.

I am told that PayPal has also cancelled his account for the same reason. Christopher Morgan Gilcrest, owner of Growquest,has been reported to Ventura County District Attorney many times. One case number is 9:10-BK-16202-RR. This is not my case number. Mr Gilcrest is a fraud and seems to have scammed many more them myself. Please investigate Growquest and it's owner Christopher Morgan Gilcrest.

His business practices have got to be illegal and he simply must be stopped and caught under ALL of his nursery names

Posted on May 21, 2012, updated May 21, 2012
Posted on April 6, 2012, updated May 21, 2012
I ordered a Tahitian Sunset Rose plant from Chris on 2/11/2012. On 2/27/2012 I sent him a payment via Intuit at his request. I NEVER RECEIVED THE ROSE BUSH.On 3/23/2012, I called him to ask about the order and he said something about needing a book keeper, but that he would FedEx the plant and I would have it by that Monday. It never got here. Now, I cannot get him on the phone at all, regardless of repeated calls during his stated business hours. Every call goes to voice mail. I called Intuit, who was absolutely of no help, to get my money back. Now, I have started the process of disputing the transaction via my bank. At least I paid via credit card instead of check. I will NEVER order from Growquest again.

I can't believe this person is still in business. He has a new website claiming locations in TX, and NC.

Like most everyone, I paid and did not get anything back. Ordered roses, and after not recieving any delivery, called him several times. Each time he will politely apologize and promise to deliver within a few days. I finally just gave up after several weeks.

I don't know why his company is still around. I believe those "locations" in TX and NC which his company clains are all bogus. Last time I checked, his "nursery" is an abandoned store in Santa Paula, CA.

I don't know what the DA in Ventura is doing letting this person keep scamming people all over the US from Ventura County. He may have a few plants around and able to deliver to some people but for most, he takes your money and that is the end of it. You will not get anything back.

Stay away from Cris Gilcrest or from Growquest.

I ordered ladybugs online. However in the final bill, the pricing and quantity had changed, reducing the number of ladybugs from 4,500 which I ordered, to 2,500. It also increased the price from $12.99 to $14.99. No one answers their phone, so I left a message. I also sent an email, asking for clarification on the problem. I received a cryptic return email that did not answer the question, nor even address the question. I sent another email, got another bizarre off the point reply that did not address the question. Then I found this website, and I sent an email to GrowQuest cancelling the order. I hope he does. Chris is either a terrible businessman, or as I suspect, a scam artist.

Same saga as so many people, I ordered roses that no one else has (1st clue), paid, and then the long wait begins...

I called to try to find out whay I did not have my roses and spoke with a very rude person. He indictaed they would be sent that week that he was just behind on shipping. After another full week I emailed and was promised that the roses would be delivered in a few days. I gave him another week and nothing arrived.

That was it, I realized Growquest is a sham and does not have the roses or they would have been sent within a month. I filed a chargeback with by bank and was refunded immediately. At my bank's suggestion, I also filed a complaint with Intuit and the BBB.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS when using a credit card! Consumers using a credit card are proected form this type of fraud. But there is a time limit, you generally have 60-90 days (check with your card issuer) to dispute the charges. Consumers always have the last word in the dispute process (chargeack/representment). So if you do not receive your goods or receive poor quality goods, you can dispute the purchase. You will prevail as long as you follow the bank's requirements during the process.

It seems this company's business plan is to create the impression (falsifying a huge inventory and YouTube clips) that he runs a large, professionaly run nursery. As he gets orders he try to fill them, if he can't find the items locally, he just strings you along hoping you paid by check, let too much time pass or just forget about the order.

It seems he runs the business from a house and/or garage, not a nursery and certainly not the one(s) in the YouTube clips. All of the current and past addresses are definately not the facility in the video clips.

The BBB indicated Growquest is in Chapter 7 bankruptcy at the present time. Many business operate while under bankruptcy protection, but taking orders you cannot fill is fraud. I hope his website, which allows this crook to conduct the fraud, it shutdown eventually...

Posted on April 7, 2012, updated May 6, 2012
I will never probably ever see the rose I ordered. I am also getting the run around and I have paid for the rose. I paid with my debit card and got an unfiendly e-mail that I had to pay using Intuit which a did about a month ago. Had a bad feeling about the place after the rude e-mail but ordered anyways. I was desperate to get this very hard to find rose that I could not seem op find anywhere else. Now I feel terrible because it is for the gravesite of my frends daughter who died 2 months ago at age 25 of cancer. She asked for this particular rose for her grave before she died. I will keep looking and hopefully this company goes to court someday.

Ordered roses on January 18th. Still haven't received them after several emails, phone messages, and promised delivery dates. This is Chris' response when I emailed to tell him I would be posting on the watchdog:

"WOW WTF. I have written several times. The order will be filled with large rose plants ASAP, I have a very complicated last 3 weeks and that is all I have to say about

I received this reply on March 30th and still no roses. Guess that speaks for itself.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY.

A truly horrible company and an equally horrible, liar named Chris Morgan Gilcrest. I iniatially ordered roses from him in early February, after numerous calls and emails he sent the roses soaked in water with advanced root rot and dead feeder roots. It has been vertually impossible to communicate as no email or phone calls are returned. I will stay on this poor excuse of a scam artist until I get the replacement roses promised, a refund, or I just take this unethical individual to court.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY.

Posted on April 28, 2012, updated April 28, 2012
The worst plant supplier I have encountered. They are quick to take your money, but do not ship the products. When you try to follow-up, you just get the run around. Just one big hastle and waste of time. I would never patronize this business EVER again!

I ordered a Sir Priz Avocado from Chris on Sunday April 22, 2012. The owner, Chris emailed me letting me know the tree would be delivered by his driver on Tuesday evening.

Tuesday: No Tree, No Call, No response to emails. I wasted my Tuesday evening waiting for this schmuck.

On Wednesday after emailing Chris again I was told the Tree would be delivered on Thursday. I received a lame excuse about why I did not receive a response and I was given the name and phone number of the driver.

Thursday night I received a call from the driver. He was in Sacramento. The driver sounded very scatterred, and told me he did not have a Sir Priz Avocado on his truck.
I emailed Chris asking him to call me (He will not return phone calls)....and Chris told me the delivery was delayed by rain (It barely rained today...slight drizzle in the am). Chris then said the driver was too far behind and the next time he would be in the area was next Wednesday. Another wasted evening.

When I cancelled the order and told him I would be posting about my negative experience, Chris could care less, claiming there are more buyers than trees.

I then looked up Growquest on the Internet and saw all the negative reviews. OH MY GOD.

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT PURCHASING ANYTHING FROM GROWQUEST.

READ ALL THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS ABOUT GROWQUEST. THESE NEGATIVE BUSINESS PRACTICES HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME.

I ordered a rose bush for my mom for Mother's Day in 2008 and she did not receive it. You might call me a little crazy, but I've been working on getting a refund for 4 years. This includes complaints to the BBB, law enforcement, and others.

I only want to add one comment to all the NEGATIVE comments that have been posted that are all so TRUE and well written! If Chris speaks.....he's lying! Everything he says is a LIE. I ordered roses for my mother's 80th birthday, 6 weeks in advance. She never received them and the check has been cashed. How cruel to be so deceiving about a mother's birthday present. SHAME ON YOU. CHRIS. Wish I would have read all the reviews first.

THIS GUY IS NOT RELIABLE- READ HIS CUSTOMER SERVICE SECTION ON HIS OWN WEBSITE. I wish I had read all the negative reviews before I mailed the check (after speaking to Chris on the phone and believing him to be honest) for two bareroot roses that I will probably never see. My check was cashed in January. When I called him in February to see why the roses hadn't come he said he thought I had canceled the order (2nd red flag, 1st red flag was when he insisted on a check after I tried to pay with credit card). Then he said the roses would come that Friday. They didn't, another phone call another promise... three rounds later it's March. I've emailed, I've called. I get no answers and as far as I'm concerned THIS GUY STOLE MY MONEY. I don't think he's intentionally a bad person, just an incredibly flakey confused individual. Either way, DO NOT SEND HIM YOUR MONEY.

December of 2010 I had ordered 6 different variety of roses from Dave and sent out a check payment of $169.49 for the roses since he informed me that there was an issue with using paypal or a credit card machine. Instead of listening to that little inner voice that said do not do it, I sent the check. I had ordered the roses in hopes that by my wedding in June 2011 I would have a few rose buds to add to my wedding in my hair and what not. Well by February there were no roses so I called Dave and was reassured I would get my roses and he would include one extra for all my trouble. In March still no roses and Dave gave me the excuse that someone had stolen his laptop and all the information was in it, then the excuse that his account had been hacked and he was in distraught over his personal trouble but he had no issues depositing my check. In April Dave quit returning my phone calls and ignored my calls and still no roses. So finally in May of 2011 I contacted the BBB and filed a complaint against him/ his company.
I was later contacted by the BBB out of California and informed there is an open case against him and his company through the Attorney General's office. So now everything is in the hands of the judicial system in California.
All I have to say is buyer beware do NOT purchase flowers from this man. He has every excuse in the world as to why he can't get your flowers to you.

I found a Black Baccara rose on the Growquest site over a year ago. I sent a personal check to this man ASAP really excited about the bush. Never came for months. I called and talked to Mr. Gilcrest personally.He seemed rude, asked if I really paid him and said too late in the season for bare root roses now. He said I needed to buy a potted rose now. I was like what ever, I will pay the difference. He said OK I will send it to you and you can send me the difference when it gets there. Well it never came. I called again and he again was rude and implied he did not take my money. He claimed he had no record of me and now I needed to prove I really sent the money and made the order. I told him I would have to dig up the copy of the cashed check. Then he sent out a mass E-Mail claiming his life was terrible and he needed help. So I encouraged the man to get it back together, to try to breathe a little easier and when you feel better send me the rose and or the money back. Months went by and I seen the man was still operating as a plant provider to others, so I E-Mailed him and asked what is going on? He replied that I needed to send a copy of the invoice and the cashed check to him and he would send the rose next season. Totally insane, but I sent the info and thought great in a couple months I will have that Black Baccara I have been waiting a year for. Well I still have not seen my money or the rose bush. I sent another, final E-Mail, stating that he had stolen my money for over a year now and I wanted a refund or the rose bush ASAP. I also attached the copy of my cashed check again to prove I had paid him over a year ago. No reply and no rose bush. He stole my $40,00, let me sit here waiting for a year for a Black Baccara Rose, and forced me to put a bunch of time and energy into this matter. That is what I really resent! My family and I deserve better. He has drawn this out for over a year now and it has become very personal now.This man does not have the right to run any type of business anywhere in the world. He is immoral and has no ethics. Please do not order product from him until we members post that this man has dealt with all the folks he has already stolen from.

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.

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.

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.