Evolve Vacation Rental
3.4
5.1
Overall Score
Author: Kalicia Bateman
LAST UPDATED: April 20th, 2022
Evolve Vacation Rental was founded in 2011 by Brian Egan and Adam Sherry and was designed to assist owners in managing their vacation rental listings and assist with guest inquiries and reservations. Evolve Vacation Rental is focused on simplifying the process of vacation renting by following a strict rental verification process and providing flexible options with lower fees. Their vetted network of on-the-ground partners are available to handle everything from housekeeping to maintenance.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Set, Low Fee for Property Owners
- Flexible Terms
- Communication with Guests
- Property Damage Protection
- Professional Listings
Set, Low Fee for Property Owners
Evolve is free to join, and charges property owners a set 10 percent of the booking fee for its listing services. In addition, Evolve does not charge a cancellation fee.
Flexible Terms
There is no term commitment for owners. The company’s service is free to join and can be canceled at any time. In addition, owners can use their vacation rental for personal use throughout the year.
Communication with Guests
Evolve handles communication with guests throughout the reservation process. In addition, customers who want help booking can contact Evolve’s travel advisors. They are available seven days a week by phone, email, and live chat.
Property Damage Protection
Unlike many competitors, Evolve does not require security deposits for vacation rentals. Instead, the company offers a Damage Protection insurance program. This program is backed by the insurance company Assurant and costs a set fee of $14.50 per night for guests. This protection covers up to $3,000 in unintentional damages by travelers. Guests are liable for intentional destruction or damage that exceeds the set amount. In addition, Evolve provides protection to property owners with $1 million in liability coverage.
Professional Listings
Evolve uses professional photographers and writers to create high-quality listings. In addition, properties are displayed on multiple sites such as VRBO, HomeAway, Airbnb, and more.
The Bad
- Limited Country Availability
- Limited Pricing Options
Limited Country Availability
Currently, Evolve only services North America. Owners looking to list properties in countries outside North America will need to use another vacation rental management service.
Limited Pricing Options
Evolve does not offer multiple pricing options. Though it provides a low, set fee, some companies offer different options, such as yearly subscriptions, to fit the needs of different property owners.
The Bottom Line
Evolve is free to join and charges a low, 10 percent booking fee. The company offers flexible terms allowing property owners to cancel at any time and to reserve their property for personal use. Evolve creates professional listings and promotes properties on multiples vacation rental sites. Properties are protected through Assurant insurance and owners also receive liability insurance. Furthermore, it communicates with customers on behalf of property owners. However, owners of property outside of North America will need to use another vacation rental management company. We recommend consumers compare Evolve to other vacation rental management companies to see if it fits their needs.
Was this content helpful?
Yes
No
Valarie Yuskaitis Tampa, FL
As a guest, I rented a house in Punta Gouda FL for a training I was attending there locally and I prefer a home when I travel (rarely use hotels any longer). There were many issues - no info sent on how to get into the house, no welcome packet to tell us about Wi-Fi and house info, dirty dishes in sink upon arrival, filthy tub and the hot water ran out in like 5 mins, they left left-over bar soaps in the bathroom for use (not sanitary), the home was not in good condition (hardwood floors buckling up, ants in the home, general maintenance needed), and the kitchen was not stocked with basics (sauce pot, measuring cups/spoons, etc.). Their customer service is NON EXISTENT. Don’t waste your time with this company - I will never rent from them again. Renters - beware! This company is a not ethical and is a scam. They also clearly don’t care about sanitary practices, providing a safe home, or presenting a clean and properly maintained home.
4 years ago
Reply from Evolve Vacation Rental
Hi Valarie,
We appreciate you taking the time to leave us a review, although we are very sorry to hear that your experience was not a positive one. We were able to take a closer look at your booking and see you have been in close communication with our team. We were able to confirm that an email with lockbox instructions was sent just a few days before your stay and do apologize for any confusion that occurred that did not allow for a smooth check-in process. After close review, it seems that our team did not feel the documentation of concerns regarding the home warranted the requested refund, but did offer a travel credit for future use in good faith. While we’re disappointed to hear that you did not find this to be a fair resolution, we do hope you consider giving us the chance to host a future stay of yours. Thank you again for your feedback and for choosing to stay with Evolve during your training.
We appreciate you taking the time to leave us a review, although we are very sorry to hear that your experience was not a positive one. We were able to take a closer look at your booking and see you have been in close communication with our team. We were able to confirm that an email with lockbox instructions was sent just a few days before your stay and do apologize for any confusion that occurred that did not allow for a smooth check-in process. After close review, it seems that our team did not feel the documentation of concerns regarding the home warranted the requested refund, but did offer a travel credit for future use in good faith. While we’re disappointed to hear that you did not find this to be a fair resolution, we do hope you consider giving us the chance to host a future stay of yours. Thank you again for your feedback and for choosing to stay with Evolve during your training.
Apr. 20th, 2022
Pam Mealor Gainesville, GA
Unsafe unsafe unsafe!!! Do not book with them. You are putting your life and property at risk. They advertise falsely unsafe rentals on their site. No lights in a very bad area with all kinds of people walking around. People living out of cars and vans. The property we booked was not as promised. The amenities promised were not there. It was an absolute construction site. The garage you pull into had tons of construction equipment. The entire property was a construction site. We told them we felt unsafe and they did not care. They do not care about your safety. I would not trust them. Their rest assured policy is a lie. They will not help you!! Do not go with evolve!!
4 years ago
Reply from Evolve Vacation Rental
Hi Pam - We are terribly sorry to hear that you felt unsafe during your stay. That is certainly not representative of the service we traditionally aim to provide and we do hope you will give us another opportunity to prove that this is not our standard. We would like to look further into this situation for you and invite you to please reach out to us directly on our social channels to connect with us. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback here and look forward to hearing from you to gather more information regarding your experience.
Apr. 12th, 2022
Robbie Essex, CT
Back when they started in 2014 they put up our listing and they were wonderful. Now, they have gotten too big and greedy. They are hard to reach, their reps lie about what they will do and don't get it done, you can't talk to anyone but reps who just spout the company line, they issue refunds or cancellations without input from the host, and basically have commandeered the property - making all the decisions about rates and minimum stays. The WORST thing [as you can see from other hosts here] are their "Smart-rates". They are so ridiculously high and vary by the day, we don't book until a few weeks before when the rates drop to motel rates. But the reason I am so upset today, is because they accepted a 4 day booking in June when our summers have always been a week. For 7 years we were completely booked. We look forward to the summers, when we don't have to nag guests every 3 days about their driver info to get them into the gate. And reduce the wear & tear on the unit with all the traffic. It also aggravates the HOA who would love nothing more than to limit the vacation rentals. Contacting all the guests, purchasing & inputting all the passes, and following up with housekeeping & property manager is exhausting. The more guests = the more things that can go wrong. I told the kid to change the minimum stay. He lied and closed the request. I found out it wasn't done, when I got another little booking in June, thereby screwing up the entire month. So I chatted and called and they said the minimum stays are related to their awful "Smart-rates" and that I can't tell them what they should be. So this will drag on while they make excuses and refuse to put on a manager. I used to be able to go up the food chain to resolve issues. No more. What's next 2 day - 1 day? I got a booking for a month next February. Then it canceled. I contacted the guest - it was because it was $6000 for 28 days while others in the area around were at least a grand less. Their insurance rates are obscene. If they are going to provide damage insurance, they should include trip insurance. They are now like Amazon who does not support their sellers, does not listen, does not respond in a timely manner.
4 years ago
Reply from Evolve Vacation Rental
Hi Robbie - We appreciate you taking the time to leave us this feedback, but are disappointed to hear that your experience with Evolve over time has become less than wonderful as it was when you first joined us. We understand that a shift in the way we operate can be an adjustment, and at times frustrating, and we want to ensure you feel supported throughout the process. We would love the opportunity to look further into this situation for you. If you’re able to, please reach out to us directly on our social media channels with more information regarding your account and we are happy to assist. Again, thank you for your review. We hope to hear from you soon!
Apr. 7th, 2022
Tiana Parker
If I could give a negative star I would. If you are looking for a property management company to partner with DO NOT HIRE EVOLVE! They DO NOT verify guest that book directly through the Evolve site. Anybody can make a fraudulent reservation and stay in your home.Now that scammers know this they are flooding the site with reservations that you will not be paid for. As a result you end up with scammers with stolen credit cards trashing your house. Guest can stay at your house for FREE for as long as they want. EVOLVE will not cover the cost of your utilities used, cleaning cost and money lost because those unpaid for nights could have went to a qualified guest. As many have stated, they offer no assistance. They simply throw their hands up and leave you with the bill. Of course I learned my lesson the hard way. Evolve has done a great job covering their tracks to keep this information hidden. I can not stress this enough if you care about your home and are interested in making money off your vacation rental with minimal stress THIS IS NOT THE COMPANY FOR YOU! Get with a company that verify the people staying in your house are who they say they are. This issue not only affects the homeowners but also the individual who's card information was stolen. It's sad because Evolve is making millions off this scam.
4 years ago
Reply from Evolve Vacation Rental
Hi Tiana - Thank you for reaching out to us here. We are deeply sorry to hear of the frustrations you have experienced due to issues with a fraudulent booking. We completely understand the stress this can cause to you as the homeowner and while we do our very best to avoid such situations happening, unfortunately it does occasionally occur. We want to reassure you that we are working diligently and strategically as a team to improve our processes regarding this matter, and that your feedback is incredibly valuable to us. If you have any remaining questions or concerns about your experience, please feel free to reach out to us directly on social media with more information and we are more than happy to take a closer look for you.
Apr. 6th, 2022
Eric Estrada
Unbelievably bad experience with Evolve. We booked our house 2 months through VRBO for spring break. We got our confirmation email three days before with the check in information code and everything we need to know for the house. My husband just happened to call the contact for the property the night before to ask a question. They were completely dumbfounded when we said we had booked the property and couldn’t believe Evolve had not contacted us to let us know the property was sold. This was literally hours before we were supposed to be pulling up for spring break. After spending an hour on the phone with VRBO, we were assured by VRBO that after talking to evolve we were fine to check into the house. Wanting to be 100% sure that we had a place to stay I then contacted Evolve myself. After they checked into it a little bit more they realized that it was sold and had made a mistake by not contacting us. Now the day of spring break we were expected to try to find a house for 11 people for the same price that we paid two months ago. They were only willing to pay up to 20% more if needed. Obviously we were unable to find any property day of for that many people and for that price so our spring break vacation was completely ruined for 11 people. They didn’t even refund the full amount with the fees I had to go through Vrbo to get all our money back. Not to mention the plane ticket we had for a family member to join us there. Completely horrible experience.
4 years ago
Review Source
John E Wilson Taos, NM
This company is based in Denver, our rental was in south Texas - they knew nothing . except how to jack up the nightly rate. The advertised nightly price was $129 but the actual price ended up at $193/night. The $129 was OK as they were "pet friendly" but they charged an additional $320.00 for " damage protection". As a property manager myself & a former VRBO member with a Texas rental I assumed the fee was a deposit that would be refunded upon cleaning & finding no damage. Nope... they keep that & do not refund it. When I called and tried to plead my case they basically said "tough" even when I pointed out to them that on the email showing their charges there was an ad, in their email, promoting additional insurance coverage at a cost of $59.00 for $1500.00 in damage protection. When I asked why they would have an ad promoting additional coverage when they were already charging $320.00 they had no answer. That was in addition to a pet fee, a service fee & a cleaning fee.
An unscrupulous & deceitful company that will never see another dollar of mine
4 years ago
Edward Hauser Goodlettsville, TN
Evolve is in the business of making money, not helping clients by managing their property. They do the bare minimum, approve all guests, even ones that attempt to burn your rental down by starting log fires on your tile floor, stop up your septic tank by flushing unimaginable things, break furniture and more. Then they refuse to cover the damages although the guests are required to pay for a damage waiver. Luckily I was l only with them for the required 2 month minimum before I could cancel. I lost more money in damages than I gained in payouts. A management company in theory sounds nice but not when I have to do more work and pay more. Right now I am managing the rental myself and it has been a much better experience. Plus I am actually making money now.
4 years ago
T Dembro Amherst, NH
I rented a house last weekend in RI (Fri & Sat) for my stepfathers funeral. There was a storm coming that was going to hit Friday mid day, I emailed Evolve days in advance asking if we could arrive early in anticipation, and then followed up with them the day before and received no response. As a result we were not able to get there safely due to a terrible ice storm. Someone from Evolve finally emailed me on Saturday around 2pm acknowledging that they did not respond, but hope we were having a great time. I explained to them that this situation was hard enough, and that we had to scramble to make other arrangements the day before because they did not respond and asked for them to refund us for that day. They refused due to the owners cancellation policy. I am a rental owner and I would never treat my clients like this. I will also never rent another house managed by Evolve and certainly will never use their services.
4 years ago
Erin Nations Alpharetta, GA
Stay away from this fly by night company. I booked a rental through VRBO only 11 days ago. The reservation was for late August, over 200 days away from today. I had to cancel due to a family conflict. Evolve will not refund my deposit even with the rental being this far out. The rental is in a popular beach location, and I have no doubt Evolve will be able to fill the rental for our canceled dates. They did credit my account; however, I am concerned that the company won't be around next time I am ready to book. This is an extremely harsh cancellation policy not consistent with the market. There are a myriad of alternatives to book travel with more flexible policies. Please don't make the same mistake that I did.
4 years ago
Kymberlieblu Birkenkamp St Louis, MO
I rent Airbnbs for my employer, a Fortune 500, several times a month, so I have had a profound amount of experience with Airbnbs from both a corporate and personal standpoint. In this case, I made a personal reservation 9 months out and chose to pay in full. The policy stated a 48 hour cancellation for a full refund. I received news mere hours after the cut off that would require me to cancel the trip. Knowing this, I immediately reached out to Evolve. I also knew that this weekend was a college football weekend in the small town. I knew they would have no issue rebooking. I reached out to Evolve and asked if they would consider giving me a full refund since my cancellation was so close to the cut off. In the last three years, I've never had a property company not respond to my messages. They could have easily responded letting me know they could not make an exception and I would have accepted that. Instead, I never received a response though I reached out three times and was only refunded 50%. This is completely within their policy, but I have never dealt with a host who would not have made an exception in this case, or at minimum respond. Due to this behavior, I will never rent from Evolve for myself or my company. I distrust the location quality and experience potential of any property holder who cannot even be bothered to respond to a potential guest.
.
4 years ago Edited February 9, 2022
John J Tashkent, TK
Worst customer service ever.
I had used them for property management, they will promise you high daily rates and high occupancy rates to get your listing. Then they'll use their precious rating algorithm to calculate the minimum daily rate.
I was told I could expect $250 a night with 80% occupancy. Unfortunately, everyone in my neighborhood was priced between $80 and $100 per night with 50% occupancy. Didn't know that until it was too late. Big difference, no bookings. But that's OK, right, I mean they can manually adjust the minimum rate.
They can adjust the minimum nightly rate, but its too much trouble for them, so you'll go without any bookings. When I did get them to manually reduce the minimum rate to be competitive, I immediately got bookings, yea!
However, constantly adjusting my minimum rate was too much trouble. So they quit doing it. And, then they dropped me as a customer while I was overseas and unable to get another service. Great people!
In my review on Trustpilot, they blamed me for being a bad customer, but what would you expect when they overpromise and never deliver. I'm sure they will blame me again for being a bad customer.
Good luck, but better to just find someone else.
4 years ago
MSmith
My stay was the absolute worst. Roaches, broken furniture, a rude and arrogant owner that refused to answer any questions once he received full payment. When contacted by a representative from Evolve, I shared my experience and also provided pictures to support my claim. I was given an apology and was told that I would receive a credit for one day of stay for my inconvenience. It’s been weeks since I was sent that email and nothing. After waiting 3- 5 business days (The timeframe I was given) I reached out and was told to wait another 3-5 business days. I’m done with the running around. I implore you to stay far away from this group. There are plenty of companies that you can trust with your time and money.
4 years ago
Dylan San Francisco, CA
I booked a rental with Evolve through Vrbo. I had to cancel the reservations unfortunately and Evolve never cancelled the reservation on Vrbo, so I was never refunded my Vrbo fee of almost $150. I called Evolve and spoke with Senior Travel Advisor Support Specialist Nathaniel Evans.
Nathaniel E told me they had a communication error between Evolve's system and Vrbo's system and that I (as the customer) needed to have Vrbo reach out to Evolve so they can resolve this communication issue between THEIR systems. This is ridiculous I am the customer, why am I having to resolve THEIR technical issue so I can get my rightfully so refund? This is terrible customer service, I will never book through Evolve in the future.
4 years ago
Maria Aretz Philadelphia, PA
We had a guest cancel two days before Christmas, ( day they were supposed to check in) and they receive a full refund from Airbnb and Evolve! Our property is $600 per night at a non-holiday rate. To allow a guest to block a booking calendar for two months and then back out at the last minute and receive a full refund is a slap in the face to property owners/hosts!
Our property books every holiday for the last 4 years and now our home sits empty because of a last minute cancelation with a full refund. This is 0 support for hosts, allowing guests to manipulate the system if they choose. A 50% refund should the max a guest should receive for a last minute cancellation.
Evolve in partnership with Airbnb will never support a host yet hosts are the backbone of their business. We have been hosting 2 properties in Philadelphia for over 4 years, if you aren't ready to do all the leg work yourself in vetting guests you will have issues with hosting.
4 years ago
Sothdra Nguon-Devereaux Kailua-Kona, HI
I had a very negative experience with evolve vacation rentals. I rented a property with them through Airbnb, and their listing is misleading. It mentions AC three times on the listing but upon check in we realized that only one of the two upstairs bedrooms had an AC unit. Also, the AC unit was broken and the upstairs was unbelievably hot. We reported this immediately, and was told to contact our local guest contact Ellen. She sent the cleaning lady to inspect the broken AC unit, which made no sense. I assumed I had reported the issue to enough people to have it resolved, but they did not try to repair it until I called and reported the issue to Airbnb two days later.
5 years ago
Annie Farley Cedarburg, WI
We rented an Evolve managed home in Minnesota, as we were attending a memorial for a family member. The home was a high-priced rental meant to house up to 13 people. It advertised a pool, and our kids were looking forward to using the pool, and we were anxious to have a relaxing place to stay during a very stressful weekend.
No Pool.. dirty linens, stained pillows and towels.. no toilet paper. Bed sheets hung on doors when we arrived, food on utensils and kitchen tools in drawers. garbage, dirty cleaning rags and used toilet paper under sinks. There were not enough utensils for the number of guests.. 6 spoons? 13 people? The a/c was non functional, and the garage that was supposed to be available for our use had an above ground swimming pool thrown in the middle of it. This is management?? Our check in information had the incorrect contact numbers on it. We attempted to contact evolve directly and via Email and nobody got back to us. So disappointing
5 years ago
Christopher Passetti Anderson, SC
From the first day I booked I could not get a personal or response to my questions. I was bounced around through the automated phone system with no success. Tried the app and email and got what seemed like automated replies. Once I got to my condo the wifi didnt work, the codes for the pool, garage, and building didnt work. I was told the wifi issue I needed to take up with my local representative . After finally contacting my local representative through email she said she was no longer in charge of that unit and had no way of reaching anyone to help me. There was not enough cell service for me to conduct the business I needed to do while I was there. The place I stayed was nice. The hot tub was broken the whole time we where there. The most frustrating part was the email and phone call i received the day after I got home asking how my stay was. Where were you the last week?????????
5 years ago
Jamie Hall Mountain Home, AR
Very disappointed with this company. I booked a rental months in advance and paid the balance in full at the time. Days before we were supposed to leave, my dad was put in to the hospital AND my daughter was in the ER with a bad kidney infection. We still thought we could make the trip, so I didn't cancel before their 48 hour window. 36 hours before check in, my daughter did not think she could make the 10 hour drive so we decided to cancel. I did not expect to get a refund but called to find out if I could at least be reimbursed for the cleaning fee and damage insurance, being there was no need for cleaning and no damage to be done by us. After sitting on hold for a lengthy amount of time, they told me they would contact the owner and return my call with an answer. After a day I decided to also email this request. It has been over a week and I have yet to hear anything from anyone. Customer Service is obviously not important to them. If you choose to book with them, read ALL the fine print and be prepared for them not to communicate at all if you have an issue.
5 years ago
Mike Taylor Jenks, OK
Booked a stay at what looked to be a nice cabin, and ya pics can be deceiving. So we arrived at this cabin 5.5 hour drive later, only stuck at the front door with an invalid code. My wife contacted evolve with no help on any codes to get in, then finally got ahold of one of the owners which we shouldn’t be in contact with in the first place since evolve is a management company and they’re the ones to handle that. So anyways finally get in only to walk into a horrid stench of some combination of odor chemical and a one to two pack a day smoker in the house. So we’re trying to give this a shot so we walked around inside and it only got better as to find dishes left out in the sink, crushed pop cans on the back patio and I’m betting these sheets never got changed because of the body print still showing. Noticed the at least 1/4 inch of dust build up on the ceiling fan along with the return air looked like cousin IT was living in there. smh The bathroom has used razors in plain view I mean at least the razors were in the trash can. Pop cans on the back patio. The downstairs had random decor leaning up against furniture. Anyways it was a complete dumpster fire. So at this point we sat down for maybe a total of 5 mins to rush find another place to save us from this disaster only to hear what sounded like scratching inside the walls and after that we left and drove several hours away. My wife contacted evolve for a fund’s reimbursement and say said they need the owner to verify what all we said was accurate 🤔 maybe evolve hasn’t heard of bias yet, and for the less then 30 mins of stay they send us 268 bucks back out of the 865 to book. I have filed with BBB, and they still want to keep on acting like they did is a favor so tomorrow attorney time so if I have to file small claims I will in a hot minute. I’m going to leave a trail of my experience all over the web until I get your attention EVOLVE and my money back all of it not just a little percentage. All of it. I got pics I will be releasing with this info to.
5 years ago
ACR Newtown, CT
Do NOT rent any VRBO or Airbnb if Evolve Vacation Rental is involved. We just had to cancel our 4 days of vacation due to a family medical emergency. Bottom line - we could not travel and if we could have, we could not have used the property safely. We asked for a refund (even partial) especially after we saw they were able to RENT the property for our cancelled days. They said absolutely no refund. We got Airbnb involved and they tried to plead our case, but Evolve still said absolutely no refund. They double dipped and we lost over $1,500 because of a family medical crisis. Thanks for your humanity Evolve. - NOT!!!!
5 years ago
Terry Lyons Jonesborough, TN
Evolve is not reliable, they are putting bad reviews on owners review page without verifying the information. Evolve recommended a cleaning company that was good for the first two years then went downhill after that. Evolve said it was a contract between me and the cleaning company when I complained but they didn't take the time to investigate and still are recommending the company to owners. I have pictures from a guest that complained about the cleaning and Evolve didn't what to see my evidence and I got a bad review. Don't trust Evolve they are good at first to get your business then they don't even bother with you after that.
5 years ago
wutizgoinon
We listed our short term rental on Evolve for about 8 months before we decided it was not sustainable. In the beginning, when they wanted our business, the responsiveness was quite impressive. I would get calls back from an agent throughout the day to make sure I had submitted everything they needed to get us started. As soon as our house was listed and turned over to the agency, however, we heard crickets. Phone calls went unreturned. Online request tickets often took 4+ days to even receive a response. When someone would respond, the pat response was always "we have been responding to multiple calls". If I always used that same excuse with my clients, I would not have a job. It is inexcusable to take that long when someone's investment is on the line. Adjusting a nightly rate should not take a week to figure out. They have very poor customer service and we quickly left to find another agency to manage. Their concept is great but the execution has a lot of improvements needed if they are going to get more clients.
5 years ago
Yan Guo Cupertino, CA
Evolve is very dishonest
I booked a house with Evolve on Airbnb. The second day the county issued a mandatory evacuation, due to dixie fire.
The house is right in the middle of the evacuation area. I contacted Evolve and they said that they were monitoring the fire, and asked me to contact them 72 hours prior to the check in, so they could assist me.
I started contacting them 3 days before checkin, 2 days before, 1 day before check in. These guys just disappeared. Now I am charged with over $1000 with a trip that I could not go.
Don't rent any property managed by Evolve. They are very dishonest and only want your money.
5 years ago
Amanda Anderson Charlotte, NC
Initially booked through VRBO (apparently a partner) and thought we purchased vacation insurance but we did not, i guess. Very Long story short...we didn't know anything about the red tide epidemic of 2018 until we called to schedule the ferry ride from mainland Florida to Little Gasparilla Island for my husband and I and 9 of our children and their families. They were booking vacations for any and everyone and didn't tell a single soul the island was mostly uninhabitable unless you stayed indoors. The ferry owner told us even property owners were getting to the island and turning right back around and wouldn't stay on the island. Because I am a cancer survivor with a compromised immune system and have a grandchild with severe asthma we had to cancel our trip. Evolve and homeowner would not refund a dime. I challenged the charges twice with my credit card company to no avail. I resorted to a BBB complaint. I received 1/3 of my total charges back from Evolve which was their housekeeping fees, booking fees, and taxes. The homeowner kept all her money. We spent over $2000 and have never even seen a peek of Little Gasparilla. It is/was unconscionable that anyone profited on vacation property during that particular epidemic/state of emergency and everyone should be ashamed. Also, have a look at all the places you are unable to leave the company a review...
5 years ago
JZ
Do not trust your property with Evolve! If your are considering trusting your property with Evolve because of the attractive 10% fee. Think it twice. There is ZERO commitment with homeowners and have poor customer service.
My property had better exposure on a single site like Airbnb than with Evolve. Our sales went down significantly and we still had to communicate with guest and manage in someway check-ins and checkouts. Basically, we still had to do their work and pay them the fee.
In January we received some problematic guest that overstayed an additional night without us knowing. When our cleaning team called us the next day we had to drive 3 hours on a Sunday morning to our beautiful vacation rental. When we arrived our property was trashed, chairs broken, appliances, trash every where, cigarettes' and pot on the furniture, our linens and towels destroyed. We quickly called Evolve to let them know about our experience. They assured us that they were handling our case and asked us to send pictures and proof of the destruction so they can assign a "case manager" to help us with the claim. We did everything they asked and more...
We quickly took some funds out of our saving account to fix the property as quickly as possible for our next guest. With the idea of recuperating our savings through the insurance claim. FIVE months later and Evolve hasn't assign a "case manager". We always end up calling because they do not respond through the dashboard as they ask us to communicate through our property dashboard with evolve.com.
We decided to take the loss and cancel our business with them. Please don't waste your time, there is no VALUE in it.
5 years ago
Victoria Rentel Reston, VA
Last year during pandemic rented a house from Evolve. They were willing to issue a credit given pandemic, which was generous under the circumstances. However, it took multiple emails and phone calls to reach somebody who could help me. This year I made a reservation and have heard NOTHING from them. Have emailed through their website, have emailed using their contact email. Have called. Have spent innumerable minutes of my life trying to get them to pay attention and NOTHING. Not a word. Homeowners, don't use them: I find as I leave reviews for them that my experience is not unusual. I have rented scores of homes through property managers, AirBnB, VRBO, Turnkey: Never again will I use Evolve. Horrible.
5 years ago
S. Dixon Houston, TX
Do not use Evolve. We had planned an out of state trip with family and coordinated a lot of schedules for months in advance to make it happen. Dion called from Evolve less than 24 hours before we were to check in and said it was cancelled because there were renovations. He wouldn’t help us find another property and said we would get a refund in a week. They said they couldn’t get a hold of the owner. We called the owner and she picked up on the first ring. She said the house was not under renovations and they were expecting us tomorrow. She couldn’t get ahold of Evolve either to find out why they did this. If we hadn’t done our own investigation our entire trip would have been ruined. They are a very sketchy company.
5 years ago
Michael Glunk Littleton, CO
I wish I could have given then no stars. I had people come in and trash my home. They smoked pot all throughout the home and it took me multiple days of work (I had to take vacation time off of work) and renting an ozone machine amongst other tools to get the home back to "normal". I couldn't find anyone who was able to do this work for me professionally so I did it myself given the turnover time until the next guests. I was told by Evolve that I could create an invoice for my time. I was told this before I took time off or did any of the remedies. After the fact when I went to get reimbursed they told me that they wouldn't reimburse me for my time. They acknowledge that they did tell me they would before I did the work, but that the person who told me that was wrong. In my line of work, mistakes are fine, but you don't make the client pay for them when you are the one that made the mistake. Apparently Evolve feels they shouldn't be responsible for their mistakes.
5 years ago
Jessica A K Joplin, MO
If I could leave ZERO stars I would. We booked a place on Airbnb through this company for a nice Mother’s Day weekend getaway; the photos advertised looked like what we wanted BUT they were very deceiving and not what we wanted at all. They tried to make it look like there was a water view of the lake in the back of the “cabin” and there wasn’t; you had to drive to get to the water that was nowhere near the “cabin”; we have an infant so were not wanting to drive anywhere to get to the water or have a nice view. Also there were several houses around the “cabin” that they tried to make look and sound “secluded”. It was a whole neighborhood. The only way we knew this is because we researched the location on google maps after confirming. Upon realizing this location was not what we wanted AT ALL, about 10 minutes later we cancelled and asked for the full refund explaining to them why. The host would not work with us, DID NOT give us a full refund and didn’t even respond to us. Extremely unethical business, they basically took $150 of my hard earned money for NO REASON. Our booking and cancelling 10 minutes later did not inconvenience, but it inconvenienced us. We ended up booking a different location with accurate descriptions and a very accommodating host.
5 years ago
Tim Alpharetta, GA
For those considering choosing Evolve to manage your property as a short-term vacation rental, you should know what will happen: 1)Lots of bad guests will book your place. Your property will be disrespected & abused, again & again. Things will be broken, scratched, stained, etc. Rules will be broken. Why?, because Evolve does not hold guests accountable. Evolve has "insurance", and you get to experience that hassle. 2) Evolve does not care about reviews. Even BAD reviews. They just ignore them. I had more bad guests in 1 year with Evolve, than I had in 3 years total with 2 other properties using Airbnb, where you can see guest reviews and decide whether to accept or not. With Evolve you know nothing at all about who is inside your property. This industry runs off of reviews, how dumb to ignore them. 3) Lousy software. Very frustrating. 4) No contacts at Evolve for you, the owner, because you simply don't matter. Very slow response also. 5)Huge Penalty Fee if you have to cancel any booking, even in the distant future. In Summary, when I host again, I will use VRBO, or Airbnb, or another, but I definitely WON'T be using Evolve. I've learned my lesson. You have been fore-warned. Having "No guest" is Better than having a "Bad guest".
5 years ago
Pierre Bloomfield Hills, MI
This company is unprofessional. They ruined our weekend getaway by giving our cabin to someone else. I used vacation time from work to go on this trip which was all wasted.
We drove from San Diego, CA which is 100+ miles away (2:30 hours of drive time) each way. We took a rental van and a pick up truck. 2 seniors with heart disease and diabetes, 1 minor and 4 adults. We had to buy Chains because of how heavily it had snowed there. When we found the street for the cabin, 4 cars were sliding because the road was not cleared.. we spent 4-5 hours for the road to get cleared up and we started looking for the Cabin. the tiny alley to the Cabin was blocked with snow so we could not find the cabin. We tried calling the owner of the cabin several times, no response. Me and my brother decided to climb a hill where it showed the house in the map. We were knee deep in the snow and were running outa breath. We heard people from a cabin, laughing and bbqin. we called for their help.. We asked them to help us find the cabin and they showed their cabin number and it was actually OUR CABIN NUMBER!! When we called to find out what is going on, it looked like they had canceled on us the day before for COVID-19 reasons yet managed to have another family rent it out.. My brother went back down the hill yet I chose to take the streets to get back, my phone died on me. I could not find my way back nor I could call them and my feet were numb from being wet and cold.. I reached out to a stranger telling him I'm lost and my family should be worried for me.. He dropped me off at the main street and I was lucky to see our pick up truck. Upon my return everyone was looking aggravated and sad. My 10 y.o. niece was crying. She had to use a bathroom and there was nothing nearby. The mini van was stuck in the snow even with the chain and my parents kept thinking we were gonna be stuck there and eventually freeze to death.. We were all severely emotionally, mentally, and psychologically affected by this disastrous experience. We called about 10-15 hotels and none had any rooms left.. once we were able to luckily get the van out, We had enough and decided to go back home..
DO NOT GIVE THIS COMPANY A CHANCE! YOU WILL BE SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR DISAPPOINTMENT!
5 years ago
Jimmy Hung Placentia, CA
I should've gone on here to read the reviews prior to booking, but that was my first mistake. My family and I booked a trip in Southern California, and 2 days before the trip, the rental was canceled. To give a little background, there's a state mandate that doesn't allow rentals for at least 3 weeks that started on Dec. 5. The trip was booked on Dec. 14 because we saw that these homes were still available to book. Now if you book and get you canceled on, you'd expect to get your money back, but according to their rules, you will only get a credit for the amount. And even after talking to Mathias regarding how this is unfair and the home should never have been available to rent in the first place, he refused to do anything about it.
Companies should not be able to take your money without providing a service. This is considered theft. Definitely the opposite of buying with confidence.
If you do book with them, make sure you book it with a credit card that you can dispute, because going through them to get your money back will not go anywhere.
5 years ago
Becky Z ,
DON’T USE EVOLVE VACATION RENTALS EVER
I’ve dealt with a lot of vacation rental companies and never experienced such horrible customer service. You can’t even call it customer service because they have none. They don’t answer their phone and you can’t access your account on their website.
We made a reservation paid the deposit and then the entire state of NM closed due to pandemic and required 14 day quarantine. We only had a two day rental so of course we couldn’t go. We called and called trying to cancel the reservations PRIOR to the next payment being due but NO ONE ANSWERS their phones. We called several times and waited over an hour each time. We tried and tried to cancel online but couldn’t access our account. We still CANNOT access our account. They charged us the second payment and won’t give us a refund only a credit. Who would want to ever use them if they never answer their phones? And how will I ever be able to use the credit if I can’t get access to my account? I've been trying to get this resolved for over a month with them but they lie and say their "systems" don't have any record of us calling (even though they don't answer) but they confirmed we couldn't access our online account. I've even told them to keep the initial deposit of over $200 but that I felt it was only fair that I didn't get charged for the second payment of over $500 since I WASN'T able to get ahold of them to cancel. But they just keep lying and saying we didn't call in. I’ve literally paid $800 and have RECEIVED NOTHING - that's called stealing.
They are SCAMMING hard working people out of their money. Wish I would’ve seen all these negative reviews prior to booking with them.
Homeowners - use other rental companies because Evolve is giving your renters the exact opposite of what they are looking for when trying to go on a vacation. They are mistreating your renters and keeping them from enjoying a vacation and they are basically stealing money!!!
5 years ago
Michael Twitchell Long Beach, CA
Worst Vacation rental provider ever! do not stand by their moto or their promises.
misleading advertisement of rental units. When I arrived first day we could even get into the place...then when we did, next day, it was dirty. Stained sheets & towels, holes in walls, bathroom plumbing not working, left over food in frig & cupboards. But biggest problem was Evolve...they promised to make it right but didn't credit back night we had to stay in hotel. disputed the visa charge when we complained about this to our bank. won't respond to any emails or letter even after they had agreed to take care of this issue. next step is for us to file a small claims for service unrendered.
Worst Rental Company Ever!
5 years ago
Ashleysteffens Charlotte, NC
Evolve vacation rentals has been an absolute nightmare to work with. I booked a property through Airbnb thinking it was a pet friendly location but realized 1 minute after booking that it was in fact not pet friendly, messaged them literally 3 minutes after creating the booking asking to cancel for a full refund, and received no response for 5 days. I managed to contact the owner f the home itself and they approved a full refund. When I finally spoke with evolve, they said that they could not issue any refunds from their end. I am an Airbnb host myself & I know for a fact that they can issue refunds from the host side of things. When I finally spoke with Airbnb support, they said that evolve has to issue the refund - not airbnb. The whole experience has been a nightmare. The poor owners of the home approved the refund as soon as I told them about the situation, but evolve has been a complete nightmare - rude, unhelpful and liars. We are now stuck with the stay unable to get $1200 back.
6 years ago
Reply from Evolve Vacation Rental
Hi there, Ashley,
We're very sorry to hear you did not have a positive service experience with us. That is certainly not representative of the service we traditionally aim to provide and we do hope you will give us another opportunity to prove this. As Airbnb is one of our partners, we are taking their lead when it comes to refunds. If a reservation qualifies for Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy, we will absolutely provide a full refund. If the reservation does not qualify, we are not able to issue a refund, but we would still be happy to assist with rescheduling the trip to a later date.
We're very sorry to hear you did not have a positive service experience with us. That is certainly not representative of the service we traditionally aim to provide and we do hope you will give us another opportunity to prove this. As Airbnb is one of our partners, we are taking their lead when it comes to refunds. If a reservation qualifies for Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy, we will absolutely provide a full refund. If the reservation does not qualify, we are not able to issue a refund, but we would still be happy to assist with rescheduling the trip to a later date.
Oct. 7th, 2020
Rachel Woodall St Louis, MO
Booked a trip for July and tried calling and emailing in April with zero response. My response was a charge in full on my credit card two weeks ago. I was able to speak to the actual person who owns the property we were renting and he doesn't work directly with Evolve. He apologized and felt terrible for how they were handling travel since Covid. I did get an email back saying they will give me a travel voucher for future dates BUT I have to claim it by next week or they will just take the money and I get nothing. NOW the problem is I can't sign on to their website to claim the travel voucher because it doesn't recognize me email. I have now been on the phone for two hours trying to reach someone to get this fixed, no answer. As someone who travels a lot with friends and family and is looking forward to doing it in the future, Evolve has lost a lot of business.
6 years ago
Reply from Evolve Vacation Rental
Hi there, Rachel,
We are terribly sorry for the lapse in service you experienced. Throughout the pandemic and beyond, our teams were overwhelmed with a high volume of requests and did their best to handle everyone's needs. This does not reflect our customer service culture during normal times.
After reviewing your reservation, we can see that you did eventually speak to one of our teammates who informed you that you would be receiving a refund for the final payment, plus a travel credit for the initial deposit.
If you do have any questions or require additional assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out via your guest account or directly to Evolve at info@evolvevacationrental.com.
We are terribly sorry for the lapse in service you experienced. Throughout the pandemic and beyond, our teams were overwhelmed with a high volume of requests and did their best to handle everyone's needs. This does not reflect our customer service culture during normal times.
After reviewing your reservation, we can see that you did eventually speak to one of our teammates who informed you that you would be receiving a refund for the final payment, plus a travel credit for the initial deposit.
If you do have any questions or require additional assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out via your guest account or directly to Evolve at info@evolvevacationrental.com.
Oct. 7th, 2020
LS Littleton, CO
I have never been so disappointed in a company. They are handling the Covid19 situation terribly. First they make it impossible for you to contact them. Then when you do they are rude and snarky. When you report this on social media platforms they block you so that you are unable to warn other customers about their gross mishandling if customers during a global pandemic. I called to request a refund before we made our second and final payment bc I was nervous they would charge us and only give a credit. I reached them in time, thankfully, I requested a refund several times and was basically laughed at and then they canceled me...so now companies can cancel people for requesting a refund and keep the money. Is this standard industry practice?!
6 years ago
Reply from Evolve Vacation Rental
Hi there,
We are terribly sorry for the lapse in service you experienced due to the pandemic. all of our teams encountered a drastic spike in inquiries and requests and did their best to get to everyone's needs. The customer service you experienced is not reflective of our service during normal times.
As you may know, Evolve did have to adjust its policies to function through the unprecedented times of the pandemic. We updated our cancellation policy to that of a travel credit or date change at the same property, which provides far more flexibility than the non-refundable policy you booked under. It also helps to ensure that we will be here to accommodate future customers' needs.
We are terribly sorry for the lapse in service you experienced due to the pandemic. all of our teams encountered a drastic spike in inquiries and requests and did their best to get to everyone's needs. The customer service you experienced is not reflective of our service during normal times.
As you may know, Evolve did have to adjust its policies to function through the unprecedented times of the pandemic. We updated our cancellation policy to that of a travel credit or date change at the same property, which provides far more flexibility than the non-refundable policy you booked under. It also helps to ensure that we will be here to accommodate future customers' needs.
Oct. 7th, 2020
Dara Murray Baltimore, MD
Unfortunately, despite reaching out multiple times I never heard back from this company until AFTER I cancelled my trip due to Covid-19. We had a trip booked in Florida, which now looks like it will be the new epicenter of the outbreak in the US while we were still under strict quarantine in Baltimore. They gave me the runaround once I finally heard from them and refused to refund the 50% we had already paid, despite telling them I had my pay reduced to the point where I am making less than I was 3 years ago (again, because of my job being affected by Covid-19). You would think they would show a little compassion... I wasn't even offered a credit like some others. I know this is a difficult time for all companies, but I feel like they purposefully waited just long enough to reach out to me that I was put into a position where I could receive nothing from them. Of course we'd all love to be on vacation right now, but it's not worth risking our lives for it. I just wish they showed me some compassion when every little bit counts for me and my family. I can't believe how cold and unhelpful they were. If anyone from the company would like to reach out, you have my contact information. I have contacted you multiple times. Any time not relating to this issue you responded within the hour, but with this… ghosted. I’ve filed a complaint with BBB as well.
6 years ago Edited September 14, 2021
Reply from Evolve Vacation Rental
Hi there, Dara,
We are terribly sorry to hear this. We truly wish refunds were possible for all guests right now, but the huge number of cancellation requests we’re receiving means we’ve had to implement a policy that is sustainable for everyone involved.
As Airbnb is one of our partners, we are taking their lead when it comes to refunds. If a reservation qualifies for Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy, we will absolutely provide a full refund. If the reservation does not qualify, we are not able to issue a refund, but we would still be happy to assist with rescheduling the trip to a later date.
We are terribly sorry to hear this. We truly wish refunds were possible for all guests right now, but the huge number of cancellation requests we’re receiving means we’ve had to implement a policy that is sustainable for everyone involved.
As Airbnb is one of our partners, we are taking their lead when it comes to refunds. If a reservation qualifies for Airbnb’s Extenuating Circumstances Policy, we will absolutely provide a full refund. If the reservation does not qualify, we are not able to issue a refund, but we would still be happy to assist with rescheduling the trip to a later date.
Oct. 7th, 2020
Yazan Al ,
I'd like to submit a review of a shockingly negative, and possibly criminal, experience I had with Evolve Vacation Rentals.
I recently rented an property advertised by this company. While I found the host completely inflexible and inconsiderate, my real concern was when I woke in the morning to find a 5am text telling me to return a chair from the patio to the interior and to shut a secondary exterior non-locking door. At this point, I realized my family was being observed by the owner, via cameras within the property.
My mother and 2 sisters were among my family group of seven people. I was not told we would be observed and was deeply bothered by it, as was my family. In an attempt to protect the women in my family,
I obscured the camera views to insist upon privacy. First the owner called me on the phone, irrationally furious. Then I received a voicemail from Evolve Vacation Rental that used harsh and threatening language like “cease and desist” “multiple policy violations” “evection” etc. I had to reverse the camera obfuscation and allow our privacy to be invaded in order to stay.
This property was being monitored from within while we were in it. No one should stay at this property. This is a disreputable company that enforces what very well could be criminal host behavior.
This was a terrible experience and I caution you against renting any property at Evolve Vacation Rental.
6 years ago
Reply from Evolve Vacation Rental
Hi there, Yazan,
We are sorry to hear that you did not have a positive experience at one of our properties. After reviewing your reservation and the associated listing, we discovered that the listing clearly states that it features exterior security cameras that do not look into any interior spaces. The cameras are present for safety/policy concerns and monitor the exterior of the home.
As the property manager, Evolve, and the homeowner, do hold the right to ask guests to leave the property based on house rule/policy violations. We do apologize if this was upsetting.
We are sorry to hear that you did not have a positive experience at one of our properties. After reviewing your reservation and the associated listing, we discovered that the listing clearly states that it features exterior security cameras that do not look into any interior spaces. The cameras are present for safety/policy concerns and monitor the exterior of the home.
As the property manager, Evolve, and the homeowner, do hold the right to ask guests to leave the property based on house rule/policy violations. We do apologize if this was upsetting.
Oct. 7th, 2020
Shannon Oitker Price, UT
We reserved a house near Tahoe on April 22 and then suddenly, yesterday (6/22) our reservation was cancelled due to "rate discrepancy". That's it -- no other details. Obviously, not related to the COVID crisis. Today, we checked and the place is available for about double the price. So absolutely NOT related to the COVID crisis -- price goes up with increasing demand.
We had friends coming in from all corners of the country for this...had vacation time and other travel logistics arranged...and EVERY ONE OF US IS SCREWED.
Clearly this company has NO MORALS and hangs on the shirt-tails of the wealthiest people.
Additionally, in trying to figure out this mess, I've analyzed the financial information & transactions. Nothing adds up. First email says I will owe $810.43 as a down-payment. Second email (later that days) says they have received $710.38. My credit card was only charged $516.38. Sure that's in my favor, but seriously -- how does a company operate like this and still exist?
6 years ago
Reply from Evolve Vacation Rental
Hi there, Shannon,
We are terribly sorry that you did not have a positive service experience with us. Unfortunately, homeowners do have the right to cancel any reservation at their property with an associated penalty fee. We completely understand your frustration and hope that you will give Evolve another chance in your future travels. If you require any additional assistance pertaining to this reservation, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via your guest account or email at info@evolvevacationrental.com.
We are terribly sorry that you did not have a positive service experience with us. Unfortunately, homeowners do have the right to cancel any reservation at their property with an associated penalty fee. We completely understand your frustration and hope that you will give Evolve another chance in your future travels. If you require any additional assistance pertaining to this reservation, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via your guest account or email at info@evolvevacationrental.com.
Oct. 7th, 2020
Jim Wood Oakland, CA
It's a common theme: reservation made, full deposit given ($4,000+), cancellation due to COVID-19 and refusal to give refund.
Here are some variations in our dealings with Evolve:
-----------------
Mar 12, 2020 at 10:52 AM Evolve Success wrote:
Hi
If those guests do cancel, you are still in a very low stage for your area. However, these guests are in a Stage 3 protocol because they do have a traveler who is a high risk patient. We certainly do not want to put them at risk for their booking either. For those guests as well, they are able to do a date transfer for later on in the year if they would like as well so they can still keep their booking, the dates would just be at a later time. If these guests were to cancel, we would provide them a full refund as they are traveling with a high risk adult. Our reasoning behind providing a full refund to any guest impacted by COVID-19 is simple: it’s the right thing to do. And the safety of you and your guests is our top priority.
If you could provide a specific booking ID number, we are able to take a further look into this booking.
Cheers,
Morgan & The Owner Support Team
------------
There was a similar promise made earlier.
Now, they sent me a refund certificate, unsolicited and unaccepted, that has a two year expiration period. When I pointed out that I am in a quarantined state and that I would not be able to travel for the unforeseeable future they refused to extend the date to commence when the quarantine is lifted.
So they have my money and I have a useless certificate.
6 years ago
cartk902 Houston, TX
If ever a rating of zero stars were warranted, it'd be for Evolve Vacation Rental. Like so many others here, I was unable to use a Florida rental I'd prepaid in full (required to do so by Evolve one month prior to check-in date) due to Covid-19 restrictions. Like others, I received all the e-mails from Evolve initially communicating full refunds would be made available, but then changing to credits only. The rental property owner actually reached out to me to inform me she was cancelling all rentals through the end of April and refunding money to guests (she didn't need it). But Evolve will not return the funds - fought me 'tooth and nail', despite the fact that their own policies state that a refund is due the renter if the rental-property owner cancels a reservation. This company is dishonest and grossly unethical. I have disputed the claim with my credit card company, filed with the Texas Attorney General (state of residence), and am evaluating whether I'm able to file with the Colorado Attorney General (Evolve's headquarters). My next step will be to contact the Denver Post - maybe they'd have interest in how one of their hometown companies is treating all the 'little people' during the stressful time. I will never use this company again and am making it my mission to inform everyone I know about their dishonest practices.
6 years ago
Sarada L Santa Barbara, CA
I booked a weekend vacation rental on for the weekend of 3/27/20. Paid for it on 3/3/20, of $506.95. The refund policy at the time when we paid was the ability to cancel the trip for a full refund, minus a booking fee up to 24 hours before the stay.
COVID-19 travel restrictions were put in place on 3/13/20.
I then called Evolve by the automated phone system ~5 times, multiple days ahead of my planned stay, waited on hold for up to 45 minutes at least twice and then was disconnected, the other times I entered my phone number for a automatic call back, and I was never called back.
I emailed Evolve also, multiple days ahead of time through your website auto contact form, and via regular email, requesting again to cancel the reservation, and requested a refund. Again no response from Evolve.
We contacted the owner of the property, they also tried to contact Evolve to cancel our reservation, and again, Evolve did not respond to the owner either!
Evolve changed the refund policy AFTER we made the reservation. And is applying the new policies of "credit only" to our booking. Which is illegal. We never agreed to a credit. We have demanded out money back, and so has the property owner.
Yet Evolve will not budge and is forcing us to take them to Small Claims Court.
A sham of a business. Changing refund contracts after the payments are made. And nil customer support when you call/email.
6 years ago
Sarah Rogers Bloomington, IL
I will never rent from this company again after this ordeal. I understand that these are difficult times and everyone is overloaded, but your customer service and lack of response is absolutely awful. I have been told for over a month that I would receive a FULL refund. I called multiple times and was told I was on a list that only a senior manager could approve to move forward. I was promised a FULL refund. And then I get a credit. I do not want a credit. Our future is uncertain. I warn anyone out there...DO NOT RENT FROM EVOLVE. They are only worried about their bottom dollar and not the guest experience. I will stick with AirBNB or VRBO next time. Shame on you Evolve!!!
6 years ago
Bill Tornquist Aliso Viejo, CA
Like everyone else, I too have had the experience with Evolve of them deciding to keep my money and try and issue a credit rather than a refund. I filed more than a dozen complaints through their site and I encourage others to do the same. I have received back some generic responses how they try to sell the merits of a credit. For my situation, it was for a wedding that got canceled. I even tried to rebook but the property owners have pulled out of Evolve for similar issues. I tried two others in the area - same thing. This company doesn't care if you have financial issues, if you can't use their credit, or basically anything else. They are keeping money that they shouldn't have spent as the rentals did not yet occur. Everyone out there is refunding money - even places like Priceline and auto rentals and hotels that had no cancelation policies. Other property management as well. Along with others on this post, I strongly encourage people to complain on this site, to the Better Business Bureau, on the Evolve Facebook page, and on trustpilot. I also think people need to start looking at a class action lawsuit to get our money back. I plan to use the power of social media to continue my quest to get my money refunded and ensure no one I know uses Evolve again.
6 years ago
Michael Warren Denver, CO
Most dishonest company I have ever encountered. I was a homeowner that listed my property with Evolve and after the Coronavirus hit, and I had multiple cancellations, and in response they took their booking fees out of my account anyway without my permission, despite the bookings being cancelled and I received no funds. So far they have stolen $1200 before I could catch them and they stated their fees are mandatory but recieving my funds is not. They are now trying to circumvent the Airbnb relief funds owed to me (25% reimbursement of Total from cancellations) and steal those before I get them!! Thieves!!! I have contacted the police and a lawyer but all the courts are closed. So, now I had to close my bank account of 25 years, re-open a new one, costing me countless hours to re-establish my connections.
Even before this pandemic hit, that they are leveraging to steal and lie to their customers, their performance was lackluster at best, and I had the worst experience with low-brow tenets from their service. Total garbage company and totally shady people and businesses model. STAY AWAY!
6 years ago
Tom Cincinnati, OH
They are an awful company to deal with for the guest. We rented a cabin long before the covid-19 pandemic, but the rental happened to fall right as it was ramping up in late March. They proactively sent an email stating they would refund our trip and we could book our trip at a later date. My wife and I were ecstatic at their proactive approach but it went downhill quick. We waited weeks for the refund and reached out several times via phone an email without a response. When we finally heard from someone, they tried to pull the refund off the table and only offer a future credit for a stay with a bunch of stipulations. We responded this wasn't acceptable and that's the last we heard. Tired of dealing with them, having plenty of proof they canceled on us, and offered the refund, I went to my credit card company to dispute it for my money. Absolutely terrible of this company to represent the home owners in this fashion and put their guests through this especially during these traumatic times. I won't ever stay at an Evolve represented property again and will encourage everyone else to proceed with caution. Their actions in this time of neighborly unity & love are heartless.
6 years ago
Jason Cline North Las Vegas, NV
On March 24 I purchased a vacation rental in Duck Creek, Ut. A day later Evolve vacation retals confirmed my payment. My vacation was set for April 4th-April 6th. Excited to get out of town with my wife and dog we waited for the weekend. Duck Creek, UT is in the mountains, with heavy snow, a roads that can require 4 wheel drive and during the start of april, it can get below freezing easily. During the wait Evolve confirmed my stay as well as VRBO the website advertising the rentals. On the day to travel to our cabin, both Evolve and VRBO confirmed "today is the day for your stay!"
I live in Las Vegas, loaded my truck and headed to Duck Creek, UT, about 3.5 hour travel. Once i got clise to our destination I noticed about 2 feet of snow around the cabins. Getting closer to the address of the rental, i noticed i went past it, but there is no driveway. Now I start to realize that the driveway has not been plowed out to my rental. Its, 4:30 pm (checkin is 3:00 pm) and im in the Mountains. I call the groundskeeper and ask why the driveway has not been plowed out, or showel out? The groundskeeper said the owners were supposed to have called me weeks ago to let me know that OUR TRIP HAS BEEN CANCELLED! In complete frustration and disbelief I asked the groundskeeper if they could contact the owner and she said she would call me back. After about 5 minutes she called back and said a evolve representative would call me back. She gave me the number just in case. After about 15 minutes, no call so I called them. After being put on hold for 5 minutes, i talked to customer service. They said that they were very sorry and would refund my money and told me there were some places I could rent same day. I asked if the places they had were going to be ready tonight and she said that the places were owned by airbnb. I said so "you cant do anything for me?" She said no and they were sorry. I said to her "I guess im on my own."
So, temperatures were dropping to freezing and I had no place to stay, no place to cook food or sleep. Apparently Evolve will leave you to die because of the complete incompetence, unprofessionalism, neglect, and ignorance. I will never use this rental agency and gighly reccomend you dont either, cause they will leave you to the wolves
6 years ago
Rachel Roll Woburn, MA
Can I give 0 stars? OMG, I am so sorry that I signed up as a homeowner with Evolve Vacation Rentals. My area has a travel restriction and ban on short-term rentals due to Covid-19. I have 2 rentals booked within the time that is currently under the ban. I want these folks to get their money back. I have requested cancellation and refund through the booking site over a week ago, and over several phone calls. Initially I was told that they would only get a credit for a future booking. That's when I cancelled my contract with Evolve. Then I was told that they can get a refund. However, my booking site still shows these as active bookings and my renters are getting their "Here's you upcoming trip" emails. Another call this morning and I'm told that some "may" get a refund. There is 1 person that will make this decision for all of the cancellations. WHAT??? These people have lost paychecks, and you are holding their money. GIVE IT BACK!!! They have my area listed on their website as having a travel restriction, so that's not news to them. I don't remember the exact words spoken to me this morning, but it was something like "If we give refunds to everyone the company will suffer". Well what about those people who can't pay their bills because you have their money for a trip that is against the law for them to take? I will persist until my renters get their full refund.
6 years ago
Mitchell Hipp , FL
Horrible customer service and watch out for your payments- They will not refund even for the Pandemic- The owner does not get paid and they keep your deposit and paid in full amount and force you to go through them to book something in the future even if you do not want to. At times when companies are coming together during COVID 19 Evolve is the example what is not American. My two elderly guests are being forced not to come and the state has shut down rentals and Evolve STILL WILL NOT REFUND THEM- I as the owner want them to be refunded but they refuse. Short term poor business and not a business I would recommend. They should be ashamed of themselves.
6 years ago
