ComplaintsforEvolve

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I made a lodging reservation thru Vrbo. It had a policy of 100% refund if canceled by July 28. Please see the cancellation policy below. I canceled the reservation on July 28 at 7:30 PM EST (property's local time, **********, **).The total price of the reservation is $1308.27. First payment was made May 7, 2024 for $486.99 and second payment was charged July 29, 2024 (a day after I canceled). The host for the lodging is a company called Evolve. My credit card statement shows I was charged by Evolve. Evolve also sent me a cancelation email on July 28, 2028 8.29 PM EST. Vrbo refunded by $135 which I assumed is the service fee but Evolve did not refund me the money and refuse to refund me the money for $1173.27. They say no refund after 14 days days before check-in (Aug 11). July 28 my cancelation date is 15 days before check-in. Host's cancellation policy 100% refund of amount payable if you cancel by Jul 28, 2024. No refund if you cancel after Jul 28, 2024. Cancel up to 11:59pm (property's local time) on the date listed to qualify for the refund amount.

  

  Business response

  08/26/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for flagging this occurrence. We see you've been in touch with Evolve's team, and are pleased to inform you that a full refund was processed back to Vrbo and your form of payment on August 17, 2024. Please note that it can take 5-8 business days for that amount to reflect on your financial statement. If you have any other questions, we kindly ask you to reach back out to the Guest Experience teammate you've been working with as they would be more than happy to assist!

  Thank you,

  The Evolve Team

  Customer response

  08/27/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  08/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We rented lodging through Evolve for a 4 week stay.We checked in on Saturday eve and right away noticed daddy long legs and had to kill several.By Sunday AM I was communicating with ***** at Evolve that we had killed 20 spiders.They said that they would send an exterminator company on Monday.Tuesday their handy man shows up with ********** spray.He sprayed the entire house and admitted that it needed "bombing".Each day waiting for the exterminator we killed at least 25 spiders a day,we couldn't sleep,shower,relax,we were on full alert in every area of the house.The spray on Tuesday made the spiders WORSE. By Wednesday AM, we had killed over 125 spiders. I texted directly with the owner, who admitted that the house had a long time issue, and they were never able to exterminate because it in fact made it worse. She said she "thought that she should have treated before our 4 week stay, but didn't want to make it worse". Evolve's response was that this was "normal" for a house in the *****. This is our 6th summer staying in houses in the ***** and never have we had spiders like this. This was an infestation. We spent 4 days of our 4 week stay buying bug spray and fly swatters. It was terrifying. Evolve admitted that it was a safety issue, yet did not fully refund our money. We exited the house on day 4 after the issue getting worse, even had a widow spider.We had photos, many texts and emails from Evolve and the owners with proof of the known issue. Secondarily, the upstairs windows had no screens, so without being able to open those windows, it was about 90 degrees, which made 2 of the 4 bedrooms unihabitable. My grandchildren were coming up, and they would have encountered many spiders daily. So we checked out and filed our complaint. Evolve still stands that that is a NORMAL occurance for houses in the *****.They NEVER blocked the house from being rented to fumigate.Evolve did not refund all of our money, for lodging that was not what we paid for and 4 days of he**."

  

  Business response

  08/23/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for taking the time to narrate your experience. As Evolve takes reports from guests about the condition of the home seriously, their team swiftly came to a resolution between you and the owner, and executed within due time (nights not stayed were refunded - when not due per the Rental Agreement - upon rebooking of the home). The owner did their best to make your stay more comfortable, including promptly hiring an exterminator to address the issue. As the cabin is in a forested area, encounters with spiders and other wildlife can sometimes be unavoidable. It's important to note that this property has consistently received positive reviews and has not previously had any complaints related to this matter. As a gesture of goodwill, a partial refund of the cleaning fee has been processed to compensate for your experience. At this time we find the matter fully and fairly resolved with further refunds unwarranted.

  Thank you,

  The Evolve Team

  Customer response

  08/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 22150766
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I will address each of your invalid points:  Two business days to wait for a handy man (not an exterminator) is not swift.  I would not say that treating the house made our stay more comfortable, in fact it made it worse, which the owner knew would happen, and admitted that is why she did not treat the house BEFORE we arrived.  The cabin is on a golf course - not in the forest, and there is an acceptable amount of spiders that we would expect, certainly not over 100 in 4 days.  This is our 6th summer in similar home locations (most in more ***** that this one), so we do not have unrealistic expectations.  There has been another bad review (out of only 5 total reviews) about the cleanliness and mice.  But they will say that we should be OK with mice and spiders "since the property is in a forested area".  And you did not address the issue about the screens and not being able to use 2 of the 4 bedrooms.  This paragraph is a canned response from a company that does not care about the guest experience, and will say what sounds good to cover their position.  It is not fully and fairly resolved.   
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a stay with evolve, I come to find out I was going to a different island than the original booking, I contacted evolve and was told I would be refunded full amount once they got an ok from the owner and to wait 24 hours. They did get a ok for full refund from the property owner, I was ccd to the email and I was still denied me ANY refund or credit. I asked to book another stay using the money I already paid them in full directly, then they claimed I only paid half, I have cc statement showing I paid in full. I was told to call back in **************************************************** be reached out via email, yet nothing.

  

  Business response

  08/23/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for notifying us of this situation. While the owner did authorize a full refund, Evolve did need to make contact with you one final time to verify the cancellation was still something you were looking for. As the cancellation was processed thereafter that final direction was provided, the subsequent funds were released from Evolve. Please note that processing times can take 5-8 business days for your financial institution to sort this back into your account. If you have not seen the refund by end of week next week, please contact ***************** as they will be able to provide you with an ARN which will assist your bank in locating the refund.

  Thank you,

  The Evolve Team

• Initial Complaint

  08/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Booked with Evolve Vacation Rentals. No my concern was not resolved. I was informed there was nothing that could be done. My family and I stayed in the home one night and I had to pay for other accommodations for the rest of our stay due to us feeling unsafe due to the neighbors dogs being loose, coming towards us and urinating on our luggage as we took them out of our vehicle. The dogs were very aggressive and caused a lot of anxiety for myself and my family. Therefore, I paid twice for the same trip of which I was here in *********** to settle my grand daughter in her dorm for college. Money I had not intended on spending that took away from expenses that should have been for her. I did speak with the owners the next day and they informed me they were aware of the issues with the neighbors and their dogs. They were even aware of the dog chain in their yard. If this is something the owner knew, its very unfair for them to rent this property out to anyone. On top of my not being reimbursed for the remaining two days. Very displeased with this experience.

  

  Business response

  08/23/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. While Evolve holds their properties to high expectations to meet their 4 Core Property Standards, they cannot hold Owners accountable for uncontrollable matters outside property lines. Despite this, we do have acknowledgement the owner spoke with the neighbor to address your concern of the pets - however do want to clarify that they have never had a guest complain about the neighbor animals before - and this was the first time the property owner felt the need to speak to the neighbor about their behavior. We apologize for the experience had and feeling of an unsatisfactory resolution, however please note the resolution sought after is outside of what Evolve, and the Owner, can refund for. If you have any further questions, we encourage you to reach out to Evolve's team as they are more than happy to address any outstanding queries.

  Thank you,

  The Evolve Team

  Customer response

  08/23/2024

   
  Complaint: 22133029
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  The statement about the homeowner never having to speak with the neighbors about the aggressive dogs is untrue. As well as when I spoke to the homeowner he apologized and said he didnt know what to do about the neighbors dogs and he was aware of the dogs being on his property. This experience caused me to move my family to a safer place while moving my grand daughter into her dorm. This cost me additional money. I recommend never using Evolve through Marriott Villas. They do not respect the safety of their customers, and will not provide a refund.  
   
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We had booked a 3 night / 2 day stay at the *********** in ****, ****. The cabin was supposed to be a 25 minute drive into ****. At 2:30pm the day of check-in I received a text from the owner that there was road closure on the main road to the cabin Monday through Friday between 8a - 530p. The 'detour' route was 'only supposed to add an extra 30 minutes'. This was untrue. The detour once taking into account the construction crew and waiting to be able to pass, was close to 1 hour 45 minutes. Screenshot of 'detour route' with time during off hours of closure. We arrived later Wednesday evening so did not experience this yet. At 3am my husband was sweating and my dog was extremely sick from overheating because the A/C was not working. I texted the owner at 5:30am requesting to have someone come out to look at it and get it fixed. It took back and forth messaging, along with us having to drive back to the cabin to prove that it wasn't working (and check on our now sick dog) until finally she reached out to an A/C tech and got someone out there at 6:30 that night. In which case they couldn't fix the broken unit. At 8pm the owner offered to 'try and get a partial refund' if we wanted to leave. We had 1 day left, 2 dogs, and was peak tourist season to try and find a new place last minute, so we told her we needed to stay and bring as many fans as possible. When contacting Evolve, they seemed to be understanding, but their 'resolution' was a $117 refund on a $700 purchase. The road closures were never advertised, and Evolve stated that they were not aware of them. The owner was local, so knew much sooner than what they let on. The ***** of Trans announced as early as December 2023 and even again in April 2024. I booked the stay in late January 2024, thinking that it would be a 25 minute drive to town. Evolve stated It was a violation of As Advertised and against their '4 Core Standards' yet felt that was a fair resolution. I expect better or a full refund.

  

  Business response

  08/13/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for informing us of your experience. Evolve promises to Guests that properties booked follow our 4 Core Property Standards of Clean, As-Advertised, Guest Ready and Safe. After reviewing your reservation and documentation, it is clear the home missed the **** of those standards. Thus a further resolution has been processed to your form of payment upping the resolution total to 50% of your nightly rate. This credit will be visible by you in the next 3-5 business days. In the meantime, we have started communicating with the Owner on Evolves responsible expectations of a 5-star home to ensure this does not happen again with future Guests. We apologize for the inconvenience this had on your stay, but do hope we get the opportunity to demonstrate the expectations we hold of our properties in the future.

  Thank you,

  The Evolve Team

  Customer response

  08/26/2024

  I apologize for the delay,  I waited to receive confirmation of the additional refund offered by the business. 
  
  
  While the increased compensation was better than what was originally offered,  Since the 'fees' on the rental were so high,  50% of the "nightly rate" was very disappointing, and not actually 50% of what we paid.  We still only received a little over $200 credit, on a $700 stay. At first I was content with 50%, thinking it was going to be a true 50%, but that is not the actuality.
   I appreciate their response  and taking care of the issues with the homeowner for future patrons, but that doesn't help get me back my lost time and frustrations.  
  However, since I have spent this much of my own time already, I will accept the additional refund as is, but will not be recommending or using their services again in the future. And I will make sure the reviews posted reflect this. Unless they prefer to refund the full amount and I will retract any and all reviews of their business.
  Thank you,
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked an Evolve property in June 2024 for August *****, 2024. The trip was fully paid by July 19, 2024. I received a notification tonight (8/2/24) due to a new government regulation banning short term rentals. I asked the rep aren't all airbnb-like rentals considered short term rentals and she said yes. I further questioned if she was telling me the government banned all of these types of rentals she again said yes. I explained to her that none of what she was saying made any sense and it sounded like an illegal and unfair practice because maybe someone else wanted the property. As soon as I asked to contacted by the CEO/President of Evolve, I was kept on hold for 30 minutes before the phone went silent and eventually hung up on me. I bet that's just a coincidence, right?I also don't like that they waited until a few weeks before my trip and now I must wait ***** days to get my money back when they know I have to find somewhere else to stay. If you require someone to pay 100% of their trip a month in advance, what do you think other companies require??? You should also take the into account when voluntarily canceling someone's reservation.

  

  Business response

  08/12/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for taking the time to express your concern and while Evolve works diligently to maintain bookings, cancellations are inevitable in very specific instances and is outlind per Section 11b of the Rental Agreement agreed to when making the reservation (guest acknowledges the possibility of an Owner cancellation where Evolve is released liability for the cancellation). Permitting for short-term rentals has become a large governmental regulation that can change in the blink of an eye and is the case with this home as permits years before were approved; attached is the specific application which shows a status of "denied" verifying the truth behind your booking's cancellation. 

  Our system shows you were given a full refund immediately upon cancellation on 8/2/24 and there are no outstanding balances left - if you have not been automatically refunded the Booking Fee by your booking platform, Booking.com, we recommend you give them a call to recuperate those as we do not have control of those fees. We again apologize for the impact this had on your plans, but appreciate your understanding during this time.

  Thank you,

  The Evolve Team

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a vacation rental in Hot Springs through VRBO. The property was managed through Evolve vacation rentals. 3 days before my trip I received a confirmation of booking with all the information. The morning of the trip we drove halfway and then checked the website link to confirm checkin time address etc. it now said reservation pending please update payment information. I called the company who reports it was cancelled by the owner because of AC issues and that refunds had been initiated and I was notified via email 5 hours prior. I have no emails, no texts, calls, voicemails. Evolve refused to help me with refund confirmation numbers, new bookings, and told me to call VRBO. I had to spend 2 hours on the phone with VRBO proving the owner cancelled this because it had not been cancelled on that end. I had prove payments and no refunds and then spend another $1200 to book something else. I am waiting on a refund and VRBO has escalated it as well. But I need help getting my money back and to warn people to NOT use this company.

  

  Business response

  08/14/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We do want to take time to reiterate that you - as the consumer - were prompted to review and accept Evolves Rental Agreement during Step 2 of the booking confirmation (previous to payment) where Section 11B outlines the potential for booking cancellations stating in the event that Evolve or your Host cancels your booking for reasons other than those described as Force Majeure, you will be notified as quickly as possible. As part of the cancellation process, Evolve does send emails notifying you of the cancellation with relocation options (three emails sent to you at the time of cancellation are attached demonstrating this was done). Furthermore, please note that part of the Vrbo Booking Fee you paid directly to them is dedicated to their relocation team as well which is why you were instructed back to the original booking platform. It has been confirmed you were refunded in full by Evolve on 8/1/2024 and this was to reflect on your financial statement within 5-8 business days. If you have not seen this impact your financial statement, we strongly urge you to reach back out to **** as they ultimately are the funds holder and can provide you with said reimbursement and/or ARN. We again acknowledge how this unforeseen circumstance impacted your experience, however appreciate your understanding that this result was out of Evolve's control.

  Thank you,

  The Evolve Team

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ************** in **************** **; 3/2 on lake, sleeps 8. Pd 7/2/2024 ($733) for 7/26-7/29/24. Owner cancelled over phone at check in when I called host to get correct pin #, wouldnt give me pin code, said would call me back, told me to get out of driveway, never called back. No where to go with out of state cuz's 3 couples, bros 6'4. No other comparable lodging.No refund given, has went from 3-5 to 7-12 days for refund. Its been a week already. Now deserve $1500 for cancellation penalty against Evolve. I spent $1500 out of pocket last w/e. I am requesting full reimbursement for doing Evolves job - $750 & $750 for my initial pymt 7/2/24

  

  Business response

  08/07/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention and we apologize for the unforeseen cancellation. As we understand how this impacted your experience, we can confirm that Evolve immediately processed a full refund on the date of check-in (July 26, 2024). In addition to this, additional assistance was offered to you in the effort of relocation, however it was made abundantly clear that Evolve needed corresponding proof of payment for fund consideration ***** why your request of double booking costs goes against processes and Section 11b of the Rental Agreement signed by you during reservation creation on July 2, 2024. Should you have that documentation, we warmly ask you to send this to the Guest Experience teammates helping you a few weeks ago.

  Thank you,

  The Evolve Team

  Customer response

  08/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 22075424
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have been reading all the complaints against Evolve and I personally did not enjoy doing your job for you. I'm the one who had to deal with the owners and your incompetent employees, but I was able to secure a property and pay out of pocket again in addition to your non existent refund. I wanted the no f's given damages of $750 that were owed by you. That is noted in my contract under POS. BTW I never realized you offered any assistance. So an apology is all that is needed to cancel a contract with your company? I havent seen that answer given to all the people who had an unexpected emergency come up. You are a dishonest, unethical company taking advantage of people any way you can. I realize you will next tell me to take it up with the owners. Fortunately I know who they are and we live in the same small town. Unfortunately for them, i have lived here 50+ years and I will spread the word about how they handle real estate dealings. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Customer response

  08/21/2024

  Trying to attach rental agreement. Evolve has copy of rental agreement. It clearly shows it is expired. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I scheduled a family trip to ****** which included a stay at a company serviced by Evolve on 7/20/24 to 7/23/24. We were unable to fly out from ****** to ****** as planned due to the CrowdStrike outage and there being no planes available. The earliest plane we were able to get had us flying out on 7/23/24 meaning that we were unable to use the property due to no planes flying out. We had to reschedule our entire trip and most services were very accommodating as we were able to refund everything we had booked including our rental car, multiple hotel stays, flights, and an Airbnb stay. We were able to refund everything except for the rental through Evolve. We rented the house in question through Expedia for $1,022.78 from the 20th to 23rd. We did not even know we were renting through Evolve as we rented all services through Expedia including this one. After we got an email saying we would get no refund or credit we reached out to the owner of the property. It was through the owner that we even learned that Evolve was the ******. After speaking to the service agent at Evolve he stated that it is their policy to not issue any refunds due to exterior influences including hurricanes, terrorist attacks, pandemics, or in this case a global service outage. He stated that we should have purchased travel insurance though when I had purchased through Expedia there was no option that I saw to purchase travel insurance. As the company was no help we reached out to Expedia who advocated on our behalf considering there was nothing we could have done to get to the property. Expedia got back to us stating that Evolve is sticking to their policy and not issuing any refund/credit. I feel very cheated in this ordeal as I am not sure how I am supposed to know to check Evolves policy on refunds when I was booking though a different agency and was not aware of ******** involvement. I feel like this money has been stolen from me.

  

  Business response

  08/08/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for reaching out about the recent CrowdStrike incident. Please note that Section 11 of the agreed upon Rental Agreement addresses unforeseen circumstances/force majeure stating, "...no refunds will be due in the event your stay at the Vacation Rental becomes impossible for a reason outside of Evolve's or Host's control." As CrowdStrike was beyond the control of Evolve and the Host, this does outline why a refund is not warranted.

  Additionally, Expedia (and other short-term rental industry leaders) too did not refund guests for cancellations due to CrowdStrike. Considering so, we strongly recommend Guests to purchase **************** to protect their trip should something such as a flight cancellation prevent you from traveling to your destination. We hope this additional context helps understand the industry-wide standard of situational processes.

  Thank you,

  The Evolve Team 

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Evolve agency wrongly posted vacation rental in booking.com and tricked me to book apartment with sea view . I have evidence for their misguided listing. Now they confirmed one day before it doesn't has a sea view . And when I asked to cancel as described listing not matched and I should get full refund. they wrongly accused me that I canceled for bad weather. Where as I gave them options to provide alternatives . But it seems there is scam going on . They did not listen and continue to bully us . Our whole family had bags packed . Kids are upset, we lost two working days for nothing. I demand they should provide full refund and compensation for the inconvenience they caused .

  

  Business response

  08/02/2024

  Hello,

  Thank you for flagging your concern about the advertisement of this property as Evolve diligently works to ensure all properties accurately reflect their 4 Core Property Standards. After a full investigation of the listing, what was advertised at the time of booking and your communication with Evolve in its entirety, it is confirmed that the apartment unit is accurately advertised to not be on the water, but the community it is in to be on beach front (namely the pool through written word and listing photographs). As your reservation was made on June 1st which provided you 25 days to ask questions about this prior to the cancellation refund cut-off date, Evolve and the owner cannot honor your refund request which was made within 48 hours of check-in, namely as there are also text messages from you to the owner about weather concerns. We understanding this is not the outcome you were looking for, however we do encourage you to fully review listings in the future to avoid any kind of confusion.

  Thank you,

  The Evolve Team

   

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩