Does anyone use EVOLVE?

[Gino26]

I get alot of e-mails from a company called EVOLVE,,, another vacation booking company that uses multiple booking companies            ( homeaway, airbnb, VRBO, etc) to list your property and to hopefully generate more reservations for the homeowner.  Has anyone actually done this ?  How did airbnb get involved with these people ?

[Jodie195]

I just signed up one property with Evolve, and they listed it at $10,820/night!!! Believe me, it's not a mansion. And when I called to complain about it, they could only say it was "human error," that the price was a "placeholder," and they would ask their "revenue dept" to fix it. How long? No one knows. In the meantime, they were just going to block off my unit as "owner-booked." It's now a couple of hours later, and some sites are listing my unit at $12,000/night; others at the same $10,820/night. Only in the owner portal is it at a somewhat reasonable $161/night. By the way, when I said I would like some accountability and asked to speak to a manager, I was told that the manager would say no different. I asked them to take the listing offline while it is at that ridiculous price, and they said the only thing they could do was book it as "owner-booked" or get it delisted completely. So, basically, if you don't like incompetence, tough! They don't care. I would say beware of these people. Maybe it was just my rep. His name was Sam Collins. Vastly incompetent! And the rep I spoke to today who basically told me to suck it up was Sean. 

[Vivian1506]

They need to be out of business.  See my other posts.  And I was a renter.  The property I used was great, but I thought I was booking through Travelocity.  Surprise surprise.  Then what I tried to change dates I was rudely awakened to a huge 'dynamic pricing increase'.  Their words.  But they could not break it down for me or show me in their conditions where this is legal. 

Now I won't book through Travelocity as I might be guided to pay through Evolve.  And  I have used Travelocity for years.  What is going on that all these layers are so necessary?

Where can we complain?  Trying to at least state on BBB.  Attorneys Generals need to hear about this too. 

[Jon5023]

yes, I use it and we get 30-40% of our bookings off AirBnb because of their platform.  They also provide more help with up-front customer service and booking management.   their price algo sucks and they don't have any sort of seasonal capability, but beyond that it is good. 

[Matthew294]

we use it currently, they charge a 10% fee and if you decide to leave, you cant keep any of your reviews, they also seem to be dodgy on how much air BNB actually pays them, ive noticed a 12% difference in the price paid to me, and what airBNB was quoting for those days, so in all you may be paying up to 22% on your income, not to mention the 10% you have to pay to the state..

their main selling point is that they list your booking on all the sites, however almost all of our bookings come from airBNB so to me its not really that much of a feature..

they do some of the leg work for you, but is it worth 22% of every day you rent your location? I dont think so.

Id avoid them 

[Eboni14]

They seem to be a scam. I made a reservation and had to cancel. I canceled within the full refund period but never received my refund. I had to submit a dispute to my credit card company to receive a refund. 

[Pamela1471]

From a renter perspective, evolve are terrible. They are difficult to reach, communication is poor and the people I spoke with were hostile.

I have had a terrible experience with them; they are clearly just money-grubbers with no value-added for the guests. Trying to call them is frustrating; poor telephone lines and no-one who can speak English properly. They just say that they will call back and they never do. 

They may tell you they get more bookings for you as a host, but I for one will never, ever book a property they manage. So, be careful, you may be lose more bookings than you realise.

[Emma4018]

My Partner and I recently stayed in an EVOLVE rental in Aptos, CA, and had a terrible experience! We found BLACK MOLD in the closet attached to the only bathroom. We contacted EVOLVE customer support, and they told us it was "its paint, according to the owner." Fortunately, my partner and I took photos of the mold and other issues with the rental (missing smoke alarm, dirty floors, incredibly damaged walls and doors, no way to cover glass front door, etc.) We sent them all of these photos, as well as YouTube videos on how to diagnose black mold and the California health and safety code that states it is illegal to rent out a property with black mold without disclosing the issue at the time of rental agreement signing. After all of this they offered us a $250 refund. We rented the property for 3 nights, costing $1048 total. We checked out after 2 nights as I have severe asthma and could not breathe due to the black mold. After more arguing, threatening to charge back on my credit card, and threatening to sue, they begrudgingly gave me a $550 refund. At this point, I was so tired of dealing with their customer service agents who treated me like an idiot that I gave up. I WOULD NEVER RENT FROM EVOLVE AGAIN!!!!

[Vivian1506]

The problem is one doesn't know if they will rent from Evolve.  I booked through Travelocity and thought all good. I'll pay Travelocity.   Then I was directed to Evolve and had to pay through them and work only with them.

After I needed to change dates I found that I was required to pay a huge 'dynamic pricing fee' that is NOT revealed well on the site.   I got to the change date page and almost pressed confirm.  The right side of the screen says there is a property reduction.  Great.  All good, BUT the left side says  'Pay the additional $586 today.'   I did not press confirm and called them.  They finally answered and could not explain it.   

Airbnb and VRBO owners - PLEASE don't use this group to manage your properties.  I couldn't believe I was almost scammed.  Too MANY chefs in the kitchen.

[Jeremy1103]

Stay away, this company is terrible.  

[Diana2829]

I’ve had a horrible experience with Evolve, and I would not recommend them. Their customer service is not flexible, professional, or kind.  They are hard to reach, and overall just not a great choice.

[Vivian1506]

I wish Evolve was not tied to my last week VRBO rental.  I tried to change dates.  Originally we tried to change dates. We didn't change when I noticed a weird 'pay an extra $586 today'. What the?
That change would have cost us almost as much as the trip. None of the Evolve staff could break down the almost $590 'dynamic fee charge' to change dates. Why is this? I guess this is legal, but I've never had to pay a fee so substantial to any hotel ever. What is going on in this industry these days?
Our stay was great, but this fee Evolve will charge is unfortunate as the way it is displayed on their site makes it kind of hidden. And then I would have been out $586 more dollars.
Plainly state the fee and the breakdown and explain this BETTER in their conditions. Sneaky and deceptive. 

[Paul11429]

Very impressive interactions to make owners sign up, but after the contract is signed, the dedicated point of contact goes away and you have to go through the anonymous ticketing system which is just hell. Specifically, each issue takes 10x the time to progress through chat. And Evolve adds an opaque layer between what we as owners see and what guests see.

[Camrie0]

They are the WORST money hungry company I have ever dealt with!!! Stay FAR away from them

[Jane4518]

I have my home listed with Evolve.  I am getting out as fast as I can.  Do NOT use this management company.  I have too many reasons to list what happened with me.  

[Jade440]

I have been using Evolve for over a year. My experience with them has been nothing short of a nightmare. 

Evolve listed my property on Airbnb but failed to verify guest identities, resulting in unauthorized visitors at my property. Despite Airbnb's policy allowing penalty-free cancellations for such safety issues, Evolve charged me $2,000+ cancelation fee and refused to advocate for a waiver. After 5-month back and forth negotiation via countless emails, callings with their unresponsive support team, I was dismissed with a cold “no waive on cancellation fee and case is closed” response. 

Evolve profits from Airbnb's marketplace (collecting 10% fees) but ignores host protections when needed. They selectively apply policies to benefit themselves while dismissing documented contract violations.

Evolve isn't a property manager - they're fee collectors who add risk instead of value. I lost more than $2000 learning this lesson. Don't make my mistake! Look for a property manager that actually stands behind their hosts.