Marketing
EVO uses no misleading advertising or any “starting at” rate-quoting strategies. However, that’s pretty easy to do when you don’t list any pricing or promotions anywhere. In general, its marketing strategy appears to be nonexistent. All of its business is generated via the many independent sales agents they employ around the world. Additionally, it uses its Facebook and Twitter pages to promote some services and industry news. However, it offers nothing very interesting or cutting edge. Additionally we did not find the site to be very user friendly. and we ran into quite a few broken links while navigating. We didn’t like the design, and we thought it offered little value for customers.
Honesty
We didn’t see anything dishonest on its site. However, there are quite a few complaints about undisclosed fees and unexplained terms. Also, it is very difficult to determine a company’s level of honesty when it provides very little substance on its site.
Sales
EVO Payments uses independent sales agents to gain customers. EVO has received several complaints about hidden fees and deceptive sales strategies, which often happens when ISOs are used to handle sales. Honestly, with so many independent sales agents, it’s often difficult to provide one clear picture of pricing.
Availability
EVO Payments can be reached via phone and email and by submitting an inquiry form. It does not offer a live chat option. Merchants can also post messages to Facebook and Twitter. However, social media does not seem to be the platform in which EVO engages with customers.
Support
Shortly after we submitted an inquiry form, we received an email notifying us that our message was received. However, that’s all we received. We never received a follow-up email or a request for a call back. Basically, EVO Payments ignores phone calls, which we found preposterous. We didn’t have one phone call reach a live representative. Also, strangely enough, we were unable to leave a message.
Staff Interaction
In our experience, our interactions with EVO Payments was limited. We calling several times on multiple days, and we were unable to reach a representative. This was not only frustrating but especially concerning since the information on its site is so limited. This is a real customer service problem, and in line with what some other customers have noted.
Staff Education
Obviously, we are unable to comment on the staff’s education because we never reached a person via phone or email. Based on the information provided on the site, no merchant could make a quality decision about merchant services.
Pricing
EVO Payments doesn’t disclose any pricing on its site. What you pay will depend on your processing needs, your industry, and the agent you encounter. It does charge an annual PCI-compliance fee of $125. Otherwise, it is unclear what prices EVO Payments charges merchants.
Hardware Costs
EVO Payments rents countertop, mobile, and portable terminals and card readers from third-party leasing companies. Equipment lease terms often are up to 48 months, and contracts can’t be terminated. Merchants must pay out the rest of term to get out of contracts.
Early Termination Fees
Contracts lengths are variable. Merchants are charged up to $500 if they cancel their contracts before their terms expire.
Complaints
As of July 2018, EVO Payments has 252 complaints with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). A majority of the complaints – 132 of them – are due to problems with its products or services and billing/collection issues. Also, of its 28 reviews, only one is positive and that reviewer states EVO offer the “lowest rates and the best services.” However, the negative reviews call EVO “unethical” and state the business charges exorbitant fees, has rude customer service agents, and it holds funds for long periods of time.
Nevertheless, the BBB gives it the bureau’s highest rating of an “A.” The score is comprised of 67% of the BBB rating and 33% of the customer review rating, which represents the customer’s opinion of the business and is based on the total number of positive, neutral, and negative reviews posted. BBB’s letter grade represents the bureau’s opinion of how it expects EVO to likely interact with its customers. The bureau bases its grade on BBB file information about the business.
Additionally, there are other complaints in underground forums and within the digital space that reflect similar problems, including high-pressure sales tactics, hidden terms, and lousy equipment leases and terms.
