Evolve Pensions Reviews 395

Shit company when you try to call they block the number . They cut you off at each turn to stop you from transferring your money.

My brother passed away 61/2 years ago aged 57, i was appointed his executor! I cannot tell you how hard and stressful this was, firstly losing my brother at such a young age and having to witness my mother and father losing a son.
Closure for me came when his estate had all been sorted!
However 61/2 years later I received a letter/questionnaire from Evolve pensions, they had carried out a data cleansing survey and hence the letter/questionnaire I received on 28th May 2024,which I completed and returned a few days later.
My mother (his next of kin) who is in her late eighties and now a widow (suffering financial hardship) regularly asks me if I've heard anything? My brother lived with my (his) parents all his life.
I sent an e-mail on 8th August to evolve for an update, Still awaiting a reply! I phoned on 9th August, they told me that they received the returned paperwork on 5th June 2024, but had not looked at it! giving the reason of being "very busy"
Phoned again on 19th August 2024, spoke to a different person however told the same "very busy"
My brother had no paperwork from evolve whilst I was dealing with his estate, for the last 61/2 years no paperwork received, pension updates, valuation etc etc. Whilst on the phone to Evolve I mentioned that there was no record/paperwork from evolve, their reply he had access electronically for all necessary updates valuations etc? what!
how on earth am I supposed to have access to his e-mail account?
I questioned about read receipts (that they wouldn't have had any) where they been for 61/2 years?
told they were very busy and would look at it in due course, refused to give me his logon details etc.

This is my experience to date, You decide whether you would invest in this company!

I've been trying to move my pension from Evolve/Crystal now for months and months and they keep trying to block me at every turn.

My other pension providers were amazing and it was no hassle at all moving them, but Evolve have been awful!!!!!

Their last excuse as to why I can't move my money is they're having something called a "blackout period" which is absolute bull!

Move my money over to my requested pension provider and let me be done with you, otherwise I'm going to take this higher.

Absolutely shocking provider. Disgusting customer service and terrible processes.

I don't want an automated response telling me you're sorry I haven't experienced your usual high standard of service. You have 2 stars on Google and 2.5 on Trustpilot, there's nothing "high standard" about your rubbish company. I work in marketing and guarantee any positive review they have is fake (Google doesn't regulate reviews and fake ones can easily be done).

I'm tired of being nice now. Move my money!!

EDIT AFTER RESPONSE:
Your "blackout" is nothing to do with me and my money. I was told by other people at Evolve/Crystal that all I had to do was fill in forms, each time there was something "wrong" with them and I had to do it AGAIN. After the third time, I'm now told you have a blackout period. It's excuse after excuse. An old colleague of mine took 10 MONTHS to get her pension transferred from you and that's only because she went to the pension ombudsman. Don't make me go the same route because it won't be good for your company. I want MY pension moving within the next 7 days or I'm going to the pension ombudsman. What you're doing is illegal and you're holding onto my money for no good reason. Your company is an absolute sham.

Shocking and inept, just look at the one star reviews over many years, nothing has changed.

APPALLING CUSTOMER SERVICE WONT LET YOU CLOSE YPUR PENSION OR REFUND YOUR PENSION POT!!!!!!
IF THERE WAS A MINUS 10 THAT WOULD BE TOO GOOD FOR THEM DO NOT TAKE OUT A PENSION WITH EVOLVE!!!!!!

Honestly if I was able to give 0 stars I would be unfortunately I have to give one! Evolve/Crystal are an absolute nightmare!! At the back end of last year I started a process to combine all my pensions into one, there’s 3 in total… 2 were done within a month or two, no back and fore, straight forward and complete. Evolve however have been terrible, they consistently lie and say that they’ve had no letters, emails or phone calls from myself or my new pension provider. When they do reply to my new pension provider they only include half the information leaving them no choice but to chase again and each time evolve reply leaving something out!
The advisors are terrible! Speak to you like absolute crap and are awkward and refuse to help or come to some sort of resolution.
If you want to raise a complaint you have to do this in writing but of course like all my other correspondence they will never get it or do anything with it!
I’ve repeatedly said how much of a tight timeline I’m on to get this transferred and I’m almost at the end of this deadline but they just keep putting walls up and doing what ever their can to keep my money in their bank accounts!
At the time of writing this I’m still no closer to transferring out from them but as said at the start aviva and a few other companies were brilliant and that’s all finalised.
Wouldn’t recommend any employers taking out any pension schemes with this company! They are dreadful!

If I could give no stars I could. Tried to a drawdown. They lied about sending out the relevant documentation which I had to chase several times. They were either incompetent or misleading about payment times. Still not resolved after 4 weeks. This is the polite wording. Do not believe their advisers. Be very aware of their lack of efficiency.

Trying to transfer my DC pension from Evolve to another provider. They have made the process difficult and time consuming. The process was vary more straightforward when I have transferred from other three other pension providers.

I have asked this company to lower my payments to how much i want to put in on a weekly basis and all i get is it is up to your employer .

Update: 31st July 2023
I was contacted by Evolve Pensions after writing this review and I've finally received the monies requested into my bank account today, in line with their lead times and payment policies.

I would advise anybody thinking of using this company to think twice.
I was in a company Workplace Pension where money was invested with Evolve Pensions.
Upon retirement (last December 2022) I wanted to transfer my very small amount into a larger pot with another reputable pension scheme (having done similar in the past). I was told I could NOT do this myself but had to do it through my financial adviser.
I therefore decided to have a lump sum payment instead and all I keep getting is delaying tactics, asking for further information, advice that forms WILL be sent within a certain timescale, which they then fail to adhere to.
Goodness only knows when MY money will finally be paid into my bank account.
Maybe I should contact 'Rip Off Britain'

Awful company there is nothing good to say about my experience with evolve. To transfer money out was a long drawn out horrendous experience which ended in them having a problem and couldn’t pay out on the day they were supposed to. Use any other pension provider

You don’t answer the phone

User friendly. Always Available if I need help or have issues.

It took a ridicules amount of time for Evolve to release my pension and cost me money as I had to use savings to live on while I was waiting 10 days every time something went wrong !!!!!

Steer will clear!
The service level provided couldn't get any worse. 10 days to reply to anything, the response doesn't work and then another 10 days for the next useless response. Even their Web portal isn't safe! In my view the charges are higher than others so your returns are less. There are plenty of other much better pension providers out there, take your money and put it somewhere that can be trusted!

Every time I get on the website or the phone, help is always there, I have never experienced any problems.

No matter how many times I phone my remains incorrect it’s Terry
I have no access from overseas as the confirmation ode sent my phone does not work +61 456 799 347 c

I have repeatedly attempted to log in to the scheme to start claiming my pension to no avail. The system refuses to connect no matter how long I wait for it to complete. It is unfit for purpose. I can’t find another way to contact Evolve so am totally exasperated.

awful company, I have found it frustratingly impossible to request a current pension statement from them, all i do is get referred to the last one issued which when finally sent is months out of date.

Terrible drawn out procedure to recoup small some. Also paperwork sent to me in someone else name