Finding a reliable moving company is the most important part of planning your move. Reading reviews is a great way to assess a company's reputation, professionalism, experience, and skill--but what happens when 90 percent of that company's reviews were written by paid individuals rather than real customers? Fake reviews are common in the moving industry, and can easily mislead an unsuspecting customer into hiring an untrustworthy or unprofessional mover.
Check out the following signs a review is fake to effectively choose a reliable mover for your relocation!
Ultra-positive
Be wary of any review that is overly complimentary or gushes about the movers. While many movers are awesome at their jobs and have many glowing reviews, there is always someone that isn't satisfied with at least one aspect of the move. Even if their services were impeccable--maybe the price was a bit high. Maybe they arrived a little late or there was some insignificant damage. No mover is perfect. If every review you come across raves about the moving company across the board, you should be a bit suspicious.
Too detailedMost real customers will briefly summarize the move, detailing the high or low points and only include the most relevant and important facts. However, a fake review often reads more like a story--often including personal background information about their move, such as "I got a new job and had to move, so I began my search for a reliable moving company." Fake reviews often sound more like a commercial for the moving company rather than an authentic customer account. If the review reads more like a narrative than an assessment of the service quality, it can be a red flag that it is fabricated.
Use of namesWhile not necessarily a red flag, fake reviews often mention company employees by name. Actual customers are bogged down with the endless tasks and stress. They often don't even remember the name of their moving company after the move is completed--let alone the names of the movers that picked up their belongings.
Grandiose accountsFake reviews often describe the movers as if they performed some unimaginable feat just by moving their belongings. The review may include some kind of dire circumstance--such as terrible weather, a last minute move, or some other unimaginable obstacle the movers managed to overcome. Any customer review filled with overly dramatic anecdotes should be treated with skepticism.
So, how do you find out the truth about a moving company?
If you are feeling discouraged, don't worry--there is still hope in finding a great mover! Read reviews on multiple sites, such as Yelp, Yahoo Local, The Better Business Bureau, and
TopMoving.ca. If the reviews seem to be mostly positive on every website you view, the company is more likely to be legitimate.