How to Spot Fake Moving Reviews

Moving reviews often help you narrow your choices down – we all know how helpful this can be when you’re searching for the right moving company. Getting online and checking reviews saves you time and it also allows you to see how multiple movers rate, making it the most convenient way to get an idea about how companies operate. While online search is probably the first step on finding a top-rated mover, there’s also a powerful personal recommendation from a friend or someone you trust. People who moved recently may be the best shortcut to finding a reliable moving company in your area. Unfortunately, you may find yourself unable to get any recommendations because none of your friends moved recently, and if it’s your first time moving house, things can get even more challenging. Finding a trusted ally is not always so simple, especially if you’re moving long-distance and you truly need an experienced professional mover. Checking online ratings and reading reviews is helpful in this case because you’ll be able to type “top-rated movers” in your search bar. However, you should take precautions and learn how to spot fake reviews because many fraudulent practices are hiding behind those amazing (or not so amazing) reviews. That’s why we’ve prepared this simple guide to help you learn how to spot fake moving reviews.

Sings of Fake Moving Reviews

False moving reviews are, unfortunately, quite common nowadays. There are several reasons for posting fake testimonials, such as covering incompetent or unprofessional behavior or even damaging another company’s reputation. The inexperienced customer may be too quick to trust those glooming reviews and hire movers thinking they’re getting an amazing deal. However, they’ll quickly learn that the “top-rated” mover is nothing but a fraud and they’ll find themselves to be a victim of a scam. To prevent these types of misfortunate events, it’s important for you as a customer to get familiar with other aspects besides reviews and ratings. For example, you’ll always want to ask several movers for a free quote to be able to compare them. You should also check their license number and ask what kind of paperwork is provided before signing. Eventually, don’t forget to read a tiny print on your contract before agreeing to anything. These are some of the signs that can help you identify fake moving reviews.

Five-star comments only

Even with the most professional and top-rated moving companies, you have to count on the human factor as well. Mistakes are sometimes possible even with the utmost care, so expect to find a few negative comments reading through any movers’ website. In case you only find five-star comments, you may want to research further because if it’s all roses it may be a sign of fake reviews.

Comments about incredibly low prices

When it comes to false moving reviews, you’ll often find five-star ratings with unusually low rates. Don’t confuse affordable moving rates with incredibly low prices though. Some movers will have better prices during the off-season or thanks to different promotions, but they’ll still have to charge a fee for their services. Unfortunately, people with no moving experience sometimes fall into a trap of seeing comments that talk about amazingly low prices, so don’t skip this red flag. Always ask for several moving quotes from a few companies to get a general idea about moving quotes and be able to compare them.

Overly negative comments

Figuring out if comments are fake or not is not always easy. Sometimes, you’ll find only negative comments and those can be false as well. Of course, there will be times when people are not satisfied with their moving experience and they’ll give a 1-star rating. However, if you see overly negative comments, take some time to read through the comments and understand if they seem legit. Sometimes, people will write negative reviews in order to damage the rating, so if none of the comments seem honest, you may be reading fake reviews.

Promotional comments

This is another common type of fake review and it will make it easier for you to spot it straight away. If a person is commenting about how terrible their moving experience was but they continue to mention another mover that’s much better, it may be an indicator that a review is for promotional purposes. In case you spot a pattern in these comments, you’re likely dealing with fake testimonials.

Uncommon language

We’re all aware that we rush when we’re unhappy about something – an angry customer may mispronounce a few words here and there and make a couple of mistakes in their comments. However, fake moving reviews may consist of a very awkward or artificial language. While trying to sound more honest, they’ll use language that’s not really common and structures that no real person with real dissatisfaction would use. In case you’re not sure whether the review is fake or not, try thinking if you would construct a sentence like that. Furthermore, if you find several comments with similar artificial language, chances are those are not real.

Way too many irrelevant details

Although you’ll find different types of comments when reading moving reviews, in most cases people will go straight to the point and describe their unpleasant experience. If a customer was truly unhappy with service, they may add more or fewer details but if you see way too many details that have nothing to do with their experience, you may be looking at a false review. In case these details also go together with mentioning the mover’s name too much, that should be a clear red flag for you.

We’ve listed only a few indicators of false moving testimonials but keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list. The best way to be absolutely sure that you’re dealing with trusted movers is to go through all the necessary steps to confirm their license and legitimacy. Check out Movit Movit movers today and receive a free moving quote.