False online reviews are more common nowadays. When choosing moving services, you should know how to spot fake moving reviews. There are ways to recognize them and protect yourself from false testimonials. Reading moving reviews is often the first step in finding that perfect moving company. Reading online experiences allows you to save time and see how multiple companies operate. Finding a few reliable movers is just a few clicks away – at least it appears so. However, things are not as simple as may seem. Online ratings will not always give you correct information. Sometimes, you’ll find only great reviews. Sometimes, you’ll come across too many negative comments that may seem too bad for a company that’s still running.
As always, getting a recommendation from a friend or someone close is the best way to choose a moving company. People close to you will be able to give you first-hand info and share all the details about their relocation. However, if none of your people moved recently, you’ll have no choice but to read other people’s experiences. While online ratings are more than helpful in some cases, they can also be misleading. So, you should take precautions and figure out if those reviews are honest and real. To help you avoid fraudulent businesses, false reviews, and hidden moving costs, we’ve prepared a quick guide. Keep on reading to learn how to spot fake moving reviews.
How to Spot Fake Moving Reviews
As mentioned earlier, fake reviews are becoming more common, and it’s for various reasons. Behind those horrible or amazing comments may be something entirely different than a need to share a personal experience someone had with a certain mover. Sometimes you’ll find comments about great offers but they may lead you to a scamming moving company. Other times, you’ll stumble upon many negative comments. They may distract you from hiring a company that’s not so bad at all. So, posting fake reviews has so many different reasons and you should always take comments with a grain of salt. If you trust online reviews completely, you may end up being a victim of a scamming mover. These are a couple of examples of fake moving reviews.
Top-reviews only
The next way to spot fake reviews is to pay attention to their ratings. If you notice five-star ratings only, it may be your red flag. If you’re wondering why it is bad to have only great comments, the answer is − because no mover is perfect. When looking into any company’s performance, you have to also count on the human factor and understand that mistakes do happen even to the most professional business out there. You should expect to find a few unsatisfied customers even with the top-rated NYC movers, so be careful if it’s all roses in the comment section.
Reviews about extremely low prices
When reading comments from previous customers, you’ll often come across reviews about costs. People will share how cheap or expensive moving services were. So, you can get an idea about a moving budget. Even though this is often pretty personal and depends on what kind of services the customer needed as well as how their budget is. However, be very cautious if you see many comments raging about incredibly low prices. If the price is too good to be true, then it may be a clear sign that something is off. Of course, some companies will have lower rates than others. But, we’re referring to those offers that are just way too lower compared to all the others. Don’t rely on comments in this case. You better reach out to several movers and request free moving quotes to be able to compare them.
Reviews with promotional content
Another common practice among false reviewers is writing badly about a specific company and then praising another mover in the same text. If you notice several comments with a repeated pattern, then you’ll know for sure that those comments are false. These reviewers will usually write about their horrible experience with one mover and promote another one.
All negative comments
While all-roses may be an indicator of false reviews, a total opposite can be your red flag as well. Of course, there may be a few people who weren’t happy with the outcome so they gave 1-star only, but if you see overly negative comments, check further. Overly negative reviews may be a strategy to damage someone’s reputation, so what you should do in this case is read through those bad comments. Take some time to understand if horrible reviews are legit, and of course, don’t let that be the end of your research. Always go through all the steps of finding a reliable mover, such as requesting a quote, checking the license number, asking if you can visit their office, etc. Simply reading reviews is never enough to protect you from fraudulent movers!
Artificial language
The last thing on our list that can help you spot fake moving reviews is weird or uncommon language. If you notice any comments that are written in a sort of artificial language, don’t be too quick to trust them. Look at the structure of a sentence and check if something is off.
While these are some of the ways to spot fake reviews, you should never rely on online comments only when looking for a trusted professional moving and storage service. The only way to be sure that you’re dealing with a reliable mover is to check their license, request a moving estimate, and get in touch with them to see for yourself how their customer service is. If you’re still searching for a licensed and experienced moving company, Countrywide Moving and Storage is at your service! Reach out and we’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about our services or your upcoming relocation.