A moving company's reviews do a job no ad can: they tell a nervous stranger what it's actually like to hand your belongings to this crew. The routine in this guide is simple and honest. Ask every customer, offer nothing in return, reply to everything, and use what you learn. It's written by a marketing service for movers. We don't do moves and we never write, buy or arrange reviews; we help movers build a routine they can be proud of.
Why reviews weigh more for movers
Moving is high-stakes and infrequent. Most customers move only every few years, so they have no past experience with any company to fall back on. They also hand over everything they own in a single day. That combination makes reviews unusually important.
Customers reading mover reviews tend to look for answers to the same questions:
- Did the crew arrive when promised?
- Did the final bill match the estimate?
- Was anything damaged, and how did the company respond?
- Were the movers careful and respectful in the home?
Your review routine should make it easy for satisfied customers to answer those questions in their own words, and your replies should show how you handle it when the answer isn't good.
The rules: no incentives, no gating
Before any scripts, the two rules. Google's prohibited and restricted content policy, as of October 2026, includes these among prohibited practices:
- Incentives: offering payment, discounts, free goods or services in exchange for a review, or for removing a negative one.
- Selective solicitation (gating): merchants asking only satisfied customers for reviews.
In practice that means no "$25 off for a review", no draw for reviewers, no free boxes for a five-star rating, and no survey that routes happy customers to Google and unhappy ones elsewhere. Policies change, so check the current version yourself.
Beyond the rules, these shortcuts don't hold up. Customers can often sense a pattern of thin, uniform five-star reviews, and a profile flagged for manipulation can lose reviews or face penalties. An honest routine builds something that lasts.
Step 1: Make asking part of the move
The right moment to raise reviews is at the end of the job, in person, by the crew lead. A short script:
"Thanks for having us today. You'll get a text from [Business name] tomorrow with a link to leave a review. Good or bad, honest feedback really helps us and helps other people choosing a mover."
Notice what the script doesn't do: it doesn't ask for five stars, and it doesn't offer anything. It also tells the customer the bad experiences are welcome, which is both honest and, frankly, reassuring.
Step 2: Send one message, then one reminder
Send the first request within 24 hours, while the move is fresh.
"Hi [First name], thanks for choosing [Business name] for your move to [Neighbourhood or City]. If you have a minute, an honest review helps other people choosing a mover: [link]. — [Crew lead name] and the team"
If there's no review after a few days, send one reminder:
"Hi [First name], hope you're settling in. If you'd like to share how your move went, here's the link again: [link]. Thanks either way."
Then stop. Two messages are courteous. More than that becomes pestering, and someone who asks you to stop should be noted and never messaged again.
Step 3: Reply to every review
Replies are read by future customers more than by the reviewer. Write them for that audience.
For positive reviews: thank them and name a detail. "Thanks, [First name]. Getting that piano up three flights in [Neighbourhood] was a team effort; glad it arrived safely." Avoid copy-paste replies.
For mixed reviews: thank them, acknowledge the issue, and say what you're doing about it. "Thanks for the feedback. You're right that we arrived later than the window we gave; we've changed how we schedule second jobs of the day."
For critical reviews: stay calm and brief, and move the detail offline.
Step 4: Handling damage and billing complaints
These are the two hardest review types for movers. A good reply follows a pattern:
- Acknowledge the experience without arguing: "I'm sorry the move didn't go the way you expected."
- State facts briefly and neutrally if they help, such as what the estimate said could change the price, without blame.
- Invite a private conversation with a named role: "Please contact our operations manager at [phone] so we can look into this properly."
- Never post personal details, invoices or claim information in public.
What not to do: admit or deny legal liability in a public reply, threaten the reviewer, or post the customer's address or bill. Claims processes, insurance coverage and dispute rules depend on your contracts and your province, and we don't advise on them. Get proper advice where a dispute is serious.
A sample reply to a damage complaint
"[First name], I'm sorry to hear about the damage to your [item]. That's not the experience we want anyone to have. I'd like to understand what happened and go through our claims process with you. Please call our operations manager at [phone] or reply to your booking email. — [Owner name], [Business name]"
Step 5: Use reviews as operations feedback
Once a month, read every review from the past 30 days and tag recurring themes:
| Theme | Example signal | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| Timeliness | "Arrived two hours late" | Dispatch and scheduling |
| Pricing | "Bill much higher than quote" | Estimating and quote wording |
| Care | "Scratched the floor" | Crew training, equipment |
| Communication | "Nobody told us about the delay" | Customer updates on move day |
| Praise for a crew | Names a crew lead | Recognition, training others |
If the same theme appears three or more times in a month, it's not a marketing problem. Fixing it will do more for future reviews than any request script.
Step 6: A monthly review audit
Track four numbers and watch them together:
- moves completed this month
- review requests sent
- reviews received
- days since your most recent review
If requests sent is lower than moves completed, requests are being skipped. If reviews received drops while requests stay steady, look at your timing or wording, or at whether something in operations has changed.
Mistakes to avoid
- Asking in batches after months of silence
- Employees, friends or family posting reviews
- Arguing publicly with a reviewer
- Asking only after "good" moves, which is gating, whether intended or not
- Treating reviews as a marketing task only, instead of reading them for operational lessons
Reviews feed directly into local search and into how many quotes book, as our quote-to-booking guide explains. For help setting up the routine, see our reviews service or call, text or email.
Frequently asked questions
Is it allowed to ask for a review at all?
Yes. What Google's content policy prohibits, as of October 2026, is offering incentives for reviews and selectively soliciting only positive ones. Asking every customer honestly is the normal practice.
Can a crew member ask for a review in person?
Yes, and it often works well. Keep it simple: mention that a link is coming and that an honest review helps. Don't ask for a particular star rating, and don't hand over a tip or discount tied to the review.
Should we reply to every review, even the short five-star ones?
Yes. A short, specific thank-you shows future customers that a real person reads them. It takes a minute and builds a public record of how you treat people.
What if a competitor or non-customer leaves a fake review?
Reply briefly and politely saying you can't find a matching move and inviting them to get in touch, then report the review through the platform's own process. Don't accuse anyone publicly.