PHOENIX, AZ — The company MovingHelp.Com compares dozens of independent movers, giving customers access to more than 1.5 million reviews.
They outline the hourly cost to hire each company, but when you go to pay, a $5.95 refundable service fee is tacked onto your bill.
If you take a closer look at the company's terms and conditions, you find out that the fee is "non-refundable if you do not complete a review of the moving help® service provider within sixty (60) days."
Just recently, The Federal Trade Commission charged and settled with a different company for "incentivizing" reviews. The FTC said the company "misrepresented" reviews by providing customers with "free products and other incentives to post positive reviews online."
There are some differences in MovingHelp.Com's policy. The company does not say the reviews must be positive. The agreement reads that customers "have the ability to control and make others aware of...the quality (or lack thereof) of... providers."
MovingHelp.Com is operated by U-Haul, with corporate offices in Phoenix.
The Let Joe Know team reached out to the company asking if they believe their policy influences the honesty of reviews on their site.
In an email, a spokesperson said, "[their] goal is not to keep that handling fee, but to incentive customers to leave honest reviews. By offering an incentive, providers get much more feedback than they do with Yelp or Google."
The company adds that if a job is canceled, the funds are refunded immediately.
So what do you think about this charge tied to reviews? Go to the Let Joe Know Facebook page and share your thoughts.
