Reviews
Why the same mover has five-star and one-star reviews
Moving is a crew job on a calendar. The same company sends its best crew on a Tuesday in February and whoever is left on a Saturday in July. Mixed scores are usually a scheduling story, a subcontracting story, or a claims story. Read which one before you decide.
Call +1 (866) 961-9682Haulest data team · Desk opened official pages 17 September 2026. Editorial.
Why you are here
A 3.5 next to a 4.7 looks like a verdict. It is often the same trucks on different weekends.
Why Haulest
We hold dated rows, so you can see when the ones and the fives happened. We do not smooth them into a single number.
| Phrase family | Rows | Share of rows |
|---|---|---|
| Careful, wrapped, padded | 270 | 14% |
| On time, early, punctual | 309 | 16% |
| Damage, broke, scratched, dented | 590 | 31% |
| Late, delay, delivery window | 246 | 13% |
The three usual splits
Peak crew vs off-peak crew. Summer weekends bring temp labor and long days. The five-star review names the lead by first name; the one-star review says the crew was different from the estimate visit.
Own trucks vs a partner. A long-distance move often changes hands at a hub. The origin crew wrapped everything; the delivery crew was a different company. Ask who owns the truck at each end.
The claim. A good move with a broken dresser becomes a one-star review when the claim takes 120 days and pays 60 cents a pound. Read the damage reviews for what happened after the damage, not just the damage.
What to ask when the scores split
Which crew will do my job, and is it the crew that did the estimate visit. Is any leg subcontracted. What valuation the low reviews were on. Whether the company answered the low reviews with a claim number or a lawyer.
Then sort our thread by lowest, read the dates, and call.
Before you hire
1. Written estimate after a look
Interstate movers must give the booklet and a written estimate after a survey or a full description. A $499 ad is not an estimate.
FMCSA Protect Your Move2. Legal name matches SAFER
USDOT on the paper, the truck doors, and the census. A different name is the walk.
USDOT / Companies House lookup3. Walk from cash and blank paper
FTC: unregistered interstate, huge deposit, cash only, or a blank contract. Photograph and leave.
FTC: hiring a mover4. 110% on a COD non-binding job
Pay up to 110% plus agreed extras and they must hand over the load. Not a cap on extras you signed.
US interstate rules
Official sources
Links go to the publisher. Haulest does not add findings. We checked these URLs in September 2026. If the live page moved, believe the agency.
- FMCSA Protect Your Move
Opens a government site. Checked September 2026.
- FTC: avoid scams when you hire a moving company
Opens a government site. Checked September 2026.
Ask out loud
- Is a mover with only five-star reviews safer?
- Not by itself. Ten dated rows with two honest threes tell you more than a wall of fives with no dates. Check the count, the dates, and the USDOT.
Next
Call for a free quote
From, then To. Date and home size after that. A person on the phone is faster if you already know the dates.
Call +1 (866) 961-9682Haulest is not a carrier. We connect you to movers. We do not dispatch a truck.
Haulest is a research desk and quote line operated by Panaweb LLC. We are not a carrier.