How reviews are moderated
A new RideShipper review is held until it is checked against the review guidelines. Positive and negative reviews use the same rules. A company may post a public reply and cannot pay to remove a review. Stars are the reviewer's rating, not an editorial rank. A fraud-filter warning imported from MoveAdvisor is shown as MoveAdvisor's flag.
Key facts
- Before publication
- A new review stays unpublished until it is checked
- Same rules for every star
- A review is not removed because it is negative or because it is positive
- Company reply
- Public, and it may not demand that a true account be deleted
The sources are listed on this page.
A new review is not public when it is submitted. It sits in a queue with the status pending until it is checked against the review guidelines. The same check applies to a five-star review and a one-star review. Stars are the reviewer's rating. They are not an editorial rank.
Federal rules allow a site to withhold reviews for reasons that are applied equally, such as abusive content, personal information, or a review that is not about the service. They do not allow a business to hide negative reviews and then present the reviews on the page as most or all of what was submitted. RideShipper does not suppress a review because of its stars or its sentiment.
What the check looks for
Automated checks flag duplicates and reviews that fail a stated rule, such as a missing company or content on the rejection list. A person decides whether the review is published or hidden. RideShipper does not publish a review a company paid for, and it does not hide a review a company paid to remove.
The reviewer is not told a fixed clock time. The review stays off the page until the decision is made.
A published review can later be hidden if it meets a rejection rule that was missed, or if MoveAdvisor deletes or edits an imported review. Deletions, edits, and moderation decisions on MoveAdvisor are mirrored within a day. The imported review keeps the label "Originally posted on MoveAdvisor."
Company responses
A company with a claimed profile may post a public reply. MoveAdvisor already stores company responses, and RideShipper shows a response that came with an imported review. The reply appears with the review. It does not replace the review and it does not change the star.
A response may not:
- ask the reviewer to delete a true account
- offer money or a refund in exchange for changing or removing the review
- threaten the reviewer, including a threat of a lawsuit used only to force a takedown of a truthful account
- include the reviewer's phone number, email, or home address
How to submit a reply is on respond to reviews. Claiming the profile is free. The reply is free. Neither one is a way to buy a change in rank.
Flags that are not RideShipper's score
Where the imported MoveAdvisor record includes a fraud-filter warning, the company page shows that warning and says it came from MoveAdvisor. RideShipper does not add its own score on top of that flag and does not describe the warning as a federal finding.
A Bank Verified badge on an imported review is MoveAdvisor's identity-payment label. It is not proof the shipment happened, and it does not change RideShipper's moderation outcome.
To dispute a moderation decision, use corrections. A damage claim against a carrier is not a moderation dispute. RideShipper does not decide those claims.
Questions
How long is a review held?
It stays unpublished until the check is finished. There is no fixed number of hours. A review that fails the guidelines is not published.
Can I dispute a decision?
Yes. The person who wrote the review can ask for another look. Use the corrections page and include the company name and the decision you dispute. A company that dislikes a true account is not a reason to remove it.
What is the fraud-filter warning?
Some MoveAdvisor profiles carry a fraud-filter warning from that site. When the imported record includes the warning, RideShipper shows it and attributes it to MoveAdvisor. It is not a separate investigation by RideShipper.