MoneySaving Poll: Are you loyal or a tart?

Former_MSE_Sam_M · 15 March 2016 at 4:14PM

Poll started 15 March 2016

Are you loyal or a tart?

When it comes to your money, loyalty doesn’t pay. The big bucks marketing spend goes on attracting new customers with deals; existing customers are often taken for granted. Then again, some stay out of ease, and because they like the service.

So are you loyal, or a tart – disloyally switching to constantly bag the best deals?

How long have you been with your current main provider for each relevant category in the poll?

Click here to vote in the poll

Did you vote? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below. To see the results from last time, click here.

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Thanks!

[purplesignup][/purplesignup]

Lokolo · 15 March 2016 at 5:17PM

Seems insurance changes a lot more often.

Poll seems a bit, pointless. I would switch TV, Phone and Broadband but whenever I go to cancel they offer me a better deal than others out there, even for new customers. I'm not staying because of ease, I am staying because they offer me a better deal.

Misslayed · 16 March 2016 at 9:14AM

Me too Lokolo, I'm a proper tart, learned at the feet of the master!

CupcakeSquirrel · 16 March 2016 at 10:04AM

I'm the same with insurance etc - always check on renewal, but every year they either better or are the same as other deals out there. Plus I'm happy with the very good customer service I get too, which this poll also doesn't take account of.

graham47 · 16 March 2016 at 10:07AM

Agree it's somewhat pointless !
Main account with firstdirect 20+ yrs but just switched another budgetting account to TSB.
I'm on freesat !
I have some CC's I've had for many years but some I've only recently taken for 0% BT.

pollypenny · 16 March 2016 at 10:39AM

I look like a loyalist, apart from bank and credit card, but I've negotiated deals and price matches for phones, insurances etc at every renewal.

Flick216 · 16 March 2016 at 11:51AM

I actually don't know who does my car and house insurance - I go through a broker I have known for many years - I just them let sort it out!

jim100uk · 16 March 2016 at 5:25PM

As others have said. I always check but no point moving if the deal you're on is still highly competative. Been with Santander 123 for 3 years and it's still your best pick.

Maybe a missing question is how often do you validate what you're paying for those services !:D

Mr5Micawber · 16 March 2016 at 6:32PM

I agree with most of the comments - customer service is less easy to quantify and I'd rather pay a bit (to substantially) more for peace of mind.

First Direct have been a great bank for over 20years (despite HSBC the 'parent' regularly performing badly), John Lewis home insurance is often a best buy, Direct Line have been efficient and helpful and have paid up on our rare claims, we only pay for TV through the licence fee (excellent VFM IMHO - all those radio stations too), we have no choice of internet services in our (rural) location, we ask for better deals at renewal time; move savings for better interest and go for best cashback on CCs.

So, maybe MSE readers (or at least the ones who are reading this) are pretty savvy and not everyone needs to change. MSE is my first port of call if I'm researching money matters and it has given me confidence to haggle when necessary. Thankyou Martin.

lisa110rry · 16 March 2016 at 10:16PM

I look like I'm loyal, but I'm happy with my bank which has a really good interface on mobile and iPad, and I like to watch everything in one place, though I do have investments through another bank. I live in an area where only one mobile provider works well and my car insurance is always the cheapest (reductions for civil servants and retired CSs). I stay with BT for phone and broadband so that if something goes wrong there's no one else they can blame (I've seen the fallout when they can).

My gas/electricity supplier is a different matter. I suffered with ExtraEnergy through one 12 month contract, never again. I switched to Green Star, which were slightly more expensive as to tariff, but I reasoned that as an offshoot of a US company, they might bring US-style customer service in to the mix. So far this has been the case and I'm delighted with their provision. I am fairly seriously in debit to them at present, but in September, when my fix finishes, I calculate we'll be spot on and they have made no move to increase my monthly payments in consideration of being in debit currently, unlike the dreadful Extra Energy and my supplier before that, Scottish Power.

happyinflorida · 17 March 2016 at 9:37PM

I think a lot of us stay loyal to certain things due to the fact that we know from experience that changing can cause major headaches, so we stay and pay more for peace of mind - broadband provider is definitely true for this, we used to change every year but found we spent months sorting out problems - Talktalk were the worst, actually cut us off early and continued to charge us and the government appointed Ofcom sided with them as they lied through their teeth, even producing letters they claimed to have sent, which we never got and I don't believe were actually sent.
So now we stay with a supplier who is ok rather than risk changing.

MoneySaving Poll: Are you loyal or a tart?

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