MSE Discussion: MoneySavingExpert.com to join the MoneySupermarket.com group

lilgreenmomo

mlewis3179 wrote: »

Could I just point out that this website is not just one man! Lots of people contribute to the site for free, at most Matrin was the chap who told people to put their money in Icelandic banks just before they went bust and the man who is set to make a lot of money out of others hard work. Maybe people did not read the T&C of the site but they still contributed honestly for the benefit of all and not for the benefit of one man.

Get your heads out of the sand!

& could I just remind you that if it wasn't for that one man starting it the site wouldn't be here for lots of other people to contribute to.

minipenny_2

LotsaLuck wrote: »

*Sigh*


Will await photos of Martin buying Tesco Finest sausages !

Without even getting them from the reduced section :money:

bottleredhead

AHAR wrote: »

If you're going to make money 'of those who are broke', doing it by helping them be better off and to stop being/not become broke at no cost to them seems a fair enough way to do it though doesn't it?

Well said; the site is free and costs us "broke" people nothing to get bang up to date advice and help.

Poor Martin has worked his cods off for years running this site; he has only done what millions of us would do (given the chance) and he is getting slated for it!

UncleBuck

I'm just feeling really sad about it all, let down really.

It's not like Martin had posted a SOA and was in dire straits, so forum members had said why don't you sell your prime asset which is not him, but the trust that we all have in each other to try and help each other, no matter what the difficulty maybe.

I will unsubscribe from the newsletter tonight as I just don't trust the corporate speak that's being wrapped around this deal to sell it. Giving money away to charity is always a sign of buying peoples 'hearts and minds' IMHO.

ben500

mlewis3179 wrote: »

Could I just point out that this website is not just one man! Lots of people contribute to the site for free, at most Matrin was the chap who told people to put their money in Icelandic banks just before they went bust and the man who is set to make a lot of money out of others hard work. Maybe people did not read the T&C of the site but they still contributed honestly for the benefit of all and not for the benefit of one man.

Get your heads out of the sand!

I stopped making any meaningful contribution to this site when Martin Lewis happily steered people to invest in Icelandic banks right up to the point the s**t hit the fan despite knowing they were crumbling, then followed it up with a lame excuse in a tv broadcast that he was scared of causing a run on the banks if he warned his site members to stop investing. No integrity. He sold out long ago, it's just that payday has only just arrived.

From that point onwards I retired to DT and viewed the site merely as a source of entertainment.
The attraction for most to this site was it's altruistic nature, certainly for me it was, that was soiled by Martin Lewis milking the knowledge of it's members and peddling it as his own through various media. His lust for media attention resulted in many a golden goose being executed.

Wobblydeb

I do wonder whether this has anything to do with the government's Money Advice Service.

Either Martin was annoyed with that website being set up (remember how he campaigned agains it?) or it was set up with the knowledge of where this site was heading?

It does make me realise that things have to be either not-for-profit or government to remain independent of the large corporates.

[Deleted User]

I work for a company that acquires online communities on a regular basis. One of the first things we do is talk to members, site staff volunteers, listen to feedback, and never force through undesirable changes on a community. We always carefully stage possible changes, give people a chance to test and experience what we want to do, provide us with feedback, and then together make decisions on how best to implement (or to not implement at all). People always fear these changes of ownership, but nobody is going to act recklessly with the assets here given the price paid.

You may not like MS, but you may benefit from the fact the coming together of these two giants can result in better deals for all of you. MS no longer has to profit share with MSE, they now have even greater leverage and numbers in negotiations with companies who want in with them, and they may be able to make the acquisition work just by acting as a silent partner in this site. Clearly ML thinks so since he's given up his site with a fair chunk going towards performance-related pay in the future, and he's negotiated for independence from the core business of the buyer.

Given how much ML has devoted to championing the causes of consumers in this country, he's certainly worthy of this pay out and the chance to free up some of his time no longer having to manage the business. This too could work in the favour of the greater community as he has more time to fight for the causes he's clearly passionate about. You may question his motives today, but I can promise you nobody can succeed with a venture such as this one without having genuine passion for the subject matter.

IrishGypsy

Just one additional point, people keep saying that the users won't ever benefit from this, but I have zero doubts there'll be a fair few users going to the CAB asking for free debt advice, advice that can still be given thanks to his £1m donation. Sure, 25% of the reason to give it was likely to 'sofetn the public perception' of the deal (and the other £9m will go to other charity(ies).

So plenty of people will benefit there (regardless of how much it actually sways the forum/site user's perceptions of the sale). Maybe not every user will get a reward for their time.

And lets not forget the amount of users who've taken advantage of the content on the site for free, when Martin was initially funding this from his own pocket. EVERY user has gotten something from this site/forum (money, friends, enemies, much needed help and support), something that very few websites can match.

Also, Martin can't exactly come out and say that it's not good for the site and it's users can he? His new paymasters won't exactly appreciate him going: "I sold it to make a deserved profit. MS will likely run it into the ground when I'm gone though." Doubt that'd sit well with the new owners...

Desperado99

Martin? :money: can I borrow a fiver?

Weluvdarling

What a sellout ! - i'm moving to another discussion website.