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

meher

did you all notice the new subtitle on the header they have kept it simple and smart

meher

Are you all still grieving I've recovered. I went and thought about it and decided that, really this site is an entity; so long as the founder and the team are looking after this site and community forum, they have it in their power to make whatever they want of it. So may be it is going to be ok to allow the little known site money super market to hang on to mse and make a name for themselves. I should add though, that they must be having a very clever businessperson who realised mse's potential. Now they can safely get rid of their webby team and have our fab team, provided they pay a share of their profit as roylaties to the site, because their site is not aesthetically designed. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I feel like I'm walking into a fish market with people screaming on top of their heads. Oscar Wilde said that everything we do should be aesthetic, our lives should be aesthetic and beautilful. So designers who have no sense of aestheics should be banned. Alright Oscar wild didn't say that, I added on to what he said :rotfl::o hope it was ok

terra_ferma

meher wrote: »

did you all notice the new subtitle on the header they have kept it simple and smart

what the 'fighting our corner' bit, oh no sorry it's 'your' corner silly me, it's our interests they look after, they are here to save us money, not to make Moneysupermarket money...

seriously, yes they have, but again, it gives the impression that martin still runs it.

Gorgeous_George

Sites that profit from referrals are not independent.

Whether it's car insurance, gas, electricity, telephones or MSE. Profits fuel corruption.

GG

tyllwyd

meher wrote: »

Are you all still grieving I've recovered. I went and thought about it and decided that, really this site is an entity; so long as the founder and the team are looking after this site and community forum, they have it in their power to make whatever they want of it. So may be it is going to be ok to allow the little known site money super market to hang on to mse and make a name for themselves. I should add though, that they must be having a very clever businessperson who realised mse's potential. Now they can safely get rid of their webby team and have our fab team, provided they pay a share of their profit as roylaties to the site, because their site is not aesthetically designed. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I feel like I'm walking into a fish market with people screaming on top of their heads. Oscar Wilde said that everything we do should be aesthetic, our lives should be aesthetic and beautilful. So designers who have no sense of aestheics should be banned. Alright Oscar wild didn't say that, I added on to what he said :rotfl::o hope it was ok

I don't understand what you are saying - moneysupermarket is not a little known website, it's a very well known comparison site with a huge advertising budget. The deal is all about money, not about website design.

poppy10_2

Gorgeous_George wrote: »

Sites that profit from referrals are not independent.

Whether it's car insurance, gas, electricity, telephones or MSE. Profits fuel corruption.

MSE has profited from referrals since it was founded, that hasn't changed with Moneysupermarket taking over.

meher

tyllwyd wrote: »

I don't understand what you are saying - moneysupermarket is not a little known website, it's a very well known comparison site with a huge advertising budget. The deal is all about money, not about website design.

None of us, at home or among friends, which is quite a big circle btw, have used or heard a lot about the moneysupermarket. My husband only ever uses that site when the mse emails direct a link to use it, so obviously I can speak only from my observation. Or it might be a case that we have heard but it hasn't quite registered that it is site to watch out for money saving or investments.

And ofcourse the supermarkt is about money, but the wesbite design is all about marketing. If it is not aesthetic and pleasing, not many people will use it. That is the truth and those who work in the designing team should be aware of that and that was the only point I wanted to make. It is the same as the cheapie primark store - it is a store for cheap disposable clothes & accessories apparently; but if they indulge in unethical business model, they will never have decent customer following and I, for one, will say so. What I refuse to do is to take on blame for pointing out that the truth. I mean there is little point battering me for a business reputation of having a bad design or unethical business models. Badly designed sites, badly guided forums, badly moderated boards, unethical businesses will not have decent users - they may have loyalists and unsuspecting visitors but not customers. It will stagnate even before it has peaked. That is the cardinal truth, imo.

ler01kjh

Yes it is a shame that Martin Lewis has sold the site, but to be honest, he's done a lot of good in the years he's developed the site. In many countries a site like this doesn't exist at all, and even when it does, it's not for free. Yes, I'm disappointed because I will have to be a bit more cynical when reading the site - editorial code blah blah blah - not assurance enough, but it's the same as ever - buyer beware.

If I was him, I'd do exactly the same - you only live once and selling the site has probably made him a fortune, and can free him up to do things that wouldn't be possible whilst running a business like this.

Good luck in your future endevours, and thank you for all the tips; they've saved me a fortune at least, and they've made you one too! :T

terra_ferma

ler01kjh wrote: »

Yes it is a shame that Martin Lewis has sold the site, but to be honest, he's done a lot of good in the years he's developed the site. In many countries a site like this doesn't exist at all, and even when it does, it's not for free. Yes, I'm disappointed because I will have to be a bit more cynical when reading the site - editorial code blah blah blah - not assurance enough, but it's the same as ever - buyer beware.

If I was him, I'd do exactly the same - you only live once and selling the site has probably made him a fortune, and can free him up to do things that wouldn't be possible whilst running a business like this.

Good luck in your future endevours, and thank you for all the tips; they've saved me a fortune at least, and they've made you one too! :T

I don't know about other people but I don't trust MSE as much as I used to. The same with other comparison sites.
I now know a lot more about how these sites work and make money, it's impossible to still be impartial if you get a lot of money from a small number of companies, even with the best intentions in the world. the primary purpose of MSE and other sites is not to provide information, advice etc etc, but to attract enough traffic to make money through people purchasing through links.
The sites could be about anything at all as long as they attract traffic and make money. The tricky thing is when you are supposed to provide advice and be impartial.

Ken68

I still shop around, Terra, not as if the site's recommendations are set in stone.
And I do other frugal sites though this particular one does save me the most money.
It's still down to the consumer, still gotta make things happen yourself.