Is MSE Ethical?

JerryW

Yes and no.. let me explain:

I've been getting MSE emails for a year or two now and I have found them interesting and occasionally, useful. A number of forum threads have also provided useful information. And I have used the utilities cheap energy club to switch electricity supplier. So I do think the site is beneficial to many and it has saved me money

It is an extremely profitable business, it appears, but I have nothing to suggest it is not earning its money honestly.

No, my worry relates to some of the specific suggestions it makes, which to me seem morally reprehensible. Quite often I see something that just doesn't seem right to me .. almost a swindle, really. Swapping loans around so you never pay any interest .. taking out insurance and being paid to do it .. pay 1p on a credit card and they are responsible for the whole purchase .. keep moving bank accounts to grab the introductory offers .. I suppose I should have kept a list, been more specific, but I haven't. Next time I see something I will post details here.

Does anyone else have any qualms, or is it just me? I'm sure everything they propose is legal, but is it right? We complain about things like MPs claiming for duck islands, light bulbs etc, but isn't that just the same? Legal but immoral?

SailorSam

It's very probable that when these companies offer 'carrots' to new customers, they know some will come along grab the offer, then run. But they'll hope enough new customers will not bother to change when a better offer comes along from a competitor , but stay with them.
All Mse is doing is, advising what the latest 'carrots' are.

baby_lemonade

It's for the benefit of 'grabby' people.. which most of us are not.

Biggles

I'm not really sure what the question is. A bit like the EU head of Google when that daft bat Margaret Hodge asked him if avoiding tax perfectly legally, as he was doing, was 'immoral'.

I'm sure that, if these companies are making me these offers, it must be moral/ethical for me to accept them. Though I don't really mind whether it is or not.

redux

13500 * .02124 + 365 * .20642 = ?

Why does MSE's comparison tool show this as £427?

This gas unit price is about 80% of that on the recent MSE CEC deal, by the way.

Is MSE being dishonest in showing this best tariff way down the comparison list? Probably not; I think they just haven't realised their calculation has misrepresented it. But their cheaper than the cheapest slogan is yet again false.