MSE junk recommendations

Doubleshotdamo

It seems that MSE are promoting some really junk savings accounts at the moment. Who checks these out before recommending them? 
I applied for a BLME one year fixed via Flagstone. Website said 48 hours and account would be open. 72 hours later I emailed Flagstone to chase them up, nothing. I emailed again the following day, nothing. I then got an email asking for a screenshot of my linked account as they could not recognise it. I sent this off. 
Two days later, nothing. I called and was put on hold. Eventually, I was told the account was now open, but the product interest rate had dropped slightly. I asked for the account to be closed. Amazingly, this was done immediately and an email received minutes later. Obviously didn't want my money. 

Next, Oxbury bank, fixed rate for 12 months. Account opened in minutes. Went to transfer the money to find my savings account won't allow me to, looks like it needs to be from a current account. No problem, I'll phone Oxbury. Perhaps I won't, no phone number anywhere! Emailed through the app to ask if they can amend the funding account, no reply.
Absolute pile of trash. Things just don't work anymore. All this tech, but customer service is gone.
Pity really. 

eskbanker

Doubleshotdamo said:

It seems that MSE are promoting some really junk savings accounts at the moment. Who checks these out before recommending them?

See foot of each page:

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service.

masonic

You're mistaking a table of the best rates for a recommendation. Those offering the best rates often do not have the best customer service, so if that's important to you, it might be better to stick to providers you've heard of who can fund excellent customer service by paying a more modest interest rate.

BLME are great if you go direct.

london21

MSE can post based on the rates offered but they can't guarantee the customer service of each of the companies. 

Aretnap

london21 said:

MSE can post based on the rates offered but they can't guarantee the customer service of each of the companies. 

And realistically they couldn't, even if they were inclined to. Yes I suppose in theory someone from MSE could open an account and ring the customer service line and report that the app worked smoothly and that the phone call was answered quickly. It would still be no guarantee that someone using the app on a different phone or calling customer service at a different time of day would have the same experience.

Rudyson

eskbanker said:

Doubleshotdamo said:

It seems that MSE are promoting some really junk savings accounts at the moment. Who checks these out before recommending them?

See foot of each page:

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service.

This is true, but to be fair to the OP, the savings article does say "What we'd go for" and sometimes things like "Our top pick"

Doubleshotdamo

"What we'd go for" 

eskbanker

What we'd go for because we're more interested in rates than service....

masonic

Doubleshotdamo said:

"What we'd go for" 

Personal finance is one area where blindly copying others without consideration for your own circumstances is a recipe for disaster. Many people will have opened one of these accounts without issue. That said, no application process is foolproof and there will always be a small number of customers who get themselves into difficulties. It is typical that a new savings account will be linked to a specific current account and not uncommon for incoming payments to be restricted to that account also. This will generally be picked up if the pre-contract information and/or T&Cs are read.

You may find https://moneyfacts.co.uk/savings-accounts/ a better place to look, as this will indicate which accounts can be opened/managed by telephone, which will give you more assurance that you can get help with your application if needed.