MoneySupermarket is one of the largest and best known UK comparison sites and provides comparisons for insurance, financial products, travel, mobile phones, broadband and energy.
On the energy side, they work with around 20 suppliers including most of the big names including Eon, SSE and EDF. Their website suggests that on average, their customers can save up to £250 on their energy bills simply by switching suppliers.
MoneySuperMarket Energy Reviews
- reevoo: 9.0 out of 10 based on 8,483 reviews
- Trustpilot: 2.2 out of 10 based on 111 reviews
- Review Centre: 4.5 out of 5 based on 1,175 reviews
On their website, Moneysupermarket highlight their reviews via the Reevoo site. The rating at the time of writing was 9.0 out of 10, with the best marks coming from the ease of use of the site and is based on just over 8,400 reviews.
Positive reviews commented on the ease of use of the website and the polite staff. Negative reviews listed a lack of communication and in one case annoyance at a scripted energy review, when this was not needed.
However, when looking at reviews on Trustpilot, the scores are much lower at just 2.2 out of 10 – a score that sees them branded as “bad”. This is for mixed comparisons however and is not related solely to energy switching.
The poor reviews relate to cold calling following details being left on the site (this is refuted by the team who say details are never passed on) and one customer who felt that they got a worse deal than the company they had left.
On Review Centre the comparison site fares better, with 4.5 out of 5 and 93% of users recommending the service when it comes to customer service, quality of website and value for money.
One negative review relates to the advertising, rather than the switching service and positive reviews mention saving money and the speed of the service.
MoneySuperMarket Energy Switching Service
The switching service through Moneysupermarket is very straightforward. They ask for a postcode and information from your latest energy bill.
If this is isn’t possible, an indication of energy use is asked for. The customer then receives a breakdown of the best energy companies and the possible savings that could be made.
Customers who choose to go ahead are able to let the comparison site do all the work on their behalf including telling their old supplier.
The Money Supermarket website is very comprehensive with detailed information on the energy market for their customers. This includes guides and tips on energy saving and the switching process, an energy forum, a section on the latest news from the energy sector, reviews of the suppliers they work with and details about how the site works and how they make money.
The latter indicates that they only get paid a fee if the switch takes place or in some cases if the comparison sites helps a supplier to retain their customer.
They point out that they compare using the entire market, but that not all suppliers allow them to manage the switch – meaning the customer must visit the supplier directly.
As well as standard energy company switching, Moneysupermarket offer information regarding business energy services, boiler cover, renewable energy and prepayment meters.
The advertising strategy of the company has long been a “love them or hate them” feature. The catchphrase “so Moneysupermarket” has been widely used and one ad featuring a “twerking” man dressed in a business suit was the most complained about advert in 2015.
It was not judged offensive by the ASA, however it was thought to be “distasteful”.
MoneySuperMarket Background & History
Moneysupermarket began life as a mortgage listings company in 1993 and launched its first website. In 2000, Travelsupermarket was launched to allow customers to compare flights and travel products and the offerings were expanded in 2004 to include credit cards and personal loans.
In 2007 it was listed on the FTSE 250 and in 2009 they opened a London office and hired a digital marketing team. From that point the group expanded to become one of the biggest consumer finance websites in the country.
In 2015, the consumer finance expert Martin Lewis from MoneySavingExpert took on the role of Executive Chairman and a new Car and Home insurance platform was rolled out.
At this point the group had three main platforms: Moneysupermarket.com, Travelsupermarket.com and MoneySavingExpert.com.
A service to offer credit score checking was also launched. Finally in 2016 the app MSM Go was launched to allow customers to switch wherever they are, using their mobile devices.
MoneySuperMarket in the News
The media presence of Moneysupermarket has been boosted by the collaboration with MoneySavingExpert who regularly release press releases relating to the energy market. Martin Lewis is also quoted in the media regarding all consumer finance issues.
The Moneysupermarket team are often quoted in energy related stories such as this one in the FT, which discusses the merits of the proposed price cap on energy bills and the fact that improvements to bills may not be felt for some time.
However back in July 2017, the company was shown to have experienced a slowdown in energy supplier switching in a number of news media outlets including this, once again in the FT. Here they blame a lack of promotions from the Big Six which affected the profits of the comparison site.
Summary
MoneySuperMarket has a slick, simple website to compare with it’s rivals, however it is comprehensive and its relationship with the consumer site MoneySavingExpert gives it a down to earth feel.
Overall, it has good feedback with some issues regarding communication, however this is offset by the overwhelming majority who appear to find the site easy to use.
Website: https://www.moneysupermarket.com/gas-and-electricity/