December 2020
Welcome to the MoneyPlus Newsletter.
In last month’s newsletter, we wrote about all the different little things you can do to have a happy and stress-free Christmas, whatever your budget.
Well, this month plays host to both Black Friday and Cyber Monday – two of the biggest shopping events of the year – so now’s the time to put that Christmas budget into action…
Black Friday will look very different this year.
Last year, analysts predicted Brits spent an incredible £2.5billion during Black Friday sales, which has now become one of the biggest shopping days across the globe.
It’s usually coupled with Cyber Monday – a day initially dedicated to smaller, independent retailers. But these days most major retailers like Amazon, Currys PC World and Argos will run discounts from Black Friday right through to Cyber Monday, and sometimes for even longer.
The event is known for having hordes of shoppers clambering over heavily discounted items, but this year most of the action will be taking place online due to a certain global pandemic causing a massive shift in the way we shop.
In essence, high street footfall has drastically dropped, and all non-essential shops will be closed over Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2020.
If you’d rather wait until after lockdown to get your goods in person, you may still be able to snag a bargain, as retailers tend to slash their prices throughout the week rather than just on the day. However, depending on which restrictions will be in place post-lockdown, it’s expected that those shops that do remain open for business will be enforcing strict social distancing policies and limits on the amount of customers allowed in the store at any one time – so it’s a case of first in, best dressed!
Getting a good deal is easy – when you know what to look for.
There may be bigger discounts than usual on certain items to help retailers clear backlogs of stock accumulated during lockdown. But it’s important to remember that not all deals are the best deals, and even if you see a product advertised as its ‘cheapest ever price’, you may be able to find it for less if you shop around.
Plus, many retailers take advantage of days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday to clear out their older, down-market models, usually offering very tempting prices. But taking advantage of a good deal for a bad or lesser product could cost you more in the long run, considering you may have to pay to get the item upgraded, repaired or replaced entirely. Whilst you’ll still be able to get some fantastic deals online, be aware that stock might sell out more quickly, websites may be slower because more people will be shopping virtually, and deliveries may also take longer due to the need for social distancing in the warehouses.
Being vigilant.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the busiest times of year for shopping and online transactions, so you should be on high alert for any potential scams.
The Amazon Prime renewal scam has been doing the rounds lately. This is when an automated call, seemingly from Amazon Prime, tells the receiver that their subscription will be ‘renewed’ for £39.99, and then connected with a fake Account Manager who will attempt to get personal data, such as bank details.
Good to know: Amazon will never contact you in this way, so if you receive this call, hang up immediately. If you do think you may have given sensitive information to scammers, contact your bank straight away.
Top tips.
- Don’t assume that the price you see is automatically the biggest discount.
- Follow retailers you are interested in shopping with on social media, and sign up to their newsletters to see when their latest sales go live (you may even get a discount code for signing up!)
- Look at a company’s delivery costs in advance to make sure there are no surprises at the checkout.
- Some websites will be managing high volumes of traffic, and webpages may take a while to load. Be patient, and try to look around at other websites rather than focusing on one at a time.
- Check the retailer’s returns policy before buying – sale items are often non-refundable.
- When you buy online, you have additional rights under the Consumer Contracts Regulations, which gives you 14 days from the time of delivery to cancel the purchase, even if it’s not faulty (excluding personalised goods, computer software and some hygiene products).
- Look at the price instead of the advertised saving. Big discounts can sometimes be exaggerated to make the deal look better than it really is.
Meet the team.
Rachael Phillips – Head of Compliance
Rachael says: “I’ve been working for MoneyPlus for 15 years now, and as Head of Compliance, I’m passionate about working within a business that truly puts customers and ethical practice at the heart of everything it does.
All of the MoneyPlus entities work collaboratively to make sure customers get the most out of their money and live better. Our Energy and Legal business have grown substantially in 2020, which means we’re able to help a growing number of people throughout the current COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, our financial Advice business is seeing an increase in demand from individuals and families seeking help with financial difficulties – it’s important that everyone in the UK understands help is available for anyone suffering with unmanageable debt.
It’s been extremely positive that the UK financial services regulator, the FCA, have been proactive in supporting individuals by introducing payment deferrals with no impact on credit reference records for high cost short term credit, credit cards, loans and mortgages. These schemes have been invaluable for millions of people and will run until 31 July 2021.
In my role, its crucial to oversee that the business is constantly delivering the best outcomes for customers. From the feedback we receive from our customers every day, it is clear that this is the foundation of what makes MoneyPlus a huge success.”
Review of the month.
We love reading our customer reviews – and showing them off to the world!
This month’s review comes from a very valuable MoneyPlus Legal customer.
Take a look…
In case you didn’t know, every Friday is #FeedbackFriday on our social media, so if you’d like to see more great reviews, head over to our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
If you’d like to leave a review for us, head over to our Reviews.io page – we can’t wait to read it!
Social scene.
We like to keep our followers up-to-date with the latest industry news, advice, and offers, so we highly recommend following our social media channels so you can stay in the know…
We’ve partnered with Bloom & Wild for the whole of 2020 to give 5 of our social followers a monthly chance to win a free bouquet! To be in with a chance to win this month’s bloom, just do the following:
- Like our Facebook page
- Then share our latest Bloom & Wild post with the hashtag #12MonthsOfBloom.
Simple! (Don’t forget to set your shared post to ‘public’, otherwise we won’t be able to see who shares it!)
Winners will be announced at the beginning of next month, so stay tuned to our social to see if you’ve won. (T&C’s apply – https://bit.ly/2uhOyZx).
Here for you.
If your personal circumstances have changed, or if you find yourself struggling to manage your finances, give us a call on 0161 837 4000, or email us at info@moneyplus.com, and we’ll help you find the best solution to get you back on track.
