If you are trying to save up for something special, a new piece of jewellery perhaps, a wedding, or an extravagant gift, then you may be in need of some savings advice. A new survey from Which? has revealed five reasons why people do and don't switch savings accounts.

Seeing as most savings accounts are only really attractive for one to five years because of fees, diminishing interest rates and worsening service, switching accounts regularly is a good idea and will make your savings work a lot harder for you. However, there are obvious reasons why people don't switch.

According to the survey, 40% of respondents believe that not one single financial institution will offer them a good deal. Which, to be fair, is quite understandable in today's economic market. Many consumers blame banks for the recession and then saw many of them receive huge government bailouts, which of course, was tax payers money. However, there are plenty of savings accounts that will make you money. Some banks are offering rates of up to 2.8% on standard accounts, with fixed rates bonds approaching 4%.

However, if you don't switch regularly many of these rates drop down to a measly 0.1% after a certain period of time, quite often just one year on.

The second reason is largely as a result of laziness, or if we are nicer, people's hectic schedules. According to Which? 35% of consumers haven't gotten around to finding a new savings account. This is probably because of the choice on offer. There are so many different types of savings accounts from ISAs to bonds to instant access, even current accounts are offering 5% interest at some banks.

Confusion is a major problem. 22% of consumers say they didn't see the point of switching because they had two savings accounts anyway. While this has many advantages, it also has some major disadvantages. Firstly, by splitting your cash, you will have two small pots instead of one large one. You will get a better interest rate the larger the sum of money you deposit. But also, you can lose track of what is going on with each account.

Many consumers believe all banks offer bad service as they are just out to make money. But according to Which? ratings, some offer far better service than others.

For those 14% that can't be bothered, take note. 81% of consumers got a better rate from switching and 20% achieved a most consistent rate. So it is worth switching if you want to see you savings increase faster, making that new necklace more accessible.

Santander offer a range of savings options to help you save for something special