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Name: Peter

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Be sure to check every minute detail and be ready for £95 admin fees for changes

The reviews here appear to be consistent with many others on review sites with some common experiences, with no glowing reviews. My daughter took out a policy in March with Ladybird, administered by Fresh insurance. On signing up they asked for the usual documents to be uploaded. - proof of NCB, a scan of her driving license front and back, and the V5c. She did this within 20 minutes and understood that this complied with all the known requirements. No response for a few weeks, so all looks fine, but then it starts. First, they want the DLVA reference for her even though she sent a copy of her license. Sent. Then, a short time later, they ask for the same for both named drivers, me and my wife. Sent. Next communication is that they have not had these (why?). They now, also, want to a scan of all 4 pages of the V5c; they already had all the pages which have any printed details, but not the page which has nothing on it i.e. the back page as it is just DVLA guidance and information if the car is sold. Again sent yesterday. I complained that this keeps going on and that upset them. They got all vindictive, and today they emailed to say that the insurance would be terminated in 7 days unless she pays £95 additional admin fee as the date (taken from the comparison site) that the car was bought (in 2017) was different to the date it was registered in her name. Now, they must have known this from within 20 minutes of the policy having been taken out, in March, so why did they not raise this then? Well, that is an easy one. She had a right to cancel within 14 days, only paying for the insurance used plus an industry busting highest admin fee of apparently £95. Now, having left this for over 2 months, a cancellation will cost many times more – probably around a third of the premium. My real concern with Ladybird is whether they would pay out following a claim, without a big fight. From our experience their approach appears to be one of allowing the customer take out the policy, leaving it a short while (beyond 14 days) and then looking at the minutiae of all documents to see if there is some technicality that gives them the ability charge a £95 admin fee. The more important issue here is whether they would ever pay out on a claim; are customers, who have paid their premiums, actually driving cars that Ladybird/Fresh will say are not covered in the event of a claim? If they dig this deep, to extract further charges from their new customers, I wonder what level of digging they might do if they are faced with a claim of some thousands? They might start looking at wheel trims and headlamp bulbs, higher flow air filters etc to say that the car was defective or modified. Makes me think. If you decide to take out a Ladybird insurance then before you commit, my advice is to send copies of absolutely everything you may to them to confirm approval and that nothing further will be needed before you go ahead, including all V5 pages, License codes for all drivers, proof of address and NCB etc. then get a confirmation they are happy with it all and need nothing further before you go ahead. Then check every detail against what you inserted into their on-line form or the search site and be sure your vehicle has no modifications from the manufacturer’s listed specification e.g. changed alloy wheels, high flow air filter, uprated bulbs. Lastly, if there is any chance you will be moving address or changing your car, remember that not only will you have a £95 admin fee (seems standard for them compared to, say, the £15 Aviva charged us for a change last year) but, in addition, you could well be charged an increased premium or a massive loss of any refund due if you have to cancel. I would seriously look elsewhere if either of these may apply as you will find far, far cheaper and better deals and far better customer service; although the Trustpilot reviews naming many of their customer service representatives would, at the very least, appear to merit a bonus. Hmmm makes you wonder. Reviewed on: 8th May 2019