DVLA Cancel driving test

Happychappy

PINGLEIST wrote: »

We know anyone can throw a sicky but it,s their arrogance and lack of an apology that really grinds. The message just states a letter will be sent with the re-arranged test date, even her instructor had never heard of this happening.

I think you know with the public service how template letters are produced without them being personalised, and quite frankly if the letter had said, It is with the deepest regret I have to cancel..... would it really make any difference, would you still not boil in rage :mad: If the examiner has a long term illness or bereavement etc, how can they give you a new date when they dont know when the staff member is coming back to work and all the other examiners are booked months in advance ? No win situation for them.

How many times have consultant appointments or hospital appointments which you have waited weeks and months for, been cancelled with a new date two months further on. Its just part of lifes rich tapestry and sometimes you just have to get on the phone each day ringing for cancellations.

cajef

kammyk wrote: »

I agree the DVLA are in the wrong.
The DVLA should have an examiner available, Being sick is no excuse!

If the DVLA could produce another examiner that would be clever especially as it is the DSA that do driving tests, so you have never been off work sick, there are only so many examiners just where are they going to produce another one from if there is no one available. :rolleyes:

Pennywise

Amazing isn't it. Anything public sector (or their quangos) and they just don't give a toss about the public. In the private sector, yes, there would be contingency plans for staff being off sick (not to mention the FACT that in the private sector there is less time off sick) - if there wasn't the paying public (who would have a choice!) would go elsewhere and the business wouldn't survive. Just think of all the places where things get cancelled or re-arranged with no regard to the end user - i.e. hospitals, doctors, etc - what's the common factor - public sector/govt quangos. Because there is no choice, as usual, joe public gets a raw deal.

PINGLEIST

We are presuming the examiner has gone sick, just wonder if there are any other reasons such as double booking etc. It would help if they let you know.

My daughter logged onto the DVLA site and found the re-arranged test date is 30th Jan, trying to find an earlier date comes up with the 19th which appens to be a Sat. morning. You would have hoped they might have offered her that one but alas it is the premium weekend rate.

Happychappy

Pingleist

Once a test is booked the examiner cannot be rebooked, the system logs it out, so it wont be a double booking.

You often get a better rate of success by ringing up, I would ring up and ask for cancellations or the earliest time a test is available at whichever test centre, normally ringing around 9.30am to 10am is the best time ?

cajef

Pennywise wrote: »

Amazing isn't it.

Not really its a fact of life. Public or private sector there can only be so many qualified examiners and when due to unforeseen circumstances there is no one available you cannot produce someone you do not have or that is not there.

silvercar

I agree these things happen, often at short notice but refusal to pay compensation is out of order. If a candidate can show that they had booked a pre-test lesson and the instructors car (so effectively a 2 hour lesson) then the DSA should pay the compensation.

cajef

silvercar wrote: »

If a candidate can show that they had booked a pre-test lesson and the instructors car (so effectively a 2 hour lesson) then the DSA should pay the compensation.

I can assure you that has been brought up many times with the DSA by the two main driving instructor associations, but they have always point blank refused to do it.

Edit:- that was when I was an instructor and is to my knowledge still the same, though I could be corrected if it has changed recently.

Mark7799

PINGLEIST wrote: »

We are presuming the examiner has gone sick, just wonder if there are any other reasons such as double booking etc. It would help if they let you know.

I am going back to the 1980's but I had two tests cancelled (this was before anyone had invented 'compensation';) ). The first was cancelled because of a heavy fall of snow making roads impassable - I couldn't have got to the centre myself. The second was cancelled because the examiner I was due to have was involved in an accident while out on a test that morning and had to be taken to hospital.

PINGLEIST

Well, my daughter is quickly learning the UK,s motorists not only pay through their noses but their ears, eyes and any other orifices. Whatever spin you put on it if you cancel a test with less than 24hr notice you lose over £40, if they cancel they lose nothing.

Thanks for all the contributions.