Warning! Accused of leaving driver awareness course early! You can avoid this! Use this simple tip

WEASELL

Okell said:

@WEASELL -  when you did the Dorset course didn't you get the same or a similar set of instructions and warnings as I did before I booked and completed the NDORS course?

When I did my course we were all visible to each other on screen (there were only about 6 of us), the course leader could see us all the time, and we could all talk as required to answer questions and make comments etc.  It would have been immediately obvious to all the course participants if anybody was not engaging with the course appropriately.

Was your course not arranged like that?  If you weren't visible to the course leader all the time, how would he know you were participating throughout all of the course?

And when you say you used the "chat" facility, were you actually speaking to the course leader and others, or were you just typing on keyboard?  I'm not sure what you mean.

I'm not convinced that you starting the course sitting in a car and then moving the car seat outside so you could sit next to the wall would have satisifed my course requirements to be alone in a private room.  I don't know what problems you experienced but I'm not terribly surprised that they don't think you successfully completed the course to their satisfaction, or that perhaps you didn't appear to be taking it seriously.

The only argument I think you have is that if you were not warned by the course leader during the course that you were in danger of being failed, then you weren't given a fair opportunity to try to retrieve the situation.  But apart from that... [shrugs shoulders...]

The other thing I'd say - and advise anybody esle doing a course - try to do it on a laptop where you have a thoroughly reliable internet connection and make sure you've tested the video and audio beforehand.  We were given instructions about thow to do that.

Also get a course booked ASAP so that if you do experience difficulties you give yourself sufficient time to rebook.  I'd completed my course within a month of my wife (the RK) getting the original NIP

Thank you.
Apologies for the delay getting back.
I took the first line of your advice, and looked for the instruction sheet but had thrown it away. So on the 16th November applied for the information from Dorset Police.
It hasn’t arrived (shocker)
On the same day I was told that I would receive a call from a manger or the tutor.
They never called.
I have put in an official complaint.

WEASELL

caprikid1 said:

Unfortunately as I have already stated, the horse has bolted and in hindsight you should have attended a course in person. You did not have the facilities or personal ability to show the required level of participation. 

Should you have been warned during ? Possibly but that may have happened and you missed it when you lost connection / were not paying attention.

The only option you really have at this point is to beg forgiveness and see if they will allow you to book a face to face course.

If you have already send lots of legalese correspondence than I suspect your pleas will be ignored.

I appreciate your frustration but I have been on 3 of these course (Long Story) and I would have expected you to fail too.

Yours Simon Habitual speeder (-:

Thank you.
Your post was useful as your sign off made me do more searching on the web.
I found the web site ‘ Dorset speed’ on Facebook and now realise the lack of integrity I was up against.

WEASELL

So just an update. 

A couple of evenings ago I received from the police. The person was very professional and a great listener.

It wasn’t my finest moment. I had just finished 4 x 12 hour night shifts in a row and just consumed an alcoholic drink ( just the one, thank the lord)!

My brain felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool and all my claims of remembering every moment of the course evaporated, as I realised it was only the bits that had really interested me that I recalled.

Anyway the person was very patient and I managed to recall enough for them to realise I was there. But when they put the phone down they must have thought 

‘ I have just spoken to the most stupid person on the planet ‘!

Anyway they investigated and phoned back to today to say I would not get the fine or points, so I am very happy about that. 

I just wanted to to say a big thank you to all the people who gave up their time to give advice and support.

Okell

Did you ask them why they believed you had not completed the course satisfactorily?