BSM Driving School

misscutiepie1984

I recently booked my first driving lesson with BSM through my local branch in Reading. A few days later i received written confirmation of my appointment together with details of my instructor. At no point from the time of the telephone booking right up until arrival of my instructor was i given any other information as to any preperations i might need to make pre first lesson, or any documents that i might need to produce.

On the day of my first lesson i received a courtesy message on my answerphone ( i was at work during the morning) from my instructor basically just introducing themselves and confirming the time of my lesson. No more no less.

Upon meeting my instructor for the first time i was asked for my provisional license and promptly produced my photo ID card. I was then asked for the paper counterpart which although i possessed, i really hadn't the faintest idea where. I applied for my provisional several years ago and have only just mustered up the courage and finances to arrange my first lesson. I have never been asked for the paper counterpart since it was secreted away several years ago. In fact, i had all but forgotten about this part of the license.

I had a cursory look through my files whilst my instructor waited patiently outside but 10 mins later my efforts were to no avail. My instructor advised that the lesson would not be able to take placve due to the insurance reasons and that my 2 hour lesson would be forfeited at the cost of £55 apx.

I realise i should have kept the paper counterpart somewhere more accessible but as i mentioned i had completely forgotten about its existence. I have used my photo ID license for ID purposes several times and not once been asked for the paper - counterpart to back it up.

Having spoken to the manager at my local branch i was advised that my instructor apparently left a message on my answerphone, one week before my lesson, advising what i would need to bring to the first lesson. However i never received any such message. If i had of done clearly it would have been in my interests to follow the information - what would i have to gain by ignoring it? it makes no sense.

Why should i have to bare the £55 cost of a 2 hour lesson due to an administrative error on behalf of my instructor. Besides, i would have thought it standard practice for the countries largest driving school to send new pupils a starter pack explaining everything that needs to be arranged prior to the first practical lesson - is that unreasonable?

I am currently waiting for a callback from either the manager of the shop or my instructor as i am disputing the assertion that a message was left on my phone a week before my lesson.

Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

kind regard

Cutie x

misscutiepie1984

Nobody?????

cajef

Having worked for BSM in the dim and distant past and also as an independent driving instructor it is normal practise to charge for lessons that are cancelled at short notice or through no fault of the instructor, basically the loss of his fee means loss of earnings which is his livelihood.

However in this case I can sympathise as there does seem to have been a lack of communication, they don't send out a starter pack but you should have been fully informed what was required for your theory test, driving test and first lesson.

Had you bothered to read your licence counterpart when you got it you would have read at the very top that the driving licence consists of two parts the photocard and paper counterpart which should be kept together and make up the complete licence and both must be produced when required, they have to be checked by the instructor before any lessons can commence in case of any endorsements or possible driving bans.

I would advise you to persevere and insist you speak to the manager as he most certainly has the authority to refund the fees but in this case they may decide the fault is yours.

HC_2

I have one of the older licences, but I thought it was common knowledge that you need to produce both parts of the modern one these days for formal purposes.

Not that that helps you, Cutie. However, is there nothing in the BSM T&C that states you must produce both parts of your driving licence before your first lesson? If not, I would persevere with your dispute.

uktim29

misscutiepie1984 wrote: »

Why should i have to bare the £55 cost of a 2 hour lesson due to an administrative error on behalf of my instructor

Wouldn't the administrative error be yours not being able to locate part of a document essential for driving? The fact you forgot it exists is your error as well (although not deliberate), you can't blame him for that.

Sssssss

form your post it seems you knew you'd need certain paperwork, why didn't you just ring them and ask before the 1st lesson.

misscutiepie1984

cajef wrote: »

Had you bothered to read your licence counterpart when you got it

Indeed that is exactly what I did...7 years ago when I applied for and obtained my provisional license. I had no intention of learning to drive back then and only acquired the license as, in the absence of national identity cards, the drivers license has become the de facto standard form of identification and as such an invaluable article in terms of opening bank account/credit cards etc..

The paper counterpart was very well tucked away in fact too well tucked away. However, after seven years and not one financial instution requesting the paper counterpart I don't believe it is entirely unreasonable to expect the memory to fade.

BSM have already conceded that there has been a fundamental breach of their terms and conditions and that I should have been forwarned as to what would be required prior to my first lesson. I believe as a gesture of good will and in order to secure potentially several hundred pounds worth additional tuition fees, BSM should refund the fees for the aborted lessons on this occasion. I acknowledge we were jointly culpable for the missed lessons however as one of the largest driving tuition agencies in the UK they are in a stonger position to bare the loss.

At any rate, If the decision does not go in my favour I will have the remaining pre-booked lessons refunded back my bank account and pursue the outstanding fees, seeking legal redress in the County Court invoking the small claims procedure.

I would like to thank all the particpants of this thread for their contributions.

uktim29

Do you really need someone to tell you you need a Driving licence to drive!

ceebeeby

uktim29 wrote: »

Do you really need someone to tell you you need a Driving licence to drive!

????? And that's helpful, how

OP already said (s)he took out the card part of his DL, but wasn't aware both parts were needed, and expected guidance from BSM.

misscutiepie1984

ceebeeby wrote: »

????? And that's helpful, how

OP already said (s)he took out the card part of his DL, but wasn't aware both parts were needed, and expected guidance from BSM.

Thanks ceebeeby - At least someone remembers the ethics behind MSE of being nice to people!!

This seems to be lost on uktim29

taxiphil

misscutiepie1984 wrote: »

This seems to be lost on uktim29

Don't worry about him, he's just a troll. Have a look through his previous posts - he does this to everyone who posts on here.

I have a bit of info which might help you out here in your attempts to get a refund.

The same thing happened to me when I was hiring a car and didn't have my counterpart with me. The car hire firm said there was a dedicated DVLA "driver check" phone line which was set up for this very scenario, i.e. to confirm to a third party that the driver is legit if they don't have their counterpart with them.

The guy on the desk called the number, the DVLA then asked to speak to me to confirm my identity, and to get my permission to give details about my licence to the car hire company. I then handed the phone back to the guy on the desk and the DVLA told him I was clean and gave him a reference number as confirmation.

Whole thing took a couple of minutes. The car hire company did charge me a fee (£5 I think it was) as they said it was a premium rate phone number, but I was happy to pay this in the circumstances.

Now I can't see why a large company like BSM, who are supposed to know a thing or two about driving licences, didn't know about this service. Surely this can't be the first time this scenario has happened to a company of that size - in fact it must be very common.

Even if the instructor didn't have a mobile phone with him, or wasn't willing to use it for a premium rate call, he could have given you the option to let him use the landline in your house to use the service.

I would raise this point in your battle for a refund, as I think a company of BSM's size and supposed expertise should have known about, and told you about, this service, thus making your heavy financial loss entirely avoidable.