Driving Test No Show - By the DSA

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Mon 16 Apr 2012 21:24
Driving Test No Show - By the DSA - fredthefifth

After a double driving lesson my daughter turned up at the test centre this morning for her appointment to find the place closed. Eventually staff turned up but they had no knowledge of the appointment and apparently the tester would not have been able to do the appointed route anyway (not sure about the last bit but was something like that)

Daughter was given a complaint number to ring and sent on her way. The rest has been a story of stone walling civil servants and a total lack of real appreciation of the impact on my daughter who is doing her PGCE and can only fit tests in during school holidays and of the financial consequnces of further lessons etc. Basically except for initiating a process for getting her test fee back she has got nowhere.

Anyone any views on how they would go about this - that are legal !!??

Thanks.

FTF

Edited by Avant on 18/04/2012 at 15:36

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Mon 16 Apr 2012 23:36
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - tony g
Didn't your daughter receive some form of written notice confirming the date and time of her test ?
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Tue 17 Apr 2012 01:03
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - jamie745

I believe they send the candidate an email clearly stating the time, location and date of the test.

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Tue 17 Apr 2012 01:40
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - Auristocrat

As with all Government Departments, DSA have a clear complaints procedure whcih is detailed here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/dsa/dsa-service-standards/dsa-complaints-procedure/

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Tue 17 Apr 2012 06:10
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - 1litregolfeater

Hoops and hurdles. how they must laugh at us.

My own normally rigorous son turned up for his theory test without a letter these freaks deemed indispensible.

They laughed him down the stairs into the hall and outside.

£30 more for the public purse, without a jot of work, how they laughed.

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Tue 17 Apr 2012 09:50
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - Chris M

There's a lot of fraud going on with theory tests and it's made very clear what ID candidates need to take with them.

My wife works in a bank and she is amazed that customers get annoyed when they come to the counter to make a withdrawal with no ID whatsoever. They can't comprehend that the bank is looking after their money and won't just give it out because Mr Smith says he's Mr Smith.

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Tue 17 Apr 2012 09:58
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - RT

There's a lot of fraud going on with theory tests and it's made very clear what ID candidates need to take with them.

My wife works in a bank and she is amazed that customers get annoyed when they come to the counter to make a withdrawal with no ID whatsoever. They can't comprehend that the bank is looking after their money and won't just give it out because Mr Smith says he's Mr Smith.

The problem in the UK is that we we have no national identity card - there are a significant number of people, me included, who have no passport because we don't go abroad, no photo driving licence because we're old enough to have a paper licence or don't drive.

It's getting increasingly difficult to comply with ID requirements especially when so many accounts are urging us to go paperless for statements.

I now can't legally get number plates made up because I can't supply utility bills to support my paper licence - it's a big brother ridiculous farce.

And yes I do get very angry if I can't access MY own money because of some ill-thought out bureaucratic ruling!

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Tue 17 Apr 2012 10:06
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - fredthefifth

Hi All, she had the email and the letter and had paid for a driving lesson before the test. She turned up for what was supposed to be a first appointment for the centre to find it closed. They waited and the next phase of tests went ahead but she was not on the system and didn't get tested. Trouble is kids build themselves up for this and there was absolutely no recognition of that or that they were at fault, they just gave her a customer services phone number to ring and they hid behind a process and a web site that would take weeks if not longer and lost completely any opportunity to quickly repair the damage.

We always say that to err is human its how you recover that matters. Well this lot have failed to recover in spectacular fashion. Customer services were a joke!

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Tue 17 Apr 2012 10:24
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - unthrottled

The problem in the UK is that we we have no national identity card - there are a significant number of people, me included, who have no passport because we don't go abroad,

Then get a passport for ID purposes! The last thing we need is more government ID. The mandarins will have an orgasm of excitement at the prospect of setting up a whole new department of beaurocracy and the associated expense.

How did we get on to ID anyway? As I understand it, there was no ambiguity regarding the identity of the non show!

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Tue 17 Apr 2012 10:29
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - RT

The problem in the UK is that we we have no national identity card - there are a significant number of people, me included, who have no passport because we don't go abroad,

Then get a passport for ID purposes! The last thing we need is more government ID. The mandarins will have an orgasm of excitement at the prospect of setting up a whole new department of beaurocracy and the associated expense.

How did we get on to ID anyway? As I understand it, there was no ambiguity regarding the identity of the non show!

£80 every 10 years ??? You must be joking

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Wed 18 Apr 2012 10:54
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - Oilyman

£80 every 10 years ??? You must be joking

Do you believe a national ID card would cheaper than this?

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Wed 18 Apr 2012 11:04
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - RT

£80 every 10 years ??? You must be joking

Do you believe a national ID card would cheaper than this?

If it's compulsory it would have to be free.

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Tue 17 Apr 2012 13:56
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - Chris M

"How did we get on to ID anyway? As I understand it, there was no ambiguity regarding the identity of the non show!"

The DSA wants the test appointment confirmation letter and both parts of the driving licence as proof that you are the person you say you are. The test centre won't have know the OP's daughter from Eve.

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Tue 17 Apr 2012 10:40
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - focussed

Here is a link to the claim form that your daughter should fill in to reclaim out of pocket expenses relating to a cancelled drving test.

This is a common problem with the Driving Standards Agency-their customer service record is abysmal.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_196447.pdf

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Tue 17 Apr 2012 21:27
Dring Test No Show - By the DSA - fredthefifth

Thanks focussed, have passed it on.

She's been given another date but she will need to pay her instructor for another lesson and the use of the car again. See how it goes!

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