Driving instructor changed test days without my explicit permission

[Workworld]

Test booked for the end of week. We've both had covid one after the other which has meant no lessons for the past three weeks.
He suggested I push the date of my test back. I was hesitant as have already been waiting so long to get this far. But I took on his advice and I agreed to see if he could find an August date, (the earlier the better as I really wanted a shot at being passed for just a little bit of the summer hols) and change to that.

Email came through this morning saying its been changed to mid September.

I know test dates are like absolute gold dust at the moment. But I didn't agree to a September date. Had I known that was the earliest he could get, I'd have been half tempted to test at the end of week. I would have gone out practice driving 24/7 this week (I have my own car) and giving my all. I know he wouldn't have agreed that I was ready, but that should have been my decision to make ultimately.

I'm just gutted to have missed the summer. I'm so disappointed and needed to vent. I've been working towards this for two years due to damn covid. I feel like I'm never gonna get there. The MOT on my car is now due before I'll even be able to legally flipping drive it myself.

I think you have to trust your instructor on this one. He obviously didn't think you were ready for the test this week and I suspect that was the soonest next date he could get. Focus on this date now and hopefully you will pass first time.

Agree with @ApolloandDaphne

If he had consulted you the date would have gone.

The discretion of booking a test is your instructors. Yes he should have consulted you with dates but if you're not ready for the test then he is within his rights to cancel your booking (assuming you are using your instructors car).

Yes you are right. I do need to trust him. I value his advice and expertise and pay him a lot for it Thank you for reminding me of this.

True. The September date was a lucky one. Nothing else until January around here.

Sorry this reply was meant for @ApolloandDaphne

I'm not so sure about this. I thinks that's incorrect. I can test in my own car. The slot is mine. I pay for it and book it. If he isn't available or willing, nothing to stop me going without him and testing in my own car.

there Is an app which you can use to access cancellation dates if something comes up sooner. But you’ll possibly pay twice in that case.

I'm going to go a little against the grain here. Do you think you are ready? Genuinely? How many pointers have you been needing in the Last few lessons ?

It would be nice to think he can be trusted bit we can't forget that he's gonna get a few more quid out of the next few weeks.

But September isn't that far away akd if you didn't pass you may have well had ti wait much longer..

I think if you really felt ready you'd have taken the test at the end if the week though.

I thought you needed dual controls in the car you test in, a and I'm assuming yours doesn't, so you would need him to agree or another appropriate car, but he shouldn't unilaterally be cancelling your test because it's your slot not his.

You don't want a driving test after no lessons for 3 weeks.

What does whoever would have taken you out in your own car think?

You don't need dual controls for the test.

I think your instructor was in the right tbh, If you had failed you would have been waiting months for a new test, best to get it right first time than waste time and money failing a test becuase you havent had lessons in 3 weeks

Download and pay for Testi app or Driving Test Now to get a cancellation in August, especially if you're using your own car

I can see you're dissapointed. But if you felt that strongly about testing sooner rather than later you should have conveyed that to your instructor when he mentioned it.

I did!

Just came across this thread of mine in my watching list. Thought I'd update.

My test was pushed even further back than the September date in my original post. We were a week away from it and I still didn't feel confident. My driving instructor agreed and advised one more month practising. And he kindly and very generously stopped charging me for lessons. He gave me a month free to get me test ready.

Soonest after the original September date at this point was 4th November, we booked it, went for it and...I passed. Couldn't believe it. I never was ready back in July. I got over missing out driving for the summer and am making lots of plans for this summer.

Sounds like a really good instructor. Well done on passing your test 👏👏👏👏👏

Glad it all worked out in the end