Anyone booked a driving test recently using a cancellation app?

[CousinGreg55]

My ds used 'Driving test now' app to book his driving test last autumn, the app worked well and found lots of cancellations.
He failed that test and has been trying to rebook his test (he has a test booked in a location a few hours away but is trying to rebook for a nearer test centre).
However the app does not seem to work anymore, I suspect that the app has been blocked in some way.
Has anyone successfully rebooked a test in the last few months? The govt website has literally nothing within two hours of us.

My daughter used it successfully in August?

My DD used Testi but that was in July.

My dd used it in September.
I think it only lets you rearrange it a certain number of times. He hasn't reached that limit has he?

Testi is very good. Updates every other day with slots.

My two DCs used Testi in late 2021 and early 2023 respectively. Would recommend.

I unfortunately gave up with apps and logging on at 6 am and paid the equivalent of a ticket scalper for an earlier test. I booked any random test at any centre and then paid a scalper to swap tests to one at my chosen test centre. I hate to put money in their pockets but I needed to drive last year and its taken so long to learn and be confident.

No he hasnt rearranged at all yet, he hasnt found anything to rebook in several months of using the app.

Yes that's what he has done just booked a random test and was hoping the app would find one in the test centres near us.
Who rearranged your test for you?

Testi it's brilliant. Got my son a cancellation 3 weeks after his failed test

I did a lot of searching the Internet for a genuine reseller who you pay after you get an email confirmation from the dvsa. There are so many scammers about who take peoples cash first and then disappear. I'm in 2 what's app groups where they basically continually list up the tests they have going everyday and you message them when you spot one you want then they book it and you bank transfer afterwards. Although it's not great and I'm adding to the countrywide problem, the fact that if I screw up my test again I won't feel so rubbish afterwards as I know I can get another test again soon.

If you are interested in having a look send me a private message and I'll send you the WhatsApp link. I paid £100 to swap.

Driving test Genie. You have to be patient but have got 2 cancellations through them. They send a text to say they are holding the test and you have 10 mins to reply book and then it’s yours. I prefer to Testi where every single time I get an alert it is gone by the time I click the link.

When I used Testi, I got alerts, but many other people obviously got the same alerts - the slots were never available by the time I got there.

Also, when I try to change my son's test manually via the DVSA website I've noticed there are more anti-bot checks than there used to be, to try and stop companies from auto-booking.

We last got a successful booking 3 weeks ago on the app. I have found that occasionally it switches off and became very vigilant at checking settings once a day. We’re currently on test 7 with the app 🙄 ds took 3 attempts and Dd is test 4 in the new year

Having the same exact problem with driving test now

We used testi.
The dates given were for end of jan but we got a cancellation for next week using Testi.

I wasn’t able to sit my test on Friday because my instructor let me down basically - long story but I’ve been looking into how I can sit it in the new year once I re-sit my theory which is nearly expired. And from what I’ve heard, Testi is the best app to use. The only thing is I’ve been told the push notifications are a bit slow so apparently you should check the app manually.

my instructor gave me the number for someone who will charge me £200 to sit the test within a month 🙄

I hope DVSA can find a solution for this because people shouldn’t have to pay £140 extra to these “brokers” or whatever you want to call them , for a test that’s already plenty expensive enough and has a high fail rate - ie. Many people will need to pay to sit it more than once

Where can we find details for these groups please

Although it's not great and I'm adding to the countrywide problem, the fact that if I screw up my test again I won't feel so rubbish afterwards as I know I can get another test again soon.

Yeah it does make it easier if people don’t have to wait several months for a re-sit. I do understand why people have to do what’s best for them - the same way as some people use private schools, private healthcare etc - so I can’t judge. However I can’t help thinking it is a shame in this country we are moving more and more towards corrupt /developing nation status whereby it’s all about money to be able to achieve basic things - like getting a driving test scheduled in a reasonable amount of time.

And the ones who suffer the most are the ones who can’t afford to pay to skip the (ridiculously long )queue , as they could only just about manage to pay for for lessons and normal priced test. Welcome to Britain in 2023 eh.

This DVSA blog describes what they're doing to try and crack down on the bots and the resellers:
https://despatch.blog.gov.uk/2022/09/22/what-we-are-doing-to-tackle-companies-selling-driving-tests-for-profit/

Yesterday I deleted and reinstalled Driving test Now app and the next day I got a cancellation. So don't know what was going on there because it was set up correctly before.

I think a couple of things really help. One is being able to do the test in your own car, or having an is tectorial who is able to be extremely flexible with you if you get a short notice booking.

The second thing is being test-ready. This is often the case for those who’ve just failed. There are lots of tests available which are within the next 3 days as people can cancel without paying the fee. If you can see a test for tomorrow or in 2 days time and just book it, you often won’t have to wait weeks for a re-test.

This doesn’t really help those looking to book a first test, it for anyone who has failed and needs another, short-notice is the way to go. Oh and the Testi app should show these availabilities. You need to be prepared to put time in at 6am and have yourself in high alert checking your phone constantly.

Oh, and if you need to use your instructor car, if you get a short notice booking via Testi or whatever, as long as it’s 4 days off or more, if the instructor then says they can’t take you, you can also book another further off so you don’t lose the fee. You can move it 6 times.

What is more difficult is getting a sooner first time test, when you’re not sure when you’ll be ready. And if you’ve failed and are not having regular lessons so don’t have an instructor who will prioritise you with short notice and also don’t have your own car to take the test in. All of that makes it more tricky.

What I concluded was (and this might help someone just starting out on driving lessons etc) is that anyone thinking they will get their kid a car when they pass…..do it when they start learning. They can practice in it and it can make getting a test date so much easier. Look for group 1 or 2 insurance cars as this makes the massive difference to insurance for the newly passed. Too many people get a higher insurance group car as they don’t realise the impact for the newly passe, as they only look at Learner insurance which is much cheaper.