Let down by driving instructor on test day

[Oakleypaul]

DS has his driving test this morning. His instructor has phoned 10 mins before he’s due to pick him up for his pre test lesson to say his car has a flat tyre so DS is to meet him at the test centre in his own car for the test.

Im furious but keeping calm for DS. Thankfully DH is off work today so he’s quickly going over the under the bonnet stuff with him.

This instructor has also been an hour late on 3 occasions for lessons.

Poor DS.

Well done to your DS, OP!

Congratulations to your ds. Even more of a reason to be proud as he had last-minute obstacles to overcome.
Apologies if this is stating the bleedin’ obvious to you but do remember that he can’t drive his own car immediately after passing unless you’ve changed the insurance from learner driver to his new status as having passed the test.

congrats to your boy! fab news.

Hurray! Great news

Happy motoring!

Great news! Well done to him for passing!

I think the posters saying 'no big deal' have no idea how hard it is to get a driving test and a reliable instructor these days.

Plus if the instructor has been routinely flaky then I too would be a bit hmmm about a 'flat tyre' story.

My son had a mega flaky instructor. She was actually a good teacher but cancelled soooo many lessons and sometimes didn't have availability to rebook for weeks even though we prepaid in blocks of 10. She had 4 kids and I think she didn't have proper childcare in place but would try and nip out and do lessons when he husband was WFH. It was so hard to find an instructor, it just wasn't a case of going elsewhere. I just had a feeling she was going to cancel and she did. 10pm the night before. Luckily I'd booked the day off work so son could do it in my car which he'd had some practice in. He passed too! The bloody cheeky instructor then posted his success on her FB page, giving the impression she was there with him. Grrrr.

Well done to him!

My DS didn't have to insure his car to take the test, the only thing we had to do was ensure he was insured to drive it as a qualified driver afterwards, as he only had learner insurance.

Same for me two tests in instructors car failed, passed in my own - good luck to your DS

Congratulations to your son. I know how stressy the test day is so to have added complications thrown in is a nightmare.
Hope the people posting nasty comments never have to look for support from strangers with their attitude they don’t deserve it.

My dd had to take her test in our car last minute as the instructor’s car she'd mainly learnt on (apart from practising in ours between lessons) was written off by another learner in a really bad crash just the day before.
Obviously, given those awful circumstances, we could hardly complain but she passed anyway (and luckily we had the extra mirrors etc already and insurance good to go if needed).

Ahhh well-done to your son !!!
Hopefully u haven't paid driving instructor anything today what a dip shit !!

The instructor doesn't need to go along if you aren't using his car. Now that, I assume, he has, he will of course expect payment for his time ...

Congrats to your DS OP. I had a similar thing with my driving test (back in 1989!) My driving instructor turned up with a completely different car to the one I'd been learning on. It was a lot bigger, a few controls were different places, the clutch control was a lot clunkier. I was already nervous and this almost toppled me over the edge. I still passed but it was not a nice experience at all and I still think of it sometimes.

Well done to your DS!

Excellent News.
Many years of safe motoring ahead,

Yay - glad he passed! Good luck to @Italiangreyhound's son too.

……meanwhile in the real world!

Its not always standard in learner policies. Small print needs to be checked!

Congratulations to your DS. Obviously a stressful morning, but unfortunately many things can have a last minute emergency.

DD found out about 9pm evening before she couldn't use her driving instrtuctor's car (very close family member died in accident). She'd never driven our car, so had a crash course dropping DH off at work, in order to use it for her 8am test - it was filthy! She'd already failed three times. It was pelting hailstones (after morning frost) and I was worried as they were really late getting back. Traffic very busy and she just couldn't get onto roundabouts/out at junctions. Instructor said because she'd taken ages getting out, she could have failed her for hesitation, but the instructor turned around and said she wouldn't have pulled out either, so passed her!

DD failed at uni, then had to return home to find she had an unreliable instructor, then took ages to find another. Worth it in the end.

Meanwhile in the real world...mum is complaining that DS has to use the car in his driving test that, should he have passed, would be using the same car to do his immediate future driving in

🙄

Came back for an update.
Congratulations to your DS! Clearly coped well with the added pressure - great start!

If he's doing the test in his own car then why does he need the meet the instructor there?

What’s that got to do with anything?

Well you were 'furious' that DS had to use his own car for the test. When in reality that is an ideal setup as it's best indicator he safe to drive on public roads. So it seems odd that you would be furious.

He’s had his own car for one week, he hasn’t learnt in it, he hasn’t practiced manovers in it, he hasn’t learnt how to use the dashboard, he hasn’t learnt what’s what under the bonnet, we weren’t prepared for him to take his test in it-see previous posts re car cleanliness, condition, 2nd mirror. Had DH not had today off work he wouldn’t have had anyone to take him to his test, DH is actually off work ill. Think I had every right to be feeling angry about a situation when it’s taken a huge amount of money and effort to get to this point. If he’d failed it he wouldn’t have had a 3 month wait to resit his test.