To think Driving Instructor is being a CF?

[EdinaMonsoon]

DS currently having driving lessons. He took his test a couple of weeks ago and on his way back to test centre was asked to pull over. As he did so he hit the kerb (poor DS - was gutted as was doing really well up until that point but this is a major so instant fail ). Instructor is now asking DS to pay towards damage of wheel. He given a figure of "approx £400". He told DS that it has happened before with another pupil and he was very annoyed that she didn't offer to pay and would therefore like DS to pay this time. My reasons for saying he is a CF are:

1. Surely that's covered by his insurance? My opinion is that when you undertake to teach people to drive you accept the risks of damage to the car and that your insurance is in place to take care of any such damage.

1. He seems to be taking out his annoyance with former pupil on DS. It isn't DS's fault that this has happened before and as it is an expensive repair then driving instructor should think again before having swanky wheels put on a learner car. (Disclaimer: not sure if £400 is expensive for this repair but seems excessive to me).

1. DS has autism and instructor is aware of this. I feel that the instructor should have addressed us in this matter rather than pressuring a vulnerable young adult. DS is still at school and clearly is not going to have a spare £400 laying around so obviously the payment will come from us - and I think instructor would know this.

What say the MN Jury? I'm at work at the moment so apologies if I don't respond immediately to any questions you may have .

costs a hell of a lot less than £400 to get an alloy wheel refurbed if the instructor wants to save his excess and get it repaired himself... CF indeed.

Don't pay a penny, change DI and report him

My mate crashed into a lamppost on her driving test. She didn’t have to pay a penny.

I would ask DI to clarify and if this wasn’t said in jest (I know long shot) find a new DI.

A) £400😂 is that a joke
B) yes he is a very big cf

Like others have said this “driving instructor” 😂 should take a different profession up obviously doesn’t realize that if you have a learner you probably will end up with damage quite frequently.

Also check terms and conditions, might be worth reporting this to I think they are called approved drinking instructors institute something like that.
He is taking the piss. Go to another instructor this one sounds crap
FWIW as one parent to another with a adult child with asd, I don’t tell anyone his issues because I have found people take advantage (money pip for example)

Sounds like he's not just a CF but he's nasty to boot and trying to take advantage of someone who he knows is not likely to argue with him.

As every other pp has said do not pay a penny and get your DS another driving instructor who isn't a knob.

Learner drivers must be hitting the kerb all the time, apart from all the other knocks and scratches they must cause, this is why driving instructors have special driver instruction insurance.

Is it the whole wheel that has to be replaced or just a repair?

Some wheels can be expensive to replace. My DF are on his fairly basic car.

However I wouldn't pay it. It's what his insurance is for!

Tell him to claim on his insurance and find a new instructor.

Report him to the DVSA www.gov.uk/complain-about-a-driving-instructor

Of course the instructor’s insurance should pay for this - he takes a risk every time he teaches a pupil that they will do something potentially damaging. Most of the time he is effectively in charge because of the dual control but on a test he isn’t - presumably there is coverage to this extension of the car’s use. It is much like a hire car - the hirer has collision insurance included or any thing not covered like an excess has to be pointed out to the hirer at the time. Unless the instructor has informed a test candidate that there is a potential excess to pay ( which would add to the nerves of most candidates !) then he can’t retropectively charge him.

He may just have had a point in the case of someone being furious after a failed test and somehow taking it out in his car but this doesn’t sound like that at all.

Don't pay a penny and find a new instructor.

I did similar on a driving lesson. Instructor couldn't have cared less, laughed and got it repaired.

What MotherWol said. No need for any further discussion with him.

DH is a driving instructor and has had his wheels kerbed a few times. I think the most he's paid is £90 to get it repaired. And that was by the company he leases from.

He’s a cf. Don’t pay, I certainly wouldn’t

When our kids learnt to drive their driving instructor had some sort of special sleeve on his alloys so they were protected should someone hit the kerb.

Time for a new instructor

CF!

Of course you don't have to pay! The instructor is covered by special insurance. It's up to the instructor to settle any excess, this is one of the reasons lessons are expensive, to cover such eventualities.

Driving instructor should actually be reported to appropriate regulatory body / trading standards for trying to make a claim in this manner from a pupil.

For a start, there should have been an agreement between instructor / pupil about accidental damage to the car - it’s extremely likely that a driving instructors car will get bumps of scrapes. There must have been something contractual to cover this? Ask for a copy of the documentation.

Also, it is absolutely outrageous to claim £400 for wheel damage. I’ve just had a quote for repair of a wheel on a top of the range Mercedes and it was £85 per wheel, from a main dealer, not some backstreet garage.

So ... it is just not possible that a scraped wheel could cost £400 to repair.

It sounds very much like he is attempting to extort £400 from a pupil, and for this reason you must be able to lodge a formal complaint? Atrocious behaviour.

I did similar on a lesson, curbed it. Instructor just laughed and said oh Ellen you plonker, better not have caused any damage!

Next lesson I handed him a box of sweets and we practiced not doing it again 😂

One of our students clipped a wheel a few months ago, shredding the tyre and chipping the alloy. The cost for repairs was £300.

At no point did we even entertain the idea of charging them. It’s the risk we take with the service we provide. The student was devastated enough as it was, without the added grief of being pressured to fund our repair bill.

Our hourly charge takes into account running costs, fuel, insurance and also ongoing maintenance and repairs. Our clients understand this.

If necessary, I’d find a different instructor to finish your son’s tuition. I wish him well.

Surely this is why lessons are so expensive to cover the high insurance costs.

CF!!!

Agree with above, do not pay and change instructor!!!

...from a vulnerable client

That's terrible!
Of course his car is insured for such incidents, it would have to be if he's a legit instructor. And if he's not then that's his own look out.

I agree - he's trying to extort money from a vulnerable client and that's really wrong.

Do not pay it.

I hit the kerb when I was learning to drive and the tyre was ruined. The instructor was furious. He said it happened about three times a year. I didn't have to pay, but I changed instructor because of his anger. If you can't have patience or understanding for your pupils, especially those with autism, then you are in the wrong job.

Unbelievable!
What a massive CF.
Change now
And he'd expect a young person to have that sort of money along with the cost of lessons and tests??!!

EdinaMonsoon

You're not in Scotland are you?