No availability for driving test slots in SE London but being sold for I’ve £200 how ?

[Neapolitanicecream]

No availability for driving test slots but being sold for over £200 how are they doing it ? Slough and Uxbridge? Trying book since Jan managed to get 2 weeks again but failed need to book another before theory runs !

I don't know the rules but it sounds as if someone has test slots and is trying to cash in (the .gov website says "unofficial sites may charge more" so presumably it's allowed).

At that price, you'd be better off waiting till you get a £75 one and re-taking the theory test if necessary.

Sign up for speedytests.co.uk. You pay them something like £20 and as soon as somebody cancels their test, they automatically book you into it. It’s the only way anybody I know has been able to do tests recently as they book up 6 months in advance here. So costs an extra £20 but saves you the cost/time of doing another theory.

Book a test anywhere in the country. Then down load an app for driving test applications (ds has Testi which his flat are recommended and I've seen recommended it elsewhere: the paid for version) to bring it forward to a location closer to you.

They have computer programmes constantly scanning the booking site and then booking anything that fits the criteria. Every single test that needs to be done has the same problem, if you look up Life in the U.K. or CITB tests there are similar sites that book for you for a higher fee than you would pay if you book direct.

Slough and Uxbridge aren't SE London?

Anyway, DS passed recently in Slough using one of those sniper websites to wgt his test booked. Still had to wait 10 weeks or so but it's done now.

The apps and websites that book for you for a fee are quite rightly being shut down and the DVSA are blocking the bots they use to hoover up all the test slots. People shouldn't have to use them, the fact that they exist is making it harder for people (doing it the right way) to book.

Download the Testi app. It costs 12.99 for premium service and continually searches and alerts you when cancellations come up.
For some reason instructors seem to be able to block book tests then cancel any they don’t require at the last minute. Fridays are the best day to pick up a test for the following week.
You need to book an initial test ( doesn’t matter when) then load up details and the app does the rest. You can enter up to 5 test centres to monitor and you can change your test up to six times.
It took me less than 24 hrs to change DS’s original test booked in Sept this year to June.
Because it works through the actual test site it also won’t let you book invalid tests ( you have to wait 10 working days until you can rebook) .
I’m hoping to get one for next weekend.

It's ridiculous it's taken this long. I tried to book a test a year ago and had this problem then, and when I narrowly failed, I was not able to get another slot. It should never have been possible for this to happen.

There should be priority booking for people who’ve failed a test and need to retake, insane to make people wait (and keep paying for lessons so they don’t get rusty) for another 6 months. Whole system is a mess. No surprise that people turn to apps and other websites.

Exactly. It's over 10 months since I failed now and I still haven't been able to get a test. It's ludicrous. I failed on something silly and even the examiner said I drove well and should be fine next time. Instead of simply having another go, I now need to find a new instructor (massive waiting lists) and learn a new test route (have moved since I did the last test). What a waste of time and money.

There is a pattern to the release of cancelled dates. Someone is block booking tests, whether it is the apps or instructors because on Fridays a large number suddenly become available for the following week. It may be the DVSA themselves.
I suspect that instructors book up full days using there list of pupils then decide the week before which ones they will use. Since most schools will have hundreds of learner drivers they can saturate the appointments.

So it must be the driving instructors themselves that are profiteering and sell on the tests at inflated prices ? If they are able to block book.

This article would suggest that it is the part of the DVSA website that allows driving instructors to block book that is being abused and which they're going to crack down on.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61673686.amp

I don't think it's the apps like Testi which look for cancellations and book them in the individual's name.

Yeah the driving instructors can block book tests and then sell on test slots at inflated prices. But the DVSA website lets anybody register as a driving instructor without any proof so anybody can do this. I think that’s what they’re really going to crack down on now.

The apps that find cancellations are just doing what an individual could do anyway - log on to the DVSA website and search for the nearest slot. It’s just automated to make life simpler.

It's getting better i think - i haven't had to queue for a while now and am seeing some slots come up though unfortunately so far always on impossible days.

I used the free version of Testi.

DD's instructor told us the tests are released very early on Monday mornings. Not midnight on a Sunday unfortunately but about 4am. So if you can get one of those new releases it's easer then to change that date and get a cancellation.

Where I am there are always cancellations for the same week that come up. You still have to be quite quick though.

The whole system is an absolute disgrace. Our nearest test centre opens at 8am and the last test each day is 2.30.

My son used a couple of those apps. Once you have a test booked somewhere...anywhere...you can sign up and they will check the system for you.
Brecon were giving out booking numbers for tests without a firm date so that was enough got him to get in and grab a test our nearest big city for day 11 after his fail.

I second the apps. My son failed on 11 June last year. Rebooked straight away but earliest date was end November which took. Within 24 hours thanks to the app he had a cancellation for 1 July. And passed thankfully

I didn't know that they were closing all the apps down, that's very interesting.

I read a news article a few weeks ago saying exactly that.

That's not what the news article I posted says: they're not closing down "all" the apps, they're cracking down on in many cases false instructors' ability to block book as that facility is being abused and those silts sold on at a profit.

Where are you seeing tests being sold for £200, out of interest?

New tests are released at four am - but the booking service doesn't open until 6am? Is that right? Or is there a different booking service that instructors have access to?

Availability is an issue nationwide. DS failed his first driving test on 10th March. The earliest date we could get for a re-test was August.

I just failed and am looking to rebook asap. 🙁 I'm constantly refreshing the testi app and have signed up for a booking service - no luck yet.

I also think the tests are too prescriptive (I understand this is done to make sure everyone has the same testing experience) - it's all about being perfect for a thirty minute drive, which I don't think is necessarily an accurate picture of driving ability and is not the same standard you are held to once passing. I got a minor because my wheels came too close to the kerb when parking and a major for speeding on a short section. Gutted.