Disgusted at the corruption of the DVLA and all the scamming around driving tests

[ManyBooksLittleTime]

Both my children are trying to pass their driving tests. In the area in which we live, and several centres surrounding this, individuals buy up ALL the driving tests using bots to purchase them all. It is impossible to buy your own test. The Instructors, including 'reputable' companies, recommend who to buy the test from. The tests are sold for £160 -500. Then the student is encouraged to pay for an hour driving lesson before the test and use of the car during the test.
My son's last test cost £340 all in and my daughter's £360. She got into the police, but couldn't join as she couldn't pass her test in time! It's soul destroying. AIBU to think that the the government/police should step in? This should be an illegal practice. At the moment the examiners and instructors must be getting massive backhanders and it's very much in the interest if the examiners to just keep failing the students. I'm so angry and frustrated! It just seems like very open corruption.

Surely a very simple fix would be that candidate has to put their driving license number in at time of test booking

You do have to! I can't see how bots are bypassing the system at all (although obviously they are). You need your full name and your license number

We live in London and this situation is well know. Perhaps it's not such a problem in other areas.

Son's driving instructor complained to DVLA about fellow corrupt driving schools and wouldn't book tests herself for students as she wanted no part in the whole corrupt driving test business. Feel sad for the young people.

Not the point I know, but I passed my test in 1996 and had the lesson beforehand and paid my instructor for use of the car during the test. I thought this was to be expected (we did the same when DS passed in January).

If you do raise this it’s the DVSA who are responsible not the DVLA - just so you make sure your complaint goes to the correct department.

buy a test for in the future at normal price or far away. then there is a reliable app that matches you with cancellations in your area/around the period of time you want etc,; at no extra charge

Sethera posted an article from the BBC demonstrating the issue of block bookings is very well known. Everyone saying I should report this, they know about it. I'm surprised there isn't more indignence on here that everything is being block booked and sold for extortionate fees to youngsters who can't afford it. People telling me their children booked months in advance and it was fine, that's great for them, but it's virtually impossible here

Candidates do have to put in a provisional licence number when they book, but it can be changed at any time.

Making it impossible to change would seem to be the obvious solution.

It’s practice routes as well. You know your local roads you’ve practiced it’s funny quirks.

is rickmansworth / watford the same op? It’s close enough

Yanbu OP. It's a disgrace. And speaking of car insurance, that's another massive scam.

There is no point them even passing their tests tbh, unless for work. £1600 cheapest quote for DS19, sod that. Even he is disgusted and has chosen to wait a few years (having successfully passed test). But he's already lost confidence and will need more lessons, so more scamming expense.

I think it's all deliberate, to keep new drivers off the roads.

I agree that the solution is to work around the bots. How I did it was book the first test date I could. It was months away of course but it didn't matter because I knew I wasn't going to use it. What it did was enable me to get into the cancellations part of the system. I entered the dates I wanted in there. I then sat with that window open on my computer and waited for an alert to ping through from it and booked a date that suited me. Took about 40 minutes for it to come through, but it's better than paying a scammer.

Wow. I'm shocked , it's a known issue and carries on. Thanks for the link. I'm sending it to my brother who's step son is having issues with booking tests.

The DVLA dish out licenses and make sure cars have tax and MOT.

The DVSA deal with tests.

But how come you've paid over £300 for a car hire and test? My ds paid £30 for hour before and the test cost (£80?). He already had the car for that test hour as part of the block of 20 hours we paid for.

He'd used 19 hours learning to drive so we just paid an extra hour the same way as we'd have paid more.

Friends who have taught their DCs themselves on their own car have just booked a test at the local centre.

The best way to get a test is through the Testi app. We did pay for the feature which sent messages with any free tests but we booked it and not the driving instructor.

Sounds like this is a locality issue?

People telling me their children booked months in advance and it was fine, that's great for them, but it's virtually impossible here

Virtually impossible. So not completely impossible? Have they tried logging on at 6am precisely on a Monday morning? That's when the tests are released for 23 (?) weeks ahead. If they can get one of those then they can keep trying for cancellations. My DC didn't use an app, just kept refreshing the gov website constantly and got one that way

It sounds frustrating though

Write to your MP about it everyone. TheDVSA need to prioritise changing the software to prevent this happening.

It's true. Instructors can buy blocks of tests and sell them on at a higher price and lots do.
My son is struggling to get a test that isn't months away. He has been ready since before June to take his test, the one he was offered is in November. He has Testi but not much comes up and if it does its often snapped up before he can get it. We are in the North West, not London.

I have suggested trying another area, but he'd have to relinquish the test he has booked to try another location and there is no guarantee he will get one any sooner, might be further away.

@ManyBooksLittleTime it's definitely a London thing! I couldn't understand why we couldn't get any test dates and DC's driving instructor told me all about it. It's definitely a scam and not just a case of booking an hours drive before the test with instructor and using their car. To get a test date costs hundreds of pounds via these scammers! 😡

Its not just a London thing. We are North West and struggling

Re the driving license thing, license numbers are issued according to a set format. It wouldn't be hard to run a script that would give you a potentially unlimited run of those and whack them in to the system.

Exactly this. Allow cancellation free of charge but not changing the licence number. That would solve the problem straight away. It's such an obvious solution you have to ask why they aren't doing it, so OP's references to corruption are not at all unfounded.

And at a wider point.. if the government had any brains long time ago they would have made it illegal for re selling of anything official like a driving test to be re sold at a higher price then what the dvsa are selling them for.

Yes, they go online immediately on Mondays and have also used the app for cancellations. It is a real issue in this area. My daughter couldn't start with the police in the end, so she did actually stop driving for a while. She needs to for her current job though. I'm sad this us prevalent in the NW and London as well.

Driving instructors have always been able to block book test slots - it’s not a new thing post covid. I know because I used to work in the Department of Transport in Manchester where tests were actually booked for the North West. I personally know we different driving instructors - they both work in the NW, and both say they can get test booked within 6 months of someone starting lessons. I’d argue that at 1 lesson a week, 6 months is about the right amount of time to learn to drive.
One of the issues is where people expect to take half a dozen lessons then pass their test.

@Sethera, yes that's what they do, and you're right, there is obviously a simple solution.

I don't think they allow you to book that far in the future. Only something like 4 weeks ahead.

I did mine and every single slot at almost every single test centre was booked. You might have one single date at 8am at the furthest centre.

With regard to the old software government depts use. It’s the dept itself that chooses the supplier. There are big brownie points if they come in with el cheapo. I worked with many many central government depts and honestly they were awful. They tend to be sophisticated users but they always chose cheap and cheerful and thought they could then beat up the supplier afterwards because after all - they were xxx government dept!

They also like old technology and don’t want to train up their users on anything new so they cling onto old software because they cannot be arsed to change.

I am glad to be out of it tbh!

When the Passport Office were caught out after COVID with a surge of applications. My very large well known corporate warned them of this and they didn’t listen but I did attend a meeting where someone suggested the Premium Service would do very well. I am surprised that they got away with this and it wasn’t picked up by the media.