Just a rant really. Trying to get a test booked for my daughter and there is just nothing for the next 6 months. The dvla website is a joke, you have to put a date in for an indeterminate "range" and then just keep applying, so i've gone through every day for 3 months and nothing. Why doesn't it work like flight bookings where it shows you whole months and any availabilities. I cant even find any scalper websites to pay over the odds on! #backinmydaymoanmoanmoan
so just how do you get a driving test booked!
- Thread starter FlamBango
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Soldato
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Theres an app for grabbing late notice cancellations, cant remember name will be looking soon as my two oldests are currently learning to drive.
Soldato
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This seems to be how it works now. A guy I work with failed his test 3 times and had to wait at least 6 months between tries, booking the next test within days of each failure.
Caporegime
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Is this a regional thing as I had no problem booking my daughter's theory test? She has it next week.
After seeing this thread I have asked her to send me her driving licence number just to see if I need to book her practical in now.
She has done 10 hours with instructor and 5 hours with me so she is not far off now.
After seeing this thread I have asked her to send me her driving licence number just to see if I need to book her practical in now.
She has done 10 hours with instructor and 5 hours with me so she is not far off now.
How is this being abused though? Surely it is limited to being only bookable by people that have passed their theory and hold a provisional licence? Therefore it is only one per person no? When I did it with my son I think we had to book it initially on the official online portal which gave us a date something like 5 months away. Obviously ridiculous. Then I paid a fiver for one of these apps (probably the only time I've ever paid for an app) which you can put settings in about your preferred test centre etc and then it books on your behalf instantly when a cancellation becomes available. It rebooked us about 4 or 5 times until it was brought forward to something much more reasonable like within a couple of months. Well worth it.
Try booking a practical.
Caporegime
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Yeah I have just tried booking with my licence but cannot as I have entitlement in pretty much everything bar buses and when I clicked on buses it wouldn't let me book because I do not have theory.
Soldato
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Not sure a bus test would be the same as a teenager trying to get a test for a passenger car?
As said, its the practical thats the issue.
As said, its the practical thats the issue.
Random thing to focus on but can't she book it herself? I don't recall my parents being involved in the process.
you cant book the practical until she's passed the theory as you need a pass ID from the theory test. If anyone has any app suggestions for a cancellation sniffer then i'm all for that. I need to get her driving by September when she will need one for her job.
Soldato
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I used an app called Testi to search for tests, we had a mare with the wife around Covid time, she passed the theory,then covid hit, waited nearly a year for a test, she failed that and lost all confidence. Booked another test and it was again 8/9 months, i couldnt afford to keep paying for lessons in that time aswell so was a mare, and she failed that aswell. Booked another test, but by now the theory had lapsed. I ended up booking insurance on a family yaris and gave her the opportunity to drive with me, and thankfully she passed her next test. I dread to think how much it cost us!
This is just it. The scalpers are the instructors themselves.
I've just checked and you need only a valid Driver's Licence number to book a test (I tried mine and was told I can't book a car test but that's because I have one already)
Thing is the instructors are using pupil's DL numbers, even if they're not test ready. They have all of your details. 4/5 pupils a day, 5 days a week means they can book 20-25 spaces at £62 and resell them for much more.
That sounds like misuse of personal data, or even fraud if that's what they are doing. I'm surprised the government hasn't picked up on it.
Phone the DVLA and tell them someone else used your number to book a test and to cancel it or transfer it to you.
Phone the DVLA and tell them someone else used your number to book a test and to cancel it or transfer it to you.
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So you believe actual instructors are obtaining pupil's DL numbers, booking tests under the student's name and then selling on the black market to higher bidders then just swapping the details over? Surely all it would take would be for one student to call this out and the instructor would be ruined for life once word got out that that's what they've been doing. Disgusting. If I caught any instructor doing that, I would make sure everyone locally knew about that and nobody would use them. Sounds like a massive risk. Where/how are they reselling these tests?
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Caporegime
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You also need to have passed theory as I just tried my daughter's provisional licence number and it isn't working. She has her theory next Thursday.
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Wow what an absolute racket.
Check some of the comments there. Basically instructors are bulk buying them using the ADI booking system. I guess that stands for Advanced Driving Instructor? Certain orgs as well like driving schools attempt to block book up a shed load of them so they can "guarantee" quick test times for when a student is deemed ready. There is even talk of examiners deliberately failing people to keep more money in the system for instructors to keep having to teach etc. Complete shambles of a situation.
It would be fixed overnight if the system got shutdown so that only the student could book it using their own details.
EDIT:
The instructors also have whatsapp groups between them where they all keep a pool of dates they swap between for their students.
"The only way that I have been able to maintain an efficient use of test slots and retain a high pass rate is to swap test dates with the pupils of other bona fide instructors via our instructors' Whattapp group. No money is involved, we all work together to give our pupils the best chance of passing at the right stage of their training by switching dats between our pupils."
Check some of the comments there. Basically instructors are bulk buying them using the ADI booking system. I guess that stands for Advanced Driving Instructor? Certain orgs as well like driving schools attempt to block book up a shed load of them so they can "guarantee" quick test times for when a student is deemed ready. There is even talk of examiners deliberately failing people to keep more money in the system for instructors to keep having to teach etc. Complete shambles of a situation.
It would be fixed overnight if the system got shutdown so that only the student could book it using their own details.
EDIT:
The instructors also have whatsapp groups between them where they all keep a pool of dates they swap between for their students.
"The only way that I have been able to maintain an efficient use of test slots and retain a high pass rate is to swap test dates with the pupils of other bona fide instructors via our instructors' Whattapp group. No money is involved, we all work together to give our pupils the best chance of passing at the right stage of their training by switching dats between our pupils."
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