I wish to make a complaint about the
gentleman above.
As a nervous novice driver I booked an
intensive course through Nippers in the middle of May, I was assigned Steve as
my instructor and my test was booked for the 4th June. The course
was 40 hours in length but after failing my first test I had a further 16 hours
with Steve and two further tests on the 26th June and the 9th
July. I am wholly dissatisfied with the level of service I received from this
instructor, for the reasons below:
That Nippers failed to show the care and
skill you would expect from a reputable driving school in providing competent
and appropriate instructors. I relied upon them to ensure that the driving
instructor they recommended was able to help me reach an acceptable
standard. That they offered an intensive
course , which with a complete novice requires a certain type of instructor to
develop skills and confidence quickly and this was not provided. Their failure to ensure this has caused me
loss.
That my instructor Steve Eggleton was
incompetent and repeatedly put me at risk. That he took payment for services
that were not received and encouraged further expenditure of time and money on
tests when I was not at the correct standard of ability to pass. That he showed
no concern for my welfare or safety. That he was unprofessional, acted
dangerously and illegally and used discriminatory language. That he failed to
adhere to the majority of the recommendations in the Code of Practice for
Approved Driving Instructors.
-
There was excessive repetition
of routes and of inappropriate routes for competence, in particular a loop
around the main Colchester roundabouts that we did for eight to ten hours of
lessons. At least fifty percent of the test routes were never visited at all
including Greenstead, Rowhedge, Wivenhoe, Abbey Fields, Highwoods, Prettygate
etc, I never got above 40mph on this loop and I never tackled some of the
roundabouts from other directions.
-
Excessive time was spent
driving to other unneccessary locations. On my first lesson, after just twenty
minutes in the car I was told to drive to Clacton and back. In addition Steve
told me to drive to London after just 18 hours of lessons, on Saturday 1st
June. The trip took 6 hours and during this time I was given no breaks to eat,
drink or rest. My requests to stop were fobbed off with ‘in a minute’ and ‘you
are doing so well, just a little further’ and I was too exhausted and confused
to argue more forcefully. In this instance I consider myself very lucky that my
concentration did not lapse on the A12.
-
Steve failed to teach me the
basics from steering control to cockpit drill. When I got in the car he checked
that I could use indicators and we set off. For the first forty hours I
continuously drove with the mirrors set incorrectly, a fact I was unaware of
until my husband began taking me out in our own car. My current instructor is
still trying to help me to do the Mirror Signal Manoevre drill correctly as
even after the third test I was not doing this consistently.
-
I was offered very little
feedback or guidance after the first twenty hours when Steve declared me able
to pass the test. My concerns were dismissed e.g. After my second test I
repeatedly requested more manoevre practice and also more practice in pulling
in and moving off but was told that I didn’t need it (I had failed the test on
moving off). My mistakes went uncorrected, issues were not remedied despite my
repeated requests. I entered all three tests completely unable to reliably bay
park or parallel park. I felt like Steve was just going along for the ride and
collecting the money and had no interest in developing my skills or competence.
When I failed to understand something he did not try any other approaches or
explanations. I spent a lot of the time on the internet, desperately trying to
fill in the gaps in my knowledge myself.
-
I was unprepared for the tests
and wasted time, money and confidence taking them. In addition for each test I
paid for two hours with Steve. At least twenty to thirty minutes each time was
spent sitting outside the test centre in the car, I received no actual tuition
for my money on those days. By contrast my new instructor ensured that I did
all four manoevres and an emergency stop before my most recent test. I also had no idea how to meet oncoming
traffic and who had right of way before I started with my new instructor,
something my second examiner called ‘dangerous’. This was never addressed or
rectified by Steve. I was never advised to cancel or postpone a test, but was
encouraged to book the next one as soon as possible.
-
I was not encouraged to look at
the road ahead or prompted to look for hazards/issues that might come up on the
road ahead. My knowledge of road signs
was never tested. Steve provided all directions and there was no independent
driving at all.
-
I was given unhelpful one size
fits all ‘guidance’ e.g. left lane for anything before twelve ‘o’ clock, right
lane for anything after. This caused me to make a serious fault on my third
test coming past B&Q. I was also told if there were cars on both sides of
the road I should go to 10mph, 20mph if cars were on my side of the road. I
caused serious bunching and annoyance to other drivers on very wide roads with
plenty of space for two lines of traffic and parked cars.
-
As well as the 6 hour London
trip which had no rest breaks, on two further occasions I drove for longer than
I consider safe. On the 29/05/13 I drove for 4.5 hours with just a five minute
leg stretch outside the test centre and on the 2/06/13 I drove for 5.5 hours
without getting out of the car. These long periods of driving have left me with
some continuing damage in my right knee and ankle. Steve discouraged breaks, he
told me he preferred to finish early and didn’t like hanging around with
nothing to do. I had to mention the pain in my leg three times before I got
five minutes outside the test centre to stretch my legs. I was obviously
limping but was encouraged to get back into the car and drive on again. I was
too timid and nervous to ask again.
-
On one occasion I asked to try
a different direction at a roundabout, Steve agreed reluctantly but after a few
minutes made it clear that he had no idea where we were or where we were going.
I had to rely on my own limited knowledge of the area to get us back to an area
that he recognized.
-
Basic safety and legal checks
were neglected. My eyesight was not checked until I had driven for four hours.
On at least four occasions I was driving whilst Steve was checking his phone
and once he called my attention to a text message he had received when my
attention should have been on the road ahead.
-
Two dangerous areas were left
unexplained and undriven – a narrow bridge on a winding country road on a blind
bend (on the test route to Layer) and a railway level crossing. In these two
examples the smallest error can be incredibly serious, even when I had the
hazard explained to me by a competent instructor I still came close to making a
serious error. I count myself very lucky that neither of these two areas
appeared on my three tests as I was completely unprepared for them.
-
Paperwork – I received no
paperwork and no information about prices, cancellations, complaints, where my
money was being held or progress that I was making. I received no booking card
or appointment card.
-
Aggression- On several
occasions Steve got verbally abusive and aggressive towards other drivers who
he considered were driving badly, gesticulating and swearing loudly. I found this very frightening and
intimidating and I was nervous that I would be a target for Steve or one of the
motorists he had sworn at.
-
On several occasions Steve
referred to homosexuals (and a former pupil of his as such) as ‘poofs’, twice
after I had informed him that my mother has a female partner.
-
Steve was regularly five
minutes late, if not more. Lessons never finished late and often finished
early, even including the debrief at the end.
For the first forty five hours Steve took a toilet break every one to
two hours of up to ten minutes. This
time was never mentioned or made up at any point. I believe this amounts to
approximately 2-3 hours of tuition over the 56 hours that I missed out on.
-
I was pressured to change my
test to Clacton, a town Steve was obviously much more familiar with. I did so,
but changed back as soon as I realized that I would be spending 80 minutes of
my 120 minute lesson just driving there and back.
-
Not only was the car interior
dirty, but Steve regularly appeared unkempt with food stains on his face and
clothing.
I was told by Steve after the first lesson
that there were no other automatic instructors available and with my test
booked and childcare arranged that pushed me into making a decision I ultimately
regret- to continue with Steve. As a very nervous and inexperienced driver,
exhausted and confused, I allowed myself to be led by my instructor, having no
prior or recent experience to compare it to.
I was continually being told what an excellent driver I was, how
brilliantly I was driving and with the tests booked so close together I never
seemed to have a second to gather my thoughts (I did four tests in two months).
I had nothing to compare it to until I began talking to other students and
instructors online and in person. It wasn’t until I found a new instructor that
I truly realized just how little I had been taught and how substandard my
instruction had been. I was also quite intimidated by Steve, he is a big man
who I had seen being quite aggressive
and as he knew where I lived I was frightened to complain.
Ironically Steve actually had a check test
whilst I was learning to drive with him, which makes a mockery of the whole
checking process. He carefully selected the pupil that he would take on the
test and in his words ‘pulled out all the stops’. In the meantime I was getting
a substandard service and failed to reach test standard with him, something he
failed to realize, recognize or rectify.
I have been told that I am not eligible for
any sort of refund and am horrified that the DSA don’t have better methods for
checking the quality of lessons that are being carried out by registered ADIs.
I have very serious concerns about this
man’s competence and ability to help less confident or less experienced
learners to pass the test. I don’t believe he has the skills to be offering
intensive courses or courses in Colchester at all as he was clearly not
familiar with a large part of the town.
Sarah Drew
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