Post test behaviour


Steve- 'oh you really must have thought that you were going to pass that time', 'did you think that you were close to passing.'

He insisted that he should drive home.  On the drive he 'joked' e.g when I looked at the back of the test form to see what it said he laughed and said 'planning on appealing were you? Not much chance of success I think'. He did his best to get me angry with the examiners and made me feel like the whole thing was completely unfair. Then I had to organise my next test and lessons ever so quickly.

Pam- 'well one of those faults was disputable but the examiners are only human. The other fault was a definite mistake.' Then I got to drive home myself. Half way home she said ' are you in a rush, we could redo the route if you like', so we did. I got to see immediately where I had made my mistakes with her giving kind but constructive feedback all the way. She never made me feel bad or like I had let her down (unlike Steve), and she gave me a hug and told me I was a good driver when we got back.

I really wish I had met her first.

Passed my test, fifth time lucky

On the 20th August in fact.

I got the terrifying examiner, garnered eight minor faults, made two stupid mistakes due to pure nerves (hill start in neutral, stopped at keep clear line rather than white line at traffic lights), but I passed even so.

I needed 15 extra hours with a competent instructor to get me up to standard and at least forty more hours of extra driving practice in my own car. Even the day before the test the new instructor and I were still finding massive gaps in my knowledge, she had assumed I knew how to adjust everything to find a good driving position (elementary along with the rest of cockpit drill, none of which I was EVER taught by Steve), but I was still sitting wrong and pressing the bloody pedals with the 'wrong' part of my feet.

I can also add another dangerous area to the areas that were left uncovered by Steve.

1. Layer test route. Narrow winding country road, steep downhill slope. At the bottom is a narrow bridge on a blind bend. You have to keep exactly to your side of the road, hard at speed etc as any slight deviation puts you in a position for a head on collision with any traffic whizzing around the corner in the opposite direction.

2. Railway crossing. Due to illegally parked cars outside a business on the other side of the crossing, buses wishing to turn right often get stuck there for some time and no other traffic can get past to go straight on. This is hard to tell from approach, and the yellow box on the railway tracks is hidden by the depression of the tracks. Should an inexperienced driver drive over the lines they run the risk of being trapped on the tracks or having the crossing gates descend on their cars.

3. Hythe station. As you go around the corner a sign warns that the way ahead is for buses and taxis only, all other traffic must go right. The sign is hard to see and there are no additional markings on the road. Also even if the sign is noticed the right turn looks like a tiny minor road, but there is an additional right turn just over the tracks which looks more likely, a mistake a lot of people can make. Any student on test going down there would have their test terminated immediately.

Steve took me on none of these, explained none of these. All of these are on test routes. But then so are the double roundabouts and we only ever approached those from one direction. As is Port Lane turning right onto Hythe Hill, another tricky turn, another one he didn't bother with in 56 hours, but somehow I managed to cover, along with Rowhedge, Wivenhoe and the other 50-60% of Colchester in the 15 hours with Pam, along with competencies in all four manoevres and the emergency stop.

Lazy bastard.

Similar complaints from ReviewCentre

"I spent several months learning with nippers on an automatic. Every lesson, I was simply, told to drive to the test area and back again. Maybe if I was lucky I would do a few manoeuvres. The instructor NEVER went into detail about mirrors, signalling at an appropriate time, reference points or anything I actually needed to know on test. It was VERY clear he was taking advantage of my money. When I booked my test he was EXTREMELY rude about the date I booked however, he must of had a panic because the last few lessons before my test he actually bucked up his teaching technique a little bit.After failing my test, I decided to join another driving school and they were 100% better than the joke in which nippers were.

Please do not go to Nippers, they are completely unprofessional. I wish I never encountered them."

12/05/13

http://www.reviewcentre.com/Driving-Schools/Nippers-School-of-Motoring-www-nipperssom-com-review_2029687

"I had wanted to complete my driving within a year. I had joined Nippers, as I heard they were a good driving school. I had 20 hours. Each week I would have double hour lessons. Every lesson would just be driving everywhere, and not the test area. Over the next few weeks I had got to about my 12th driving lesson and my tutor would say to me, you need to remind me to do manouvres, I reminded them. But my next lesson came I reminded them, but we hadnt done any monouvres or anything, we just drove around. so after spending lots of money and my instructor not being very honest with me, about how many hours i needed before my practical, I chose to go elsewhere and learn from scratch.

That was just me, could be different for someone else. The only good outcome was that I got a feel of diving the car. I just needed my instructor to teach me the basic manouvers early, and been honest with me, and tell me exactly what I am doing wrong"

12/09/12

http://www.reviewcentre.com/Driving-Schools/Nippers-School-of-Motoring-www-nipperssom-com-review_1684379


<Disclaimer: Steve is not explicitly named but the complaints are the same and it boggles my mind that Nippers might have 'franchised' two such individuals. I was also told by him that nippers only had one automatic car which also suggests that these review are about him.> 

My Response to the DSA

Dear Mr CXXXX

Is email sufficient written permission or do I need to send a letter?

If email is sufficient then yes you have my permission. 

I am in the first stages of proceedings against this man as advised by the CItizens Advice Bureau, who have also logged my concerns and provided me with advice. I have also logged a complaint with Nippers. 

I am also aware that others have had similar experiences through an online review site (reviewcentre), and am attempting to track these members down to encourage them to complain also. I have also documented my experiences on there as 'unhappylearner'.

Steve told me himself that he makes 'sure no one complains'.

I do think that is a shame that the 'check test' can be so easily manipulated to cover up instructoral failings and poor quality teaching, he successfully passed a check test recently by carefully selecting the pupil and lesson and as he put it 'pulling out all the stops'.

In the meantime I am starting from scratch with a new instructor who is helping me fill in the gaping holes in my knowledge.

Yours Sincerely,

DSA response

Dear Ms Drew

Thank you for your email of 7 August about the problems you have had with your approved driving instructor (ADI), Steve Eggleton.

The Registrar’s role is to ensure that the standard of instruction provided by ADIs is satisfactory, and the instructor is a ‘fit and proper’ person to remain on the Register.

All ADIs are required to undergo frequent tests of continued ability and fitness to instruct (check test) to ensure their level of instruction is to the standard required by the Registrar. Steve will receive a check test at least once during their period of registration.

The Registrar has the power to remove someone from the Register on the grounds that they are not a ‘fit and proper’ person; however, this is usually only when the instructor has been convicted of an offence (motoring or non-motoring) or after repeated reports of bad practice have been received and investigated.

The standard of instruction you have described is not what we would expect from a driving instructor and so in order to investigate your complaint we do need to obtain comments from the instructor involved.

We will therefore need your written permission to forward a copy of your email to Mr Eggleton.  Once we receive your permission, we will forward your complaint and add a record of this complaint against him on the Register.

If we do not receive a reply from you, we will assume you do not wish to take your complaint further.  However, in line with our standard practice we will keep all correspondence relating to your complaint on file for two years.

Please be aware that Steve is under no obligation to provide us with any comments in reply to your email.  If we do not receive a reply from them, we will make no further contact with you. 

If you feel that Mr Eggleton has broken a contract, you can follow up your complaint through the civil courts and might wish to pursue this matter through a solicitor.

Alternatively, you could seek advice from your local Trading Standards Officer about the best way to proceed.  Trading Standards have the power to investigate your claims and prosecute if necessary.  If the outcome of such action is successful, I should be grateful if you could notify me.

Yours sincerely

Complaint Letter to DSA

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 4^th 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 26^th June and the 9^th 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 1^st 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

Part 4

As I realised how little I had been taught I got angrier and angrier. I spent a lot of money, had been assured that I would get to test standard, had been allowed to take the test when I was patently not ready, had not been prepared or taught in any sort of way and had accepted incompetent instruction in my inexperience.

So after my fourth test I phoned up Nippers and complained. The guy took a few of my complaints, said it was disgusting and someone would be in contact ASAP.

Three days later I phoned up again and at first the guy professed ignorance of my complaint. I was quite persistent and he said he would look into it. Two hours later he phoned back and it was clear that he had  been the one to speak to Steve in the first place. He denied everything, except the London trip which he said was by mutual agreement. I could hear the disbelief in the mans voice as he was talking to me. No chance of a refund and Nippers had no responsibility for anything, I received tuition, that's it. He only dealt with four of my complaints, the rest had got lost along the way. By this point I had had enough and I phoned the CAB next.

The lady gave me a reference number, helped me with the legal phrasing and logged the complaint against the company.

I have written the complaint and it is ready to go. I will send it recorded delivery this week. It includes a demand for a partial refund for services not received.

I revised a copy for the DSA and sent it to them on the 7th of August. I received a reply today, I will post that here tomorrow and deal with the issues raised by it  then.

But basically they test instructors at the beginning of their career, then they get regular 'check tests'. Yes Steve had one of those he passed whilst he was teaching me. He joked about choosing his pupil carefully and 'pulling out all of the stops'. Apparently you can have anyone as your 'pupil', family member, qualified driver, anyone and you get enough warning to be able to prepare the lesson thoroughly. Unless you commit a motoring offence or get enough complaints you can be as shit an instructor as you want, as long as you can subtlety intimidate your pupils, have lots of inexperienced and nervous pupils, or can make them feel sorry for you (that would be Steve then).

I have also had some awesome advice from mumsnet which I will also post on here in case it helps anyone else.