Passing your driving test can be time-consuming, expensive and for some, pretty scary. But you'd hope that if you were taking it with the country's biggest driving school, you'd be in good hands.
The British School of Motoring don't just claim to be the biggest, they make out they're the best, with a pass rate 20% above the national average. But that's assuming they turn up, or even have a car that's road-legal...
(Do you have something to say about this story? Tell us what you think by emailing us here. Don't forget to include 'BSM' in the subject line. Watchdog will publish a selection of viewers' comments underneath each story, both throughout and after the programme is on air. Please remember to include your name as you would like to see it published).
Personal fitness trainer Tom McClintock had almost 70 hours of tuition with BSM, costing £1700. When the week of his test came, he made sure he was fully prepared. Tom said,
"I was so committed and dedicated to passing that I did ten hours that week, I went to bed early every night. I didn't train all week just in case I could put failing down to my legs being too tired. I'd done everything within my power to be ready for 9.17 on the 15th of October."
When the big day came, Tom turned up at the test centre in the BSM car, confident he'd pass. He had brushed up on the Highway Code. Unfortunately though, it seemed BSM had not! The car BSM provided was displaying a tax disc that was more than 2 weeks out of date. It would have been illegal for Tom to have driven it, let alone take his test in it.
Tom was devastated:
"It was just shock and disbelief that the biggest driving school in the country provided me with a car that didn't have a valid tax disc on it."
No test for Tom. But at least there was one good thing about his story; BSM did send an instructor and a car to the test centre on the day. For one learner driver, Nathan Pikajaago, BSM didn't bother to send anything at all. Nathan's mum Karen had booked him a test through BSM, for the 5th of October. Nathan arrived on time. But there was no sign of the instructor, or his BSM car.
"They were supposed to turn up at quarter past ten. Quarter past ten, then it went to half ten, and I started to worry, obviously. I was thinking, am I ever going to pass my driving test? Am I ever going to get to do it?"
BSM say their instructor did send a text message notifying them that he couldn't make the test.
But Nathan believed another instructor would take his place.
In desperation, Nathan phoned his girlfriend to see if he could take the test in her car instead.
Between them, they hastily arranged insurance cover and bought some L plates. Despite all the added stress, Nathan did pass his test, however, his mum had a hard time getting her money back from BSM. And even when they did pay up, they kept £10 as an administration fee.
"I don't really think that they care, which is worse really. Because since this has happened, nobody will get back to you when they say they will. Nobody will take responsibility for anything, and their attitude is really arrogant."
So why were they so slow to accept responsibility? Was it something to do with the way the company is set up? Many of their drivers don't actually work for BSM - instead they're franchisees, paying a fee in return for a BSM-branded car and pupils.
Could this explain some of the other problems we've been hearing about? Problems like consistency.
At the time of writing, learner Mani Rohela has been offered 3 instructors in just 6 weeks.
"I think the change of instructors was a problem because I learn something and there is a break in my learning process, because I have to start again with a new instructor, he needs to understand me and I need to understand his techniques. Every individual is different so...I'm losing my plan of learning, and my money."
BSM say occasional mistakes do occur, after-all, they teach thousands of people every week. And they claim to have a higher than average pass rate. Their website recently stated that someone passes with them every six seconds. We thought this figure sounded a bit high, so we obtained the latest test figures from the Driving Standards Agency, and asked a mathematician to make sense of them.
Dr John Haigh of Sussex University said:
"If BSM say one every 6 seconds, that means: 10 every minute, 600 in an hour, and 3600 per day (if you assume that the test centres are open just six hours a day)."
"And if they're only open for 250 days of the year, then that makes it: 900,000 over the year."
"But the driving standards agency say that only 700,000 pass in total, so one every six seconds is obviously ridiculous. It's quite impossible."
This claim seems even more bizarre when on another page of the BSM website it says one person passes with them every two minutes. Come on BSM, make up your mind!
There's some good news for BSM because we have one more statistic to add to their list.
Tom McClintock finally completed his test. This time, the car was taxed, the exam finally went ahead, and you'll be pleased to hear that he passed!
"I would have liked to have done it weeks ago but it's out of the way now and it's finished so, brilliant. Get on with driving."
BSM sent Watchdog a statement in response:
BSM say they weren't trying to mislead people with the 6 second website statistic. They say it was caused by an 'administrative error'.
As for the learners we featured, BSM have apologised to Tom McClintock.
But this afternoon, they told us they dispute some of the detail of the other cases.
Watchdog takes the driving seat with BSM...
The British School of Motoring don't just claim to be the biggest, they make out they're the best, with a pass rate 20% above the national average. But that's assuming they turn up, or even have a car that's road-legal...
(Do you have something to say about this story? Tell us what you think by emailing us here. Don't forget to include 'BSM' in the subject line. Watchdog will publish a selection of viewers' comments underneath each story, both throughout and after the programme is on air. Please remember to include your name as you would like to see it published).
Personal fitness trainer Tom McClintock had almost 70 hours of tuition with BSM, costing £1700. When the week of his test came, he made sure he was fully prepared. Tom said,
"I was so committed and dedicated to passing that I did ten hours that week, I went to bed early every night. I didn't train all week just in case I could put failing down to my legs being too tired. I'd done everything within my power to be ready for 9.17 on the 15th of October."
When the big day came, Tom turned up at the test centre in the BSM car, confident he'd pass. He had brushed up on the Highway Code. Unfortunately though, it seemed BSM had not! The car BSM provided was displaying a tax disc that was more than 2 weeks out of date. It would have been illegal for Tom to have driven it, let alone take his test in it.
Tom was devastated:
"It was just shock and disbelief that the biggest driving school in the country provided me with a car that didn't have a valid tax disc on it."
No test for Tom. But at least there was one good thing about his story; BSM did send an instructor and a car to the test centre on the day. For one learner driver, Nathan Pikajaago, BSM didn't bother to send anything at all. Nathan's mum Karen had booked him a test through BSM, for the 5th of October. Nathan arrived on time. But there was no sign of the instructor, or his BSM car.
"They were supposed to turn up at quarter past ten. Quarter past ten, then it went to half ten, and I started to worry, obviously. I was thinking, am I ever going to pass my driving test? Am I ever going to get to do it?"
BSM say their instructor did send a text message notifying them that he couldn't make the test.
But Nathan believed another instructor would take his place.
In desperation, Nathan phoned his girlfriend to see if he could take the test in her car instead.
Between them, they hastily arranged insurance cover and bought some L plates. Despite all the added stress, Nathan did pass his test, however, his mum had a hard time getting her money back from BSM. And even when they did pay up, they kept £10 as an administration fee.
"I don't really think that they care, which is worse really. Because since this has happened, nobody will get back to you when they say they will. Nobody will take responsibility for anything, and their attitude is really arrogant."
So why were they so slow to accept responsibility? Was it something to do with the way the company is set up? Many of their drivers don't actually work for BSM - instead they're franchisees, paying a fee in return for a BSM-branded car and pupils.
Could this explain some of the other problems we've been hearing about? Problems like consistency.
At the time of writing, learner Mani Rohela has been offered 3 instructors in just 6 weeks.
"I think the change of instructors was a problem because I learn something and there is a break in my learning process, because I have to start again with a new instructor, he needs to understand me and I need to understand his techniques. Every individual is different so...I'm losing my plan of learning, and my money."
BSM say occasional mistakes do occur, after-all, they teach thousands of people every week. And they claim to have a higher than average pass rate. Their website recently stated that someone passes with them every six seconds. We thought this figure sounded a bit high, so we obtained the latest test figures from the Driving Standards Agency, and asked a mathematician to make sense of them.
Dr John Haigh of Sussex University said:
"If BSM say one every 6 seconds, that means: 10 every minute, 600 in an hour, and 3600 per day (if you assume that the test centres are open just six hours a day)."
"And if they're only open for 250 days of the year, then that makes it: 900,000 over the year."
"But the driving standards agency say that only 700,000 pass in total, so one every six seconds is obviously ridiculous. It's quite impossible."
This claim seems even more bizarre when on another page of the BSM website it says one person passes with them every two minutes. Come on BSM, make up your mind!
There's some good news for BSM because we have one more statistic to add to their list.
Tom McClintock finally completed his test. This time, the car was taxed, the exam finally went ahead, and you'll be pleased to hear that he passed!
"I would have liked to have done it weeks ago but it's out of the way now and it's finished so, brilliant. Get on with driving."
BSM sent Watchdog a statement in response:
BSM say they weren't trying to mislead people with the 6 second website statistic. They say it was caused by an 'administrative error'.
As for the learners we featured, BSM have apologised to Tom McClintock.
But this afternoon, they told us they dispute some of the detail of the other cases.
Watchdog takes the driving seat with BSM...