Screwed by a driving tester!

rymus · 15-02-2005, 18:15

If you clicked on the thread title thinking this was going to be a "Slydice specials" moment, I'm sorry to disappoint. I just want to share my experiences. The motors forum may be a more appropriate place for this but as it happened in Cork and it's likely to happen to other Cork people, I thought I'd stick it in here.

I've had my category A license for almost 3 years and been driving for longer than that. Lets just get that out of the way for starters.

Did my category B test yesterday with blood boilingly annoying results. Naturally I got the tester who's known as the worst of the worst. Not going to mention any names yet because due process is processing. Did the theory and the newfangled technical checks without problem and went out onto the road from the temporary St. Finbarrs test centre. All seemed to be going well for me, I only clocked up 5 grade 2's total throughout the whole test. Pretty average result.

However, on the junction of Evergreen road and Curragh road there are nasty traffic lights. Lights I was warned about and brought through properly by my ISM certified driving instructor prior to the test. For anyone that doesn't know the lights, they're outside that big ugly church. I was told to turn right and so put on my indicator, having stopped at the red light. The green arrow that allows traffic to go straight ahead lit and the red stayed lit so I stayed put. There were about 5 vehicles behind me and as I sat at the red & green arrow filter light for up to a minute, nobody beeped or flashed me. The green arrow went out, as did the red and the full circular green came on at which point I turned right. I was given a grade 3 for not breaking a red light?!? Go figure!

When I came out of the test centre, my instructor was there and when I told him what happened, his head almost exploded. I've since been in contact with several other driving instructors, all of whom assured me that I was 100% correct.

Today I wrote a letter of complaint and will now have to wait until I get some results from that to know if I have to appeal in the court. Will the "old boys network" that no doubt exists in the testing centre win out? I'd be amazed if it didn't to be honest. Proving I'm right was never so difficult...

So anyone that's taking their test in Cork in the near future... you have been warned! There's a tester out there that doesn't know how to work traffic lights.

damien · 15-02-2005, 18:30

Crapola.

I often thought it would be a good idea to start a site decidated to the test centre in Cork and the various routes that are taken and mark out areas were people get a mark against them. Course that would take time and I have none.

el Bastardo · 15-02-2005, 20:46

And that's one of the reasons why we use driving instructors.

Recon · 15-02-2005, 22:18

i'm sure those bastards of testers have to fail a certain % of people a day or some bull**** like that

iceman_2001_ie · 16-02-2005, 09:38

My commiserations.

My belief is that some testers are in better form if they had been bumping uglies with their partner the night before. That or some bureaucratic policy of failing people in order to maintain 'standards'.

I have one question.
What's a Category A license?
I know a cat. B is for a normal car.

koneko · 16-02-2005, 14:20

A lot of people post here about getting unfair treatment on the test, but can't come up with specific examples. Your case sounds pretty clear to me. I'd say you have grounds to appeal, I believe people have done it before, and some have been successful. Good luck! And I hope you get a good response back.

Blitzkrieger · 16-02-2005, 18:36

Good luck with that. I swear the feckers have a quota to fill. Or else he's just a miserable old twit. I'd say I had the same guy for my first driving test - he failed me for not checking my mirrors before using my indicators. Muppet. If he said not checking my mirrors before making a turn it might have made sense.

rymus · 16-02-2005, 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman_2001_ie

I have one question.
What's a Category A license?

Cat A is for a motorbike over a certain engine size.

Thanks for all your support.. Since Monday I've driven past there about 10 or 11 times just to assure myself I'm not going mad/seeing things. I should have taken my video camera down there the other night to record the lights and the motorists using the junction but of course I forgot it. one thing thats worrying me at the moment is that the sequence of the lights seems to change of it's own accord. When I was there on Monday evening after the test it was red, red & green arrow, red, green circle. Now it seems to be red, red & green arrow, green arrow & green circle, red. Maybe it's just changing to suit traffic loads... or else I truly am losing my mind. Waiting for a call from a guy in the corporation about the light sequencing.

Called in to the two pubs down there a while ago to see if they have anything on their cctv... not a sausage. The only useful location had a power cut for most of early Monday afternoon while they were getting new stuff installed. Just my luck eh!

**Nukem** · 16-02-2005, 19:48

Heart goes out to you it really does. Those fookers are just looking for an excuse to fail people.

The only thing he could have thought was you to pull into the middle of the junction and indicate to go right and wait for the signal to turn right-this would allow the cars behind you to move around you (left-Straight on)

But if it is one of those dodgy lights that goes arrow-red-green+arrow i would have lost the plot.

Hope all turns out well for you.

daveirl · 16-02-2005, 23:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by rymus

However, on the junction of Evergreen road and Curragh road there are nasty traffic lights. Lights I was warned about and brought through properly by my ISM certified driving instructor prior to the test. For anyone that doesn't know the lights, they're outside that big ugly church. I was told to turn right and so put on my indicator, having stopped at the red light. The green arrow that allows traffic to go straight ahead lit and the red stayed lit so I stayed put. There were about 5 vehicles behind me and as I sat at the red & green arrow filter light for up to a minute, nobody beeped or flashed me. The green arrow went out, as did the red and the full circular green came on at which point I turned right. I was given a grade 3 for not breaking a red light?!? Go figure!

That is 100% correct, I know the junction well, the green arrow is a straight on filter and when the light goes fully green you turn right! Did you ask the tester what you were meant to do? I had a prick of a tester up there. Did your instructor have the initials JON by any chance?

Seanie M · 16-02-2005, 23:33

Not being from the area, but just a general query.

Would I be correct in assuming that when you had a red light for turning right, and the lane on your left was allowed to proceed straight ahead, that you also had oncoming traffic with right of way? Then, of course the tester is wrong!

Keep us posted of the responses to your complaints, I'm very curious now!

Seanie

NocturnalDonkey · 16-02-2005, 23:47

If your appeal is successful, the best you can hope for is a resit of the test with a different tester, free of charge.

**Haddockman** · 17-02-2005, 02:14

http://193.178.1.79/ZZA24Y1961S33.html

You can only appeal to a district court and they only have the power to order a free retest with another tester.

I would strongly discourage any correspondance with the testers or their employers.

Padraig Mor · 17-02-2005, 08:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveirl

Did your instructor have the initials JON by any chance?

Yep that guy is a prick! Had test last year; clutch went on car the night before the test so no test for me! Being a good little boy I went down to the test centre anyway (about an hr before my time) and waited to let him know I couldn't do test. When he eventually arrived (O'N surname, tall guy, moustache) he made out that I was making it up (why the hell would I??? I'd paid already!) and a few days later I got a letter regarding my 'failure to turn up' for the test!!!

galactus · 17-02-2005, 17:26

Unbelievable!

- Letter to the Examiner, Indo and the Times*
- Letter to local TD
- Letter to Minister for Transport
- Give Prenderville a bell

etc.

* Hang on, scrub the Times (Myers boycott)

15-02-2005, 18:15	#1
rymus Registered User Join Date: May 2001 Location: Dublin Posts: 8,654 Adverts \| Friends	Screwed by a driving tester! If you clicked on the thread title thinking this was going to be a "Slydice specials" moment, I'm sorry to disappoint. I just want to share my experiences. The motors forum may be a more appropriate place for this but as it happened in Cork and it's likely to happen to other Cork people, I thought I'd stick it in here. I've had my category A license for almost 3 years and been driving for longer than that. Lets just get that out of the way for starters. Did my category B test yesterday with blood boilingly annoying results. Naturally I got the tester who's known as the worst of the worst. Not going to mention any names yet because due process is processing. Did the theory and the newfangled technical checks without problem and went out onto the road from the temporary St. Finbarrs test centre. All seemed to be going well for me, I only clocked up 5 grade 2's total throughout the whole test. Pretty average result. However, on the junction of Evergreen road and Curragh road there are nasty traffic lights. Lights I was warned about and brought through properly by my ISM certified driving instructor prior to the test. For anyone that doesn't know the lights, they're outside that big ugly church. I was told to turn right and so put on my indicator, having stopped at the red light. The green arrow that allows traffic to go straight ahead lit and the red stayed lit so I stayed put. There were about 5 vehicles behind me and as I sat at the red & green arrow filter light for up to a minute, nobody beeped or flashed me. The green arrow went out, as did the red and the full circular green came on at which point I turned right. I was given a grade 3 for not breaking a red light?!? Go figure! When I came out of the test centre, my instructor was there and when I told him what happened, his head almost exploded. I've since been in contact with several other driving instructors, all of whom assured me that I was 100% correct. Today I wrote a letter of complaint and will now have to wait until I get some results from that to know if I have to appeal in the court. Will the "old boys network" that no doubt exists in the testing centre win out? I'd be amazed if it didn't to be honest. Proving I'm right was never so difficult... So anyone that's taking their test in Cork in the near future... you have been warned! There's a tester out there that doesn't know how to work traffic lights.

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15-02-2005, 18:30	#2
damien Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Cork Posts: 4,131 Adverts \| Friends	Crapola. I often thought it would be a good idea to start a site decidated to the test centre in Cork and the various routes that are taken and mark out areas were people get a mark against them. Course that would take time and I have none.

15-02-2005, 20:46	#3
el Bastardo Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 239 Adverts \| Friends	And that's one of the reasons why we use driving instructors.

15-02-2005, 22:18	#4
Recon Registered User Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Cork Posts: 943 Adverts \| Friends	i'm sure those bastards of testers have to fail a certain % of people a day or some bull**** like that

16-02-2005, 09:38	#5
iceman_2001_ie Registered User Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 154 Adverts \| Friends	My commiserations. My belief is that some testers are in better form if they had been bumping uglies with their partner the night before. That or some bureaucratic policy of failing people in order to maintain 'standards'. I have one question. What's a Category A license? I know a cat. B is for a normal car.

16-02-2005, 14:20	#6
koneko Registered User Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: notDublin Posts: 9,045 Adverts \| Friends	A lot of people post here about getting unfair treatment on the test, but can't come up with specific examples. Your case sounds pretty clear to me. I'd say you have grounds to appeal, I believe people have done it before, and some have been successful. Good luck! And I hope you get a good response back.

16-02-2005, 18:36	#7
Blitzkrieger Registered User Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: P3X7349 Posts: 5,179 Adverts \| Friends	Good luck with that. I swear the feckers have a quota to fill. Or else he's just a miserable old twit. I'd say I had the same guy for my first driving test - he failed me for not checking my mirrors before using my indicators. Muppet. If he said not checking my mirrors before making a turn it might have made sense.

16-02-2005, 19:48	#9
Nukem Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Cork Posts: 3,803 Adverts \| Friends Mod: Red Dwarf	Heart goes out to you it really does. Those fookers are just looking for an excuse to fail people. The only thing he could have thought was you to pull into the middle of the junction and indicate to go right and wait for the signal to turn right-this would allow the cars behind you to move around you (left-Straight on) But if it is one of those dodgy lights that goes arrow-red-green+arrow i would have lost the plot. Hope all turns out well for you.

16-02-2005, 23:33	#11
Seanie M Registered User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Offaly, Ireland Posts: 1,598 Adverts \| Friends	Not being from the area, but just a general query. Would I be correct in assuming that when you had a red light for turning right, and the lane on your left was allowed to proceed straight ahead, that you also had oncoming traffic with right of way? Then, of course the tester is wrong! Keep us posted of the responses to your complaints, I'm very curious now! Seanie

16-02-2005, 23:47	#12
NocturnalDonkey Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 89 Adverts \| Friends	If your appeal is successful, the best you can hope for is a resit of the test with a different tester, free of charge.

17-02-2005, 02:14	#13
Haddockman Likes his fish Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 21,253 Adverts \| Friends Mod: adverts.ie Support, Animals & Pet Issues, Booth 08, Hobby Radio, Television	http://193.178.1.79/ZZA24Y1961S33.html You can only appeal to a district court and they only have the power to order a free retest with another tester. I would strongly discourage any correspondance with the testers or their employers.

17-02-2005, 17:26	#15
galactus Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Cork, boy! Posts: 954 Adverts \| Friends	Unbelievable! - Letter to the Examiner, Indo and the Times* - Letter to local TD - Letter to Minister for Transport - Give Prenderville a bell etc. * Hang on, scrub the Times (Myers boycott)