Increased waiting list times - is there something we can do?

fiona-f

Hi fellow learners,

I applied for my test (again :rolleyes:!) in the first week of November. As I would like finally to pass the test, I said that I was willing to be tested on short notice or a cancellation space, on any day of the week. I got the usual acknowledgement letter and nothing since. I rang the RSA today to see had I missed something and was told that the waiting list in my centre (Churchtown/Rathgar, which also includes Dun Laoghaire) had gone back up to at least 16 weeks. When I pressed the lady, she finally offered me an appointment for 20 March, which would be almost five months after my application. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I think it really is a pity that, after the great improvements made to waiting list times through the SGS scheme, that standards should lapse back to this. Maybe I'm just unfortunate but I'd be interested in hearing whether others are experiencing similar delays at the minute? If there are a few of us in the same boat, I think perhaps writing to the Minister for Transport to inform him of our disappointment that the situation is disimproving greatly might be the best way to try to do something about this. What do you think?

timmywex

I applied for my test before xmas there and the wait in wexford had gone back up to 11 weeks, according to the website that was

But then again the website says max wait anywhere is 12 weeks, that doesnt fit with you story, so i'll have to wait and see! Hopefully will get one for middle of april!

Cabaal

This isn't any different to the waiting times I had to experience last Feb - August

macroman

I applied in November and only got a date last week (for the 30th of Jan BTW). Unfortunately, the backlog has been relieved for SGS has pretty much been axed, so the waiting lists are building up again (so it seems). I suppose if you were desperate for a test date you could arrange to do it in another test centre.

Permabear

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String

Ring up and ask for a cancellation and dont hang up till they give you one. A guy I know did that. It took him four try's but under a month to pass it as worth it.

SeanW

donegalfella wrote: »

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Hammer, Nail, Head.
The SGS thing was only ever a temporary show so that the government could pretend it was giving then provisional licenseholders a fair deal. I always knew they would let the waiting list times go back to hell once they got their way.

brian076

What most people don't realise is that each SGS tester was doing 47 tests per week, whereas an RSA tester does substantially less. It's very hard to obtain an exact figure but it's thought to be somewhere between 30 and 35 per week without overtime.(they are also being paid approx 50% more than an SGS tester). For a while it was thought that all Category B tests would be handled by SGS and this would certainly be more cost effective for the Government, but it seems that they bottled it when threatened by union action.

fiona-f

Thanks for the replies. I hadn't realised that the 8-week target time was a temporary objective only. In any case, it is nearly more frustrating to see that the system could work very well for a while, and that we then return to the old ways! In any case, I've decided to write to my local TDs and to the Minster to voice this. It may also be of some help to the poor SGS testers who are now being made redundant - they were doing a great job at getting the tests done (unfortunately I wasn't making such a great job at passing them myself but that's neither here nor there!) and I feel really annoyed that I now have to wait five months before I can sit the test again. If anyone else feels the same and would like to encourage the RSA / Department of Transport / whoever it is decides these things to continue to reduce waiting lists, the address is Minister Noel Dempsy, Department of Transport, Transport House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. (Mods, I hope this doesn't contravene the rules of the board, I read the charter and didn't see anything against this but apologies if it does)

brian076

Just to let you know that SGS are letting more testers go at the end of next week, and the remaining ones fear that they might be let go by the end of Feb.

Permabear

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Permabear

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hayyman

donegalfella wrote: »

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S.G.S seemed to pass a lot more people than the R.S.A did, maybe that's y they have lost there contract?

brian076

hayyman wrote: »

S.G.S seemed to pass a lot more people than the R.S.A did, maybe that's y they have lost there contract?

As an ex SGS tester I can assure you that we were not more lenient than RSA testers, but there were a few things that made a difference.
Firstly we generally put candidates more at ease than our colleagues in the RSA, and I think most people who have sat tests in both organisations would agree with that. This obviously helped to relax people a little more which would contribute to a higher pass rate.
A lot of the stats about pass rates were mis-leading. In many of the areas where comparisons were made, the RSA stats would have been around for several years, whereas SGS would only have been operating in some areas for a couple of months, so they weren't like for like.
During the early part of last year, most of the tests which SGS got from the RSA were for applicants who had a licence for more than 2 years, so in many cases they had already failed a test and knew what to expect, and/or they were driving long enough to put in the extra effort to pass this time.
From personal experience, in the centres where I worked, most of us had pass rates for the last 6 months of about 50%, which is no different to the RSA.
Finally the Government can't use the excuse that lack of money is the reason that SGS testers are being let go, because we carried out more tests for less money than the RSA, so it would have made more sense to keep SGS and redeploy the RSA testers.

DriveSkill

I can only speak for the SGS centers in Cork but I think one reason why the pass rate may be higher is the location of the test centers. The RSA test center in Cork is based in a very busy part of the city with usually heavy traffic for most of the day, complex junctions and busy roundabouts etc. The 2 other SGS centers were in generally quieter areas - one in Blackrock which is basically residential and the other in Little Island which could be busy at certain times but for example on Sat would be a very quiet area.

Not sure if this applies to some of the other SGS locations around the country but I certainly think it could have been a factor in Cork.

timmywex

The latest wait time is up on www.drivingtest.ie

There doesnt seem ti be any huge increase in wait times, according to them

brian076

timmywex wrote: »

The latest wait time is up on www.drivingtest.ie

There doesnt seem ti be any huge increase in wait times, according to them

That list was last updated on the 15/12/08 when SGS were still carrying out most of the tests. More of their testers are being let go this Friday, as apparently they have not been given anymore tests by the RSA.
The other thing to bear in mind is that the RSA have no exact system in place for allocating tests. When applications arrive in the RSA HQ in Ballina they are handled manually (no up to date computer systems for them). They are stored in a room, but are often retrieved at random. This explains why 2 people could attend at the same centre on the same day, with one of them having waited 6 weeks for their test while the other could have waited 5 months.

timmywex

brian076 wrote: »

That list was last updated on the 15/12/08 when SGS were still carrying out most of the tests. More of their testers are being let go this Friday, as apparently they have not been given anymore tests by the RSA.
The other thing to bear in mind is that the RSA have no exact system in place for allocating tests. When applications arrive in the RSA HQ in Ballina they are handled manually (no up to date computer systems for them). They are stored in a room, but are often retrieved at random. This explains why 2 people could attend at the same centre on the same day, with one of them having waited 6 weeks for their test while the other could have waited 5 months.

Nah there is a new list up now, updated 19/1/09

Thats interesting about their allocation procedures, very strange! But this is ireland

ms danahur

The waiting list for driving tests had increased from 8 weeks since 23/12/08 to 18 weeks, this is since the last batch of sgs staff were made redundant. This week another 20 or more sgs staff are meeting the same fate.... why? so the government body that carries out the driving test can have their overtime back. SGS were given the contract for as long as there was a back log, SGS cleared the back log and got booted out, now one month on the waiting time has increased already. What will it be like in three months time. They did a very good job, they had great people skills, so in this economical climate where every penny counts, SGS are put on the dole queue so others can have their overtime.

fiona-f wrote: »

Hi fellow learners,

I applied for my test (again :rolleyes:!) in the first week of November. As I would like finally to pass the test, I said that I was willing to be tested on short notice or a cancellation space, on any day of the week. I got the usual acknowledgement letter and nothing since. I rang the RSA today to see had I missed something and was told that the waiting list in my centre (Churchtown/Rathgar, which also includes Dun Laoghaire) had gone back up to at least 16 weeks. When I pressed the lady, she finally offered me an appointment for 20 March, which would be almost five months after my application. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I think it really is a pity that, after the great improvements made to waiting list times through the SGS scheme, that standards should lapse back to this. Maybe I'm just unfortunate but I'd be interested in hearing whether others are experiencing similar delays at the minute? If there are a few of us in the same boat, I think perhaps writing to the Minister for Transport to inform him of our disappointment that the situation is disimproving greatly might be the best way to try to do something about this. What do you think?

brian076

timmywex wrote: »

Nah there is a new list up now, updated 19/1/09

Where abouts is the list for 19/01/09? i just went into www.drivingtest.ie and they're still showing the list as at 15/12

Permabear

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brian076

That's still only up to 15/12

Permabear

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brian076

Thanks got it on Internet exp. Firefox is showing the dec list.

esharknz

donegalfella wrote: »

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Agreed. I did both my restricted and full license in New Zealand (not that it counts for much here), and I could choose when (including the time) and exactly where I wanted to do it. I allowed myself 4 weeks just so I could get my head around it (I HATE driving tests, like everyone). If I'd wanted, I could have got an appointment the next day.

I understand there are proposals out there to bring in a 'restricted' license level, what on earth would happen to waiting times then?

fiona-f

It is good that they updated the list on the www.drivingtest.ie website to show a bit more information, like "processing applications" date. However, it still is really bad that the system cannot be adapted to meet the demand. As I mentioned when I started this thread, I've written to the Minister to complain about this and I will raise it with any local election candidates that come canvassing to my door. Please join me in this as a good deal of public pressure is the only way to get anything changed in this country (other than brown envelopes!) - hopefully by the time of the elections in June we'll all have sat and passed our tests but it would be good for future learners to have a better service than we are all getting at the minute.

As someone mentioned on another threat, a person who suddenly finds themselves redundant could increase their employability by having a driving licence - it's a disgrace that the current system prevents them an opportunity of sitting or re-sitting the test in a reasonable time, particuarly in today's climate. We had the bones of a solution with the SGS system - lets lobby to bring it back up to at least that standard.

Simon Jester

I've been waiting 5 weeks with an employers note. If I dont get a test soon i'm rightly <SNIP>.

I have come to expect nothing but incompetence from this particular buraucracy.

brian076

fiona-f wrote: »

It is good that they updated the list on the www.drivingtest.ie website to show a bit more information, like "processing applications" date. .

I mentioned before on another thread that because the RSA are so inefficient they couldn't do this. When they receive an application in Ballina it's put into a box with all the other applications received that day and placed in a room. However they have no exact system when it comes to retrieving boxes so the first box in may not be the 1st one taken out.
This is why you will often find at test centres that 2 applicants who are being tested on the same day may have applied some weeks if not months apart.

Downey Penguin

I can't find another thread that directly answers my question but it is related to this....

I've just booked my test with the RSA on online - I've only just been given my learner permit. On the section that it says "dates unable to take the test eg. Exams/Holiday". I have said not until 3rd September. Is this going to be ok do you think? Or have I just wasted €38 for it come back and say invalid length of time?

I did try to call the RSA crowd in Ballina - stayed on the line for 23 minutes listening to some recorded rubbish - then the line just cut out!!

Permabear

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Downey Penguin

Will call again. Thanks for the heads up!

John Mason

hayyman wrote: »

S.G.S seemed to pass a lot more people than the R.S.A did, maybe that's y they have lost there contract?

i dont agree with this

i fail twice with SGS and passed with RSA

and i really wanted to take SGS to court for the two i failed - how can you fail the test and get back to the test centre and have the tester tell you, yo done a perfect test but i am failing you

Permabear

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brian076

donegalfella wrote: »

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There were a number of reasons for this and not necessarily because SGS testers were more lenient.
1. Some of the routes used by SGS were easier than those of the RSA, very often this was merely because of the location of the test centre. (Naas being an obvious example)
2. SGS trained their testers to offer good customer service, and this meant being polite and friendly, unlike some individuals in the RSA. This resulted in candidates being a little more relaxed and no doubt contributed to a higher pass rate.
3. The PDA's used by SGS testers allowed them to add or remove marks up until they press complete. If a candidate had 9 grade 2's at the end of the test, the tester might consider reducing one of them to a grade 1, if they felt that the overall drive was reasonably good, and especially if one of the grade 2's was borderline. This is where an SGS tester could be more lenient although it didn't happen all the time.
This facility isn't available to RSA testers who still mark the test report manually.

brian076

pink fluffy bunny wrote: »

i dont agree with this

i fail twice with SGS and passed with RSA

and i really wanted to take SGS to court for the two i failed - how can you fail the test and get back to the test centre and have the tester tell you, yo done a perfect test but i am failing you

I'm quite certain that this didn't happen. There was no way that you were told you drove perfectly, but were being failed.
This is one of the reasons why testers are encouraged not to give feedback to an applicant after a test, because more often than not, their comments are either mis-heard or taken up ar**ways.
You may have been told that most of your driving was very good if not perfect, but you would also have been told why you failed and this would be marked on the test report.