Totteridge Driving School, High Wycombe, Bucks

I read this person’s review and though it is factually correct it is not a fair and true representation of what actually happened.

On the morning of this clients driving test I had a trailer driving test with a different client in Leighton Buzzard. This client was using his own vehicle and on route encountered some electrical problems. With the help of a local garage we rectified this and carried on to the centre arriving late. Normally when you arrive late the test is abandoned but due to a cancellation the examiner was able to conduct the test. This unfortunately impacted on my time schedule and as soon as I became aware I informed the above client that I would be running late. He lived in Gerrards Cross and his Driving Test was in Slough – the other side of the county. He had booked a 90 minute pre-test session so by the time I arrived at his home we still had 45 minutes before his Driving Test. Obviously this was not what he had booked but in the unforeseen circumstances it was the best I could do of a bad situation. There was no time to arrange an alternative car or instructor but to fulfil my contractual obligations and allow the client to attend his test. I had kept the client informed, so he was aware of the situation and we still made his appointment with time to spare.

I have been a driving instructor for 35 years and nothing like this had ever happened before. I fully understand his frustration of me being late and his disappointment of failing his Driving Test – which was failed with one major fault (corner reverse exercise) and no minor faults. The examiner was even disappointed that she had to fail him as he did so well with the rest of his exam.

I did the best professionally I could in these difficult circumstance and I did not want to let my client down. Some other Driving Schools would not even have bothered turning up.

Andrew Lazarevic ADI.

Unfortunately I did arrive late for this clients 2nd driving test with me shortly before this review which I think is unfair but was due to reasons beyond my control. I would like to explain these circumstances with you which I explained to the client in full on the day of the arisen situation.

On the morning of the clients test I had another client who had a trailer test in his own vehical in Leighton Buzzard and on the way to the appointment his vehical developed electrical problems, we managed to resolve these with the help of the local garage. Obviously this made us late for the appointment. Normally driving tests will be cancelled if you arrive late but suprisingly the examiner allowed the test to continue due to a cancellation. This impacted on my running schedule, as soon as I became aware of time issues I immediately informed the above client that I would be running late, I kept him informed until I arrived at his address in Gerrards Cross for his test in Slough. He had booked a 90 minute pre-test lesson which still gave us 45 minutes to get to the appointment. Unfortunately he failed his driving exam on one major fault (a corner reverse exercise) - no minor faults at all. Understandably he was disappointed at the result. Up to this point we had a good business relationship and it was his second test with me as his instructor.

In 35 years of Driving Instruction nothing like this had happened to me before, I did fulfill my contractual obligations and did turn up albeit late when other Driving Schools perhaps wouldn't have bothered. I did the best I could of a bad situation. I fully understand the clients dissapointment and can only apologise for the unusual circumstances that were beyond my control.

Andrew Lazarevic ADI

Teaching people to drive is a very difficult profesion. At the beginning you need to get the basics across which you do in quiet locations, so you can pull away, stop, start, change up and down the gears, turn left, turn right, different junctions, different driving locations. Then it is time to move peoples driving forward, then you need to take them out of their comfort zones and that involves driving on real roads. This is when driving becomes dangerous. It requires continuous practise in real driving scenario's, if you get it wrong you can easily be involved in an accident within seconds. Driving school vehicles are fitted with dual controls but it requires a modicum of skill on behalf of the customer to keep the vehicle straight, on course, within the rules of the Highway Code and to keep cool, calm and collected to maintain control of the car. Unfortunately this does not always happen on lessons and things go wrong very quickly. It takes less than 2 seconds for a mistake to become a crash - whether its into the kerb, parked vehicle, oncoming vehicle or pulling out in front of somebody at a junction. This can involve a trip to the car body shop, the hospital or the mortuary - worse case scenario.

This all might sound a bit dramatic but you have to move people along otherwise 20 lessons becomes 30, 30 lessons becomes 50, 40 lessons becomes 70.

I've been an instructor for 35 years and don't believe in taking people for a ride. I believe in teaching people to drive properly not continually taking their money and giving nothing back. Occasionally you can push customers too far and they feel uncomfortable.

No pain - No gain!

With my Driving School you get value for your hard earned pounds.