Updated January 2017
TERMS & CONDITIONS
By booking Driving Lessons with Rich’s Driving School (RDS) you are agreeing
to accept our Terms & Conditions
1. Your Driving Licence and Fitness to Drive
Before you can learn to drive you need to be at least 17 years old, which is the minimum age that you can legally drive a car on public roads in the UK. You can apply for your provisional licence three months before your 17th birthday using a DL1 form obtained from the Post Office and sending it to the DVLA.
Pupils must hold a valid provisional or full licence and produce it for your instructor to check on your first lesson. Pupils must ensure that their correct details are shown on their licence including their current address and must inform their instructor of any endorsements on their licence during their time of receiving tuition. Pupils are also responsible to let their instructor know of any disabilities they have that may affect their ability to drive. If in any doubt, check with your instructor before driving.
Before you take your practical driving test, the examiner will ask you to read a number plate on a vehicle. For an old-style number plate the required distance is 20.5 meters (about 67 feet). Newer number plates need to be read from a distance of 20 meters (66 feet). You will be asked by your instructor to perform this check on your first lesson, failure to read a number plate from these distances will result in not being able to drive until you seek advice from an optician.
2. Appointment Card
Your instructor will issue an appointment card on your first lesson, pupils are advised to keep the card safe and bring it with them to every lesson to enable an accurate record of future lessons and training already received. Pupils are responsible to keep an accurate record of lessons to ensure punctuality and to avoid mistakes being made. Missed appointments/delays by the pupil would result in the lesson being abandoned and the lesson fee still due for payment. The instructor will normally wait for a maximum of 10 minutes before abandoning the lesson. Lesson slots are booked on a first come first served basis.
3. Payments & Cancellations
Current prices are published on our web site. Payment is due in advance at the start of every lesson which can be made by cash or cheque (Any cheques offered for payment that is subsequently refused by the bank will be subject to an administration charge of £15.00).
Any cheques should be made payable to ‘Mr R Hinkley’.
We will issue lesson vouchers for a minimum of 10 lessons brought in advance which are valid for 6 months. Lost or expired vouchers will result in the loss of the lessons and are non-refundable once purchased.
If you need to cancel or re-arrange a lesson already booked, then the pupil is required to give a minimum of 48 hours’ notice before the commencement of their lesson direct to your instructor by calling, texting or leaving an answerphone message. Failure to give the full 48 hours’ notice to your instructor will result in a valid claim for a cancellation fee which is the same value as the cost of the lesson/s booked. Your instructor will acknowledge the receipt of a text/answerphone messages by return text to the phone number we hold for you on our system. (Please notify us of any change of details)
Your instructor reserves the right to cancel, postpone or change a lesson for any unforeseen circumstances, at short notice and for any reason (e.g. dangerous weather conditions like heavy snow, a fault with the school car or if it is suspected that the pupil may be unfit to drive due to the effects of drink or drugs) without having to compensate the pupil for the cancelled lesson.
In this situation the instructor will contact the pupil to re-arrange a lesson with mutual consent or charge the pupil if the lesson is cancelled as a result of them. Whenever possible the school will give the same notice it imposes on pupils for postponing or cancelling a lesson.
Your instructor will do everything possible to ensure that your lesson starts and finishes on time but is not held responsible for unforeseen delays in getting to you e.g. traffic jams. Any lesson time lost as a result of this would be made up by the instructor either at the end of the normal lesson time if possible or at a later date to ensure the pupil still gets their full lesson time.
Driving tests take priority over lessons, so a lesson already booked may on occasions have to be cancelled or moved if the instructor receives short notice of a driving test.
If the instructor feels that it would be in his or the pupil’s best interest to discontinue future lessons, then the pupil will be notified in writing. Every attempt will be made to suggest a suitable alternative school/instructor, but the pupil is under no obligation to accept these suggestions. Any prepayment still in credit made by the pupil in this situation will be refunded in full.
4. Driving Lessons
Lessons will start and finish at the same location unless agreed otherwise by the instructor and will last for the full hours paid for. The instructor determines the best locations for the lessons depending on the pupils driving ability and the subject to be covered. This could mean that the instructor may need to drive the pupil to and from the location which still forms the part of the lesson being paid for. No location should take more than 5-10mins to drive to depending on traffic.
Your instructor is DSB checked and will have displayed on the windscreen of their car a DVSA official legal document which can be inspected freely at any time which guarantees that the instructor is legally authorised to give paid driving tuition.
The school car will always be taxed, fully roadworthy (fitted with dual controls), insured to receive tuition and cover for the purpose of the practical driving test (the insurance certificate is available for inspection upon request). Your instructor is not covered to give instruction in your own personal vehicle.
Pupils are advised to wear suitable clothing that does not restrict movement and suitable footwear in the interest of health and safety and general comfort. Seek any advice from your instructor.
Your instructor agrees to abide by the Code of Practice for Advanced Driving Instructors.
5. The Driving Tests
Your instructor can give free advice on how to revise for and book your Theory Test and when the appropriate time is to make a booking for the Practical Driving Test. All advice is based on the pupil’s progress to date and does not mean that the pupil has reached the test standard at the time of booking.
Your instructor reserves the right to refuse use of the driving school vehicle for the test if he considers that use of a vehicle could cause a risk to public safety or the pupil in his opinion has not yet reached a satisfactory test standard. Where the school car is used for test, the booking period will be based upon the instructor’s normal working diary schedule. Depending on the time of the test this will require a 3 hour booking. (See price list)
While your instructor will make every effort to ensure that the vehicle supplied for test will be fully road worthy and comply with all legal requirements at the start of the test, he cannot be held responsible for vehicle failure that occurs during the test and is not liable for consequential loss.
Your instructor cannot be held responsible for test appointments cancelled by the DVSA due to staff shortages, bad weather or any other reason. These cancellations are beyond the control of your instructor and therefore the lesson fee and ‘use of car’ fee for the booked period will be charged. Your instructor can advise you about claiming compensation from the DVSA if this should this occur.
Pupils could from time to time be accompanied on their test by a supervising examiner, whose job it is to ensure that all standards are being observed by DVSA examiners who carry out tests and this is a legal requirement. On all tests pupils will be asked if they would like their instructor to accompany them on their test which is optional and up to the pupil (this can be discussed before the test with your instructor)
6. Legal Liability
Your instructor will make every effort to train pupils to the highest standard but can in no way be held liable for any errors the pupil may make before, during and after passing a test.
If you have any questions about our Terms & Conditions or wish to make a complaint, please contact us in the first instant by phone or website to discuss and try to mutually resolve.
Should no compromise be found then pupils have the right to refer the matter to the DVSA for investigation.
Rich’s Driving School (RDS) promotes ‘Safe Driving for Life ‘.