AA warns learner drivers over booking test online

Thursday, 24 June 2010

The AA is warning learner drivers over online ‘booking services’ that add surcharges of up to 65 per cent to arrange a driving test which learners can easily book themselves.

A number of young learners alerted the AA after they unwittingly booked their test through third-party commercial websites that invite learners to enter their details and preferred dates for a Driving Standards Agency test.

Learners are then charged over £50 for a theory test for which the DSA charges £31, with the difference being levied as an ‘administration fee’. Some sites add fees of up to £30 to book a practical test – on top of the standard DSA fees of £62 for a weekday test or £75 for a weekend or weekday evening – while bookings for extended tests attract booking fees of up to £40.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Driving School, says: “These so-called ‘services’ invite you to type in the same details you would if booking directly with the DSA, only on a different website and at a hugely inflated cost. Some sites include ‘DSA’ in their Google search listings or web page headings, which can make it confusing as to whose site you’re on.”

To avoid extra charges learners should only ever book directly with the DSA.

Source: www.therevcounter.com