FLEECED: Budding drivers ripped off
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) are warning motorists against fraudulent websites offering to book theory and practical driving tests – then charging a £30 premium for their services.
Appearing to be bona fide, some websites are also charging for ‘pass protection’ with the promise of a free re-test that very few customers would ever qualify to use.
A car theory test costs £31 and a practical test costs £62 when booked through the official website, which also provides instant confirmation of booking.
Alastair Peoples, Chief Executive of the DSA, said: “It’s unacceptable that some of these websites try to trick learner drivers into paying an extra fee to book their driving test.
“We’ve already taken action with Trading Standards and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to make sure that they don’t use official logos, trademarks or make misleading claims.
“We continue to monitor these sites and explore new ways to counteract activities.”
Following earlier complaints, the ASA have ordered a number of websites to remove wording that could mislead consumers into thinking they were using the official booking service.
Last month, the website book-theory-test-online.co.uk was fined £85,000 by premium rate phone regulator Phone Pay Plus for ‘very serious’ breaches of its code.
If someone has used an unofficial booking website, the DSA suggest using the Citizens’ Advice Bureau for any course of redress.
