Terms and Conditions of Business for Drivin Skillz
Introduction
The terms and conditions of business under which driving instruction is provided are outlined below.
These terms and conditions of business constitute a contract between the client and Drivin Skillz.
These terms and conditions shall be construed under the laws of England and Wales and are subject to the sole jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
These terms and conditions do not affect your statutory rights.
Code of Conduct
Drivin Skillz abides by a Professional Code of Conduct. Copies are available upon request.
Entitlement to Drive
In order to have driving lessons, you must:
- Be aged 17 or older (16 or over if disabled).
- Hold a driving licence that is valid for the UK (provisional, full, or an appropriate foreign licence).
It is your responsibility to provide your instructor with proof that you have a valid licence to drive before the commencement of your first driving lesson.
If you fail to provide this proof, your instructor is entitled to refuse to conduct the driving lesson but may still charge you for that lesson.
It is your responsibility to ensure you are fit to drive.
You must inform the instructor of any medical condition, disability, or injury that may affect your ability to drive.
Behaviour
Drivin Skillz will not tolerate any form of verbal or physical abuse directed at themselves, a driving examiner, or any other road user.
Drivin Skillz reserves the right to terminate any lesson at any stage should they feel, in their sole opinion, that it is inappropriate to continue because of the client’s behaviour, sobriety, or state of mind. The lesson fee will be forfeited.
Lesson Fees and Payments
Before or on the first driving lesson, the client will be supplied with details of tuition fees.
Any alteration of tuition fees will be notified in advance.
All lessons must be paid for either in advance or at the start of the lesson. Credit is not offered.
Any client booking an intensive course of three days or more will be required to pay in full at least 14 days prior to the course start date. This will be treated as a confirmed booking. If any booked time is cancelled less than 14 days before the first day of the course, the fee will be forfeited.
Online Payments
We advise all clients to speak with us by email or telephone before making an online payment.
We reserve the right to amend driving lessons if we are unable to keep the appointment due to pre-booked driving tests, mechanical breakdown, sickness, pre-booked holidays, or immovable traffic conditions.
Lessons will be explained verbally in detail before any booking is made.
Online payments for gift vouchers expire after six months but may be extended if requested within that period.
Please telephone or email our driving school if you have not received a response from us, or if we have been unable to contact you within five working days of your online payment.
At least 48 hours’ notice is required to cancel pre-booked driving lessons, otherwise you may be charged for late cancellations.
Payments may be made by:
- Cash
- Bank Transfer
You will be advised whether the driving school accepts payment by credit or debit card.
Where a client falls into arrears with payments, Drivin Skillz reserves the right to discontinue tuition until the client’s account is brought up to date, including withholding the use of the driving school car for a driving test.
If further action is required to recover monies owed, additional charges may be applied to cover administration and recovery costs. Written notice will be provided.
Cancellations
You must give at least 48 hours’ notice to your instructor if you wish to cancel or rearrange a booked driving lesson.
Failure to do so may result in the full lesson fee being charged.
Lessons may occasionally need to be postponed at short notice due to illness, mechanical breakdown, emergencies, or unforeseen circumstances. In such cases, a mutually agreeable alternative appointment will be arranged.
Refunds
When a client pays in advance for lessons, they are entitled to a refund for any unused lessons at any time. Refunds will normally be made using the original payment method.
Where a discount has been given for prepayment and a refund is requested, lessons already taken will be charged at the standard hourly rate and the remaining balance refunded.
Change of Vehicle / Instructor
Tuition vehicles are periodically changed, sold, or may become unavailable due to mechanical or other issues.
If a replacement vehicle is required for a driving test, the client will be given as much notice as possible to become familiar with the vehicle. However, this may not always be possible in cases of sudden mechanical failure.
The driving school will not be responsible for any losses (including test fees) if the client chooses not to proceed with lessons in the replacement vehicle.
It is the aim of Drivin Skillz to provide one instructor throughout your tuition, however, it may occasionally be necessary to change instructors.
Drivin Skillz will not be responsible for any losses (including test fees) if the client chooses not to continue lessons with a replacement instructor.
Driving Tests
Driving tests should not be booked without first confirming the availability of both your instructor and vehicle, and agreeing with your instructor that you are ready for the test.
Before booking a practical driving test, an ADI reference number will be supplied to confirm readiness and vehicle availability.
Clients should notify their instructor of the test date, time, and location as soon as possible. The confirmation email must be shown to the instructor at the next lesson.
No responsibility will be accepted by Drivin Skillz for incorrect bookings unless the driving test confirmation email is produced.
No responsibility will be accepted for tests booked when the instructor is unavailable.
In the interests of road safety, Drivin Skillz reserves the right to withdraw the use of a vehicle for a driving test if, in the instructor’s opinion, the client is not at test standard.
Where possible, sufficient notice will be given to allow the client to cancel the test without losing the DVSA fee, although this may not always be possible on intensive courses.
No responsibility will be accepted where vehicle use is withdrawn because the instructor determines the client is not ready for test.
If a driving test is cancelled due to vehicle failure, instructor illness, or another reason within the driving school’s control, the school will pay the cost of the client’s next driving test fee.
Drivin Skillz is not responsible for additional tuition fees incurred while waiting for a replacement test appointment.
Drivin Skillz has no control over driving tests cancelled by the DVSA.
Where the DVSA cancels a test, all lesson fees and vehicle hire fees remain payable unless cancelled within the normal notice period.
Where the DVSA cancels a test due to examiner availability, clients may be able to reclaim losses directly from the DVSA. This is the client’s responsibility.
If a driving test is cancelled because the client’s documents are not in order, all fees remain payable unless cancelled within the normal notice period.
Data Protection
Under the Data Protection Act 2018, the driving school will only:
- Collect information needed for a specific purpose.
- Keep information secure.
- Ensure information is relevant and up to date.
- Retain information only as long as necessary.
- Allow clients access to information held about them.
All personal information supplied to the driving school is used solely to provide the requested service and is kept strictly confidential.
Occasionally, information may be shared with third parties where necessary to deliver the requested service. Please speak to your instructor for further details or to opt out where applicable.
Legal Liability and Complaints
The client is legally responsible for any traffic offences committed while they are in control of the vehicle.
The instructor will endeavour to train the client to the highest possible standard but cannot be held responsible for driving standards or errors committed outside of tuition, either before or after passing a driving test.
If the client is dissatisfied with any aspect of tuition or service, they should raise the matter with their instructor or Drivin Skillz as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the issue occurred.
Every effort will be made by Drivin Skillz to resolve any complaint or issue promptly and fairly.
