Terms & Conditions

The vast majority of courses go without a hitch, but please read and understand the Terms And Conditions below prior to booking, so we both know where we stand and how the course works.

All bookings are accepted on the STRICT understanding that the pupil has read, understood and accepted the terms and conditions outlined below.

By booking a course of driving lessons with EMERGING LEFT you are indicating that you have read and understood the terms and conditions and that you agree to be bound by them.
•‘you’ means the person named on the booking form as the pupil
•‘we’ ‘us’ means The self-employed instructor
•‘the driving school’ ‘EMERGING LEFT means the driving school administering the provision of the driving course, booking the tests and allocating you to a self-employed subcontractor who is a registered DVSA driving instructor.
•‘the instructor’ means a driving instructor acting on his/her own or on behalf of a driving school when providing the course

Terms & Conditions:

1. Each course is for the total amount of hours booked. The total hours of the course booked includes the time required for taking your practical test and drive home at the end of the course. Additional hours can be booked with your instructor at the agreed hourly rate (this can be agreed between you the pupil and your instructor, normally £35). Also please note: courses are not guaranteed to be completed over one week, larger courses 30 hours or more may be completed over two weeks, subject to instructor availability.

2. All pupils must pass the legally required eyesight test (20.5m or 67ft). This will normally be conducted by your driving instructor on the first lesson, should you fail the eyesight check the course would have to be abandoned until you have corrected your eyesight. Any agreed hours booked in with the instructor would be lost.

3. If your instructor feels that you are not ready to take your practical driving test at the conclusion of the course, due to safety reasons, then you the pupil will not be allowed to take your driving test in instructor vehicle. If this is the case and your DVSA test appointment is not cancelled or rescheduled by you before date advised by DVSA, you will lose your test fee and will not be offered a refund of any unused hours or any deposit or test fees.

4. The prices quoted on the course guide include the test fees required for your course, which we book and arrange for you. If requiring Emergingleft to book the cost of your practical retest is £89.00 on a weekday, however tests offered at weekends, or outside of normal working hours is £99.00 Extended driving tests are £62 extra on top of the standard above fee’s, and we should be notified on booking if you require an extended driving test, so we can send you the correct invoice for the deposit payment. Once these tests are booked for you they are non-refundable but you would have to generally wait on the standard waiting list, for example, 10 to 12 weeks for a practical, plus find your own short notice cancellations. You are paying us (including your lesson costs) to manage your booking which includes obtaining a short notice driving test cancellation slot for practical tests.

5. Start Dates and Deposit Refunds: Should we fail to allocate an instructor for your provisional start date, you will be informed of this and entitled to request a refund. If you wish to obtain a deposit refund because we cannot fulfil your original provisional start date, you would need to inform us at the point we make you aware we are be attempting to book your course for another week.

We will automatically search for the following week to complete your booking if we are unsuccessful in booking you in for the first choice week.

If an instructor makes contact with you and you agree on a schedule for any following week, the deposit would become non-refundable as the course is successfully booked in.

The reason that we cannot refund a deposit once it is allocated is that driving instructors are self-employed businessmen and women and cancellation of the course leaves the driving instructor without any income for that week once we have already reserved them for you as requested on booking. Courses may be rescheduled for a later date that you can attend at the driving instructor’s discretion.

Cooling off period: Once a course deposit is paid, you have a period of 14 days from the day after the payment date in which you are entitled to request a refund, however, you waive the right to the 14-day cooling-off period if you have booked a course to start within this period, meaning that lessons will be arranged within this period and tests that need booking will also likely to be in this period.

We reserve the right to charge an administration fee not exceeding £50, for work completed on your course such as finding and allocating your course to an instructor, or other associated administrative work provided by us, if you request a refund in the cooling-off period.

6. Once a deposit has been received, the pupil has a period of 3 months to complete the course from the date that the pupil has selected on the booking form to begin the course, should we not hear from the pupil for a period of 3 months (e.g if you have lost interest in completing the course) then any remaining deposit is forfeited and test fees lost.

7. Once the course hours  have been organised into the driving instructor’s diary, If a pupil then cancels the course with less than 1 full clear week ( 5 working days notice )from the lesson due date, then those lessons will be forfeited and time lost. We cannot rearrange a course once you have agreed the times with the driving instructor at short notice.

8. If a pupil books additional hours with the instructor and then cancels with notice less than 48 hours or fails to show, then these lessons will be charged and payable to the driving instructor at his / her standard hourly rate.

9. When taking a intensive driving course it is not normally possible to drive continuously, therefore, short breaks can be arranged between you and your instructor at both parties discretion, whenever either of you feels that rest is required.

10. Your intensive driving course includes break times and time to hire the car for the practical test and drive you home / back to your agreed meeting point at the end of the test.

11. EMERGING LEFT acts solely as a booking and administrative agent for driving instructors and schools registered with us, who teach intensive and semi-intensive driving courses in the UK. They are subcontracted with our driving school to provide an intensive driving course, with EMERGING LEFT providing the administration required for the subcontracted driving instructors. This means that we do not provide any driving courses ourselves and we undertake all our activities on behalf of the individual driving schools or driving instructors. We are paid on commission off the instructor for successful bookings.

12. A ‘successful booking’ is when we allocate an ADI and the Instructor and pupil agree to begin the driving course.

13. All courses are booked and based with advice on average learning capabilities from past client experience and are a rough guide only. No guarantees can be implied by any adviser or instructor. You should be prepared for extra tuition if it is felt that it is required before you are allowed to safely attend the driving test.

14. A practical driving test cannot be booked until the pupil has successfully passed the theory test and we have been informed of the theory pass number.

15. Practical test availability is subject to tests made available by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). All attempts will be made by us to secure a practical test local to the pupil, however, the instructor reserves the right to choose any test centre they deem appropriate for the pupil. If no test slots become available for the final day of your course then you may save a few hours and return another following week to take your test, once a suitable test slot has been found. Test centres may be closed on weekends and bank holidays. We cannot guarantee a test for any specific day but normally get one at the end of your course week or early the week after if the test centre is fully operational. Please be aware this may require more of your time to complete the driving course at a later date than you originally planned.

16. The contract of any Course / Intensive Course is between the pupil and the driving instructor. Any disputes or claims should, therefore, be taken up with the instructor firstly and not EMERGING LEFT, We cannot be held liable for any compensation claim from a pupil, nor can it be held responsible for any traffic violation on the part of the pupil or the instructor. EMERGING LEFT acts as a booking agent and is paid on commission off the instructor for successful bookings.

17. The deposit (initial part payment) for the course is payable on booking a course to EMERGING LEFT, which is for booking the appropriate tests in advance, searching and reserving you a local driving instructor and for the ongoing administration required. The deposit is not the full balance and is in part commission for  services provided.

18. The remaining balance of any course is payable directly to the subcontracted driving instructor who is teaching you and is for the lesson fees. The instructor may request payment 14 days before the course is due to start to ensure that the pupil is intending to go ahead with the course and will not let the instructor down at the last minute.

Failure be able to pay for the course remaining balance when requested will result in immediate course cancellation, you will lose the deposit paid. Should you pay the remaining balance to EMERGING LEFT, then we would only be acting as an intermediary and would transfer the money to the allocated instructor you are paying for the driving course.

19. If we cannot allocate you an instructor we will inform you on the Friday afternoon before the driving course is due to begin. At this point, you may request a refund of the deposit or we will automatically continue to try to allocate your driving course for the next available date.

20. In the unlikely event of the instructor’s vehicle breaking down during the course, a refund of the outstanding lesson time and outstanding test fees will be made if an alternative instructor cannot be arranged. Lessons taken will be charged at the standard hourly rate of £25.

21. EMERGING LEFT and your driving instructor cannot be held liable for any losses resulting in course cancellation or test cancellation due to any of the following reasons – driving course or driving test cancellation due to bad weather, for example snow or ice, examiner illness, examiner strike, instructor illness, vehicle breakdown & sudden product recall on vehicles. Where possible your instructor will arrange another date to finish the course off in the event of any of the above scenarios.

22. Please do not book time off work until you have spoken to your appointed instructor and discussed and confirmed your schedule.

23. All bookings are a provisional start date until confirmed directly with your driving instructor. Should an instructor be unavailable for your desired start week, we would automatically search for a start the following week until the course is allocated.

24. DISCOUNTED TEST FEE SPECIAL OFFER: The special offer featuring a test fee worth £62, discounted off the 5-hour retest course and is available to all customers booking a course of 5 hours or above, when booking a course from 1/10/2019 until further notice. There is no cash alternative.

The Course:

1. All courses are undertaken with a DVSA registered self-employed instructor is on an individual basis.

2. We do not offer shared courses e.g. 2 pupils in the car.

3. No guarantee can be made of test availability, especially if your theory certificate is about to expire (it is valid for 2 years). In the event that a test cannot be booked for the end of the course, then an alternative test will be offered for a date and time agreeable to the pupil and instructor. No refunds of any monies are applicable in this case. Also, if the DVSA cancels a test for whatever reason, then we cannot be held responsible/liable for the test fee and any lesson time lost, you may need to purchase additional lessons to retake the test. You may be able to claim reimbursement of some lesson time off the DVSA in certain circumstances.

4. Whilst every effort is made to get the pupil to the required level to take the driving test, if it is thought by the instructor that the pupil’s standard of driving falls below the expected standard, then for the health and safety of the pupil, examiner and general public, the pupil will not be allowed to take the test. No refund of either the deposit or any lesson time will be made in these circumstances.

5. All our instructors have been approved or licensed by the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency.

6. The car provided by the instructor will be comprehensively insured with a reputable insurer. A pupil can request to see insurance documentation from their instructor at any time. EMERGING LEFT cannot be held responsible for any insurance-related claims. Any disputes are the responsibility of the instructor. In the event of an accident, the Instructor is liable to cover any insurance costs, unless the pupil has intentionally damaged the instructor’s car, then that will be at the instructor’s discretion.

7. All special offers and course/lesson prices are subject to change without notice and are at the discretion of the company.

8. If a gift voucher is supplied by EMERGING LEFT, then the voucher is valid for a maximum period of 6 months from the date of issue. Gift vouchers are to be used by the person, or persons named on the voucher and are non-transferable.

9. If payment is received by an instructor for a course of lessons and the pupil does not complete the course, then the remaining hours are valid for a period of 1 month if you have to reschedule some of the hours, at the instructor’s discretion. After this time, the lessons and test fees will be forfeited and no refund will be given.

10. When a pupil is successful and passes their practical driving test, any unused hours may only be refunded at the discretion of the instructor. The calculation of any refund will be based on the hours utilised being charged at the standard hourly rate of £25.

Your obligations:

1. You are able to satisfy the driving test eyesight requirements; you can read a number plate from a distance of 20.5m or 67ft.

2. You satisfy the DSVA requirements regarding residency and eligibility requirements.

3. You fill out the booking form correctly so that we can carry out our administration duties.

4. You make us aware before booking of any health issues either mental or physical, which may affect your ability to perform as expected on an intensive driving course and under possible stressful conditions.

5. You agree the full course hours and make a note of the hours that have been agreed with the driving instructor (minus the final few hours if we need to save some for a driving test to be arranged) on the initial phone call with the instructor. If these are not satisfactory please call us at this point so that we can arrange an alternative instructor or discuss alternatives. If we are notified at the office, once the course has begun that you cannot do certain times and dates, or the instructor cannot complete the course with you in a certain time scale, then we are powerless to try to move the course to another local instructor.

6. You agree to book time off work or make travel or accommodation arrangements only once the hours have been agreed in full with an instructor who has called you and confirmed a detailed lesson schedule.

7. You attend your lessons on time. Failure to do so will result in you losing time and the driving school/instructor has no obligation in such circumstances to add time to the end of your lesson. The instructor will wait for a short period of time for a pupil at the agreed meeting point, if you are not in the car at the meeting time, and haven’t made contact with your instructor, we will assume the lesson has been terminated with you and move on to another lesson. The instructor is under no obligation to add this time on at the end of the course and the time will be forfeited.

8. You attend the practical test on time and take both parts of a valid provisional driving license with you when you attend. Theory test booking confirmations will be sent via email to the email address you provide for us on your booking form. Failure to attend will result in loss of the test fee and you will have to pay for the next one.

9. You email us, call us or text us with your theory pass number as soon as you pass it so that we can book a practical test on the same day and begin the process of finding you a driving test cancellation.

10. You must not be under the influence of drink or drugs at any time during your course. If we, or a representative of National Intensive, suspect or detect any sign of this, the remainder of the course will be terminated and you will lose all fees paid, both the deposit and any lesson fees paid to your instructor.

11. A professional approach is required by the pupil and no abusive behaviour towards the instructor will be tolerated. The course will be terminated and any monies paid will be forfeited in such an event.

12. You supply on the first lesson a signed provisional driving licence. If you fail to produce a valid provisional driving licence, the driving school/instructor cannot by law permit you to drive a car and accordingly your booking will be cancelled and any fees forfeited.

13. The construction, validity and performance of any contract shall be governed in all respects by the laws of England, Scotland and Wales.

Privacy:

You must bring the following with you to your test:

Your valid signed GB (or Northern Ireland) photocard licence – the photocard must be presented
or, your old style valid signed GB (or Northern Ireland) paper driving licence and valid passport; (holders of non-UK passports should check that they are eligible to take a driving test here)
It is a legal requirement to produce your licence and photographic evidence. If you do not bring these items with you, or you are late for your test, you will not be allowed to sit your test and you will lose your fee.

Reschedule Policy:

If you need to reschedule your test, you must allow at least 5 clear working days before your test date, to avoid losing your fee. For example to reschedule a test booked for a Friday you must inform us on the previous Monday.

Cancellation Policy:

If you need to cancel your test, you must allow at least 5 clear working days before your test date, to avoid losing your fee. For example to cancel a test booked for a Friday you must inform us on the previous Monday.

General Rules:

Please turn up at the test centre 15 minutes before your appointment is due so that you can check-in.

All test centres are audio and visually monitored for quality and security purposes.

Personal items are NOT allowed into a testing room and must be placed in a locker. Personal items include, but are not limited to: mobile phones, earpieces/earphones, laptops/hand-held computers/personal digital assistants (PDAs) and other electronic devices, pagers, handbags, purses, wallets, hats, bags, coats, books, revision notes, dictionaries, notepaper, pens, watches, food and drink.

If you are found with any of the above prohibited items in the testing room, your test will be stopped, you will be asked to leave the premises and will lose your test fee.

Issues / Refunds / Complaints policy:

We take any complaint against the service seriously as we aim to provide excellent service throughout. If you feel we have let you down or you feel the need to cancel the course please email the office team to request a refund or lodge a complaint.

We have to investigate all matters so please provide as much information as possible. 

We aim to investigate all matters as quickly as possible so will respond within 7 days, simple matters should be resolved within 48/72 hours.

Please note that if you booked more than 3 months ago: refunds would not be issued to courses which we can allocate to our instructors in accordance with terms and conditions.

Many thanks.

EMERGING LEFT TEAM

Emerging Left Driving School is owned and managed by Dennis O’Callaghan.