Poppy Bilderbeck
People have been purchasing and reselling driving test booking slots to make a quick profit.
Now, many of us would rather forget about the paralysing fear we felt when stepping into the car with a driving tester.
I personally wouldn't even be paid £100 to go back and repeat that day.
However, some eager UK learners are so desperate to get on the road unaccompanied, they're paying five times the normal price for test slots.
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The coronavirus pandemic has seen a huge backlog of hopeful soon-to-be drivers ready and waiting for their tests.
The waiting time to get a test slot is now reported as being several months, with some learners even predicted as waiting all the way until next year.
However, while the issue is frustrating for applicants, some people have spotted the backlog as being an easy way to nab an extra bit of cash.
In demand slots are reported as being snapped up and resold for a much higher price.
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People are even allegedly using software to get their hands on earlier time slots, selling them on to drivers for an added fee.
Typically, weekday tests with Great Britain's official driving test body, the Driving Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), cost £62. Evening, weekend and bank holiday tests cost £75.
However, prices are much higher on various public Facebook groups which have been set up to resell slots, with one group having over two thousand followers.
A post by someone who appears to one of the group's admins reassures users 'many scammers' have been removed.
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It tells followers 'to ensure safety of transactions' learners should contact a specific admin member.
The post continues: "This group is for anyone that wishes to use our booking service for DVSA Practical and Theory Test Booking. We can assist to find a test anywhere in the UK.
"Please look out for our notifications, get in touch with our admin team and let us find you a date faster.
"Our Admin Fee's Starts From £120 in addition to the DVSA Fee's.eg. We find you a Practical test and you will pay £120 plus £62 for a weekday and £120 plus £75 for a Weekend. Some driving test centres attract additional fees due to high demand and low availability."
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Other pages revealed that one test in Ilford, London, which took place this morning, 1 June, was listed on Facebook Marketplace by another user for £300.
Other learners reported only being able to find earlier tests for £190 - and that those were for literally 'anywhere in the UK'.
In a statement given to LADbible, the DVSA said: "We urge applicants not to use any third-party cancellation checking services and to always go through the official DVSA website.
"We’ve already put in place measures to monitor and prevent bots from accessing our systems, while also strengthening our firewall to tackle the issue.
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"DVSA encourage all candidates to book using our official booking website: https://www.gov.uk/book-driving-test.
"In instances where members of the public believe there is misconduct relating to driving instructors, we encourage them to notify us: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-a-driving-instructor."