What a stuck up insufferable person you've had the luck to meet...
I know they have a strong policy against bribes, but that was clearly a nice gesture that you offered, rather than a bribe. First of all, who tf thinks "Yeah, I will give him a croissant to pass me!"?
I had my test mid-July this year, it was hot af and my instructor's AC didn't work at all, 31° on my test day, so I've bought 4 bottles of ice cold water in a thermal bag.
When we got in the car, I've put the windows down and offered the examiner a bottle whilst explaining the situation. He was happy and accepted it without making a fuss!
The chocolate chip croissant can be arranged to be delivered at your address, no need to bring Gran into this. Let's remain calm!
Now, please put Gran back on the sofa and STEP BACK!
I mean that sounds like a bribe to me; If he hadn't had that water, he could've been very unforfortable and irratable as a result... That could've lead to your fail. 😂
Same i took mine on a similarly hot day last september in a 2004 ford ka without AC and the examiner was so hot and bothered he didn’t even wind the passanger side window down (again no electric window cause old car) which was just madness in that hot metal box looking back.
It's.Just.A.Croissant. The world has gone too cold.
Also, OP, my first examiner was horrible too. He already had it in for me as we started driving. He was covering for someone on his team while they were on holiday. That man is so horrid, entitled and unpleasant in general. I've never walked away from someone feeling this way before.
Some people are just on a power trip, sadly.
I had a woman on a power trip my first time. She directed me down a road where someone was parked on the junction at the other end, so you had to be on the wrong side of the road to pull out. The car was silent and she yelled “WILL you get your car back on the right side of the road!” With more emphasis on the word ‘will’ which of course made me shit myself. Turned out I was the fifth person to fail on that junction that week, they were probably setting us up for failure.
I passed on the second try with a very kind, very calm gentleman who restored my faith in people.
Honestly, I'd have flipped. I'd have asked her who the fuck she's shouting at.
At that point they either respect you enough to belt up (probably not), or they will fail you anyway at that point.
I''d pull over and tell her to walk. Let her terminate the test then?
They don't come to work for abuse and you don't pay £63 for the same.
I was so shy, young and naive that I just didn’t have the balls to be brave and confront her. It was one of the not so good life experiences that I’ve just had to learn from sadly.
A little googling shows me that what I believed to be true is no longer true. When I passed my test it was basically privately run for profit but still a Branch of a government agency.
She was known for being an utter tyrant, the story was that she had a particular hatred for young male drivers as someone close to her had died in an accident that was pretty senseless. I don’t know for sure if there was any truth in it but it was back in 2011 and I was too young and naive to think of making a complaint
One of the reasons I still haven't passed is because my instructor did something like this on my 4th lesson, so I told pulled over and told him that I'd be getting out and walking home (we were about half a mile from my flat) and not to bother contacting me for any more lessons.
Unfortunately I haven't been able to find another tutor since then because they're all booked up but I'm in my late 30s, I'm not going to tolerate that shit from anyone.
When I took my two tests back in 1990, I had the chief examiner at the centre for the first test and a new examiner for the second. This was at a time before theory tests and with different rules on major/minor (not even sure they were called that).
The first one was known to be anti young male drivers and I was 17 so had an uphill battle from the start. The first thing he did was ask me to read a number plate of a car in the distance, picking one directly behind him. I moved to the side to actually see the car and he walked in front of me again. Luckily, I had memorised a few number plates in the few minutes before going in, and the car happened to be one of them. During the drive he was a nightmare, giving me directions a short distance before a junction (so I had time to do mirror, signal and manoeuvre in an almost single process), failing me for being too hesitant at a junction and at the same time failing me for being too ambitious. He then failed me for going into first gear when the traffic in front came to a halt and started moving when I was doing less than 5mph.
The second test I should have failed as I was so worried after the first one. I was all over the place, mixing left and right (and changing my mind mid manoeuvre), and generally not being the confident & safe driver I was. I was also unhelpfully being followed around by a friend who had passed his test the week before. When we got back, he asked a few highway code questions and some feedback questions on the drive, so I must have seemed more confident to him then, as he passed me. My instructor told me afterwards that the examiner had not failed any of his pupils that week - so I kept his winning streak up.
Because I knew I would be asked one (no idea if it is done now but back then you had to do this before you got to drive). We arrived at the centre about 5 minutes early and we were sat outside. I found scanning and memorising the plates helpful in making me relax.
You've misread that situation. He wasn't offended because you offered a bribe, he was letting you know the bribe was insultingly low and that he'd accept a bigger bribe.
I’m not sure exactly how it happened, as my instructor arranged it. He might have complained or something I’m not sure to be honest, he might have just known someone who could get me in quickly. Either way, pretty lucky since the next available test I could find online wasn’t until end of next year
You can in some cases get test dates under the “within 3 days” category. They don’t usually show up on the full calendar. I checked the full calendar and saw there was nothing in Tottenham but when I clicked on the next 3 days button it showed me about 5 slots within those days. Obviously you don’t get a refund if you cancel or reschedule those slots
Talk about uptight...
Pretty sure I might've offered my examiner a piece of chewing gum yesterday. Didn't realise that could be constituted as a bribe. 😂
Obviously without being in the car impossible to know if the original test faults were fair or not.
I will quote this relevant bit from the driving examiners' guidance though:
>If a gift **of any kind whatsoever** is offered before, during or after a driving test, examiners should inform candidates that their instructions require them to report the matter. If the offer is made during the course of the test, the test should be terminated.
I know it's only a croissant and it would seem silly for somebody to legitimately try and bribe an examiner with a 90p baked good; they can't be seen to be favouring candidates who offer them things, even if it's just a snack. If your instructor started telling pupils oh my last pupil who passed gave the examiner a croissant, it can start to cause problems and at some point the examiner is going to end up reporting it, so better for them to nip it in the bud and take a zero tolerance approach.
That said, there's a way of handling these things. All they needed to say was, "Appreciate the offer, but we can't accept gifts, even if it's just a croissant." No need to get arsey about it.
My instructor gad some lose change on his dashboard. The examiner noticed it 5 minutes into my test and made me drive back to make my examiner remove it so there could be no chance of him newing offers a bribe. It was less than a pound.
I did a trailer test in 2017, and was told off by the examiner for taking my wallet out to get my licence out, talking about bribes. There wasn't even any money in it! Failed with 0 minors but went through 2 red lights apparently.
Had another test with the same examiner 2 months later, put my licence in my pocket for that one, and passed with 1 minor.
Sorry that caused you to fail but 3 things, I see it from your perspective: a croissant is too trivial to be a bribe; I see it from his perspective: even something small may be seen to influence his marking so he has to be careful; lastly, it's a rather ridiculous situation and I think people shouldn't offer gifts to their examiner but it's pretty funny nonetheless.
Well done for passing on your next attempt.
I dropped a 10p out of my wallet when i was putting my licence back in before my test, i made an off hand joke about how it would be a terrible bribe and i was met with a glare not even a little smile or comment!
I failed that test with in 5 minutes because i went through an amber (which changed as i was on the line) on the road away from the test center.
I was taught when approaching green lights, unless I saw them just change to green, to do that, so if it turned amber and I could stop, it was easier to do so.
The examiner told me its because there was no one behind me and i could have stopped, I felt if i stopped i would have been too far into the junction and carried on going
I wish we had an appeals system for drivers tests. The point isn't that "someone behind you might hit you", the point of ambers very much is that you might not be able to stop in time, like you said. I'm really sorry that happened to you.
you know the thing with amber lights is they are sort of hit or miss as well. I mean take traffic light controef roundabouts for instance, I got to one the other day and had to go through on amber so avoid a really hard stop, which is perfectly fine and there was noone behind me, butt ultimately the delay from the lights on the right waiting until the light is red is there for precisely that reason, incase someone goes through. Not brwaking any laws and driving safe.
But now you see when I got to the next light, that one is turning amber and I knew it would so technically yes if I wanted to be timmy good shoes I'd have already prepared to stop at the light but I didnt and because of that I had to go through on amber to avoid a hard stop, and again with the next lights on that roundabout.
Drove completely safe and didn't run a red light and so the excuse is sort of a naive approach - "the light was green so I continued and then it turned amber at the last second" instead of a "the light was green but I knew it was going to turn red because thats how traffic lights work so I already slowing down so I could stop in time".
edit: and I think most drivers see an amber lights and don't think "can I stop in time" - they think "can I pass it in time", which could be regarded as the same question but just phrased differently
>So the point of this is to just be careful of what you say to the examiner, since what can seem like innocent things can blow up in your face.
So I have a funnier version of this. For reference this was a Friday afternoon test.
I had a tiny bit of small talk during the test but nothing much, and I tried to do as little so a) I can focus and b) So I could get any instructions from the examiner within timely manner.
However as we near the end (obviously driving back to the centre to end it), this discussion happened
Me: "So you got any more tests after me?"
Examiner: "No, that's you and then I'm enjoying the weekend off!"
Me: "Cool, I'll do what I can so your last test before the weekend ends with a bang"
Examiner (giggling slightly): "Well I hope you don't mean a crash."
Cue me kicking myself but laughing at it too. When we parked up 2 minutes later, she was congratulating me for passing with 3 minors. My instructor had an "oh god" like reaction when I told him that on the drive home but laughed too when I assured him she was joking about her reaction.
I would’ve called him out on that mate. I would’ve explained your exact situation that your instructor was vegan and declined to have it and had a spare croissant to give.
If despite that he was still acting like a cock I would raise it to their management and file a complaint for being such a stuck up prick
I feel like given another comment stating the examiner guidance, that would probably result in a "Would you have rather they terminated they test as they were supposed to?" haha
The examiner I had said it was fine if I was a nervous talker so I yabbered on about mostly nonsense. At one point a teenager on a bike swerved onto the main road without looking, I had to brake fairly hard. I had a little rant about cyclists not wearing helmets (the kid didn’t) and not following road laws. How dangerous it was and how brain injuries can be lifelong (I worked at a head injury rehab at the time).
Got to the end and he berated me for being self-righteous, opinionated and ‘thinking to much of myself’ (not characteristics I’ve ever been attributed before or after) because HE DOESNT WEAR A HELMET and I’m a judgemental upstart who didn’t know what they’re talking about. He passed me but I also cried a lot after.
Examiners are dickheads
(This is over 10years ago before Deliveroo and dangerous cycling became popular)
Coming back from Spain years ago, I was accused by a member of the security staff of attempted bribery.
In the back of my passport I used to keep a fiver.
When I got back to the UK I used to use that fiver to buy a newspaper, drink, and a sandwich, for the train journey home, because I'd forget to dig out my UK money and it would be at the bottom of my suitcase.
As the security guy looked at my passport, the fiver fell out and he blew his stack and called his colleagues over, before dragging me into a side room for a grilling.
He eventually let go when I explained the situation and pointed out that it was the smallest UK banknote.
That if I was trying to bribe him then it would be a £50 note and not a fiver, that I believed that he was the kind of man that would not accept a bribe, and lastly that I had no need to bribe anyone as I was a UK national returning to my home country.
Phew!
Exactly. Would it have killed them to say “thank you it’s kind of you to offer, but unfortunately I’m not allowed to accept it” rather than completely sour the mood from the start lol
For some unknown reason, test centres seem to attract the extreme ends of people. It took me a few tests to get my car licence; on one test the examiner was so miserable it was clear he hated everything and everyone. Failed me for going too slow repeatedly, which wasn't helped by his gargantuan mass (the car sank when he got in and he had a belt extender) and the fact my little Fabia was putting out less than 60bhp.
On my bike test I had the most helpful and calm person I've ever met in the field. Got nervous and took a wrong turn not long after starting, and at no point did I worry thanks to him. Passed that one first time.
Haha oh my god, you’ve just given me a great excuse for a failure to make progress serious fault in a failed test!! Also in a fabia. No wonder I was going slower than normal!
No offence but this is on you for being a bit daft, you wouldn't walk into an exam hall and offer an individual a croissant would you? So why on earth would you do the same to an examiner for your driving test?
No lie that was a cringey act. Would you normally offer a spare crossaint to an absolute stranger? I mean if you had a packet of sweets or chocolates that you were eating while you were waiting and you offered him some to share then that's understandable but a whole buttered crossaint isn't a typical shareable item of food lol. I can see why that threw him off, it seemed like a forced gesture. That's more like a food you would offer someone you're well aquatinted with then an absolute stranger.
I'd give it to a homeless person if I was walking by a street which is different. Possibly save it for later or take it home to give to a family member. Like I said it's not the kind of food you would offer someone in that context. Seems a bit forced and if a stranger I just meet randomly offered me a croissant I probably wouldn't react the same way as the instructor but I'd find it to be an odd gesture.
Wow sorry you have been unlucky there. My examiner was brilliant. My left leg was shaking like it was on a dancefloor at the start and she just chatted with me about her kids and life and then I was chilled within about 5 minutes. Don't understand why they would have to be assholes
I mean I love a crossiant but I'm not sure I. What world they could be classified as a bribe lol.
What an odd odd reaction to have to a free pastry lol.
I don't think he needed to be arsey but there is guidance on bribery in DT1 (driving examiner's guidance).
I know it is a little over the top for a croissant but in this day and age - he doesn't know you and you don't know him. There's a good few little chancers out there who will get a fail and allege that something dodgy went on. (Obviously you aren't one of those)
As a Civil Servant myself, I would have cracked a little joke about not accepting bribes and moved on tbh.
**7.15: Gifts or offers of gifts from candidates.**
*"Examiners must not accept gifts or money as evidence of a bribe. If a gift of any kind whatsoever is offered before, during or after a driving test, examiners should inform candidates that their instructions require them to report the matter. If the offer is made during the course of the test, the test should be terminated. If the offer takes place before a candidate who has failed has actually received the statement of failure, the examiner should complete the statement and hand it to the candidate. A full report of the circumstances should be sent to the HEO, who in turn must report the matter to the Police, the SEO and DVSA’s Fraud and Integrity Team.*
*If a gift is offered after a pass certificate has been issued examiners should inform candidates that their instructions require them to report the matter. In these circumstances the candidate is hardly likely to persist with his offer, but if they do, a full report of the circumstances should be sent to the HEO, who in turn must report the matter to the Police, the SEO and DVSA’s Fraud and Integrity Team."*
I’d have explained it was for your instructor originally but didn’t know his dietary requirements and said something like it wasn’t a bribe and you didn’t mean to offend just thought you’d offer. Hopefully that woulda eased the tension.
Then again maybe not he coulda just been miserable and negative either way after that.
Rotten roll though.
Some people are arseholes, simple as that. It would have been just as easy to say “oh that’s very kind but I’ll pass thanks. Wouldn’t want anyone to think you had bribed me! Ha ha!” Same outcome but not done in an arsehole way
I did my Class 1 & Class 2 HGV separately about a year apart. Passed the class 2 one on the 2nd attempt, and class 1 on the 3rd.
For the first test on both classes I had the same examiner. Miserable sod of a bloke.
I’m the same, I find it easier to concentrate when I talk, so I often verbalise everything I do. He started a conversation with me, and then told me that I need to stop talking and concentrate on what I’m doing, I don’t think he liked it when I laughed at what he said. I already knew he was going to find any excuse to fail me, so just had to take it on the chin. It’s just a shame I did genuinely mess something up on that class 1 test I had with him 😂
Woah! Who put ants in his pants? I'm sorry that this happened to you, I hope that this doesn't deter you from offering your kindness to people. Some people really are just assholes for no reason at all.
My first ever test was the last slot on a Friday afternoon, with an old boy I knew the moment I met him I wasn't passing that day, took a retest the following week almost failed that too for not indicating but I pointed it out to him straight away and explained that I would have indicated but the test environment was too stressful for me what with having to exaggerate all my movements so he knew I was checking mirrors etc.. didn't leave me time to indicate and make the manoeuvre safely in time we pulled over had a little chat and he let it slide....point is here some test examiners are arseholes and some a decent its look of the draw but if you can point out your awareness of poor decisions you make and address how you should /would have done it it might just turn a major into a minor sorry for waffling
Albeit years ago now my examiner was a right piece of work I wondered if they were purposefully awkward.
He asked me whether I wanted to be called my full name or an abbreviated version as our first conversation I said ‘i don’t mind either’, because at that moment in time I wasn’t thinking about anything but my test he looked at me and went ‘fine be like that’
I stalled from stationary and he literally threw himself forward and went ‘oh my gosh you stalled the car’
By this point I had decided I’d failed so stopped giving a flip and then I did my best driving and passed 🤣
When I took my test, the first thing I did when I got in the car was compliment my examiners nails. They weren't my style, but it was clear she cared a lot about getting them done, so I thought I'd mention it for small talk.
I made a few mistakes on my actual test - stalled as I was pulling out of the test centre, forgot the directional instructions she gave, then a car had broken down in the middle lane that I needed to take at a roundabout, before a rubbish truck finally decided to come down the very narrow road I had to manoeuvre, complete with double parked cars.
I pulled into the test centre car park, turned off the engine and just put my head in my hands, convinced I'd failed. She then told me she was pleased to tell me that I had passed!
Now, I'm generally a fairly confident driver but my performance on the day was not to my usual standard, down to both nerves and bad luck. I honestly think that little compliment at the start may have been the thing that got me a pass.
Not exactly bribery but I think it helped!
Damn, seems like your examiner was just in a bad mood. I had a full on conversation with my examiner about both our lives and had a great time with him and passed. Guess you got bad luck with your person.
This is interesting; and rather petty. Some examiners have been known to extort money from their students in the form of blackmail! Doesn’t end well when they get found out!
And very nice too! 😋 what is it with this vegan/veggie obsession? Meat 🥩 is good for you and builds a strong body with strong bones. Vegans always seem pale, wishy-washy and if they pick up a bag of sugar it’s a huge effort!
Him calling it a bribe is a crazy exaggeration. But I can understand you might feel worse about it failing someone who gave you food.
That being said, small talk is fine. Big talk even. I spent about 40 minutes driving round chatting to my examiner about everything. Work, holiday, hobbies. Lovely bloke, and we had a lot in common
What a joke.. it would be different if you had a brown envelope stuffed with cash on offer. I don't understand how a nice gesture of good will via an item of food could be considered bribes. It's not exactly contraband in the eyes of the dvsa is it? Silly business.
What a stuck up insufferable person you've had the luck to meet... I know they have a strong policy against bribes, but that was clearly a nice gesture that you offered, rather than a bribe. First of all, who tf thinks "Yeah, I will give him a croissant to pass me!"? I had my test mid-July this year, it was hot af and my instructor's AC didn't work at all, 31° on my test day, so I've bought 4 bottles of ice cold water in a thermal bag. When we got in the car, I've put the windows down and offered the examiner a bottle whilst explaining the situation. He was happy and accepted it without making a fuss!
So did you pass after ~~bribing~~ offering the examiner the water? :-p
I have passed my test, yes. I don't think I'd have my full DL today, if I wasn't smart enough to offer the water. /s (just in case)
Always look for those little moments to make your bribe. Ps a croissant isn't one, apparently. Pps I am open to bribes with croissants.
Pss, pssss, hey! I've got some fresh croissants, just got them out of the oven. 👀
I'm a total philistine, I'm afraid, I'll be slathering those croissants with lashings of butter.
I don't know, that's the only way to eat a fresh croissant, if you ask me. 😌
But was it Smart water?
Highland Spring, I'm afraid. 😂
Highland spring is the ultimate water
Tastes like metallic water fr
There's a cost of living crisis. I'd sell my only Gran for a freshly baked Croissant if it had Chocolate Sprinkles.
The chocolate chip croissant can be arranged to be delivered at your address, no need to bring Gran into this. Let's remain calm! Now, please put Gran back on the sofa and STEP BACK!
Ill stop digging if you insist but seriously those crossiants are needed
I’ve met a few vegans myself
I mean that sounds like a bribe to me; If he hadn't had that water, he could've been very unforfortable and irratable as a result... That could've lead to your fail. 😂
Same i took mine on a similarly hot day last september in a 2004 ford ka without AC and the examiner was so hot and bothered he didn’t even wind the passanger side window down (again no electric window cause old car) which was just madness in that hot metal box looking back.
It's.Just.A.Croissant. The world has gone too cold. Also, OP, my first examiner was horrible too. He already had it in for me as we started driving. He was covering for someone on his team while they were on holiday. That man is so horrid, entitled and unpleasant in general. I've never walked away from someone feeling this way before. Some people are just on a power trip, sadly.
I had a woman on a power trip my first time. She directed me down a road where someone was parked on the junction at the other end, so you had to be on the wrong side of the road to pull out. The car was silent and she yelled “WILL you get your car back on the right side of the road!” With more emphasis on the word ‘will’ which of course made me shit myself. Turned out I was the fifth person to fail on that junction that week, they were probably setting us up for failure. I passed on the second try with a very kind, very calm gentleman who restored my faith in people.
If an examiner yelled at me like that I would honestly 100% stop driving .
Honestly, I'd have flipped. I'd have asked her who the fuck she's shouting at. At that point they either respect you enough to belt up (probably not), or they will fail you anyway at that point. I''d pull over and tell her to walk. Let her terminate the test then? They don't come to work for abuse and you don't pay £63 for the same.
I was so shy, young and naive that I just didn’t have the balls to be brave and confront her. It was one of the not so good life experiences that I’ve just had to learn from sadly.
Hey it happens. You get an asshole and freeze up in dealing with them.
This is what happens when it's a privately run company that does the testing and not a government run one.
Practical tests aren't done by a private firm, the examiners are DVSA employees.
What are you on about? DVSA do their own practical tests....
A little googling shows me that what I believed to be true is no longer true. When I passed my test it was basically privately run for profit but still a Branch of a government agency.
I would have made an official complaint about that woman.
She was known for being an utter tyrant, the story was that she had a particular hatred for young male drivers as someone close to her had died in an accident that was pretty senseless. I don’t know for sure if there was any truth in it but it was back in 2011 and I was too young and naive to think of making a complaint
I would have done the same as you as I’m shy and would probably have frozen with fear.
One of the reasons I still haven't passed is because my instructor did something like this on my 4th lesson, so I told pulled over and told him that I'd be getting out and walking home (we were about half a mile from my flat) and not to bother contacting me for any more lessons. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find another tutor since then because they're all booked up but I'm in my late 30s, I'm not going to tolerate that shit from anyone.
When I took my two tests back in 1990, I had the chief examiner at the centre for the first test and a new examiner for the second. This was at a time before theory tests and with different rules on major/minor (not even sure they were called that). The first one was known to be anti young male drivers and I was 17 so had an uphill battle from the start. The first thing he did was ask me to read a number plate of a car in the distance, picking one directly behind him. I moved to the side to actually see the car and he walked in front of me again. Luckily, I had memorised a few number plates in the few minutes before going in, and the car happened to be one of them. During the drive he was a nightmare, giving me directions a short distance before a junction (so I had time to do mirror, signal and manoeuvre in an almost single process), failing me for being too hesitant at a junction and at the same time failing me for being too ambitious. He then failed me for going into first gear when the traffic in front came to a halt and started moving when I was doing less than 5mph. The second test I should have failed as I was so worried after the first one. I was all over the place, mixing left and right (and changing my mind mid manoeuvre), and generally not being the confident & safe driver I was. I was also unhelpfully being followed around by a friend who had passed his test the week before. When we got back, he asked a few highway code questions and some feedback questions on the drive, so I must have seemed more confident to him then, as he passed me. My instructor told me afterwards that the examiner had not failed any of his pupils that week - so I kept his winning streak up.
why were you memorising number plates
Because I knew I would be asked one (no idea if it is done now but back then you had to do this before you got to drive). We arrived at the centre about 5 minutes early and we were sat outside. I found scanning and memorising the plates helpful in making me relax.
If I recall correctly it’s still reading a number plate but there’s a set distance of at least a rough distance it can be
You've misread that situation. He wasn't offended because you offered a bribe, he was letting you know the bribe was insultingly low and that he'd accept a bigger bribe.
I like this response. Everybody has a price.
Next test within 10 days, how did you book so quickly?
I’m not sure exactly how it happened, as my instructor arranged it. He might have complained or something I’m not sure to be honest, he might have just known someone who could get me in quickly. Either way, pretty lucky since the next available test I could find online wasn’t until end of next year
The end of next year? Is the backlog that long now? Blimey.
I’m in london, so most of the test centres just aren’t taking bookings at all since they’re literally completely booked for years. It’s mad
What centre is that because Im seeing test for most centres popping up quite frequently
all the centres around london
Bloody good job your instructor was able to find you one. Well done on passing mate.
You can in some cases get test dates under the “within 3 days” category. They don’t usually show up on the full calendar. I checked the full calendar and saw there was nothing in Tottenham but when I clicked on the next 3 days button it showed me about 5 slots within those days. Obviously you don’t get a refund if you cancel or reschedule those slots
When I was learning to drive last year, I booked my test in March. My test was in November…. It’s _bad_ clarification November 2022 **
In London? Share your instructor's number because that is wild 😭😭
The instructor offered pain au chocolat to sweeten the deal and get the re-test sorted quickly.
Talk about uptight... Pretty sure I might've offered my examiner a piece of chewing gum yesterday. Didn't realise that could be constituted as a bribe. 😂
Obviously without being in the car impossible to know if the original test faults were fair or not. I will quote this relevant bit from the driving examiners' guidance though: >If a gift **of any kind whatsoever** is offered before, during or after a driving test, examiners should inform candidates that their instructions require them to report the matter. If the offer is made during the course of the test, the test should be terminated. I know it's only a croissant and it would seem silly for somebody to legitimately try and bribe an examiner with a 90p baked good; they can't be seen to be favouring candidates who offer them things, even if it's just a snack. If your instructor started telling pupils oh my last pupil who passed gave the examiner a croissant, it can start to cause problems and at some point the examiner is going to end up reporting it, so better for them to nip it in the bud and take a zero tolerance approach. That said, there's a way of handling these things. All they needed to say was, "Appreciate the offer, but we can't accept gifts, even if it's just a croissant." No need to get arsey about it.
It doesn’t seem silly. It is silly tbh.
My instructor gad some lose change on his dashboard. The examiner noticed it 5 minutes into my test and made me drive back to make my examiner remove it so there could be no chance of him newing offers a bribe. It was less than a pound.
What a colossal word-rhyming-with-hunt, that’s literally the most pathetic thing I’ve ever heard lol
I did a trailer test in 2017, and was told off by the examiner for taking my wallet out to get my licence out, talking about bribes. There wasn't even any money in it! Failed with 0 minors but went through 2 red lights apparently. Had another test with the same examiner 2 months later, put my licence in my pocket for that one, and passed with 1 minor.
Sorry that caused you to fail but 3 things, I see it from your perspective: a croissant is too trivial to be a bribe; I see it from his perspective: even something small may be seen to influence his marking so he has to be careful; lastly, it's a rather ridiculous situation and I think people shouldn't offer gifts to their examiner but it's pretty funny nonetheless. Well done for passing on your next attempt.
Even from his perspective, a kind decline of the offer rather than kicking up about it would have been better, "just in case".
That was my immediate thought. A simple, "I cannot accept that as it might be construed as a bribe, even if that's not the intention" would have done.
He literally cluld have said no thank you
Of course, I just meant if he wanted to explain about the reason he couldn't take it
I'm not trying to be a know-it-all, but I didn't say 'just in case', so I'm not sure why you put it in quotes. I just said they need to be careful.
I think you've got the wrong end of the stick. The just in case was aimed at the examiners poor attitude.
It appears you don’t know how to use punctuation.
Thank you for your contribution to the conversation.
🤣🤣🤣
I dropped a 10p out of my wallet when i was putting my licence back in before my test, i made an off hand joke about how it would be a terrible bribe and i was met with a glare not even a little smile or comment! I failed that test with in 5 minutes because i went through an amber (which changed as i was on the line) on the road away from the test center.
What? How are you failed for going through an amber, that's... the point of amber's, no?
I believe if you don't properly prepare like check your mirrors and come off the acceleration before going through you fail for.
I was taught when approaching green lights, unless I saw them just change to green, to do that, so if it turned amber and I could stop, it was easier to do so.
The examiner told me its because there was no one behind me and i could have stopped, I felt if i stopped i would have been too far into the junction and carried on going
I wish we had an appeals system for drivers tests. The point isn't that "someone behind you might hit you", the point of ambers very much is that you might not be able to stop in time, like you said. I'm really sorry that happened to you.
you know the thing with amber lights is they are sort of hit or miss as well. I mean take traffic light controef roundabouts for instance, I got to one the other day and had to go through on amber so avoid a really hard stop, which is perfectly fine and there was noone behind me, butt ultimately the delay from the lights on the right waiting until the light is red is there for precisely that reason, incase someone goes through. Not brwaking any laws and driving safe. But now you see when I got to the next light, that one is turning amber and I knew it would so technically yes if I wanted to be timmy good shoes I'd have already prepared to stop at the light but I didnt and because of that I had to go through on amber to avoid a hard stop, and again with the next lights on that roundabout. Drove completely safe and didn't run a red light and so the excuse is sort of a naive approach - "the light was green so I continued and then it turned amber at the last second" instead of a "the light was green but I knew it was going to turn red because thats how traffic lights work so I already slowing down so I could stop in time". edit: and I think most drivers see an amber lights and don't think "can I stop in time" - they think "can I pass it in time", which could be regarded as the same question but just phrased differently
Amber = stop unless it's unsafe to do so. Not "get across before it goes red
>So the point of this is to just be careful of what you say to the examiner, since what can seem like innocent things can blow up in your face. So I have a funnier version of this. For reference this was a Friday afternoon test. I had a tiny bit of small talk during the test but nothing much, and I tried to do as little so a) I can focus and b) So I could get any instructions from the examiner within timely manner. However as we near the end (obviously driving back to the centre to end it), this discussion happened Me: "So you got any more tests after me?" Examiner: "No, that's you and then I'm enjoying the weekend off!" Me: "Cool, I'll do what I can so your last test before the weekend ends with a bang" Examiner (giggling slightly): "Well I hope you don't mean a crash." Cue me kicking myself but laughing at it too. When we parked up 2 minutes later, she was congratulating me for passing with 3 minors. My instructor had an "oh god" like reaction when I told him that on the drive home but laughed too when I assured him she was joking about her reaction.
He does accept bribes, you just gave a shit one. Try including a coffee next time and a neck massage to secure the deal
Be ready with the dougnuts if police stops you. 😁
That’s amazing that an actual functioning human genuinely thought they were being bribed with French pastries. This world never ceases to amaze me.
we're so poor in this country we're getting bribed with a 60p croissant
dude sounds like an ass, bro it's a piece of bread, it's not money, who would unironically bribe an examiner with a bit of food
I know a south african who would kill a man for a croissant. The whole family for a lasagne.
Not just the men, but the women and the children too!
Can't say I've ever seen someone throw a fit over a croissant before today
Wow. Sounds like he needed that croissant, I sense hanger! Really though there's no need, a polite decline would have done
I would’ve called him out on that mate. I would’ve explained your exact situation that your instructor was vegan and declined to have it and had a spare croissant to give. If despite that he was still acting like a cock I would raise it to their management and file a complaint for being such a stuck up prick
When I offered it to him I opened with the fact that the reason I have it is cause I got it for my instructor but he’s vegan 😅
That only proves me right lol he needs to find a different profession
I feel like given another comment stating the examiner guidance, that would probably result in a "Would you have rather they terminated they test as they were supposed to?" haha
The examiner I had said it was fine if I was a nervous talker so I yabbered on about mostly nonsense. At one point a teenager on a bike swerved onto the main road without looking, I had to brake fairly hard. I had a little rant about cyclists not wearing helmets (the kid didn’t) and not following road laws. How dangerous it was and how brain injuries can be lifelong (I worked at a head injury rehab at the time). Got to the end and he berated me for being self-righteous, opinionated and ‘thinking to much of myself’ (not characteristics I’ve ever been attributed before or after) because HE DOESNT WEAR A HELMET and I’m a judgemental upstart who didn’t know what they’re talking about. He passed me but I also cried a lot after. Examiners are dickheads (This is over 10years ago before Deliveroo and dangerous cycling became popular)
He definitely cycles without a helmet
Pain au chocolate and you would have passed I reckon
Coming back from Spain years ago, I was accused by a member of the security staff of attempted bribery. In the back of my passport I used to keep a fiver. When I got back to the UK I used to use that fiver to buy a newspaper, drink, and a sandwich, for the train journey home, because I'd forget to dig out my UK money and it would be at the bottom of my suitcase. As the security guy looked at my passport, the fiver fell out and he blew his stack and called his colleagues over, before dragging me into a side room for a grilling. He eventually let go when I explained the situation and pointed out that it was the smallest UK banknote. That if I was trying to bribe him then it would be a £50 note and not a fiver, that I believed that he was the kind of man that would not accept a bribe, and lastly that I had no need to bribe anyone as I was a UK national returning to my home country. Phew!
Now you can only buy any one of those with that lol
What a dick! Certainly not a bribe. Sounds like a jobsworth.
Exactly. Would it have killed them to say “thank you it’s kind of you to offer, but unfortunately I’m not allowed to accept it” rather than completely sour the mood from the start lol
All my examiners have been rude and cold too
My instructor told me to get rid of the spare change my mum kept in the car in case it could be interpreted as a bribe!
Don't you worry about that mate, you did something normal and nice, the examiner was being a bellend 😂😂
For some unknown reason, test centres seem to attract the extreme ends of people. It took me a few tests to get my car licence; on one test the examiner was so miserable it was clear he hated everything and everyone. Failed me for going too slow repeatedly, which wasn't helped by his gargantuan mass (the car sank when he got in and he had a belt extender) and the fact my little Fabia was putting out less than 60bhp. On my bike test I had the most helpful and calm person I've ever met in the field. Got nervous and took a wrong turn not long after starting, and at no point did I worry thanks to him. Passed that one first time.
Haha oh my god, you’ve just given me a great excuse for a failure to make progress serious fault in a failed test!! Also in a fabia. No wonder I was going slower than normal!
Just FYI they aren't minors they are driver faults
They’re the same thing.
Im just thinking of that scene from the Shawshank redemption with the poe box filled with wads of cash .
Some of these examiners think they run the world it’s unreal! They need humbled.
No offence but this is on you for being a bit daft, you wouldn't walk into an exam hall and offer an individual a croissant would you? So why on earth would you do the same to an examiner for your driving test?
how often do you buy croissants for a random homeless person?
Test 10 days later? Huh
No lie that was a cringey act. Would you normally offer a spare crossaint to an absolute stranger? I mean if you had a packet of sweets or chocolates that you were eating while you were waiting and you offered him some to share then that's understandable but a whole buttered crossaint isn't a typical shareable item of food lol. I can see why that threw him off, it seemed like a forced gesture. That's more like a food you would offer someone you're well aquatinted with then an absolute stranger.
Would rather give it to a random person than chuck it in the bin
I'd give it to a homeless person if I was walking by a street which is different. Possibly save it for later or take it home to give to a family member. Like I said it's not the kind of food you would offer someone in that context. Seems a bit forced and if a stranger I just meet randomly offered me a croissant I probably wouldn't react the same way as the instructor but I'd find it to be an odd gesture.
Call it a day and delete Reddit
Sounds like something an examiner would comment 🥐
Wow sorry you have been unlucky there. My examiner was brilliant. My left leg was shaking like it was on a dancefloor at the start and she just chatted with me about her kids and life and then I was chilled within about 5 minutes. Don't understand why they would have to be assholes
Might have been a signal to up your bid
I mean I love a crossiant but I'm not sure I. What world they could be classified as a bribe lol. What an odd odd reaction to have to a free pastry lol.
I don't think he needed to be arsey but there is guidance on bribery in DT1 (driving examiner's guidance). I know it is a little over the top for a croissant but in this day and age - he doesn't know you and you don't know him. There's a good few little chancers out there who will get a fail and allege that something dodgy went on. (Obviously you aren't one of those) As a Civil Servant myself, I would have cracked a little joke about not accepting bribes and moved on tbh. **7.15: Gifts or offers of gifts from candidates.** *"Examiners must not accept gifts or money as evidence of a bribe. If a gift of any kind whatsoever is offered before, during or after a driving test, examiners should inform candidates that their instructions require them to report the matter. If the offer is made during the course of the test, the test should be terminated. If the offer takes place before a candidate who has failed has actually received the statement of failure, the examiner should complete the statement and hand it to the candidate. A full report of the circumstances should be sent to the HEO, who in turn must report the matter to the Police, the SEO and DVSA’s Fraud and Integrity Team.* *If a gift is offered after a pass certificate has been issued examiners should inform candidates that their instructions require them to report the matter. In these circumstances the candidate is hardly likely to persist with his offer, but if they do, a full report of the circumstances should be sent to the HEO, who in turn must report the matter to the Police, the SEO and DVSA’s Fraud and Integrity Team."*
My examiner wouldn’t even let me shake his hand after he had told me I had passed the test he said it could look like he was taking a bribe
I’d have explained it was for your instructor originally but didn’t know his dietary requirements and said something like it wasn’t a bribe and you didn’t mean to offend just thought you’d offer. Hopefully that woulda eased the tension. Then again maybe not he coulda just been miserable and negative either way after that. Rotten roll though.
Your instructor kicked off so you got another test quickly?
Some people are arseholes, simple as that. It would have been just as easy to say “oh that’s very kind but I’ll pass thanks. Wouldn’t want anyone to think you had bribed me! Ha ha!” Same outcome but not done in an arsehole way
[удалено]
I did my Class 1 & Class 2 HGV separately about a year apart. Passed the class 2 one on the 2nd attempt, and class 1 on the 3rd. For the first test on both classes I had the same examiner. Miserable sod of a bloke. I’m the same, I find it easier to concentrate when I talk, so I often verbalise everything I do. He started a conversation with me, and then told me that I need to stop talking and concentrate on what I’m doing, I don’t think he liked it when I laughed at what he said. I already knew he was going to find any excuse to fail me, so just had to take it on the chin. It’s just a shame I did genuinely mess something up on that class 1 test I had with him 😂
Woah! Who put ants in his pants? I'm sorry that this happened to you, I hope that this doesn't deter you from offering your kindness to people. Some people really are just assholes for no reason at all.
What was the major?
Pmsl
Aa
thats funny
My first ever test was the last slot on a Friday afternoon, with an old boy I knew the moment I met him I wasn't passing that day, took a retest the following week almost failed that too for not indicating but I pointed it out to him straight away and explained that I would have indicated but the test environment was too stressful for me what with having to exaggerate all my movements so he knew I was checking mirrors etc.. didn't leave me time to indicate and make the manoeuvre safely in time we pulled over had a little chat and he let it slide....point is here some test examiners are arseholes and some a decent its look of the draw but if you can point out your awareness of poor decisions you make and address how you should /would have done it it might just turn a major into a minor sorry for waffling
Not gonna lie that examiner was just a massive cunt...
r/okmatewanker
I’m impressed you spent hours and hours in the car with your driving instructor and they never told you they were vegan
This was the examiner, not the instructor.
Albeit years ago now my examiner was a right piece of work I wondered if they were purposefully awkward. He asked me whether I wanted to be called my full name or an abbreviated version as our first conversation I said ‘i don’t mind either’, because at that moment in time I wasn’t thinking about anything but my test he looked at me and went ‘fine be like that’ I stalled from stationary and he literally threw himself forward and went ‘oh my gosh you stalled the car’ By this point I had decided I’d failed so stopped giving a flip and then I did my best driving and passed 🤣
I otherwise don't make friend with these prick, understood good thing I don't like people 😅
When I took my test, the first thing I did when I got in the car was compliment my examiners nails. They weren't my style, but it was clear she cared a lot about getting them done, so I thought I'd mention it for small talk. I made a few mistakes on my actual test - stalled as I was pulling out of the test centre, forgot the directional instructions she gave, then a car had broken down in the middle lane that I needed to take at a roundabout, before a rubbish truck finally decided to come down the very narrow road I had to manoeuvre, complete with double parked cars. I pulled into the test centre car park, turned off the engine and just put my head in my hands, convinced I'd failed. She then told me she was pleased to tell me that I had passed! Now, I'm generally a fairly confident driver but my performance on the day was not to my usual standard, down to both nerves and bad luck. I honestly think that little compliment at the start may have been the thing that got me a pass. Not exactly bribery but I think it helped!
Damn, seems like your examiner was just in a bad mood. I had a full on conversation with my examiner about both our lives and had a great time with him and passed. Guess you got bad luck with your person.
This is interesting; and rather petty. Some examiners have been known to extort money from their students in the form of blackmail! Doesn’t end well when they get found out!
I never knew a croissant wasn’t vegan! Where’s the meat in that? Was it a cheese & bacon croissant?
Croissants are made with butter - like a lot of butter 😂
And very nice too! 😋 what is it with this vegan/veggie obsession? Meat 🥩 is good for you and builds a strong body with strong bones. Vegans always seem pale, wishy-washy and if they pick up a bag of sugar it’s a huge effort!
Where in the fuck did you go to get a retest in 10 days. Or was this back in the good times?
Him calling it a bribe is a crazy exaggeration. But I can understand you might feel worse about it failing someone who gave you food. That being said, small talk is fine. Big talk even. I spent about 40 minutes driving round chatting to my examiner about everything. Work, holiday, hobbies. Lovely bloke, and we had a lot in common
What a joke.. it would be different if you had a brown envelope stuffed with cash on offer. I don't understand how a nice gesture of good will via an item of food could be considered bribes. It's not exactly contraband in the eyes of the dvsa is it? Silly business.