Harborough teenager reduced to tears after being treated ‘like criminal’ at driving theory test, says mum

A Market Harborough teenager was reduced to tears after she could not take her theory test – supposedly due to an issue with her licence.

Mum Alishia Read has slammed the Leicester test centre, saying her 17-year-old daughter Izabel was made to ‘feel like a criminal’ by staff there.

She said she and her husband had received a call from Izabel asking them to pick her up about 20 minutes after they had dropped her off to take her driving theory test on Friday July 7 – the day after her 17th birthday. Izabel had been told she could not take the test that day, she said.

Mrs Read claimed no one bothered to explain the problem to Izabel – which the family was later told was due to a smudge on her licence which meant it did not register properly when staff went to check it. And, despite being visibly upset, no one offered reassurance or comfort to her.

Mrs Read said: “She came out in tears. She’d gone up to the register and given them her provisional licence. They basically looked at it a few times and said ‘you can’t take the test’.

“Obviously she’s already nervous, she’s about to take a test. They didn’t really tell her anything, they just said just sit down over there.

“She’s very confused, not really understanding what she’s done wrong or why she can’t take the test. She was crying and shaking, sitting in the middle of this place.

“At no point did anyone tell her what was going on or try to comfort her in any way. They just made her feel like a criminal.”

Mrs Read said Izabel was given a case number to take to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and was then told ‘to go on her way’. Mrs Read contacted the DVSA the following Monday and was told Izabel’s provisional licence had failed to pass the security checks.

An email from the DVSA said: “When staff held your daughter’s licence under the UV scanner, the holograms which indicate licence authenticity could not be seen. Instead, they appeared as ‘smears’ over the front of the licence.

“Whilst the test centre staff have conceded that your daughter had a good likeness to her licence image and that they therefore did not perceive this to be an instance of impersonation, as the licence’s authenticity could not be verified, they had no choice but to refuse her entry to her test.”

Because the DVSA was ‘satisfied’ staff at the Leicester test centre ‘followed the correct procedure’, it said it would not be offering a refund for the test as requested by Mrs Read. She escalated the complaint and received a second email from the DVSA.

This said: “A test cannot go ahead without a valid licence. To make this point clear, booking confirmation emails state: ‘Your test will be cancelled and you may not get your money back if you do not take the right things with you.’

“We incur a cost to provide the resources for a test, even if that test does not go ahead. This is why we do not usually refund tests that do not go ahead due to a reason related to the candidate.”

The DVSA added: “I am sorry to hear the distress this matter caused Izabel. I appreciate she must have found it upsetting to be told her test could not go ahead. I can assure you the test centre staff would not have meant for her to feel like a criminal.”

But Mrs Read disputes the inference it was Izabel’s fault she could not take the test and said she had the correct ID with her. Because Izabel had booked through an agency, rather than directly through the DVSA, she had paid £49 for the test, her mum said.

“She paid for it out of her wages,” Mrs Read added. “£50 is a lot of money when you’re 17. That’s two or three shifts at work.

“And she paid for her provisional herself so she was wondering if she’ll have to pay for that again. Why should she? She hasn’t done anything wrong.

“I just want her to have a refund. It would be nice if they gave back the money for the refund as well and just an apology.

“I understand if people have their policies, but they could have been a bit nicer. If someone is there crying and upset they should comfort them and explain what’s going on.”

Mrs Read also said she contacted the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) about the licence and they told her it was possible to check to make sure it was valid by just entering some details online. Why could the test centre not just do that, she asked.

Izabel has since been able to sit her theory test using the same licence.

Mrs Read added: “They didn’t bat an eyelid and she was able to take the test with no problem with her licence at all. Which makes everything I have been told rubbish.

“There is no problem with her licence and she doesn’t need a new one. She could have taken it before.”

A spokeswoman for the DVLA said they will be reaching out to the family and investigating the matter of the licence.

A spokesman for the DVSA said: “The correct procedures were followed on the day but the licence was defective. DVSA will work with DVLA and staff at the theory test centre to look into this.”