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Complaints Policy

Version: 1.0
Updated: 18th April, 2023

At Shift Driving School, we strive to provide the highest quality of service to our customers. However, we understand that there may be occasions when a customer may wish to make a complaint. We take all complaints seriously and aim to resolve them promptly and fairly. This policy outlines the process for making a complaint and our commitment to resolving complaints.

Making a Complaint
If you have a complaint about any aspect of our service, you can raise it with us by:

  • Speaking to your driving instructor or a member of our office team in person or over the phone
  • Emailing us at complaints@shiftdrivingschool.co.uk
  • Writing to us at Shift Driving School, 15 The Workspace, The Fed, Lancaster Road, Gateshead NE11 9JR

When making a complaint, please provide as much detail as possible, including the date and time of the incident, the name of the instructor or staff member involved, and any other relevant information.

Complaints Procedure
Once we receive a complaint, we will acknowledge it within 48 hours and provide you with an estimated time frame for resolving the issue. We will then investigate the matter thoroughly and provide you with a written response within 10 working days. In some cases, we may need to take longer to fully investigate the issue, in which case we will provide you with regular updates on the progress of the investigation.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the option to appeal the decision within 7 working days. To do so, please provide us with a letter outlining the details of your appeal. This can be sent via any of the methods listed above. Your appeal will be reviewed by a member of staff who was not involved in the original investigation. They will provide you with a final response within 10 working days.

We hope that we can resolve any complaints or issues you have with our service through our internal complaints procedure. However, if you are still not satisfied with the outcome after following our complaints procedure and receiving a final response from a senior member of staff, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) by clicking here.

Please be advised that you are at liberty to contact the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) directly at any stage during the investigation, and are not obliged to engage our services as an intermediary. However, we earnestly implore you to grant us the chance to resolve any concerns internally before escalating the matter, as we are dedicated to providing our customers with the utmost standard of service.

We take confidentiality seriously and will only share information about your complaint with those who need to know in order to investigate and resolve the issue. We will keep a record of your complaint and our response in accordance with our data protection policy.

We value all feedback, including complaints, as an opportunity to improve our service. We will review all complaints and use them to identify areas where we can improve. We will also share feedback with our team to ensure that we are constantly striving to provide the highest quality of service to our customers.

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Jennifer B.
Passed with Simon a few days ago! It has been a really good experience doing my lesson with Shift Driving School. I want to thank Simon most especially for his patience and for helping me pass my driving! It has been a journey, but we got there!
Garry D.
Highly recommend Shift Driving School. They were an absolute pleasure to deal with from start to finish. Special shout out to my instructor Hassan, who taught me from scratch in just under 6 months. I had no previous driving experience at all and he talked through the steps and skills needed clearly, always supportively pushing me to be my best. Delighted to have passed at first attempt! Couldn’t have done it without the team at Swift and Hassan. Thank you!
Joanne D.
I honestly cannot thank the team enough.

Simon was my instructor and I felt comfortable with him right from the start. He was incredibly flexible around my work schedule, always fitting lessons in when I needed them, and he adapted his teaching style to whatever helped me learn each new skill. He is extremely knowledgeable and always had great tips and explanations that made everything so much easier to understand. I genuinely never thought I would become a driver, especially learning in my 40s, but Simon gave me the confidence and belief that I could do it. We also had such a good laugh on our lessons and I will really miss them now I have passed. I would highly recommend him to anyone who is nervous, unsure or doubting themselves.

I also had Lewis for one of my mock tests and he instantly put me at ease. He is really easy to get along with and gave clear, helpful feedback that I really appreciated.

Alex was brilliant from the very beginning. I first dealt with him when I enquired about lessons and even though there was a waitlist he was really helpful with timings and getting everything organised. The app, payments and communication were all smooth and straightforward. He also took me out on a mock test and again I felt completely comfortable and I took all of his feedback on board.

One thing that really stands out about this company is the genuine positivity and support from everyone. Each instructor was rooting for me along the way and when you see them all out on lessons you can tell they have a real sense of camaraderie and team spirit.

I would recommend this driving school to anyone. They have been amazing from start to finish.
Denise W.
I 10000000% recommend this driving school my instructor has been appsalutly amazing he had so much patience and really helped me through all my lessons then he recommend me a nervous course which really helped me as I really struggled with my nerve on my test but I finally done it and passed my test and I wouldn't have been able to do it if it wasn't for lewis so thank u sooooo much :)
Eleanor S.
I was lucky enough to be taught by Alex who was brilliant! Alex was very supportive and honestly just seemed to know exactly what to say when it came to my anxiety around driving. I would definitely recommend Shift to anyone wanting to learn how to drive.
Webdeco.
What a great company to not only learn to drive with, but to actually work with too. We would highly recommend Shift without a doubt.
Yusuf A.
Hassan is extraordinary, got me sorted for my test within a few months! Calm, collected and goes above and beyond. Highly recommended
Alfred T.
Great instructors, Hassan got me passed really fast and even managed to move my test to a sooner date! Super patient and great at explaining. Would highly recommend.
Saman K.
I passed my driving test last weekend, I want to say huge thanks to my instructor Lisa baour, she's been amazing mentor throughout the process. I'm from different country and I didn't have any driving experience before, so I had to learn everything from the scratch, she's been calm and polite from the very beginning, that help me lot to boost my confidence and take out my driving nervousness. Thank you so much Lisa and shift for making me a better driver, i higly recommend Lisa and shift, you won't be disappointed..cheers 🍻🍻
Lucy Ann S.
I passed my driving test today and just want to say a big thank you to my instructor Ciaran! I started out as an extremely anxious driver, but he was always patient and made every lesson calm and straightforward. His clear explanations and calm teaching style really boosted my confidence and helped me feel ready to pass. Cheers :)