To avoid any misunderstandings here are our pupils’ terms and conditions. We have tried to make them as easy to read as possible for you:
About driveJohnson’s
driveJohnson’s is the trading name for Drive 321 Ltd and shall be referred to throughout these terms as driveJohnson’s or the company. The company number for Drive 321 Ltd is 11834393.
Our Instructors
At driveJohnson’s, our driving instructors are all self-employed franchisees; therefore, we act as their agent, taking bookings and transferring payments across to them. The contract for driving lessons is between pupils and their instructors.
Once you have made a payment to us, we will forward the total amount to the driving instructor, as you complete your lessons. In the event that you would like a refund, please approach your instructor first. If you are unhappy with this, we recommend that you pay your instructor for each lesson individually, though you will not be able to take advantage of a block booking discount if you choose to pay per lesson.
- For your financial peace of mind and protection, we strongly advise any block payments should be made to driveJohnson’s driving school over the phone or online. We cannot be held responsible for any large sum cash payments you decide to pay to your instructor during your lessons.
- driveJohnson’s instructors will provide the pupil with a dual-controlled car, in a clean and roadworthy condition.
- All of driveJohnson’s instructors will professionally represent themselves and be smart in appearance.
- driveJohnson’s driving school has a strict, no smoking policy.
- driveJohnson’s driving instructors will abide by an equal opportunity policy and will not discriminate against race, colour, creed, gender or sexual orientation etc.
Driving Test
Your driveJohnson’s instructor is entitled to withdraw their car for the usage of your test, should they feel you are not ready. Your driveJohnson’s instructor will always give you a minimum of 14 working days’ notice, provided you haven’t come to the instructor at short notice (less than 14 working days).
The DVSA, which conducts the learner driving tests, requires 10 working days’ notice to avoid losing your test fee.
You are allowed to take your driving test if you do not pass a mock driving test, as long as your driveJohnson’s instructor is confident you still have a reasonable chance of passing.
Very occasionally, instructors can become ill at short notice. In the event that this happens, we will endeavour to find you another instructor, but cannot guarantee anything at such short notice.
In the event the instructor’s car is not roadworthy for your driving test, your instructor and driveJohnson’s will do their utmost to find you a like-for-like vehicle. However, we cannot guarantee an identical vehicle.
If the DVSA examiner has declined to go out on a test in your instructor’s car because it’s not roadworthy for any reason, such as a nail in the tyre or brake light not working, your driving instructor will pay for a replacement test.
In the event that you (the pupil) damage the car during the driving test, where the total repair cost is less than the instructor’s insurance excess, you will be required to pay for the damages to the car.
Please note that your instructor may charge a test day rate/additional fees on your driving test day. Please consult your instructor in advance to find out their test day charges based on how many hours you would like that day.
Payments to Your Allocated Instructor
Any block bookings paid to the instructor directly by cash or bank transfer are solely between the pupil and the franchised instructor. In the unlikely event you are unhappy or need help resolving an issue, you can contact the office, and we will try to help resolve the situation.
Like any type of cash purchase, be it from a shop or to your driving instructor, you are entitled to ask for a receipt. Please ensure you ask for a receipt on the day of paying cash to the instructor. You must inform us immediately in writing to avoid any confusion within 48 hours of your first lesson if you haven’t obtained a receipt and would like one. We will contact your allocated driving instructor on your behalf and make sure a receipt is issued to you from your instructor.
We cannot be held accountable for any cash/bank transfer payments made to your driveJohnson’s instructor. The safest and most secure way to protect your money is by paying driveJohnson’s by debit/credit card, bank transfer or through PayPal. When you pay driveJohnson’s directly, our admin team will pay your instructor after each lesson is completed from our Instructor App. This is done manually and is labour-intensive.
If you are experiencing difficulty with a cash/bank transfer refund from your instructor, driveJohnson’s will try to assist on your behalf. In the event we can’t recover your money, we may refer you to the following so you can report and make a claim against your allocated instructor:
In some instances, where we believe your complaint is of a serious nature, we may ask you to report your complaint to the DVSA – the organisation which decides whether a driving instructor is fit and proper to remain on the register. We may liaise with the DVSA (with your permission) for their opinion on the matter.
If you have paid your driving instructor by cash or bank transfer, then your complaint should be against your self-employed instructor, not the driving school.
If you have paid driveJohnson’s, then your money is protected, and you will receive a refund/part refund depending on the complaint and how many hours are still outstanding. If we ask you to put your complaint in writing to the DVSA, you should do this and CC us into the email using the email address info@drivejohnsons.co.uk. It is not a compulsory requirement to do this, though by doing this you help us and the DVSA take the necessary action against the self-employed instructor, which prevents this from happening to potential customers again.
First-time offers are available to new pupils joining driveJohnson’s. You may only take 1 of these offers, and they cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers.
Management & Protection Fee
There is a small 4.5% charge that is added on to any payments made to us for booking online or paying over the phone. This management and protection fee helps to secure your payment as well cover any associated administrative costs. If you would like to avoid this charge you are very welcome to pay your allocated instructor on the day of your first lesson. Like all driving schools in the UK, the money you pay the instructor will be between you and them and we cannot protect your money against unforeseen circumstances. If you pay the company, your money will be held in our holdings account and paid to your allocated instructor each time they complete a driving lesson with you. In the event you require a refund for any unused lessons, you can contact driveJohnson’s directly and we will reimburse you for any unused lessons as long as they are within 6 months of the date of purchase. If you have paid your instructor cash then you should approach your allocated instructor for a refund.
In the event your instructor has an incident which makes them uncontactable, such as serious illness or death, then any unused funds will be refunded to you if you have paid driveJohnson’s directly. We cannot protect your money or refund any unused hours if you have paid your driving instructor directly. Please refer to “Payments to your allocated instructor” above for more information.
Cancellation Policy
You are required to give a minimum of 24 hours’ notice to your instructor should you wish to cancel a lesson. Anything less than 24 hours and your instructor is entitled to charge you the normal lesson rate or the prorated amount if it’s a block booking, which includes the discount.
It is your responsibility to present your valid UK provisional driving license before the start of your first lesson. Failure to do so entitles the instructor to cancel any lessons you have booked within 24 hours, and you may be charged.
driveJohnson’s cannot be responsible for any lesson/test cancellations due to mechanical breakdown or other emergencies such as illness/bereavement. We will endeavour to find a replacement vehicle/instructor as soon as possible, but this is not guaranteed.
Refund and Complaints Policy
A full refund for a pre-booked lesson will only be issued if zero hours have been used and you have paid driveJohnson’s directly by debit/credit card/bank transfer or PayPal. To receive a refund, you should contact us in writing within 30 days of the purchase date.
If you have purchased a product, you also have 30 days to return the item by recorded delivery to driveJohnson’s, Alanod Building, Chippenham Drive, Kingston, Milton Keynes, MK10 0AN.
Once we have received the product(s) a full refund will be given. Unfortunately, any digital products or digital products sent as a PDF are non-refundable at the time of purchase. Any online service, such as our Training Zone subscription, is also non-refundable as files can be downloaded freely for your convenience. In rare instances where we cannot accommodate the driving lessons you have purchased with a digital product, we will always fully refund you for your unused lessons; however, the digital product you purchased will not be refunded. If you are in any doubt, please wait for your driving lessons to commence before committing to our digital products if you would like everything with one driving school.
In the unlikely event that you are not fully satisfied with a recent driving lesson with us, please inform us of the reasons why by completing the form located here. Our customer service manager will look at your email and contact you as quickly as possible.
When purchasing a gift voucher, please note that it is valid for six months from the date of purchase. Once the first driving lesson is booked and completed within that 6 month period, the learner then has an additional six months to complete the remaining lessons with their allocated instructor.
All pre-paid block booking offers are valid for six months from the date of purchase. If you have any issues commencing your first lesson within the 6-month timeframe, then we may be able to help you. Please notify us by email at info@driveJohnsons.co.uk so that we have proof of your problems/circumstances. Unfortunately, if you contact us after the six months have expired, then you risk losing any remaining lessons.
If you experience difficulty booking in with your instructor for whatever reason, then you must put this in writing to us before your lessons expire to avoid disappointment: complete the form here.
If you book a block of lessons and are unable to continue with them, we can issue a credit note for your remaining lessons which can be used with another driveJohnson’s driving instructor (expires six months from issue). Block bookings are non-refundable unless zero hours have been used.
If you book an intensive course with driveJohnson’s and you then choose to cancel before commencing any lessons, you will lose 50% of the course payment, unless a minimum of 2 weeks’ notice is given. Your instructor has booked out your lessons in their diary and has committed to you. An intensive course requires a lot of planning. Driving instructors are self-employed franchisees, so the 50% deposit secures your lesson times in the instructor’s diary. If you have commenced an intensive course and you choose to cancel, then you will forfeit any remaining hours you have paid for.
We believe that any complaints about the instructor’s training vehicle, ethnic origin, sex or training resources are a form of preference and should be stated when booking the first lesson, not after your first lesson.
If you have any problems or wish to raise a complaint, please consult your allocated driveJohnson’s instructor first. If you are still unhappy, then put this in writing by completing the form located here. Please include your best contact number and our customer service manager will contact you as soon as possible. If you have lessons outstanding and you would like a refund for the remaining lessons, please raise your concerns within the email and state why you wish to receive a refund for any remaining lessons. If you have paid your instructor directly by cash, then you should ask for a receipt for payment from the instructor. Please be aware driveJohnson’s is not responsible for any monies exchanged between the instructor(s) and pupils.
If your complaint is regarding your test preparation, please tell us in advance, not after your test so that we can help you. This gives you and us the best possible chance of helping you to pass the first time.
Please understand that every instructor has their own way of teaching. If you have decided to seek a second opinion from another driving school and they disagree with our instructor’s teaching methods, it doesn’t always mean your new school is right. If you have any issues regarding your lessons, then please speak to your instructor, or alternatively contact us using the form located here.
Offers and Price Changes
driveJohnson’s are entitled to change driving tuition offers and prices at any time. Lesson prices are subject to change depending on location and whether you learn in an automatic or manual vehicle.
Any pre-payments are honoured at the selling price for four weeks after the purchase date. The first lesson must be taken within four weeks of the purchase date to obtain the sale price. In the event that the sale has ended, the customer will be required to pay the additional extra to the office or the instructor by cash, should they decide to start after four weeks.
For example, John Smith pays for 10 lessons @ £250 on 1st January 2025. John Smith doesn’t start his lessons until 20th March 2025. At this point, John will need to pay an extra £10 as the sale has ended and the block booking price is now £260.
If John is unhappy with the increase and didn’t read the terms and conditions, he is entitled to a full refund as long as zero hours have been used and it’s within six months of purchasing the lessons.
All lesson purchases to the company are valid for six months.
Use of Personal Information
All personal information and details given to driveJohnson’s are used to deliver the service intended, and records are kept strictly confidential. Occasionally, your information may need to be shared with third parties in order for us to provide you with the requested service. For further information, please see our Privacy Policy. driveJohnson’s policies uphold and are in accordance with the Data Protection Act (1998) and GDPR.
Limitation of Liability
driveJohnson’s and our franchised driving instructors are not liable to you (the pupil) for any loss or damage caused relating to any business interests such as lost profits, lost earnings, loss of opportunity/business or business interruption, including in no event liable for negligence or breach of statutory duty.
All of the content provided on this website such as information, logos and images relating to driveJohnson’s as a company and the products/services provided, are displayed without any representation of a warranty being made, whether it be implied warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, compatibility, non-infringement, accuracy and security. For what has been permitted by law exclusion of all terms and warranties are applied, whether directly or indirectly.
driveJohnson’s does not represent the information provided being error-free and is not liable for any viruses or malware that the server may transmit between devices/users.
Driving Resources
The Driving Manual is available free of charge to all driveJohnson’s pupils online; please visit our Learning Centre.
You can access the driving videos and driving test tips online via our Learning Centre.
If you would like access to free theory training please contact us at info@driveJohnsons.co.uk with your full name and your allocated driveJohnson’s instructor’s name. We will confirm your username and password.
Progress Card Terms and Reflective Log Terms and Conditions
Your instructor will give you a Progress Record Card or a Reflective Log, which has an abridged version of the terms and conditions on the back and ask you to agree to and sign them.
Some instructors may choose to record your progress on the driveJohnson’s Learner App. You should receive logins for this when you book your first driving lesson with us.
Mechanical Car Fault or Physical Damage to the Car Within a Lesson
In the event that the teaching vehicle has a mechanical fault during the lesson which could not be prevented, our driveJohnson’s instructor will pass the remaining time left on to your next lesson. If this is not possible, they will offer a refund for the remaining minutes owed.
In the event that the car is damaged due to driver error from the pupil, any time spent resolving the issue will count as the pupil’s lesson time.
For example, if the pupil hits the kerb on a road and damages the alloy/punctures a tyre, the pupil will lose any remaining minutes it takes to change the tyre. The instructor will not charge the pupil for the damages – only lesson time may be lost.
ADI Training Terms & Conditions
If you’re doing driving instructor training with us, you can visit this link to view the general terms and conditions.
