Am I being unreasonable? Or is ASL being a pain in the....

[beat ups are fun]

Just after a few opinions on this one.

I've got an exam booked for Friday in Maroochydore, it's my last one so I'm super keen to get it over and done with. I have to travel from Bundaberg to do this exam which is fast becoming a problem. The Bruce highway is cut in a few places between here and The Sunny Coast (mainly Gympie) and nobody is sure when it might re-open.

I called ASL today and asked if I couldn't make the exam due to the roads being flooded will they help me out and transfer my exam. The short answer was no, because it's now under 4 days before the exam and window has closed to transfer it, so I'm now locked in to the exam date, come hell or high water.

Am I being unreasonable expecting ASL to help me out by allowing me to transfer the exam due to a natural disaster?

P.s. Thanks to the young lady at ASL who suggested that I transfer my booking to the Rockhampton exam centre. Cause there's no flooding around those parts is there?!?!

[morno]

No, I don't think you're being unreasonable at all.

This rot from ASL has to stop! Maybe consumer affairs should have a look.

morno

[Skynews]

How much does an exam cost?

Email all the alarmist TV shows hat make a big deal about these type of issues, ham it up a bit. I bet they would love to take up your issue.

Sunrise, today, ACA, today tonight.

Yes, it is not ood enough, you are not being unreasonable.

[ding007]

Hi, you need to call back and ask for some-one higher. I had the same problem a few months ago when the sunny coast was cut off. I phoned them and the young lady said that they would do something if I could not get there due to flood waters. As it was I did get there so I did not test them on it.
Try again as they can't do what they are doing. I sometimes think the flood is between their ears.

Good Luck.

[Steve888]

The problem is there's not enough people who care.

Things like airline airfares, supermarket pricing etc all strike a chord with the general public, but who in the general population is going to care about a few student pilots doing some exams. Especially when flying is likely still seen as a hobby of the rich.

Even within the industry, the vast majority of pilots have finished their exams and never have to go near ASL again, so you won't even get a big response from the people that the issue does relate to.

I've been going on about the rubbish that is ASL for years: the overprices exams, the lack of exams at night and on weekends causing people like me who are working to have to take unpaid time off.

If change is really to occur, it needs to have the support of the entire industry, which I just don't think is going to happen.

[Skynews]

You may get some mileage claiming poor hard done by flood affected person being ripped off by large company during worst floods in history, type of story.

[training wheels]

ASL has a monopoly over the licensing exam system so that's why they can be like that. I can't see why there can't be more than one exam provider? :confused:

[Steve888]

I can't see why there can't be more than one exam provider?

Because they're the only provider licensed by CASA. Apparently it runs on a tender system every 5 (10?) years, but can't see it changing from ASL any time soon.

[beat ups are fun]

Thanks for your thoughts.

Well it would appear that the answer that you get out of ASL depends allot on who you talk to in Canberra.

Called again, explained situation (again), a helpful lady says she understands as she has family in the floods. I explained how desperate i am to get there to do the exam and she said that it wouldn't be a problem to transfer my exam to another date if I let them know the day before. FINALLY!!!

I agree with the points that a few of you are making about ASL being the only approved testing centre. I believe that if CASA allowed for a second provider to come in that prices would fall, and possibly more testing centres would be opened up in different locations thus reducing the amount of traveling some of us have to do to sit exams. CASA have done it with ASIC cards, why cant they do it with testing?

[57GoldTop]

Be sick on the day if you can so you can postpone it. It worked for me.. ( Yes I actually was sick with a huge migraine ). :)

See the FAQ below and GL with your exam.

https://www.aslexam.com/TOL/StaticWithMenus.aspx?PageTitle=Frequently%20Asked%20Question s&ContentID=210

[eternity]

It seems that CASA does need to conduct more oversight into ASL.
And if they are already providing some oversight then they need to advertise that to training pilots to help keep a level of transparency with ASL's conduct.

In terms of prices they are expensive but for a reason.
One of CASA's requirements is that each particular exam is the same price throughout the country. The reason they are expensive is because there are quite a few very small testing centres around the country that have a room permanently rented with a couple of computers but only run a couple of testing sessions a week. This of course means that particular testing centre runs at a big loss. Therefore the prices are higher so the more profitable testing centres can pick up the slack.

Its been a coupla years since I last dealt with ASL, but when I did have arguments with them I demanded to speak to the girls manager (if unavailable, then managers contact details, and also mentioned speaking to CASA and ombudsman) - they were then helpful and quite reasonable.

[YPJT]

Why not take up JM's offer on the CASA home page to provide feedback? Just click on his smiling dial on the RH side of the page.

[eocvictim]

When the hell did they change it to 4 days? When I was doing mine it was 24 hours and that wasn't long ago. Airlines don't need 4 days, doctors don't need 4 days what makes ASL's operation so critical that they need 4 days notice!

Well worth pushing the point. 4 days is completely unreasonable.

[tmpffisch]

I'd be having a chat to your Office of Fair Trading in QLD about it. :ok:

[Jabawocky]

How about you see if the Jabiru guys can get you a lift.

heck if it gets that bad.......let me know I'll come and get ya!

Ask for folk up the food chain........they are morons, you just need to force them to make a decission.

[PyroTek]

I think the monopoly ASL has over the aviation examinations is a disgrace. I'm willing to take back that statement if someone were to advise me where my $180~ per exam goes? Keeping in mind this is an automated, multiple choice exam, done on a PC.
I also don't even understand why casa has to charge $60 as a fee for this when there is little to no administrative work to be done to get test results on a database and on a KDR sheet.
While on the topic of ASL, why is the system so outdated as to not recognise we have passed BAK by seeing we have passed PPL theory for instance? Why must we bring our log book into the testing centre for every single CPL/PPL exam? Isn't the first exam enough to put your name on the "I have passed BAK" list?:ugh:

Regardless, Best of luck mate.

:ok:Pyro.

[Hasselhof]

While I agree with you 100% that the 4 day rule ASL adheres to is BS for the type of business they are operating, I will still play devils advocate for a minute...

Since you can alter your bookings using their online system... why wait until the Monday the week of your exam before trying to change the booking when the flooding at Maryborough and Gympie has been known and expected since last week? I now live interstate (still a Queenslander though) and even here in Victoria news about these floods has been pretty widely reported.

If this is your last ATPL exam then you've agreed to their terms and conditions a minimum of 7 times so far, not including any CPL exams, failures and subsequent re-bookings that might have occurred. The 4 day rule is pretty clearly stated in those terms and conditions as well as on the booking confirmation sheet that you are REQUIRED (though not enforced) to print out and take to the exam.

It is pretty piss poor that the level of compassion an employee of ASL can show is rigidly limited by some corporate rule, but hey, this is ASL and CASA we're talking about. It has gotten to the point that I no longer expect any special consideration from such organisations as it seems that employees generally aren't willing to risk an ear bashing from their manager, or do the extra little bit of work that is required to provide what was once called customer service :ugh:

It's good to hear that someone there used some common sense and that you've been helped out, just make sure you can get it in writing before the fact though otherwise they might get selective memory.

The fee structure that ASL use are pretty insane, although being able to have the exams instantly submitted and marked is a 1 billion % improvement on the CASA supervised exam system that existed before (for ATPL, CPL is a different issue). It's a great thing that the month or two wait before finding out that you've failed and then having to restudy when nothing is fresh anymore before resitting an exam are over. The balance would be somewhere between the two, but anything CASA organises usually turns to sh!t pretty quick

[morno]

why wait until the Monday the week of your exam before trying to change the booking when the flooding at Maryborough and Gympie has been known and expected since last week?

I don't think they were, not the Gympie/Maryborough one's.

Would you cancel your exam at the hint of rain?

morno

[Hasselhof]

No I wouldn't cancel my exam at the hint of rain, but then again I am not in the position of having to travel over 250km of coastal road during the worst wet season in 37 years with known flooding and road cuts between me and my exam centre. If I WAS in that situation, I'd probably investigate my options a little earlier given the known policy that ASL has (just like this bloke has, albeit a little late according to the policy).

FYI the flooding in Maryborough peaked on sat and more rain has meant a second peak is likely today. Also the Mary River has been expected to cause flooding and road closures in and around Gympie since late last week.

[FO Usedalot]

What a joke these operations are.
1. had questions regarding the questions at the ASL Exams. CASA's Answer "You read the books , you figure it out". In other words they have no idea either.
2. ASL Can be quite good about all this but they are only monitors and have no idea about Aviation exams , only that they give them.
3. CASA you can't do these exams in any other country but Australia, so much for on line education. I came from America at my own expense. Maybe Im just dumb but iv been here 6 months, can't understand the CAO ( no index) or the CAR and failed the first exam 3 times, $15,000 in living here and study, cost of books and courses, Im done. Going back to America to fly the Airbus again. Maybe Im stupid and I just did not understand how to reference this stuff but that aside, I think this is just a revenue grab for CASA and Australian pilots are the target.
They obviolusly don't care much about how much knowledge you have regarding safety of flight only that you pass the exams for which they them selves can not reference the answers. Good luck Pilots It just seems like a matter of procedure here with no real educational value but to get the paperwork done.
The real education is in the seat and from your flight instructors and I have no doubt you will all become great pilots with safety in mind and put this CASA Exam crap behind you. You all much better pilots than CASA would have you believe, Iv met many Australian Pilots who are very educated and fly very well with no thanks to this screwy and expensive exam system and to be honest Iv never met one pilot who thought CASA was worth anything but to fill in the paperwork, and now I know why, Best Wishes and safe sky's. :ok:

[belly tank]

DUE TO THE WORST FLOODS IN AUSTRALIAN HISTORY,

ASL WILL BE WAIVING THE TRANSFER FEE FOR ALL THOSE AFFECTED IN QUEENSLAND UNTILL FURTHER NOTICE

PLEASE CONTACT US TO DISCUSS YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO HELP YOU IN THIS TERRIBLE TIME.





Extract from ASL website

Seems someone must have read this forum:D

[splinter11]

What about the so called ASL exam centre in kununurra, yeah the makeshift room in the visitors centre.....does anyone feel cheated that the people who run this exam centre do not properly check material being taken into the exam and thus hundreds of candidates have been cheating for years? I had all my ATPL subjects done before i got there, but this is more than a rumour, its 100% true. Maybe ASL should make sure their exam centres provide an even playing field across the country.....

[notaplanegeek]

Welcome to ASL :}

[nomorecatering]

Beat ups,

Have you considered it may have been the way you approached the matter??

I have booked over 4000 exams with ASL and I know the ASL team very well. I would go so far to say as you wont find a better customer service team anywhere. Fiona, Naomi and Johno are absolute legends in the way they accomodate my often, unreasonable requests. I speak with them on average 7 times a day, every day.

I have also had a meeting with their operations manager in recent times. Fair to say they are aware of some gripes in the system and have spent, and are spending a lot of money to get things right. If anyone still has a problem, call the operations manager direct. I dont have the details here to hand, but he will listen with a sympathetic ear. However, be aware, that they do have a lot of limitations imposed on them by CASA.

Today, they were bending over backwards to accomodate exam changes in Qld due to the floods, they are well aware of whats going on in Qld and the whole team are doing what they can. The exam changes I believe are in the thousands, so be patient.

P.s

Steve88.......ASL is not able to to deliver night exams, as CASA will not allow it. There must be IT support in attendance from CASA during the conduct of exams. If you can get CASA to roster on IT staff out of hours you are in with a chance. CASA set and maintain the exams, ASL only provide the building, computers and the internet.

[beat ups are fun]

I believed that I couldn't have approached the matter any better. I wasn't rude, I stated my situation, asked for a solution, and second time lucky, ASL came through.

I could have been dishonest and "chucked a sickie" on the day but thats not how I operate. After this episode I'm very happy with the staff at ASL Canberra.

[Bug4514]

Guys, they are doing the right thing now. They are changing any exam date's for people who affected by the floods. No charge.
Well done ASL.:ok:

[Cessna 180]

I think asl are ok, have spoke to them a couple of times and found them nice.

However if you are having that much trouble that you need to resit the exams 4000 times maybe it's time you considered an alternative career....

[aileron_69]

I think asl are ok, have spoke to them a couple of times and found them nice.




So not efficient, not helpful, not informative.....just "Nice?" :E