CAA have booked me onto the wrong exam!!

[jockspice]

This may get long winded but bear with me.

I hold ATPL (H) and I am bridging over to ATPL (A). Back in April, I put in my application forms to sit the final 3 exams through Bristol GS, sitting 2 in June (ATPL(A) P of F and Perf, both passed) and the final Composite or Bridging exam in July, next week, as it happens. Now, I knew the exams were next week, but as of today, I still had no confirmation from the CAA that I am booked in, so I rang them up this afternoon to confirm. After a bit of rummaging around by them, amongst confirmations that the "notification had been sent earlier in the week", they tell me that I am booked in for my exam on Moday at 0900. Fab, says I, now I know when to be there.

It wasn't until later that I realised that my exam is supposed to take place on day 2, not day 1, so it looks like I have been put in for the CPL (A) bridger instead of the ATPL (A) bridger!

I still hold the forms that I faxed to BGS, and they are correct, on the ATPL (A) forms, with the exam on Day 2 ticked in the correct month, so it looks like the cock up is theirs. Now, given the fact that the notification has been posted (but not arrived) less than a week ago, I couldn't really change my booking 10 days before the exam, as is required, so I think the CAA has dropped the ball on this. Being the CAA, they don't work weekends, so I will have to turn up Monday to try to sort things out.

What does anyone think of my chances of negotiating a change of exam and date at Gatwick on Monday, to sit it on the following day? Has anyone had this snag before? I know there is nothing I can do now but turn up, but some encouragment would help!

[Cobalt]

Considering that all they really need to do is run another copy of the exam through off the printer and that you are hardly looking at a full room in a bridging exam I can't see why they should not try to acommodate you, as the mistake was theirs... shame you have to take the trip out there in time for the exam on Monday, though, on the off-chance they changed the schedule or something and can't sort it out over the phone.

I would spend the weekend practising being polite but firm...

I hope this is enough encouragement...

[Whirlygig]

Has anyone had this snag before?

Oh yeah! Not just me but several others as well! I was booked to do the CPL(A) PoF instead of CPL(H) and I didn't find out until 30 minutes before the exam that I shouldn't have sat (i.e. the CPL(A)). Once there, they seem a lot more able to accommodate!

Cheers

Whirls

[Nashers]

a friend of mine had his CPL flight test earlier this week.... the CAA had booked the same examiner 2ce in two different places so he did not find out untill the evening before that his exam was not going to happen. got delayed for a few more days... and to think you pay 730 quid for the privilege!

[jockspice]

Thanks for the replies - it's nice to know that others have had problems but it is still a poor state of affairs considering the amount of cash the CAA gets from all of us. I suppose there is the off chance that they have changed the scheduling, but since I don't have the confirmation letter, I can't really be sure. I will post what happens in the week, if nothing more than to serve as a warning to others.

Polite, but firm....
Polite, but firm....
Polite, but firm....

...until it's time to unload!

[Cobalt]

soooo.... what happened today?

[jockspice]

I got there all bright and breezy at 0800 only to find ........... my exam is booked on the correct day which is Tuesday and is the correct exam. So I asked to talk to someone about the poor service that the CAA continues to provide and since the "Duty Manager" was not available (probably went off and hid due to the huge tremor in the Force), I had to have a chat with a charming young lady who could only offer me her apologies. It seems that the person I had talked to on the phone was not in today either, so she would have to be taken to task at a later date and they couldn't allow me to sit my exam on the Monday since it was 3 hours long and there was no 3 hours slot today. However, they have offered to pay for the hotel I stayed in due to being given the bum steer and turning up first thing on the wrong day. Still overall poor service from the CAA though!

So, I have my exam in a couple of hours from now so I better get back to reading something worthwhile.