“My daughter just had the worst experience with Barry at the Manukau VTNZ going for her full license. He was unfriendly, spoke so softly and mumbled with an accent so neither of us could hear or understand him properly. He failed her for not checking mirrors which I could see she was clearly doing as I was sitting in the back seat. She drove well and confidently despite it pouring with rain and being on unfamiliar industrial roads. Barry failed to point out what her critical mistakes were so we left feeling like she didn't know what she really did wrong? I would not advise taking your teenager to the Manukau VTNZ to sit your license, Barry clearly has no people skills and has now crushed my daughters confidence in driving. Do better Barry.”
“Nelson, Pascoe Street.
I've heard from many people in town of an assessor named Roy and nobody has told me any different to what I'm about to write here:
My partner has managed to fail her test multiple times and every time this has happened, her assessor was a man named Roy. Roy has a huge attitude problem and seems to work very hard to unsettle her before the test even begins. My partner is a great, safe driver who has spent the last five years driving around on her Learners with me in the vehicle. Never made an infringement and never caused an accident. On her most recent driving exam, I was asked to come as a support person but during the pre-drive checks/info on the tablet, Roy misled her into saying "no" on the form to the question where I was supposed to be her support person. Even when you look past his stone cold, completely absent personality, it is clear that he has no place dealing with people of any kind, let alone those that are working hard to beat the nerves before taking a driving test. An absolute c**t.”
“Lousy long wait at Cambridge VTNZ. Supercilious staff and especially galling to leave car in the queue and go for a walk as suggested only to have other users jump their vehicles ahead of us and extend the wait further. Sucks and won’t be back.”
“Me and my wife recently had the pleasure of taking our driving test at VTNZ Glen Innes, and I cannot speak highly enough of the experience, particularly thanks to Instructor Laura.
From the moment we arrived, the staff at VTNZ Glen Innes were welcoming and professional. The facility itself was clean, well-organized, and clearly marked, which helped ease my initial nerves. The check-in process was smooth and efficient, and we appreciated the promptness with which everything was handled.
Instructor Laura was exceptional from start to finish. Her calm and friendly demeanor immediately put us at ease. She explained the test process clearly and thoroughly, ensuring we understood each step before we began. Laura's instructions were precise and easy to follow, which made a significant difference in helping us stay focused and confident throughout the test.
During the driving test, Laura maintained a perfect balance of professionalism and approachability. She provided clear, concise directions and was patient, which helped us stay calm and perform to the best of our ability. Her constructive feedback was invaluable, highlighting areas where I excelled and gently pointing out aspects we could improve upon.
What stood out most was Laura's genuine dedication to ensuring a positive testing experience. Her encouragement and support were evident, and it was clear she genuinely cared about our success. This level of personal investment is rare and greatly appreciated.
Thanks to Laura's exceptional guidance and the overall positive environment at VTNZ Glen Innes, we both was able to pass our driving test with confidence. I highly recommend VTNZ Glen Innes for anyone preparing for their driving test. If you have the opportunity to test with Laura, you can be assured of a supportive, professional, and thoroughly positive experience.
Thank you, Laura, and the team at VTNZ Glen Innes, for making my driving test such a positive and successful experience!
Thanks once again
Priyan & saidiya”
“Silverdale VTNZ. Took my car for a WOF Saturday morning, 3 cars in front of me-great organising/system to getting cars through- 30 mins from 1st car to finishing my car- great service right through from reception to testing staff. All were very pleasant, cheerful and polite. Thank you all very much😊👍👍”
“I was served by Zabeen Saiyad Ali at the Botany branch whereby I had to replace my number plate. She showed her utmost diligence in sorting out my issues. She is a very humble and professional lady with excellent personality and good customer care skills. She is highly recommended to all. Well done! Zabeen.”
“This one bloke at VTNZ Cambridge was doing a wof on my caravan a wee while back and places the caravan over the rollers to check the brakes. Turns off my Ute and then tells me my caravans brakes are faulty. So I said to him you turn the Utes key and engine off right? Yeah so what? he says. Well the caravan has electric brakes that need power from the Ute in order to operate. So he looks stupidly at me like it’s my fault. Then gives me my sticker. So today I go in for a wof on the same Ute that had its wof from them on its last time. Fails my Ute as he says the from drivers and front passenger windows the tint is too dark. So
I question him over this and he starts to get irritated and says strip the tint off and come back for your sticker. So fark that I contact a local commercial vehicle police officer and tell him the story and he gets out and tests the same front windows and says there is nothing wrong with the tint considering it’s been in there from purchasing the vehicle from new. He could clearly see his test card on the inside of the window. So basically we have these guys failing peoples cars costing them time and money purely cause they can’t do their job properly or they are bored and think it’s cool to fail a few people and have a laugh. That’s the last time I deal with VTNZ especially Loyd at the Cambridge branch.”
“Read all the comments and feedback, and this before making up your mind about using this VTNZ for Driving Tests (this was at the Pascoe Street, Annesbrooke, Nelson branch):
Our son has gone through 3 driving tests and failed (at this VNTZ/AA). After the first fail, and the second, he paid for extra driving lessons through AA (Nelson)… this driving instructor could not fault him and even spoke to us, saying he was a great driver.
The first driving instructor (for the actual test) was good… he explained things to Harlen, was talkative and respectful. This driving instructor even stated that Harlen was a good driver. The next 2 driving tests was taken by a man called Roy. Roy was ill-mannered, grumpy and had an attitude of a stone… made comments to our son even prior to getting in his car that made our son feel deflated.
This is not so much about our son failing the test, 3 times!! Yet more about the fairness and intimidation tactics that Roy used, prior and during the actual test. Our son was set up and will be set up to fail every time by Roy. Roy’s boss we found was immature and mocked us, when we tried to speak to them about where our son went wrong, as he was not sure.
Our son has his restricted license now… yet it was not at this VTNZ/AA that he got it. The staff/instructors at the other branches were friendly and super nice!! Such a difference!”
“I recently passed my driving test at the VTNZ Westgate office, and it was a great experience. Eleanor, my examiner, was amazing ,calm, supportive, and very clear in her instructions. She made the test much less stressful. The staff was professional and everything was well organized. Highly recommend this office and especially Eleanor!”
“Went to Teviot St VTNZ in Dunedin as my mechanic couldn't fit me in for another week and I had to take a trip. Insurance etc etc. I was a bit concerned at first as my previous interactions with VTNZ in North Shore, Auckland were ok but probably because they were busy it took a lot of time - which in respect to waiting a week for a busy mechanic is not really a lot of time e.g. 2-3 hours.
I was greeted with a smile by a chap on the reception after having to wait only about 5 minutes as he was dealing with another customer. I heard him speaking to the other customer and they were a little agitated - their daughter hadn't paid her rego in they were explaining that she had to pay back rego which is understandable and he was so calm in explaining the situation that it wasn't their policy and completely diffused the situation.
I'm not a great fan of customer service ( or the lack of it ) in New Zealand and when I do get great customer service I like to point it out. I have been reading reviews on here for all the other VTNZs around the country and it would look like that either there is a problem within the organisation and/or some people think they are qualified more than the technicians who fail them - I'm no mechanic or car enthusiast so I am totally at the mercy of the mechanic or tester doing the work on the large lump of metal that I hurtle down the road at 100 k/h in the opposite direction of other vehicles ( most much larger than mine ) so I really want a vehicle that is safe and if it's broke I want to fix it. Yes, repairs cost a lot of money but death or serious injury is a little more of an inconvenience.
So this chap, and I wish I could remember his name , made me feel welcome and explained the process and even recommended that I could go across the road to Nichols garden centre for a nice coffee while waiting. He also told me that I'd picked a good time as it was quieter than normal - so I lucked out. I didn't think the price was over the top at just over $80 - I have in the past paid double that from a garage ( not including fixes ) but for me $80 for a WoF in under 3 hours when I had to go on a trip the next day was pure gold. 40 minutes was indicated, 40 minutes was the time!
When the inspection was finished I received a phone call from the same chap - again, you could hear the positive tone in his voice and to be really honest, and I know customer service can be different day to day, but this guy just seemed to be the right person for the job taking a process that could have been a complete cluster to being something of a breeze.
Now for context I'll point out that I like to keep my car in good order - not clean - good mechanical order - good tyres and regularly maintained. Maybe I'm a little over the top - my father was a firefighter and over the years he has shown me pictures of road accidents - probably to scare the living shyte out of me when I was younger ( yeah that's what great parenting was like in the 70s and 80s ) and one thing he taught me was that it is my responsibility to make sure the car I'm driving is safe. Period.
Anyway, just wanted to share a positive review of a VTNZ - Teviot Street, Dunedin - give it a try. Just for some more context, I'm regularly called "grumpy" and I usually avoid contact with humans because I can't stand incompetence!”
“Took my vehicle there for cof in Queenstown. They Failed it for reason not relevant to the structure, chassis or drive train.
Keep saying they’re not passing it cause of new Legislations.
Tried to talk with the manager, who was rude and unable to produce a proper explanation. When asked to provide a copy of the new rules for cof which they are unwilling to show me”
“I had a driving test today morning at Porirua and Mr. Wiremu was my testing officer. He is professional with good knowledge and guided me well with the rules. He is soft spoken, kind hearted and willing to teach details of driving.”
“My car I hardly drive it has failed they say drive shaft joint there’s play in it. It’s funny how every time you take it they find something new even though you only turn the car on every few weeks to keep the battery charged. I have 4 cars and no time to drive them as I’m always busy with work. It’s like a big scam”
“My car failed its wof for something they have passed every single time before. Told get it fixed and come round the back and we will quickly check it. I turn up only to be told 3 different stories and I had to wait in the long line again for a 30 sec check! Wouldnt have minded if I had known that instead wasting time waiting for them to figure out their hand from their backside.
Money hungry.”
