This article is from page 4 of the 2008-08-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
CLARE motorists are getting free NCT’s with the Ennis testing centre snowed under by requests for tests.
There is currently a waiting list for NCT appointments in Ennis and a back-up team has been brought in to keep the tests rolling over.
But delays of more than four weeks in giving applicants a test appoint- ment are resulting is some drivers getting their tests free of charge, in line with NCT policy on customer os at (een
Drivers who ring the national test appointment line are being told that there are no appointments available in Ennis and they have to join a can- cellation list.
A spokeswoman for the NCT ex- plained that the policy is “to try to give people a test within four weeks of their requesting an appointment. If we can’t do that, we give a free test.”
The spokeswoman said that the av- erage lead-in time for a test is three weeks.
“People are given appointments
and if they don’t confirm those ap- pointments within a specified time, then they automatically fall. Our call centre opens at 8am and the first thing they do is re-distribute any test appointment which have not been confirmed.”
The spokeswoman said that while there does not seem to be a specific problem with Ennis, the back-up team which is brought on board to have the test centre working seven days a week is currently in situ in OE
“We have a core team and an non-
core team, who will work late eve- nings and weekends when the need arises. Not every centre has an non- core team, but Ennis does, as does Limerick,’ the NCT spokeswoman Cr AKOR
Since January | this year, the En- nis centre has carried out a massive 11,438 full tests.
This does not account for cars which returned for second tests that only involved one detected fault.
Of those cars which take the test in Ennis half fail and half pass, the figures show.