the driving school suddenly closes and leaves its customers stranded

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Curtains drawn and doors closed. Without warning, thedriving school Autonomous driving de Méry-sur-Oise (Val-d'Oise) brought its activity to a sudden halt on Monday October 21, 2024.

On the window of the premises, located rue de L'Isle-Adam, a simple A4 sheet withc the address of a website invites former customers to declare their debt and to contact the legal representative in charge of liquidating the company.

Training set

Several applicants for a driving license or accompanied driving students had already completed their training. Some learner drivers had an unpleasant surprise on the way to their course. “I started driving lessons again at the beginning of September and I paid 500 € two weeks before closing. When I paid, they told me everything was fine, explains Celtil. One day, when I arrived at the driving school, I saw that everything was closed. I have not received any message informing me of a permanent closure. I sent an email to their site, but got no response. »

After contacting the legal representative and declaring his claim, the young man was able to have his file taken to another driving school.

Other customers are also surprised by the lack of communication managers of Autonomous Conduct. This is the case of Hervé, whose son had been registered since September 2023 for accompanied driving: “For a year, the driving school has never called us to take stock. We are not bankrupt, but I would like to recover the €500 that I paid. I put together a file to see what we can recover. In theory, we should be reimbursed, but in practice…”

Claim request

Benoît hired €1,300 for driving training accompanied by your son. The latter learned of the closure from a friend and still managed to contact an employee of the driving school. This gave him the procedure to follow for his debt request and for the transfer of the file to another structure. “We were taken by surprise, but we were able to go to a driving school in L’Isle-Adam,” says the father. It was not a win, because driving schools cannot always absorb this surplus of students. My son was able to pick up where he left off. He must get his license in June. »

Like all the other customers, Benoit was surprised by the sudden closure of the driving school, but he received an email from the manager informing him of the cessation of activity and the liquidation of the company. “The establishment encountered difficulties which led to the cessation of activity […] I understand the distress in which this situation places you and ask you to believe in my sincere desolation”, indicates Baptiste T., the manager of the driving school, in this email. Despite several requests, the latter remained unreachable on Tuesday November 12.

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