A Belfast driving instructor has insisted he’s “not a conman” amid an investigation into his business following complaints from teenagers and young adults.Allegations began appearing in online threads more than two years ago as alleged victims sought to warn fellow learner drivers to steer clear of Gary Connolly, with one branding him the “number one driving instructor to avoid” in the city.But he says he is the victim of financial services company Stripe which is holding nearly £10,000 of his cash due to concerns both about “risk signals” associated with his business and the number of disputes — he currently owes almost £12k in refunds.The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) has launched an investigation.Connolly pictured last month“From December they (Stripe) have been taking money from us,” said Mr Connolly.“It’s destroying my business and reputation and mental health — I have been subjected to all kinds of threats and abuse.“I’m not a conman, I’ve been doing this 28 years and the last couple have been horrendous.“DVA is aware of this and are looking into it.”Mr Connolly said he has had to contact police in relation to threats he claims he has received and dismissed accusations of ‘ghosting’ — the practice of suddenly ending communication with someone without explanation — as “hearsay”.The PSNI confirmed it received a report of threats the same day Mr Connolly agreed to meet Sunday Life late last month, however a spokesperson said officers “deemed there was no further requirement for police action”.An ad that appears on Connolly's website Queen’s University Belfast student Lydia Fletcher told Sunday Life she handed over £500 last summer but has since received almost £300 from her card issuer before he then refunded her £280.The 20-year-old said Mr Connolly always boasted about his friendship with Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw.Lydia said: “I spent almost a full year chasing Gary and only received two lessons which were at the very beginning.“I did manage to get almost £300 from my card issuer, but he still owed me £280.“Initially I was just trying to book my lessons, but he always made excuses or failed to show up. Eventually I gave up and focused on getting my money back. But that proved just as hard as trying to get a lesson.“Gary always bragged about ‘my friend Paula Bradshaw’, so I decided to tell her what was happening to me and so many others.”The software engineering student said Ms Bradshaw “was quite simply disgusted when I told her what was happening” and contacted DVA.“I have been assured by DVA that they have launched an investigation,” Lydia added. Ms Bradshaw said her number one priority is to ensure that affected constituents get their money back as quickly as possible."I immediately contacted the DVA to see what role it can play in investigation and enforcement and have been liaising with officials over the few weeks in relation to this case,” the South Belfast MLA said.“There have been some successes as regards refunds, but there are still a lot of, predominantly, young people who have paid for a service in good faith, which they have not received.“Given that my own son has just started driving lessons, I absolutely share the immense frustration felt by those who have had to postpone tests because they could not access lessons. However, this case is even worse because it appears that so many people have already paid for lessons they have not received, and have thus been left out of pocket having to seek alternatives.“The overriding and understandable sense is one of exasperation and betrayal.”A deal Connolly was selling in July The driving school’s Facebook page has recently disappeared from online. However, its website is still operating and was still actively promoting a “July offer” last month of 15 lessons for £600 or 10 for £330.The business is also advertising an intensive driving course for £1,300 and an introductory offer of five “buy now, use later” lessons for £180.The internet is littered with similar complaints about the driving school. However, only five star reviews are featured on the business’s website proclaiming Gary as “amazing”, “fantastic” and “great”
Chelsea Crawford is among those still waiting for a refund from Gary who “told me he could only guarantee weekly lessons if I booked a package”.She said: “It took almost a month to get the first lesson confirmed and then he didn’t show up – I only ever got four lessons because he started ghosting me.“I asked for a refund at the beginning of this year but I am still waiting.”Mr Connolly said it is “100%” Stripe’s fault before also blaming “massive DVA backlogs” as a result of the pandemic and the collapse of Stormont. “It’s getting me further and further into debt,” he said. “I’m sacrificing my own bills.“I have stopped doing the big packages and I am doing my best to get this resolved.”An intensive driving course deal offered at £1,300The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said DVA maintains a register of approved driving instructors (ADIs) and approved motorcycle instructors (AMIs) in line with relevant legislation but “has no powers to freeze the account of an instructor or driving school, nor can it comment on allegations relating to individual driving instructors”.A spokesperson encouraged anyone with concerns about the behaviour of an ADI or AMI to contact DVA, the PSNI or Trading Standards.Meanwhile, Ms Bradshaw expressed “extreme” concerns that the ADI list is currently not published in Northern Ireland and has written to the minister for infrastructure and the economy minister to express concerns.A positive online review. There are also others not so complimentary Sunday Life has seen emails between Gary and Stripe verifying it is holding a cash reserve which the firm said would be reassessed on August 9.The correspondence makes it clear “your refund capability is working and you can freely refund any payments if necessary”.But the driving instructor, who has raised a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman, claimed Stripe is preventing him from issuing pending refunds.“I have a list of names and I know exactly who needs paid,” Gary said. “But I can’t refund everyone at once.”A Stripe spokesperson said they cannot comment on individual users.
by tomindabungalow
1 comment
His balls. The pandemic ended in 2022.