What a lot has been said in this thread!
As the OP and for clarity’s sake, please let me make my feelings clear:
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I did not critisise Tockwith’s ability to train drivers. How could I? My post was about my assessment. As I have previously said, I have no axe to grind.
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My assessment was carried out by the owner of the business (see my first post and Tockwith’s first post), altough, by their second post they were referring to him simply as ‘the instructor’.
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My post was about how I felt after the assessment and the views and comments that went with it. This was not to ‘bash’ anyone but simply to share my experiences with other newbies who may have felt like I did after an assessment, whoever it was with. Some of the subsequent posts have shown that mine was not an isolated incident and some posters have told of experiences with other trainers.
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I read Tockwith’s second post as an explanation and apology: “I can only say sorry to Alan”. I responded accordingly: “So, effectively, we are both sorry about some of the events, but that is life”. and “I too wish you well”. At this point I thought the matter was finished, Apologies had been made and accepted and goodwill was evident.
The matter could well have ended here and I thought it had. One poster remarked about the thread (up to that point) by saying especially when its as balanced as this thread seems to be
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Another post then appeared from Tockwith. This one was in a different vein altogether. Not, I guess, made by the original Tockwith poster. Various allegations were made and a certain number of the ‘facts’ listed were certainly not as I remember them. Unfortunately, personal attacks were also made. I was saddened to read this post. Suddenly the ethics both myself and a well respected forum member were brought into question. I was left with the strong suspicion that this post had been written by the man who assessed me, the owner of the company.
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Soon after came a further Tockwith post asking, “are you getting paid” This was because (apparently) on six seperate occasions I had spoken well of Peter Smythe’s training company.
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I referred to Tockwith’s postings as “damage limitation” and “spin”. I felt that this post had several purposes: to belittle me, to smear another forum member’s reputation, and particularly to ‘cloud the waters’ of my original post by introducing totally unrelated matters.
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There have been various posts since this with many ‘what ifs’. I have not replied to them because they often barely relate to the purpose of my original post, which was about the way I felt after my assessment at Tockwith.
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There has been a hugh amount of support of my posts in the forum (and by PMs) for which I am very grateful.
10, There has been a large amount of critisism of Tockwith Training responses. Whilst I can understand this, I do feel they have largely brought it upon themselves.
Again I will say, the matter could have ended amicably after Tockwith’s apology and my acceptance of it. I sincerely wish it had.
Alan