You pack up your bags and get on a plane. You say goodbye to your family and friends, and get ready for a new adventure in a new life, at your dream job. You do so because you are told via phone and email, that getting your license in the new province will be easy as pie.
When you arrive this is not the case. Instead you are given the run around.
This all started two and a half months ago when I was given the reporter/photographer job in Carlyle. Unfortunately, I could not actually come to the town until a month ago, but the troubles started then. Trying to get out of a driving school contract in Quebec is not as easy as they make it sound. It took a month from the day I informed them of my move for anything to happen at all. I was given every excuse in the book. On the day they finally agreed to meet with me, the owner proceeded to let three different people, who all came in after me, go in front of me. Why? Apparently they were signing contracts, and that was more important than canceling. Listening to the conversations, I also clued into the fact that he was offering a different price to each new student, and insuring them how easy it would be to cancel at any time. After an hour of waiting, the company finally agreed to cancel my contract, and refunded me half the money. Thinking I had gotten a better refund than deserved, I took the money and left happily thinking the fight was over.
I then began my conversations with SGI. Over the phone and emails, it seemed like Saskatchewan was going to be much easier to work with. They informed me that because of the amount of driving school I had completed, I would be able to get my full license in their province. This was all sounding like golden news, so I purchased my plane ticket to Saskatchewan, and was on my way.
My first weekend was spent in several different offices, in different towns. I got a different answer from every person I spoke to. This is when I realized I had to again fight for what I was promised. I was told I had a status on my Quebec account. No problem, I would just call the Quebec driving association and it would be fixed.
I called Quebec to be told they didn't have a status on my account. I then decide to call SGI head offices, once again. The woman there informed me that she also saw no status on the account. I finally decided to get a lift out to Weyburn to talk to yet another person. Although they couldn't issue me any license, they told me what to do. And so I began yet another fight to get my Quebec driving records. After a week that was sent, and I returned to Weyburn.
I was then told I could still only be given my learner's but that if I got my driving school records from Montreal, I could show that to a driving instructor and be exempt from the in between process.
Now I had to deal with that dreadful driving school in Montreal again. And guess what? They provided more road blocks for me. They refused to fax my records long distance, as this just seemed impossible to them. I then asked if my parents could pick up the original copy, of course they said no to this as well. Eventually they allowed my mother to have a dark black photocopy, which she had to fax to me, and was barely visible.
I spoke to several instructors, most of which did not know anything about these situations. I finally once again called someone from Weyburn. This person was extremely helpful, and made several calls for me. Someone from SGI then agreed to let me take a road test immediately. I booked the test, and paid all my Saskatchewan fees. Success or so I thought.
The Monday after Easter, I received a phone call at 9 a.m. sharp. It was yet again SGI with bad news. They had taken another look at my case and decided they wanted me to wait the full nine months. Would I get my money back? No. They insisted that they keep this money for when I took my exam in the fall. When I explained that I was in the province because of a job in which required my license, they questioned why I would do that. Well you see, your own people told me that I would get my license when I began my voyage out here, or else I would not have spent all of my savings on moving.
And so I begin yet another fight to get what I was promised, and to save my job in the process. I am 20 years old and 36 hours away from home, you think they would cut a girl some slack? Thank you provincial governments and driving associations, you have made my life more difficult than it already was.
And this is just one of the things that ticks me off!
