I had 40 lessons from Easy Start Driving School Gold Coast from Sep 2015 to Mar 2016. 2 of those…read morelessons were lessons before a driving test. I failed both driving tests with Easy Start Driving School. At the driving test, I felt I was inadequately prepared by Easy Start Driving School, even through I had 40 lessons. During the 40 lessons, we drove 5 main routes. I am an immigrant, so I trusted that these 5 routes were adequate in preparing me for the tests.
So I called up other driving schools and what I found prompted me to do further investigation. I also started reading the code of conduct. Easy Start Instructor spent my lessons doing private paper work while I was driving. According to the Qld department code of conduct that this is against the code of conduct.
In addition, I was nit-picked constantly while I was driving, and was never offered praise. It is hard to describe but I will do my best - eg "What is the speed, at what are you driving at?" "Don't do xxx", "Noooooo" with frustrated tone. On their own they seem ok, but it was the rate that made me feel I could not get anything right. When I got the 3 point turn straight away, the instructor told me that he did not want to praise me in case I got a swollen head. However, the instructor never yelled at me nor called me names. Nevertheless, the constant nit-picking made me think that I was a terrible driver, which is why I forked out more and more money, on my own accord for more lessons. In total, I spent $2300. The instructor never pressured me to fork out money. Outside of instruction, the instructor was a friendly chap, which conflicted me further. I also started having anxiety attacks while driving, I sought the help of a psychologist to get help with these anxiety attacks.
Nevertheless, it is to be noted that I was not criticized the first five lessons thereabouts with Easy Start Driving School. The instructor was relatively more calm. Furthermore, the instructor touched his heart and told me teaching driving was his passion, and money was not important to him - I was impressed by this gesture and I trusted him. This is why I decided to stick with Easy Start Driving School.
In any case, after 40 lessons, I then enrolled with another driving school, whereby the new instructor offered correction at a very even toned voice, and I was never picked on in the same manner/rate as previously. I was amazed at the speed at which I learnt with the new driving school. I also made fewer mistakes with the new instructor than with Easy Start Driving School. I also learnt critical life-saving defensive driving skills that I was not aware of. Because of these newly acquired defensive skills, I learnt how to avoid accidents in real time much better esp with merging lane, and in braking car crash avoidance.
To offer Easy Start Driving School's side of the story, I have decided to print their official response.
"Paperwork - quoting is subjective and misleading, I did not Smoke, Eat or Drink, I may have been making notes on the odd occasion or referring to printed material but would not have been with this client for any prolonged period until I felt she was competent which would have been more in her second lot of lessons. If I am guilty of doing this it would have been for a few seconds at the most."
I never mentioned that the instructor smoked, ate or drank. I merely quoted the code of conduct from the qld transport in its entirety. However, paperwork was done on a grid paper, which is used for scheduling other students' classes, was done from say Labrador (Olsen Ave - Allied Drive) to (Olsen Ave - Lae Drive), a distance that is impossible to travel in "a few seconds"
My husband came on 2 occasions - both times, the Easy Start Driving School instructor was charming and had impeccable manners. He even mentioned that I was "intelligent" to my husband.
The instructor never yelled, nor did he use physical force on me at any time. However, the constant criticism caused me to lose enormous confidence and cause me to have anxiety attacks while driving.
I wrote to ADTA Qld (which offers Tribunal System to process complaints for accredited members) in June 2016 which Easy Start officially stated to be a member of. Easy Start instructor also told me that he was an ADTA member when I started my first lesson in Sept 2015. To my utmost shock, ADTA wrote back saying that they could not act on my complaint as Easy Start Driving School Instructor was not their member since Mar 2015. I wrote back saying, "Are you sure?" I showed them evidence of Easy Start advertising itself on Gumtree (June 2016) as ADTA accredited, facebook, on its vehicle with the ADTA Master Trainer Logo. (I have screen captures of all of these). Then they wrote back saying that Easy Start Driving School was contravening their compliance agreement and that it was not supposed to use the logo or train under the ADTA name anymore, as Easy Start was not their member at that time (June 2016).
