I spent two days at BAL Driving School determined to get my U.S. driver's license, and I can honestly say you won't find another school like this. The owner, Bal, went above and beyond -- he was understanding, patient, and genuinely cared about helping me succeed. As someone who's dyslexic and gets anxious around tests, I really appreciated how flexible and calm the environment was. Bal let me take the written test at my own pace, moved appointments around for me, and even let me stay at the office until I finally passed both tests. That kind of support and understanding is rare. If you want a driving school that actually treats you like a person -- not just another student -- this is the place. Bal is the man, and I can't recommend his school highly enough. Dave. read more

Driving test for a Washington State driver's license here at BAL is ultra frustrating, the guy who runs this place [language: ESL; very difficult to understand] insisted at the last minute that we use his car, even tho we planned to use our own. Extra $$$!! Then, he did NOT even sanitize his own driving car between other drivers!!! The guy decided to fail my husband right away on allegedly a "California stop", tho my husband insists he came to a full stop at the stop sign, and gently pulled forward. Also, during the drive, my husband turned left, using a left blinker, and the guy insisted that he was using his right blinker!? Absolutely not. ONE MISTAKE and the $$$ test is over? So, after paying over a hundred dollars, the guy just quickly failed my husband, not even going thru the entire test so my husband can be more prepared for next time. Not only that, the guy was super negative and never gave any compliments whatsoever on anything good my husband did. He jUSt said, fail. Personally, i have been a Washington State driver since 1990, and i can say, that my husband is an excellent driver. The whole test experience was over in less than ten minutes. What a disappointing waste of time and money. No credit toward next exam? No incentive to return to BAL? None. This guy at BAL has a total racket going on right now, as the DOL/DMV falls apart. read more

Bal Driving School - BAL - Driving Schools Near Me - Mount Vernon, Washington

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According to me Bal Driving School training was clear and detailed. He conducted the class in a very professional manner and he was never in a rush. As this was my first time learning how to drive, his instructions and patience really helped me to become a driver. Now I am really happy and confident to drive. Thanks Bal... read more

Let's start with this. I couldn't understand a word he was saying. If you have a hard time with accents, do NOT go here! The biggest reason I failed was because I constantly had to say "can you repeat that?" You're the judge of how good you are at understanding accents, but I nearly missed several critical moments from having to ask him to repeat. Second of all, he grabs the wheel during the test. He nearly got us both in a god damned crash just because I didn't turn early enough while waiting for oncoming traffic. Then when I decided to go while he was pushing the steering wheel, he yanked it back because he changed his mind. It was inappropriate. Thirdly, I've heard multiple reviews talking about how he's a scam. These people are all Indian. I've noticed they're way more likely to pass people that are non-American. Especially if you haven't taken the drivers school courses. Go to Nelsons Driving School for the test. They're what more fair and the atmosphere is much suitable. read more

I wish there was a zero stars option for this place. My sis in law went to his "establishment" to take her driving permit written test. Upon completion he promptly tells her "you failed, come back another time". Didnt explain anything to her about what she got wrong. Refused to show her the results of the test as well. This is not the first time he has done this to members of my family either. He clearly knows nothing about operating a driving school as well as nothing about business and services rendered/paid for. This place is an absolute joke. Save your money and DO NOT go to his driving school. read more

Saw there car driving down I-5 south in the dark with their lights off... I hope their instruction is better than their actual driving.

I called them late on Friday to schedule a driving test (note that I did not take lessons here) and was pleasantly surprised to find that their Bellingham location was open on Sundays. I took my test with Mr. Bal in their vehicle. Mr. Bal was brief and to the point - he explained to me beforehand that we will be sticking to a route and script that is DOL approved and that there would be no small talk on the way. After the test he listed out three minor errors I had made which more or less aligned with what I was expecting. He explained to me how it affected my scores and whether or not I passed (I did - yay!). By the time we got back there were more people waiting to take the test, but upon asking Mr. Bal took the time to give me tips on how to avoid those errors and develop good driving habits in general. The other reviews for this business made me a little skeptical initially - while I do see how the whole process can feel a bit rushed, my own experience was quite good. read more

I was not impressed with Bal. I work in a profession with instructor pilots and am tested annually. My peers know the instructors to stay away from and they are usually the guys who feel they have to prove something through condescension. I feel that Bal falls in this category. I have been driving for 30 years but during our move from NY to WA my license expired. I have never had so much as a speeding ticket. A good instructor will take a well rounded view of the student to determine if they are safe or not. Sensibility comes to mind. Also experience. Bal had me drive for 1 block before hopping out and saying 'you failed'. He seemed to take great pleasure. I am no stranger to failure and will gladly admit mistakes and strive to improve. I will never accept being disrespected or made to feel small. Perhaps Bal is jaded in his career. Perhaps he needed to put me in my place for saying I felt confident. Whatever the case, treat others how you would like to be treated yourself. I had a great experience 5 minutes later at the Nelson driving school where they were down to earth and professional. read more

I know that it is tempting to send your child here because it is cheaper than other driving schools in our area. Do Not Do It. My son went here. His classes kept getting postponed due to "family emergencies". When he went to make up the class on make up dates they were cancelled three more times making scheduling very difficult for him and us. Bal's driving school is just not professionally run. Very unreliable. Two thumbs down!! read more

BAL Driving School is a scam, $35 dollars can be a really good deal if you pay it once. However, I believe the instructor in Mount Vernon failed me just to make me retake their driving test again. Things were amiss right from the beginning. It was pouring, so when we got inside the car, the rear windows were fogged. I had to wait for a few minutes so the foggy windows would clear, but he seemed to be in a hurry to finish the test and asked me to start driving even without good visibility through the rear window. During the driving, I was having a hard time understanding his directions. I made two minor mistakes, but when I finished the test he read me a litany of supposed errors that I committed - the vast majority of which I knew I did not make. I have been driving for 15 years, and besides, I passed with a nearly perfect score the next day with another instructor. Cheaper isn't always better; in the end you pay more. Go to Munros' driving school; they are much more professional. read more

My license expired and had to go in to take the written and driving test to get a new one. Came into Bal's and took the written test with a nice woman who was courteous. I then went on to take my driving test with Bal. I passed but was not impressed with his service. I understand that he needs to make sure that people are safe on the road but he definitely has a power trip. When I passed he just handed me the receipt said you passed and walked away. I then followed him to ask if I just needed to show this receipt to the DMV to get my license and he said ya or I'll send the results electronically to them by 10 at the latest. I went to the DMV and waited an hour and a half and got up to the front of the line at 1045am and they told me my receipt was useless and that Bal didn't send the records over. I then called Bal and he said he told me they'd be there by 10. I said ya I know, it's 11am. He then told me that in the fine print of his agreement that it says he has up to 24 hours to send it over. All in all, terrible customer service and they made me spend an extra 2 hours at the happiest place on Earth the DMV. read more

I had a very bad experience. I do not recommend this school to anyone. In my personal experience there, my boyfriend had a wonderful drive (took about 15 min) and passed with flying colors. He (my boyfriend) claimed he had missed several things and still passed. I was pleased. I made an appointment making it very clear I was taking my drive test (not Knowledge), and when I came on the date of my appointment he scheduled it for a knowledge test anyway and had me reschedule which was pretty inconvenient. Before my test the instructor claimed that because I am a girl I needed a parent..pretty odd to me, to claim that because of my gender, I need assistance. And continued to talk to me like I couldn't understand English or i would have trouble understanding the "large vocabulary" he was using, he made me re-do my hand signals even though they were perfect the first time...weird. And on my drive took me around the block (about 2-5min) and failed me. He claimed I was going over 40mph in a 25pmh zone (not true at all) and that "i cut off cars" ect. All in which were not true! And used that to fail me. I believe he was using my gender as a reason to fail me. (I am female) and once I went to nelsons driving school I was givin a 97% (highest that week) just 2 days after my experience at bal. how would I be able to improve so much I'm a span of 2 days? Hmm. read more