This place is horrible. My older two kids were able to take their drivers course at Seacoast Driving School and it was wonderful. Unfortunately, the owner retired and our youngest was forced to go to Bensons due to a lack of other options. It was a terrible experience all around. Bensons is horribly disorganized - my kid finished the class weeks ago and STILL hasn't been able to get enough driving hours with them to get the required certificate. Benson's excuse is that some instructors quit so they don't have enough people to give all the students the requisite driving hours. So why accept so many students? Clearly, this place is all about the money - and the cost is outrageous - more than 50% more expensive than we paid for our other kids. They allow certain kids to get two slots each week but everyone else only gets one slot so it is impossible to get the required hours by the conclusion of the course. So we are having to try to schedule "roll over" driving hours which are hard to get - and Bensons refuses to accommodate the kids they've shafted if the student cannot submit their availability by Thursday of the previous week. Even the facilities and equipment are awful. They meet in a sweltering little upstairs room with no air, cramming in the kids. For the vehicles, when the regular car was broken or unavailable my kid was forced to try to drive their "back-up car" with a manual transmission - without ever having tried to do that before and no idea how to work the clutch and gearshift. I can't think of any redeeming qualities and am not surprised this company is closing down locations. Plus, one of the instructor drivers is a nasty, crotchety woman who harangues the kids and insults them so much that my kid came home from those drives upset and utterly discouraged. Totally unacceptable. I suggest going anywhere else and avoiding this place like the plague. read more

The derry nh location just kicked my daughter out because she got 6 wrong on 3 test and they told her to take another class how can I get my money back can anyone answer I want a different driving school. read more

This school is a complete money grab. Will fee you to death. They are more expensive than others to start with and by the time all is said and done you will be paying even more. The school will cancel drives same day but if there is bad weather, icy conditions overnight they see this as an opportunity to charge children and parents $100 for not being able to drive even with drive advisories. Rip off. Go anywhere else. read more

It took about 6 months AFTER the scheduled end of the course for my son to complete his driving hours. In the end he got what he needed. Stronger coordination and planning could have avoided the issue completely. read more

Notice the map of areas Benson's services and where they have their office, both on this Yelp listing and on their active website. Notice PORTSMOUTH is both a serviced city and one in which they have an office. After paying the 775.00 and enrolling my son, they said there is no Portsmouth office. I had to take him to Stratham. After he went to the first night of class (in Stratham), we were told they don't pick kids up in Portsmouth at all and I would have to get him to the driver for his drive time (which is offered on a random pull of the hat each week and is a total crap shoot allowing for no schedule planning). I called to discuss how this was not what was contractually agreed upon and I was told in a very rude manner to basically 'go pound sand' and they would give me my money back. It is too late for him to be enrolled in another class so he can get his license on time and I was told 'it's not our problem'. Well, of course it's not their direct problem, but with the power of social media and Yelp, it may in fact become their problem as I STRONGLY urge ANYONE remotely considering this crap establishment to run over to 603 Driving school and not bother dealing with these fee happy, change the terms of contract at their discression, db's! You're welcome in advance! read more

I'd give it zero stars if it was an option. THIS PLACE SUCKS! No one EVER answers the phone or calls you back, so if you miss a drive time you will pay big!! They dont inform kids of schedule. My daughter missed the final because the instructor failed to tell them it was not at normal class time. If you can I would advise to go elsewhere. read more

Rating: Negative stars One word to describe: Scam. I was very apprehensive about having to pay a $100 non-refundable deposit, especially if there was a chance I may not even attend. I called and asked if there was any way I could be on the waiting list or just pay the fee later on. Dorothy assured me that I would be in the next couple of classes and I could pay the fee after. (After waiting 8 months, I realized that this was a lie.) Before booking I emailed to ask how the $100 deposit could be non-refundable, and why I would not get it back If I could not attend the class. Dorothy rudely responded via email " I don't know how to make you understand, the deposit is non-refundable." After dealing with rude comments from Dorothy through email, I booked the class, hoping the instructor would be nicer and have better customer service skills. (Wrong) The moment I walked into the class I had a feeling it was a big mistake. Unfortunately I didn't realize this until after I paid the full payment in cash. As I got in line to take the "eye exam," I heard the teacher yell at a kid for not being able to read a line. She stated that the kid needed glasses and he may as well not take the class since he won't pass the driver's test. It was at this moment I started to regret investing in this class. The teacher then handed us very outdated, 20 year old books, and as she had probably stated for as long as she's taught there, told the students they'd get new books soon. (Lies) As the class went on, the teacher made it very clear that she only cared about the money and nothing else. She spent at least 20 minutes of the class on the phone, 3/4 of the class talking to the owner Dorothy, and the remainder of the class picking drive times. (Which is far from educational and should not count as a class.) The next class she handed us a packet to do, then (30 minutes later and a phone call later) went over it quickly, ignoring students with their hands raised to ask questions. She then put on a PowerPoint with street signs telling us to shout out the name. (Which isn't very educational) Then she proceeded to target me, asking me in front of the whole class what was wrong with me and why wasn't I shouting out the answers. After that, as we talked about the DMV and driving rules, she stated that usually older people take the class because they can't drive, and then asked me why I was in the class. (In front of everyone) I, feeling personally targeted but wanting to avoid a scene, politely stated that I was in the class for insurance purposes. I found her statements to be completely condescending, and surely not something anyone should say to a teen, especially after being paid almost $700. Although I found this incident completely inappropriate, I waited for my drive time, which not surprisingly, was canceled "due to a family emergency." ( Which shows just how reliable they are) After this I was completely done and decided I was no longer going to waste my time or money on this joke of a class. (I had taken time off work, and had to compensate my family who kindly set aside time to drive me.) I realized I had wasted enough time, money and energy on this class, only to be targeted and made fun of by the teacher, and completely blown off by the driving instructor. I went back to the class just before class started (the class after being canceled) to get my money back. (The contract clearly states that you will get your money back before taking the the 3rd class.) I told the teacher I wished to speak with her privately, but she didn't respect this wish and proceeded to ask questions in front of the whole class. I kindly explained that the class was not the right fit for me and that I'd like my money back. She proceeded to try to blame me and took absolutely no responsibility. She then tried to embarrass me in front of the whole class and stated, "I don't think you're going to get your money back," meaning they planned on holding onto my money without actually fulfilling the services they promised. In the end, after calling and emailing many times, I finally a portion of my money back. (They kept $150, even though this completely goes against their contract.) Moral of the story: DO NOT SEND YOUR TEENS TO BENSONS. This place is overrated, a complete scam, and a waste of time. The teacher and owners are bullies/ scam artists who want to take your money rather than spend time teaching your child how to drive safely. Their customer service skills are non-existent and seem to forget that you are the ones paying them money for a service and expect to be treated with respect. If you want a reliable, kind, trustworthy driving school, look into THINBLUELINE driving school. The instructor is a retired police officer and so much better than Bensons. read more

I just completed drivers ed at bensons they were very professional And got all of the work that was required for the class early so they were able to help us with the new Hampshire manual so we were prepared and knew what we had to study for the dmv written test. I just got my license and didn't study at all because of all of the work that they put in to get you Eligible To go and get your license read more

I have had three of my kids use Benson's. They are professional and have always been flexible and up front about their policies. Everything is fully explained on their website, and if I needed to reach out with questions they have always been helpful. I would absolutely recommend them. read more

Expensive, expensive, expensive. Driver's Ed in New Hampshire is way overpriced for the service provided. They unnecessarily scare their students with night after night of driving horror stories. They treat all adolescents like idiots and didn't have enough slots available to complete your driving time during the scheduled weeks of class. All that said, every student passed their driver's test in our family, some not on the first attempt. They took a confident, competent new driver and made him a nervous wreck. Look around for any better options. Unfortunately there may not be any. read more