I am updating the review below. I really like the woman who works the desk at Big John's, but both my daughter and a friend's daughter have been bullied by driving testers at Big John's. The school must do a better job in choosing who it hires to administer the driving tests. My positive review below was based on the fact that my complaint about my daughter's treatment was addressed, but then months later, a friend of the family had a similar negative run in with an unpleasant driving tester. That says to me that there is a deeper issue here. =========== Excellent customer service. The management here is top notch. I couldn't be more impressed. We had an issue with a staff member. The management of Big John's was exceptionally courteous, took our concerns seriously, and responded in a timely manner to resolve the situation. I really appreciate great customer service in an era where it is sorely missing from most places. Thank you Big John's! read more

Won't even answer the phone..I've tried calling separate times and I've tried months ago previously.

DO NOT COME HERE(.) Absolutely terrible customer service. Everyone here is incredibly rude. I have no idea how they are still open with all the complaints they've had. One of the testers (the one legged POS) was being extremely creepy and would not stop glaring at me from across the room when I came in with my boyfriend. My boyfriend came to do a driving test and was treated like garbage and they literally stood in front of him talking sh*t about him. I hope they go out of business soon. Absolute trash. read more

My kid just got back from taking the test with this driving school. He has tattoos, long hair, and black clothes. He's also a great kid: doesn't use drugs, doesn't drink or party, and is gentle as can be. Now, I've been a high school teacher for 35 years, and I have a pretty good idea about how people can judge someone by their looks without thinking. That was obviously the case here. My boy failed before he ever got in the car. My advice: If you're looking to take a driver's test from someone with an open mind, you definitely want to look elsewhere. read more

I love supporting small local businesses. They were very Attentive and patient with my son. He drives incredibly well,bit jas test taking anxiety. We needed to overcome a few things and Big John's took the extra time with my son to build confidence and knowledge. Thank you to all of the staff for making it possible for my son to get his license. read more

Rude employees who don't know what they're doing. Employees give out different information. Walked out with the drive test since nothingwas said to hand it back. Go to driving 101 instead read more

Needs a better receptionist I paid and left came right back in and asked for a refund the girl in the front desk didn't even answer my question I don't usually do that but she gave me a very bad vibe and made it seem like the company is very shady. read more

Absolutely disgusting company. Multiple instructors harassed and intimidated my son to the point where he didn't want to drive anymore. Incredibly rude staff, unsafe vehicles, and aggressive instructors. This place could not be worse. Needs to be shut down immediately. read more

Absolutely the worst place! My son was just there to take his drivers test. While he waited after checking in, the two people working there spent the entire time talking about how the car was leaking fluids, that the power steering went out, and how "the stupid man left the keys in the car - someone could have stolen it." All the time, we were both getting stressed about the test. Then, the guy pulled up with another guy and one of the people told him to get in the car when the guy got out. So, when the guy got out, my son went out to get in the car. The instructor guy got out and YELLED at my son "I'm not ready yet!" Seriously, this is how they treat kids getting ready to take their drivers tests. And, apparently the guy kept yelling at my son through the whole thing. Which I completely believe based on how things went before they left. This is not okay. Do not go here. Go anywhere else but here! read more

Driving instructor made a blind U-turn right in front of me and I missed hitting him by inches. I had to chase him down to get the car info. When I called the company they didn't want to even hear what had happened. I insisted that the hear what happened. I told them that my pressure washer was damaged by the near miss and they said "ok thank you". I can't even imagine a driving school with employees so careless and a company that literally does not care at all. read more

Big John's Driving School - This guy made a blind U-turn right in front of me and I missed hitting him by inches. - Driving Schools Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

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Terrible school. Besides the lady at the desk, all the staff are very unprofessional and rude. The fat guy (whose name I can't remember) is very impatient, rude, and inconsiderate. One time while we were driving, he told me that there was a stop sign up ahead. I was very nervous, and I was trying to process what he was saying. After a few seconds he slammed on the breaks and started yelling at me and told me to "pay attention". He likes to pretend that he understands that we are nervous, but he really doesn't. Yelling at me like that wasn't necessary and only made me even more nervous. He acts like he can't just break the car at anytime, and that we aren't at all nervous about driving for the first time. There was another instance when we were driving. I saw a sign on the road (literally ON the road, very close to the lane I was in) and I didn't have much time to react. I also have bad eyesight, and couldn't read what the sign says. I wasn't sure if the lane was closed or not, so I made the quick decision to pull into the parking lot and move around to get onto the road we needed to go to. As soon as I turn, he yells "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" and slams on the breaks and starts yelling at me, asking why I turned into the parking lot. He did apologize afterwards, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. The fat man is funny, and he teaches well, but thats about it. He is still very inconsiderate, and over all is kind've an asshole. There is also one other staff member I drove with (an older man who looks like he is in his seventies) who frequently ignored me whenever I asked him questions or said something. I told him it was my first time driving, and while we were going in a 25 MPH zone he continually slammed on the breaks whenever I went past 15. I kept telling him that thats too slow, but he didn't listen to me and kept slamming on the breaks if I went "too fast". I also asked him several questions while driving and he ignored everyone. Eventually I started saying, "Hello? Hello???" but he kept ignoring me. One time I forgot to stop before turning and I said "Ops, I should have stopped there." Before he says "You forgot to stop." Later that day we were practicing hand signals and I held my hand a certain way and said "This is the left signal right?" Then he gets pissed at me and says "No, thats the left signal!" I know he just isn't listening to me and isn't deaf because I remember having small talk with him when he first began and he answered all my questions and responded based on what I said. Either the man is mentally retarded, or he doesn't care to listen to me. Either way, he needs to be disciplined or fired. Honestly, none of this stuff should have ever happened. The owner needs to be much more careful about who they hire, and they need to discipline some of the staff members he already has, because they are very unprofessional and rude. read more

I took my driver's test here about 4 and a half years ago. The instructor was actually too fat to fit in my car and failed me before we left the parking lot. We think it was because we refused to pay another 45$ for one of their rental cars that he kept pushing for. Why? I had a perfectly fine car WITH insurance. With the seat all the way back, he had a really hard time shutting the door and putting his seatbelt on was almost impossible. He was mad and didn't want to do the test. He claimed I ran a stop sign, which I did not. I went to another school that same day and passed with 100% an hour later. read more

Thank you Big John's!!!!! In a pinch your team came through! The DMV was not very clear on certain bench marks we needed to reach to reinstate a drivers license after a DUII. We understand that your team is very busy and have a tight schedule. We want to thank you for getting us in for the written test quickly. It has all been very frustrating, thank you for bring a bright spot into this process. Thanks so much!! HD & BC read more

I went to Big Johns for drivers ed and when it came to taking the test I failed along with the majority of the class. I went back to take it again, and I failed the second time along with most of the class as well. The driving instructor himself said they were the most terrible scores he's seen. A friend of mine who went to big johns had to take the test 3 times to pass! I personally think that at this point it is not the students fault it is the instructing of the school. read more

Ive currently only taken the written driving test here, but the receptionist was wonderful! Even after failing my test the first time she derected me to an even better program for my phone than I was using and the second time I passed with a 100% and even got a high five when I received my results. I will update my experience when I take my drive test. read more

They rip people off worse attitude ever and they got a employee who treat people trash because in the beginning he told us that your supposed to be here at 10:25 and being all grumpy and tough. And i said you got to be patient we got here at 10:27 only 2 minutes. And he ignored me. So we waited till it was our turn and i let my friend first but when she left. I ask him is it alright if i could go with you guys. And He shouted loud saying No It's illegal. But I said, It's because your attitude is rude and very grumpy. He said, So! Being all tough like he is Rambo or Terminator But he was wimp after i said something to make him shut up. But then He refused to take the exam. After that The manager joins in and said I own the building blah blah blah. And i said So what that's going to do and i will pay 50 dollars more if you exam my friend on driving but he still refused. He said anyone can choose a different instructor. Yeah right He is lazy fatty nasty red neck can't even fit his own company vehicle during the driving exam with little vision on the road. But we stills got our money back. read more

That "old bat", wrote down that I "ran a stop light" 100 ft. Before I got to the white lines. We went into big johns to settle it and she confessed I didn't and erased that I did from my score sheet. Not all, but some driving instructors purposefully tried to frustrate you and yell at and get frustrated and take it out on you which in my opinion they shouldn't be doing to new drivers. read more

My son loved the class, he gave it a 4.5 rating. I am giving the class 2 stars because of the following: The web site is out dated. The class dates online are not correct so you'll need to call the offices to confirm the actual start/end dates. They acknowledged that due to other website issues, you can not complete registration online. If you intend to use them, just call in to register and make sure you confirm the dates. We were told during the first class that the students had to complete 6 drives. 3 would be scheduled during class time and 3 were the students responsibility to schedule. What they meant was that there is no drive time during class but the instructor would use some class time to help with the scheduling. Just an FYI, drives have to be 5 days apart, and they do not schedule a new one until you have 1 completed. So, you can not start the class and schedule all 6 drives. You have to schedule 1, do the drive then schedule the next. As a parent trying to coordinate schedules, this policy isn't good for my family. Also, day 1 we were told that drives can be scheduled on their website, but that is not the case. When I asked I received an apology for the confusion and was told that's a feature they will be doing in the future. Had I known the class dates were not accurate as posted on their web site, and that I would not be able to get all 6 drives scheduled at once, I would have used another school. The other schools have the same instructor rating by the kids from what I can tell. Bottom line, the kids seemed to enjoy the class but they are 10 years behind other schools as far as convenience and web functionality. If that matters to you, pick another school to give $400. read more

Best driving school, so understanding. I had such a busy schedule and they completely understood that. Such amazing people and such an amazing class. The class and all of the drives flew by and now I am a confident driver highly recommended if you are looking for a good class with really amazing instructors and staff!! read more

I brought my adult daughter here for some help to be able to pass the driving test and picked her up an hour later in tears. The "instructor" who was flustered before even getting in the car, grabbed the wheel multiple times, gave unclear directions, and was anything was calm and collected. IMO, the woman who was the instructor should not be. read more

I should have read the reviews before booking a driving test for my daughter. She apparently got the 'old bat' who was rude, condescending and just plain mean. Of course my daughter was failed by this woman, who was a bully. After reading all of the reviews I can't believe that they allow this woman to conduct driving tests. My advice is that you should not use this driving school for driving tests for new drivers. I also plan to notify the WA DOL who has this school on their list of approved businesses to take driving tests. In addition, we wasted $35 for the test. read more

I wanted to come and take my permit test here and they weren't even open. It says on the website that they open at 8:30 am they it's now 8:55 they are unprofessional and should be here at they time they say they're open. read more

Big John's driving school is the best. They have the cheapest prices in all clark county for sure. And they are the most friendly laid back atmosphere from the first phone call up until they give you your test results from your drive test. Totally awesome upbeat staff with very good info. I used them for testing and drive testing but if I was a young person and needed to attend a driving school for a permit or a licence this is the type of people that would be the best fit. My drive test was with big matt. Extremely laid back no pressure type of guy. This place rocks. I told them I was homeless and I was in dire needs of testing immediately so my money wasn't lost on my insurance for dropping me for no licence and within 4 days they had my written test done and a drive for me. That's not how it always is they explained but they are the type of people that if they can help they will. I know because of my living situation I didn't look or probably smell the best but in a room full of normal people they made me feel like I was just like everyone else. Didn't hesitate to shake my hand and even sent me on my way with a hug a crate and a pat on the back. This is the place to go. To them its all about " alright man your here to get your licence right on!!" not the usual stressed and pressured and over priced feeling that makes you nervous and mess up then they take your money over and over. 30 bucks for my written test and 40 for a drive. Mine was 65 for the drive because I used there vehicle. I passed my drive on a Friday afternoon and Monday morning at 9 a.m. Olympia already had my test scores and were putting them in the computer didn't have to wait 7 to 10 days like all the other places. Thank you big johns. Oh and the secretary with the name that stars with an H is the sweetest lady you will ever meet PERIOD. read more

Surprised there's not a review here... Or maybe not -_- At the other review places there were good handfuls talking about this "dictator examiner" so I wanna shed light on this from my experience. The desk people- Super nice and helpful. Also compassionate. Some would say overly nice, though I don't see that as a bad thing... But don't let the desk people fool you. They are very nice and amazing at their job, but it goes downhill from here. The tutor- VERY minimalistic, even ignoring some questions too. But enough to teach you a thing or two. Though it may have been that my driving was good and not much could be said. Regardless I was taught what I wanted originally, but his refusal to answer certain (simple I may add) questions during the drive looses them points. Driver examiner- The MOMENT I saw her, I knew I was gonna fail. my core begged to take the money back, and leave. But I stayed quite because I like to keep an open mind and think "I could be wrong about her"... No, the feel from her is not a trick/lack of judgement. So she calls me by my middle name thinking it's my first (on a paper I'm fairly sure was labeled) though she mis-said my middle name as a completely different name (and no, she didn't have an accent, I understood her words perfectly.) so I'm thinking "The bad feel and she's already messing up... Well I'm here anyway, may as well get it over with ^^" So we start, i do the test in their car since I'm not quite ready to park with a truck which my dad owns. So I do the hand signals, the lights, then I start adjusting the mirrors... AS I'm adjusting she goes on this lecture about how the mirror shouldn't be facing down... She's right, but they were only so far down because I like to start down, then make my way up to the level I need. So I clearly lost points there because she started judging too soon. But whatever, I need to see and I wanna stay safe so I took the lecture since nothing I say woulda mattered (I learn that later on) the rest is odd to explain because she could not communicate instructions. In fact, I'd say it'll be easier to drive with a gun to your head. Bold claim I know, but at least the criminal would give proper instruction as they have something to loose too. she just sits and gives riddles. What do I mean by Riddles? You need to decode her instructions. Asking for clarification to her instructions is met with silence. So you're stuck guessing on what she means. So it didn't take long for me to fail so we pull back in. But that's not even the ending. THEN it took a good minute to explain to these people I'm not scheduling another test here. They kept acting like I wanted to take the test again later that day (specifically the examiner) At first I was considering scheduling another test with someone else when I get back from a trip, But they actually managed to piss me off (that's difficult to do) so I eventually had to say bluntly that I'm not taking another test. so now I'm going to avoid this place, and urge others to do the same until they show some consistency. (You can't have a tutor say you did good only for the examiner to HEAVILY beg to differ, I'd hate to use the term milking, but either they purposely led me to the test even know I wasn't ready, or it was just her. My bets on it was just her) And the icing on the cake, they DARED try to heavily convince me to retake the test even know my driving was terrible. They SHOULD have urged a tutor, not to urge a test my performance would clearly dictate I'm not ready for. So for warming up/learning a thing or two (literally) this place is pretty okay(ish) BUT for the test, I do not recommend unless you're a robot who can decode instructions flawlessly, or super lucky with the roads. Also, they choose the WORSE cars and they know it (even complain about it) my foot kept getting stuck on something above the brakes though that was the least of my problems as her very existence destroyed my concentration (which mixed with her not very clear instructions, is a recipe for disaster) read more