I strongly caution anyone considering this driving school, especially the Fort Worth location. What…read moreI experienced was not just poor instruction, but a pattern that felt predatory, unsafe, and deeply unprofessional.
I initially booked 10 hours behind the wheel (five 2-hour lessons) and had three solid instructors, Charles, Victor, and Gator, all of whom indicated I was ready for my road test. However, just before my scheduled test, a different instructor suddenly claimed I was "not ready," directly contradicting the previous day's feedback. She suggested I reschedule the test (knowing it would cost $100) and pushed me to book five additional lessons for another $1,000. This completely undermined my confidence right before the exam.
She then strongly recommended a 1-hour prep session with "Coach K," who was also supposed to be my examiner. This turned out to be the worst decision I made.
During that session, his behavior was unacceptable:
1. He introduced arbitrary and unnecessary rules, such as restricting hand placement on the steering wheel to four exact points, claiming I would fail otherwise. He rushed through this without allowing time to process and immediately escalated to yelling.
2. He repeatedly instructed me to press the gas during turns, which directly contradicted prior instruction and is unsafe.
3. He physically pushed my knee down to force me to accelerate, which caused the vehicle to lose control. This is completely inappropriate and should never happen.
4. He continued yelling and pressuring me throughout, saying I would fail if I did not follow his commands. This pressure contributed to me hitting the curb, which he then used as justification to fail me.
Immediately after failing me, his tone changed. He encouraged me to book another 2-hour session and a retest with him the following week, clearly pushing additional paid sessions.
Unfortunately, it got worse:
In the follow-up 2-hour lesson, he escalated the same behavior - constant yelling, continued physical interference (pushing my knee), and forcing unsafe driving techniques such as accelerating into turns.
At one point, he was yelling "gas" while simultaneously applying the brake himself.
He again pressured me to reschedule my test (another $100 fee) and book more lessons.
At this point, I spoke with others who confirmed this was not normal. I reported the experience to the academy and requested a different examiner. Shortly after, my test was reassigned, but it was clear the examiners communicate closely.
The second examiner, Patrice, appeared hostile from the start. During the test:
1. She claimed I did not perform proper shoulder checks (SMOG), which I did - I clearly looked over my shoulders every single time, this comes naturally to me.
2. She criticized my parallel parking, stating the tire should be on the red line rather than 6 inches inside, contradicting all prior instruction.
3. She claimed I failed to check over my shoulder during a lane change, which was inaccurate - I did check over my shoulder.
4. Near a red light, she instructed me to change lanes at the last moment, creating a confusing and unsafe situation.
5. Ultimately, she failed me for "driving in the wrong lane," which is simply not accurate.
By this point, it felt predetermined.
In total, I spent nearly $1,500, was put in unsafe situations, and had my confidence significantly impacted. This experience raises serious concerns about:
1. Unsafe instruction practices
2. Physical interference during driving
3. Pressure to purchase additional lessons
4. Potential bias in testing
I strongly recommend that oversight authorities such as the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation look into this location and require in-car cameras during instruction and testing to ensure accountability.
This is not just about money, it's about safety and fairness. No student should be put in this position.
