I had positive experience taking drives at Top driver driving school. Yesterday, I passed my driving test at dmv Saint Charles, IL. Latart Richard is an amazing instructor at Top driver driving school of Geneva, Illinois. He is a highly skillful teacher who knows what to do and how to do. His teaching methodology is brilliant. I had zero experience in car driving lesson. After two months, I got my driver's license with only 9 points. I got from him not only what is required for a road test but also to be confident and to drive safely. For anyone reading this, I'd highly recommend Latart Richard as your instructor at top driver driving school, Geneva, Illinois. You'll see the difference. He is amazing! read more

To reiterate everything that has been stated by other customers- it is an absolute nightmare trying to schedule driving lessons with this company. Customer service is impossible to get ahold of and the attitude of said staff is atrocious. I ended up paying additional money to an alternate driving school so my daughter could complete her supervised driving time in an appropriate time frame read more

Save yourself the frustration and go to any other driving school. I purchased an already expensive "Gold" package. It has been very difficult and frustrating to find available drive times to schedule my busy daughter's drives. I have to check multiple times every day to hope to catch a recent cancellation. That's bad enough but the additional fees they charge is exorbitant. They require 48 hour drive cancellation notice or you pay a hefty fee. You also must complete all of your drives within nine months from the date you started class or you have to pay $150 to extend the deadline (they claim this one is a rule from the Secretary of State but I've called and they have no knowledge of it. Guess who pockets the $150??). I have spent hundreds of dollars on these hidden fees. Customer service has been poor, I'm not sure the representatives even understand all of the fees because they only stick to their provided script. I cannot wait for my daughter to turn 16 so I will never have to deal with this awful business again. read more

It's unfortunate that this business still exists. When I worked there, several female students were switched from a male instructor to me because parents called to complain about inappropriate words or actions of those instructors - who were never reprimanded or fired. In one case, the student asked where - on the steering wheel of course - she should put her hands. The male instructor suggested she put them in his lap. Again - never fired. It's sad that this used to be a local family-run business, but was purchased by an investor-backed group that created a company by buying several established driving schools in different states. They blew through mountains of cash from multiple investors, changed the name of the company TWICE, changed upper management multiple times, gave - then rescinded - employee benefits, and constantly changed the rules. They truly treated the experienced instructors badly, instead favoring new hires. Trust is an issue. At one point, instructors were stripped of their ability to teach. We had to audition, and were given the number of minutes and seconds we were allowed to talk about each topic. It was humiliating, ridiculous, and pointless. They also took away the practice of students and parents talking directly with an instructor to schedule appointments or ask questions. Some classroom instructors are horrible about breaks. The class is only 2 hours, so a break should be short - about 5-8 minutes. Students get a moment to stretch their legs or use the washroom. However, some people allow breaks to last much too long. I once subbed for someone else's classroom. As I was teaching, an unknown man walked in and said he was ready to take orders. I was confused, and asked what he meant. He explained that he worked at the pizza place next door, and that "the way they did things here" was he would interrupt class to take food orders, then the students would get a long break to eat. NOPE. I chased him out and locked the door. He started pounding on the wall and cranked loud music. I had to call the police. (That pizza place is no longer around.) On a silly note, they brag that they super drug test their instructors, but I only had to do that once. Perhaps now they do it more often. What's funny is there was a heroin user/thief working right in the office - though I'm sure she's gone by now. Remember this: A COMMERCIAL DRIVING SCHOOL IS A FOR-PROFIT BUSINESS. Your kid WILL pass the class, because everyone does. Please keep practicing with them. All driving schools meet BASIC requirements, because that's what the State requires BY LAW. Remember that this is THE MINIMUM. Please set the bar higher for your future driver; their life depends on it. Whatever driving school you choose for your child, ask plenty of questions, and pay attention. * Can I call the instructor directly? * Exactly where will my teen be driving on lessons? * Ask about car rules. Some instructors play music during lessons, or allow eating. I knew a guy that used student lesson time to run errands. Not cool! * What are the cancellation & makeup policies? * Ask to look at the curriculum. * Ask if there if a final exam in the classroom. * Sit outside of a classroom and observe. Some instructors give a long break, reducing a 2-hour class by as much as 20-30 minutes. A break really unnecessary. * Before driving lessons begin, meet the instructor. * If you experience a problem, speak up. If it's serious, don't let it slide. I wish the parents of those girls had reported the inappropriate behavior to the Secretary of State's office. Hell, I wish I had reported them myself. read more

My son was transferred to Top Driver when Drive Home Safe was bought out. There are not nearly enough available drive times (released once per month) for the demand. I was told today that if we can't complete the drives by his 16th birthday, we have to pay for an extension to extend the deadline. Terrible customer service! I should get a refund. :-( read more

Please do not sign your child up for this school. They have no availability for drives and your child will not get their drives on time to get their license. I check for drives every day online and there are never any available. The only time I got one was when I called and complained. I tried calling again today because my daughter needs another drive in March. They told me there were none and there was nothing they could do about it. When I asked what the plan was and how they were going to guarantee that my daughter receives her license on time, she hung up on me. Read the BBB reviews. Everyone is having this issue. Do not sign up here!!!! read more

I ACTUALLY WOULD GIVE THIS ESTABLISHMENT -0- STARS... (I was forced to give this company a star, or yelp wouldn't let me write this commentary!) Please, please - PLEASE - call Green Light Driving School in Batavia; we heard nothing but GOOD THINGS about them, but sadly - and obviously - only after we had scheduled and paid for instruction from Top Driver. Our daughter really, really was looking forward to her first classroom driving instruction... she was SO EXCITED, but - by the time the instructor could be bothered to actually arrive (more than 30 minutes late!), she became anxious. With TOP DRIVER, you are all on your own. There is no one locally to contact for help, just an 800 number. Let me list the problems... No Illinois State Driver Handbooks were ever handed out during the entire class to anyone in my daughters class. This seems beyond strange... since the IL state test is THE test the kids must pass prior to getting their instruction permits, which allows them to then receive their Top Driver behind-the-wheel instruction... see where I'm going with this? Poor communication via email. Always soliciting for further instruction (and further $$$), but won't confirm or commit via email for behind-the-wheel dates / times. Which leads to .... Surly, dismissive phone representatives located, at least both times I needed to call, in Michigan or Ohio - although the company is based in Northbrook, IL. Remember, there is no one "local," in your immediate area to call, for example, if your instructor is late, doesn't show up at all... or even worse... if you have the unfortunate luck of getting... (A) careless behind-the wheel Driving Instructor. One, for example, that sometimes rolls through stop signs California-style, aka "rolling stop," and at other times speeding fearlessly through residential neighborhoods, requiring front-end dipping beyond-the-(stop sign)-limit-line stops, followed by back-end dipping / front end raising jack-rabbit accelerations. This is driving behavior we want our kids to emulate? Again, no one locally to turn to for dispute resolution. No District Manager. When you do call the surly representative in Michigan, or Ohio (never locally) they snottily will ask you "Why didn't you call sooner?" and somehow, someway try to turn the problem you're complaining about back onto YOU! This was also cited in another complaint on yelp about Top Driver in Arlington Heights, IL. We were also told conflicting / incorrect information regarding dates / times for scheduled behind-the-wheel lessons (seems to be a common complaint / theme about Top Driver here on yelp.com review boards...), this despite going over the information over the phone - the only way they schedule behind-the wheel instruction - not only once, but TWICE - and, no - they WILL NOT confirm driving times via email (because of the documentation, the in-writing electronic paper trail, perhaps?). This was also complained about by another yelp user. Which then leads to... Missing a behind-the-wheel class without the MANDATORY 48 hours notice - even with a medical emergency! - will result in a $40.00 fee... ("it used to be $70.00, so you're actually saving money here...." HUH???) or else your child won't be allowed to complete their behind-the-wheel training and won't be issued the credentials necessary to get their license at 16 (once again, maybe if things were confirmed via email... oops!! Nope, they won't confirm via email, and besides - that would put things in writing, and - oh wait, that would make sense... ). Before you spend over $500.00 to sit in parking lots waiting for late instructors, before you spend your hard-earned money to teach your child how to race through town (but mom - that's how he showed us to do it!), before you expose yourself to their toxic telephone representatives waaaaay out in Michigan or Ohio or wherever they are located, before you turn your child over to a careless driving instructor or commit to this Driving School, call Green Light Driving Schools. Save yourself the aggravation!! Yes, this is a long, long list of complaints. I am passionate - AND ANGRY! - about this Driving School. Don't make my mistake... read more