Summary: Rough around the edges. Will get the job done on teaching you how to drive, but don't expect a professional experience at all.
The details:
I wanted to be nice and rate 3/5 as neutral, but the more I think back, the more unpleasant I found the whole experience.
I called them up to try and schedule an hour lesson. The person who picked up didn't give his name, didn't announce his business, I had no way of knowing if I had called the right number until I asked straight out that I'd like driving lessons. He cut to the chase very bluntly, saying, "Okay, how about ____'oclock". I had to ask him to elaborate, to confirm he meant today, at that time. Then he switched it around, offered me another time. Then switched back, offering me a later time. He had a very thick, harsh accent so this conversation was kind of frustrating, but in the end, I confirmed a time. He then hung up. He had never asked my name, and didn't even know it.
I showed up at his 'office' ten minutes early. When he did not show up at the hour, I called him. He said he'd 'be there soon'. I knew he was finishing up a session with a person right before me, so I let it slide, but again, it seemed pretty unprofessional to 1) be late and 2) not call ahead to tell your potential client. When he finally called for me to come down, I had to wait outside the driving car while he sat inside with the earlier customer and talked, closing up the lesson. I didn't get to start 'my' appointment until 15 minutes after the hour.
Once inside the car I got to take a look at this person, who turned out to be a middle-aged black gentleman. I had no way of guessing what his nationality was that gave him such a strong accent, and also, I still did not know his name. He made no attempt to introduce himself, no greeting, he just launched into asking what I wanted, if I wanted a package, which package, because he didn't do the whole pay by the hour thing. He seemed disgruntled when I asked if I could try an hour and then decide, but he agreed.
The packages btw, where something like:
6-sessions, ~$145 + automatic $170(?) road test fee
or
10 sessions for ~$270
His hourly rates are $40/hour.
Anyway, after a bit of a lull, I asked if I could 'start'. He just said 'yea'. I should mention at this point that he had the heat blasting at max, and also the radio playing loudly a very staticy foreign broadcast, I'm assuming his native language. I expected maybe he'd tone it down for the instructional lesson, but nope. That radio blasted the entire hour. Sometimes the static would be so bad, it'd be pure static, not talk, it was distracting and unpleasant to listen to.
The car itself was pretty decent, old-smelling but clean and functional and responsive. It was a true driver-ed car, with two sets of brake pedals, so that he can intervene.
The lesson' consisted mostly of me driving around, with him telling me at random to turn left here, or right there. He did not give much advice at all, and did no explaining. If I made a mistake, he'd just bark out "Slower! Slower! Go go! Stop!", and if I drifted too right, he'd just yank my steering wheel the other way with a short "No don't do that".
I can take hints so I kind of figured out what to do right and what to watch out for, but since I'm paying for him to teach me, I feel he could have done a much better job explaining what and how to do it RIGHT instead of just waiting for me to make a mistake. Also one time he told me to turn 'Right', but it turns out he meant a U-turn and of course that caused a small mess of cars beeping and him yanking the steering wheel.
Probably the most offensive part of the entire lesson was that he would take personal calls. It's bad enough he's pretty silent the entire ride except to order me around, it's worse that he doesn't try to give tips or explain road theory, but it is just completely unprofessional for him to take personal calls. And they were long ones too, real conversations.
Sometimes he'd be so involved in a conversation he wouldn't notice a turn approaching that he wanted me to make, and he'd yell out "Right!" pretty much at the turn, forcing me to brake hard just so I could make it. This happened more than once.
He also didn't wear his seat belt the entire lesson, so that's a great role model there.
He had me try one K-turn, and one curb parking, and that was it as far as practicing maneuvers.
I couldn't wait for the lesson to be over, and the lesson ended by me having to drive to pick up his next customer where ever she was waiting. At least they then drove to drop me off near my house, so that was a small perk. Oh and in the 5 minutes I rode with them, he took another personal call, and behaved pretty much the same, so at least I didn't receive negative treatment simply for not taking a package.
Yea...so...I'm never going back. I could've gotten a much more enjoyable, thorough lesson with a parent or friend. read more