California Driving Instructors

"If only I could give ZERO stars, and here is why; 1 - Late to the first appointment by over 1-hour 2 - A 2-hour lesson was shorted by 45-minutes 3 - Even so, it took 2h25 minutes door-to-door 4 - The rest of the time was another kid driving at up to 65mph 5 - Almost the entire lesson was on busy freeways 6 - No useful instruction was provided, and... while driving ... 7 - INSTRUCTOR was TEXTING and CALLING constantly We booked 3 total lessons and his first was an appointment at 2pm, so I told my 16-year (and 3-days) old son that he should be prepared for pick up between 2-4pm (they have a 2-hour window). The instructor called at 3:35 to let him know that it would be 5pm. At 5:15 pm, he was picked up and asked "do you know how to drive". Well... "of course I know how to drive" was his response. Naturally, the instructor then proceeded to "evaluate" his skills before proceeding to the freeway. So, 10-minutes into a lesson with a new driver who has his DMV test in a month, the instructor decides to take him for freeway driving experience - busy Bay Area freeways between Walnut Creek and San Mateo at 5:30pm! He doesn't need freeway driving experience, he needs to practice for three things; 1) being able to complete safe basic control and operation of a vehicle in driving situations that he will commonly encounter, 2) practice in the neighborhoods where he will regularly drive to school, his friends and local stores, and 3) key points to be covered in his upcoming DMV test (WHICH WILL NOT INCLUDE FREEWAY). The 40-mile 1-hour journey was to pick up the next student, and 1h15m into a 2-hour lesson, my son was now in the back seat being driven at 65mph on freeways by another 16-year old who he had never met before. The whole purpose of the freeway driving was clearly for the benefit of the instructor who was trying to cram 2 lessons into a small window by shorting both drivers on time and providing a worrying experience driving on 5-lane freeways surrounded by big rigs in the dark at rush hour. As if Bay Area freeways are not terrifying enough, we apparently need student drivers added into the mix at the busiest times. Not to mention, the instructors distracted behavior was connected to the lateness and overlapped scheduling, as she was attempting to make a flight out of SFO. I called to complain about many things, including the fact that the instructor was constantly texting and on her phone throughout the course of the lessons. I was told that that many schools don't even offer freeway experience as if it was some kind of bonus. I was also given a speech about how the school operates and sets its own process for "educating" new drivers, all of which was just code for "this is a business and we're going to run it for our benefit, not the benefit of the student". It's disturbing that this driving school is in business. If you need to get 6-hours for your student driver, don't care about their experience or safety, then this is the school for you! Note: Calls are answered by out of state admin as they own schools in several states (CA, CO, TX and KY) under different business names with different registered addresses, and DMV registrations. The staff represent themselves as "management" (apparently I spoke to the COO), but they are basically coordinators and their primary skill is fire fighting complaints due to their poor service. Their business address is essentially no more than a PO Box, and I'm sure that the instructors are all just contractors. At $100 for a 2-hour lesson (based on a 3-pack) - $50 per hour split between the school and the instructors - you are getting what you pay for."

"DO NOT GO HERE. They are extremely unprofessional and rude. They are always late or rescheduling lessons. The last lesson I had they picked me up with another student in the car and were still in a lesson with them. When I stepped aside to called to ask to make sure this was proper protocol. They drove off before the lesson started. When I called to ask to reschedule they accused me of being racist because it was a black person in the car. When I was not allowed to speak and explain I wanted to ask about protocol. They offered a refund for one lesson but refused refund for lesson of that day. Receptionist is extremely rude and unprofessional would not give me the number of the owner. They don’t have a higher up to complain to. They are crooks"

"Just got my 6 hours done and Kyle helped me improve on every turn and some of the harder parts about driving."

"Today marks a MONTH that we have been waiting for my child's certification. I was missed informed that I would receive it by 9pm. Never came. 1st they missed up on the 1st certification, and to correct this matter we are now waiting more then 2 weeks for his new certification. We have WASTED his summer vacation waiting for this when he could have been driving. Disappointed on how this business treated not only my child but more so the lack of urgency to resolve the mistake that they caused."

"Son loved this school, I'm very satisfied and would recommend. The instructors have a genuine concern that your child actually learns how to drive and I appreciate that. Great job, will definitely be sending my other son when he's old enough"