Ripped off by my Driving Instructor

BeansMeansHynes

Just wondering if this happened to anyone else out there. I started getting driving lessons at the start of the summer. I was getting one lesson a week and after about two weeks I bought myself a car. I didn’t get into the car and drive it straight away as I only had two lessons and felt I needed a few more. In total I have had around 8-9 lessons with the same driving instructor.

To make a long story short, the driving instructor just keeps bringing me out on quiet deserted roads, has not brought me near traffic of any description, and hasn’t done reversing, 3-point turns, parking or anything. I was a bit down as I hoped that I would be out on my own by now and driving through town with the instructor I was starting to think that I was a pretty crap driver. My boyfriend has bought me out every evening for the last month and says that there is absolutely nothing wrong with my driving, I am doing everything perfect. It brought my confidence back up and I said to my driving instructor that I was going to get up early one weekend and drive from my house. (I live in town and I normally start off on quite roads.) The driving instructor started going “no, no, no, I wouldn’t be doing that; you’ll need a lot more lessons before you will be able to do that” I ignored him and done it anyway.

Last week my driving instructor was on holidays and I had to get somebody else. He told me my driving was perfect and was shocked at how little the other driving instructor (his boss) has been doing with me, I should know how to do 3 point turns (not perfect ones but at least be able to try) ect ect. It finally hit home that my driving instructor has been conning me out of money. I have since completely changed driving instructors and have a lesson on Saturday. I thought he was the qualified driving instructor, he knew best and I sucked at driving. Does anyone else have similar stories? For anyone out there like me that feel their driving instructor is just ripping you off, CHANGE DRIVING INSTRUCTOR!! I took me long enough to cop on.

PS: sorry for the length of the story.

Big Nelly

BeansMeansHynes wrote:

For anyone out there like me that feel their driving instructor is just ripping you off, CHANGE DRIVING INSTRUCTOR!! I took me long enough to cop on.

If you have changed in the same company then demand your money back or more lessons for free, dont be stupid enough to pay for 8-9 lessons and get no where and then walk off and join another driving instructor and pay again for more lesson.

If you felt you where being ripped off why didnt you bring someone with you? your BF? anyone who can drive? why sit there thinking you are getting ripped off and doing nothing about it and just keep on paying?

PROPER ADVICE: Think you are being ripped off? do something about it, don't run off and lose aload of money and then cry about it on boards

BeansMeansHynes

Im am not crying about it on boards, I just wanted to know has anybody had similar stories and to compare.

preilly79

you're young (i presume), female, and he keeps taking you out to deserted roads away from traffic. i'd start packing some pepper spray !

Big Nelly

BeansMeansHynes wrote:

Im am not crying about it on boards, I just wanted to know has anybody had similar stories and to compare.

Prob not that many seeing as most people would complain. Wont get any refund from people on boards

tc20

Whoa Big Nelly - who peed on your cornflakes this morning?
BeansM H was just wondering if others had a similar experience, theres no need to come down on her like a ton o' bricks

Beans - do you know if your previous driving school had any qualifications beyond the laughable (ie at present anyone who has a full licence can practice as an instructor, tho this is to change in the near future). Are they DIR or IDIA accredited? Its unfortunate that you were ripped off, but theres always a few cowboys in every profession.

BeansMeansHynes

thanks tc, I think Big Nelly got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning. I am pretty sure that they are IDIA accredited.I am looking forward to my lesson on Saturday with my new instructor and being brought into traffic and the usual that comes with driving.

smemon

come to think of it, i've done no 3 point turns o hilstarts and reversed around a corner once :rolleyes: i've got about7/8 lessons under my belt too.

However i'm driving away, drive daily to/from work, collect/drop off the GF, drive the sister about etc... and not one crash

havn't had a lesson in about 2 months and could probably pass a test now but couldn't be bothered applying as it's of no benefit to me passing now. (insurance doesn't expire until june)

IamMetaldave

It does sound like your man was talking the piss about alright. But Nelly has a point, you should complain and try and get a few lessons from another instructor off that company as you will just be paying out again for what should have been covered by the previous instructor.

I also started driving at the start of the summer, my first instructor brought me out into traffic in Bray after driving around an estate. It didnt bother me, but for the following 2 lessons (I did 2 hr lessons) That's all she really showed me... Just driving from A to B. So I got my own car, and started going around my estate with my Dad.. I rang up for more lessons but asked foradifferent instructor, when he arrived I sat in explained what I had done and said I want to learn hill starts, turn abouts and reversing around a corner. He said no worrys and thats what we did.

event

smemon wrote:

come to think of it, i've done no 3 point turns o hilstarts and reversed around a corner once :rolleyes: i've got about7/8 lessons under my belt too.

However i'm driving away, drive daily to/from work, collect/drop off the GF, drive the sister about etc... and not one crash

havn't had a lesson in about 2 months and could probably pass a test now but couldn't be bothered applying as it's of no benefit to me passing now. (insurance doesn't expire until june)

you sure?

Noelie

smemon wrote:

come to think of it, i've done no 3 point turns o hilstarts and reversed around a corner once :rolleyes: i've got about7/8 lessons under my belt too.

However i'm driving away, drive daily to/from work, collect/drop off the GF, drive the sister about etc... and not one crash

havn't had a lesson in about 2 months and could probably pass a test now but couldn't be bothered applying as it's of no benefit to me passing now. (insurance doesn't expire until june)

Are you for real? perhaps your a troll looking for responses.
for anyone to say it's not in their interest to even apply for a test shows a huge amount of stupidity. given that you could be waiting upto 10 months, you may not get a test appointment until after your insurance is renewed.

smemon

my test centre has one of the shortest waiting lists in the country - about 6 weeks.

applying for my test now, when it won't benefit me financially until June doesn't make sense. Once i do apply for it, around march or so, i'll have bags more experience and should be able to do it with my eyes closed.

doing it now doesn't benefit me and will only cost me time and money. (more lessons, cost of test, gettin time off work for lessons & test). The only reason i'd do it would be to have a pink piece of paper to show the guards, but i rarely drive main roads at night (where they set up high profile check points) and have only been stopped once and nothing said.

when i have the free time and the money to burn, i'll apply. Otherwise it's just a waste of time. It's as simple as that.

dubstub

smemon wrote:

my test centre has one of the shortest waiting lists in the country - about 6 weeks.

applying for my test now, when it won't benefit me financially until June doesn't make sense. Once i do apply for it, around march or so, i'll have bags more experience and should be able to do it with my eyes closed.

doing it now doesn't benefit me and will only cost me time and money. (more lessons, cost of test, gettin time off work for lessons & test). The only reason i'd do it would be to have a pink piece of paper to show the guards, but i rarely drive main roads at night (where they set up high profile check points) and have only been stopped once and nothing said.

when i have the free time and the money to burn, i'll apply. Otherwise it's just a waste of time. It's as simple as that.

Really? Where do you live? I haven't seen heard of any test centre with a waiting list that short:
http://www.drivingtest.ie/drivingtest/HTMLContent/passrates.html

So, presumably you're happy enough driving with a fully licenced person with you at all times and staying off motorways? Or can I take from your post that you don't feel that the chance of getting caught is enough of an incentive to get a full licence?
Have you checked with your insurance company that they won't have a problem if you crash without a fully licenced person in the car with you?

matrim

smemon wrote:

my test centre has one of the shortest waiting lists in the country - about 6 weeks.

applying for my test now, when it won't benefit me financially until June doesn't make sense. Once i do apply for it, around march or so, i'll have bags more experience and should be able to do it with my eyes closed.

doing it now doesn't benefit me and will only cost me time and money. (more lessons, cost of test, gettin time off work for lessons & test). The only reason i'd do it would be to have a pink piece of paper to show the guards, but i rarely drive main roads at night (where they set up high profile check points) and have only been stopped once and nothing said.

when i have the free time and the money to burn, i'll apply. Otherwise it's just a waste of time. It's as simple as that.

Some (maybe all) insurance companies will allow you to change your policy if you get a full licence before it is up. This means you can claim back the extra money you have spent.

Also if you are ready to pass your test why do you need to go for more lessons.

tc20

With regard to smemon's post about not having done 3pointers, hill starts etc thats nuts. Most learners seem to have a dread of these, like its just something you do for the test and thats it. Granted reversing round a corner is not something one might do on a regular basis (yea i know, those who drive for a living, esp commercials will do it more frequently), but a 3pointer is a good exercise in clutch control. It makes you (the learner) be in control of the car, rather than the other way 'round. In daily driving, it can be applied to situations such as 'creeping' the car forward, like at a junction where you have limited visibilty, or tight parking manouevres, etc. Anyway its a common misconception that you have to do it in 3 goes in the test, it could take place
in a narrow road, you could be driving an estate and so on.
Likewise with hillstarts - how are you avoiding to do these in day to day driving? using the footbrake, putting excessive wear on the clutch and/or rolling back as you take off?

Wertz

Hmmm, I've only got 5 hours of lessons clocked and have already done country roads in dry and wet, low gears/speeds in housing estates, hill starts (I suck at them still, just need practice), roundabouts, rolling/creeping at junctions, and have been through town (not Dublin) in rush hour traffic...instructor has told me he's happy with progress, is gonna cover reversing and parking next hour or two and reckons I should be getting insured in my own car and building up practice and then take some refreshers for the test a few weeks before it comes up.

Seth Brundle

Just looking at it, you got several lessons and when you got a different instructor they commented at how good your driving was. Whats the problem?

chrislad

If you get a full licence midway through an insurance year, I'm pretty sure you can get a partial refund on money you would have saved if you had a full licence (eg if you pay 2000 for prov and 1500 for full, with 6 months left, you should get a 250euro refund)

smemon

tc20 wrote:

With regard to smemon's post about not having done 3pointers, hill starts etc thats nuts. Most learners seem to have a dread of these, like its just something you do for the test and thats it.

Likewise with hillstarts - how are you avoiding to do these in day to day driving? using the footbrake, putting excessive wear on the clutch and/or rolling back as you take off?

believe me, i've done plenty of hillstarts, but i've done none in lessons. (well, nothing steep). I'm at the stage where i don't use the handbrake and just clutch/ accelerate so it's not like i can't stop on hills and carry on

there's no motorways near me i'm in Monaghan so plenty of hills on the test waiting list, it says there's a 13 week waiting list but thats just to cover their rear ends, in most cases it's 8 or less. (i was told by instructor 6)

provided of course you're available anytime and don't put down monday mornings only or something stupid like that :rolleyes:

tc20

smemon - no hillstarts during lessons? Seems like your instructor isnt giving you proper grounding there. procedure for hillstarts is same regardless of the steepness of the gradient. However in test case scenario, what they are looking for is not just that you perform a HS, but also your approach to it. The examiner will ask you to pull in where its convenient, so its the whole mirror/signal/mirror/manoeuvre mullarkey, also that your not pulled in at an inappropriate location (too close to junction/road markings etc). You are then asked to move away when safe to do so - this again is a test of your observational technique as much as your mechanical aptitude. Likewise the handbrake should be employed when stopped for longer periods (eg at lights), even on a level surface, as opposed to just sticking it in neutral and holding the car with the footbrake.
Its just when your not in the habit of doing these things, then having to remember 'em all come test time, that slack driving practice can be punished.

astrofool

You'll get a refund on the difference in insurance costs between provisional/full license as soon as you pass the test. Also, the longer you're on a full license, the lower your insurance will cost.

Anyway, you sound like an imbecile (Smemon that is).

manti452

This thread has gone way off what BMH posted about to begin with.. threadjackers If smemon wishes to debate skills, claiming having a full qualification is better than partial (tell me anywhere in life thats a plus?!?!) and his insurance he can start a thread

BMH: I had my first ten lessons as a gift and the first 9 were with an excellent female instructor. I had never driven before.. she took me round my block.. parked.. got some clutch practise and then it was out onto the Malahide Rd and off to Beaumount.. (anyone who knows dublin northside will appreciate the colour of my pants when I realised where I was heading 15 mins into my first lesson ) She did hill starts, corners, 3 point turns the whole shebang. Anyway she quit work after my 9th lesson (told me I was ready for a test) and I got my last test with another of the companys instructors.

He brought me to a shell garage so he could get smokes.. told me to drive out slowly as he stared into the shop at two nurses.. smoked during my lesson regardless of my preference on the matter, berated me for my clutch control ( i should point out both instructors were using a 5 door diesel almera - however one was maintained.. his was not as I know now) and was chatting up the bird who had the next lesson after me... needless to say I went else where for my pre test lessons and passed first time with a perfect score, but I let the other company know i was very unhappy with this guy.

It's worth asking them to do stuff you feel you want practice with. It's your money at the end of the day, once you have the basics they should be picking up on the stuff you need to improve anyway. Definitely let them know ur not happy and you won't be recommending them. Ask for a refund / gift vouchers / lessons as a good will gesture.. thus not making it a confrontation.. it doesn't have to be a shouting match to get something out of them

hope the driving goes well in future

blorg

BMH: yes, a very similar thing happened to my girlfriend. Instructor just wasn't progressing it _at all_; switched to another instructor and all was fine. There is a financial interest to the instructor in stringing it out, and some seem to take advantage of this.

Comfortdriving

I've seen and heard anybody could become a driving instructor within a week. There are organisations in Ireland they will train and franchise anybody to be driving instructor if you are willing to pay them a weekly income. I think you are ripped by one of those instructors.

I'm a Driving Instructor in Galway and I heard so many stories like yours. It's pity people think it is a gem mine and easy way to make money is having a roof sign and call them as driving instructors. It is a disgrace for this trade. One person came to me for a pre test training but wouldn't show the license to me. When I refused to give lesson, this person said it is for occupational purpose. I knew he/she gonna be a driving instructor. I helped my best and told that you need plenty of training to become and instructor. If this person did a test today he/she wouldn't make it.


Within a week I was surprised to see this person bought a brandnew car and teaching someone how to drive. what a world no wonder why so many people fail the test and so many getting killed in Irish roads.

If an instructor doesn't belive in eduacating himself or upgrading his or her own qulifications, how could he /she teach others.

Visit www.comfortdriving365.com and make your own judgement. Galway's best and one of the most popular driving school. The instructor never stops learning.

BeansMeansHynes wrote:

Just wondering if this happened to anyone else out there. I started getting driving lessons at the start of the summer. I was getting one lesson a week and after about two weeks I bought myself a car. I didn’t get into the car and drive it straight away as I only had two lessons and felt I needed a few more. In total I have had around 8-9 lessons with the same driving instructor.

To make a long story short, the driving instructor just keeps bringing me out on quiet deserted roads, has not brought me near traffic of any description, and hasn’t done reversing, 3-point turns, parking or anything. I was a bit down as I hoped that I would be out on my own by now and driving through town with the instructor I was starting to think that I was a pretty crap driver. My boyfriend has bought me out every evening for the last month and says that there is absolutely nothing wrong with my driving, I am doing everything perfect. It brought my confidence back up and I said to my driving instructor that I was going to get up early one weekend and drive from my house. (I live in town and I normally start off on quite roads.) The driving instructor started going “no, no, no, I wouldn’t be doing that; you’ll need a lot more lessons before you will be able to do that” I ignored him and done it anyway.

Last week my driving instructor was on holidays and I had to get somebody else. He told me my driving was perfect and was shocked at how little the other driving instructor (his boss) has been doing with me, I should know how to do 3 point turns (not perfect ones but at least be able to try) ect ect. It finally hit home that my driving instructor has been conning me out of money. I have since completely changed driving instructors and have a lesson on Saturday. I thought he was the qualified driving instructor, he knew best and I sucked at driving. Does anyone else have similar stories? For anyone out there like me that feel their driving instructor is just ripping you off, CHANGE DRIVING INSTRUCTOR!! I took me long enough to cop on.

PS: sorry for the length of the story.

The_Conductor

To be perfectly honest- the driving test in this country is a joke in comparison to the test in France or Germany. While it may have gotten slightly more difficult in the past few years- just how many people have had to negotiate multiexited round-abouts, motorway driving, driving in heavy traffic uphill (a la main street Naas) etc on their tests? No-one much..... Hopefully the Department of the Environment will outsource testing to people like the crowd who do the NCTs- and do away with most of the bull**** and actually have a proper driving test. Nowadays- the only thing that really prepares people for driving in this country is the Advanced driving test (most insurance companies will knock 20% off premiums for anyone holding an advanced test- or up to 50% for young drivers).

Asok

I remember my first lessons in galway and I just picked a random number out of the yellow pages and I had not really driven before at all. I heard the brown note as the instructor hopped in and told me to head for the headford road roundabout lol had done hill starts, 3 point turns reversing around corners etc within the first 2 - 3 lessons i cant understand how that guy in the op's post expected her to make any progress

ve

I only started driving a few weeks ago. Got 5 lessons in total off my instructor in Galway. He covered, basic driving/control, hill starts, reverse parking, and the headford rd roundabout and city centre by the 3rd lesson. He then told me my driving was sound and I then purchased my first car straight after. Have been driving with great confidence since.

All I plan on doing now is waiting for my test and I'll give him a shout once I get the exact test date in the post for a final few lessons on core test material, and for him to assess my driving when it comes around.

If he hadn't brought me in to the city centre before the 3rd lesson, I would have gone elsewhere. Although (and I know the original poster did this also) I did tell him where I wanted to go on the final 2 lessons myself, which was sound.

tc20

A common misconception by a sizeable majority of beginner/learner (i mean people with zero or practically zero driving history) drivers is that they should be flying around the middle of town by lesson 5. Now fair play to those who are, but everyone learns a new subject by varying degrees, there is no hard and fast rule that states after 3hours tuition i'll be negotiating heavy city traffic/reversin 'round corners/doing wheelies etc
There are a number of factors at work in this situation; the pupils ability to learn, pupils ability to absorb oral and visual instruction and to convert that info into mechanical aptitude; the quality,patience,teaching skills and interaction of the instructor are but a few. Location of lessons, and the pupils enviroment (do they live in a rural v. urban area/ what hazards their daily drive to work or college is likely to entail/do they have a car to drive apart from the instructors)
It is reckoned that from scratch, never having been behind a wheel before, to a stage where the learner can drive safely, without any overriding from the instructor, in varied traffic situations (night time/adverse weather/dual c'way) and can perform satisfactorily certain manouevres needed in day to day driving (reverse parking/bay parking etc) will take in the region of 25hours. (granted some will take less, others more)That timeframe seems to scare people cos of the cost involved, but how long is that pupil gonna spend behind a wheel, 30/40/50years?
I can empathise with people about the cost, but not with the attitude of "ah sure i can drive now, i'll be grand", after 5hours tuition. Okay, you do need the experience behind the wheel, but there are many situations that a professional instructor can alert the learner to, improve their perceptive skills etc. Until this govt, and the people cop on that a more educated driver is a safer and better driver, there will sadly be more serious injury and death on our roads.
Apologies for goin' off on one there,and the long post, but this is something i feel very strongly about (obviously)

Big Nelly

ve wrote:

He then told me my driving was sound and I then purchased my first car straight after. Have been driving with great confidence since.

Seeing as you sound like a first provisonal driver I guess you are bringing a full license driver with you???

Draupnir

smemon wrote:

I'm at the stage where i don't use the handbrake and just clutch/ accelerate so it's not like i can't stop on hills and carry on

That's the stage which would go a long way to making you fail your test as thats a serious piece of bad driving and pretty damn dangerous too.