Cheap driving lessons

2

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  • lauraland
    lauraland Posts: 1,677 Forumite
    Found BSM to do the same. The instructor wasted hours of my time just driving round without learning anything new. He destroyed my confidence by constantly hitting the brake or clutch, in the end I got my money back after many complaints.

    I had the same problem with my first instructor, he constantly had his hand on the steering wheel which was really off-putting, and made me think my steering was terrible (which i now know is actually pretty good). Left him after 10 lessons when he tried to say that my student discount wasnt applicable to single lessons, only block-booking - which was total bull as it clearly stated that on the company website. Didnt feel i could trust him after that so left - and i am so glad i did!

    I have now got a fantastic instructor, and i can really see how much of a clown and moneygrabber the last guy was. For example, the first guy wasted 30 mins of each lesson driving to the test centre area for my lesson, with my new instructor i'm in the driving seat from the very start, and i drive to the test centre area, meaning 30 mins of my lessons arent wasted sitting in the passenger seat. Plus my new instructor is taking me to the correct test area, unlike the completely wrong one the last guy was bringing me to!

    so yeah, i wouldnt go for the 'cheapest you can find', unless they come highly reccommended, as in the long run you will probably spend alot more than you would if you paid that little bit more for a quality instructor.

    If you are in the glasgow area i would be happy to pass on the name of my guy.

    oh and good luck with the driving!
    I got ham but i'm not a hamster.....
  • terryw
    terryw Posts: 4,396
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    Oh dear. I sincerely hope that both your instructors and yourself do not think that it is a good idea merely to drive around the area of the test centre.
    "If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools"
    Extract from "If" by Rudyard Kipling
  • lauraland
    lauraland Posts: 1,677 Forumite
    terryw wrote: »
    Oh dear. I sincerely hope that both your instructors and yourself do not think that it is a good idea merely to drive around the area of the test centre.

    nope, we have been driving all round the city, and a few runs up to nearby loch lomond, but he wants me to get used to the test centre area for obvious reasons.
    I got ham but i'm not a hamster.....
  • TO LAURALAND,
    Hi there, sorry for butting in on this thread but my son got his provisional licence the other day and now we are trying to find a good instructor on the south side of Glasgow. My daughter had a decent guy a few years ago but haven't been able to contact him so looking for an alternative. Could you give me your guy's name please? Thanks!
  • daveyjp
    daveyjp Posts: 12,468
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    No such thing as cheap driving lessons as there is no limit to the amount of lessons you need - cheap lessons mean more lessons to get the discounted lesson cost back. Far better to pay a good instructor the going rate and pass quicker.

    My advice is to have a driving lesson fund of £1500-2000 before starting so you can do two/three lessons a week and never have to cancel because you don't have the money. You'll pass much quicker.
  • 2520years
    2520years Posts: 285
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    As a guide...

    The amount of lessons you should have is 1.5 times your age. So if you are 20 years old you should have about 30 lessons, if you are 30 years old you should have about 45 lessons.
  • Hammyman
    Hammyman Posts: 9,913 Forumite
    Another for local self employed. What would you rather have:

    A) Someone who decided to do it for a career and invested much time and money?
    B) Someone who worked in a factory putting cherries on cakes, saw an ad on the telly for "Make £30k a year and work your own hours", took a crash course and then became a franchisee?
  • Evilm
    Evilm Posts: 1,950 Forumite
    If you collect clubcard points you can exchange them for a 4hr BSM lesson package. (£52 in vouchers.)

    considering clubcard vouchers are normally worth 4 times their face value on the deals then this sound like they are charging over £50 an hour?

    £180 used to get me 10 hours of training (1 hr free if you paid for a block of 10 in one go, £20 an hour otherwise - although that was about 2 years ago).
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 7,175
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    I was glad when I finally passed my test as I was getting board of having the lessons every week. I just don't know how an instructor can spend all day every day sitting in the car going around all the usual places while teaching. It would do my head in after a while. :(
  • I can't knock the AA instructor I have (I'd like to be able to, because I'm that kind of person :), but I can't)

    He is

    always on time
    always tidy/clean
    polite
    professional
    calm
    patient
    drives a spotlessly clean car no more than 6 months old

    unlike the independents (one of which threatened to spank me if a hand went over the 12 o'clock position :mad: he was summarily sacked by me - and lucky he didn't get a clump)

    or the BSM driver who would turn up late, spend half the lesson stopped, talking about how stupid his clients were and shouted at me for stopping rather than driving into someone who pulled out in front of me on a roundabout - I stopped 6 inches away from the driver's door, and the instructor yelled I should have hit the f
    N*g---. I got out and took the bus home.


    The others put me off driving for years. I now have my test booked for the first time ever :eek:

    Go through Quidco and you get a payment for the first lesson booked, then you get a percentage off for paying for 6 hours or more after that point.
    I could dream to wide extremes, I could do or die: I could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go by.
    colinw wrote: »
    Yup you are officially Rock n Roll :D
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