bsm advice please

Suzuki2006

Everything to do with BSM is a complete DISASTROUS NIGHTMARE! AVOID AVOID AVOID!

I needed to change my pre-booked and pre-paid lesson, so I called BSM about a week before it was scheduled. However, I was not able to get through to anyone at BSM during their phone line hours. I had to request THREE callbacks, yet was NOT called back by a BSM agent. Finally, two days later, I called BSM again (each time spending lots of money from my mobile because of their stupidly expensive 0845 phone number). I was then told that I cannot switch my lesson or even get a refund if I were to cancel it, because it was "now too soon to my upcoming lesson" (even though I politely explained that I had tried calling BSM days before without being able to get through or get my calls returned).

I was thereby obligated to either lose out completely on the money that I already spent to have my lesson, or to keep my original lesson, despite it's bad timing. I keep the lesson as to not waste my money (or so I thought!) and had to change plans as a result.

So at the time of my lesson, I wait for 15 minutes outside for my instructor to show up. I didn't hear anything from anyone, so I have to pay a lot of money from my phone again to call BSM. I finally get through to someone, who then has to call my no-show instructor and put me on hold. After a few minutes of silence waiting, I was told that the instructor apparently "had a puncture and is not in a good mood at all now because of it" and that he would not be making it to my lesson (that was supposed to start 25 minutes prior at this point).

Again, I was not offered a refund despite BSM's undelivered services, and my 2 hours, which I switched plans around to make available for this lesson, were wasted. The only option I was given then was to reschedule another lesson to make up for this one for a few days later, at a very inconvenient, very early time, as this was all that was "available" at this point.

Finally, it's time for the second rescheduled lesson. Plans were rescheduled one more to stand around for yet another 15 minutes of outside in the cold waiting for my BSM instructor. I had to call BSM's rip-off phone number yet again to find out why my instructor had for the second time, not showed up. The lady on the phone at BSM said she "will call the instructor to find out what's going on", and put me on hold (wasting my money for the phone call even more).

After about 5 minutes of being on hold, expecting the lady who had been helping me to come back on the line, the instructor comes on the phone and seemed very confused and repeatedly asked me who I was, what my name was, who he was talking to, etc. He explained that BSM had recently been bought out by a bigger company and that there have been "communication" problems as a result, and that he apologised that I would now be "sitting around for two hours" since he was not even informed about my lesson with him (AGAIN)! He went on to say that BSM scheduled lessons for him without letting him know, so that he did not have my lesson down in his schedule and that "he didn't know what should even be in his diary".

The instructor on the phone continues, trying to get me to reschedule another lesson with him for the THIRD time, which I refused to do (not to mention I did not have much time left at this point before my scheduled practical exam, along with BSM's limited availability of "lessons"). The instructor kept telling me how the practical exam is getting much more difficult all the time, and that I was "making it seem much more straight forward than it actually is", that "it's more difficult than I seem to think it will be" etc., as if he wanted to make me feel unconfident so that I would actually reconsider rebooking. I told him I did not have much time left before my scheduled practical exam and that I wanted a refund. He said I should definitely be able to be refunded and "I'll leave that (getting the refund) to you then" before hanging up. I wouldn't be surprised if he was going straight back to bed, as he sounded out of it enough that he could have just been woken up.

I just contacted BSM online tand explained my horrific experience with them, demanding my refund (not to mention all the time and expensive phone calls that was wasted as a result of their complete lack of customer service and unbelievable negligence).

STAY WITH THE SMALLER DRIVING SCHOOL COMPANIES (such as Holborn School of Motoring, in Central London, etc.) AND AVOID THESE POORLY RUN, RIP-OFF HUGE CHAIN DRIVING SCHOOLS. I saw about three of Holborn School of Motoring's cars go by with pupils inside (who were actually receiving the lessons that they scheduled and paid for!) each time I waited for my non-existent BSM lessons!

Freddie_Snowbits

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:(FRED)Jackers, dont yous just love them!