5 Driving Lessons for £25

FallingDownMan

iamcornholio wrote: »

Your hypothesis is all based on the concept of money equates to quality. That is a totally inaccurate statement.

Try reading what I said instead of what you think I said :rolleyes:

There are good and bad instructors whether they charge £500 a minute or give lessons away for peanuts.

But those giving it away for peanuts are a whole lot less likely to be able to put in the same amount of effort that the others would. It doesn't matter whether it is the instructor or the school who is taking the hit (mostly they're one and the same anyway): it's simple logic AND it is borne out by evidence received from pupils who have been with these schools and then realised they've made a mistake. Not all of them, but a great many: they spend time sitting around and not driving, and most people wouldn't have a clue what to expect and wouldn't know they were being ripped off.

If you see a flaw in this then I worry for you

The remainder of your post defies logic. Lessons don't need to be 'crap'. But having to take another 10 hours more at the full rate (£200 or more) than they perhaps would with an instructor who spends more time driving isn't something they will be aware of. Probably ever.

It is impossible to give value for money at £5 per lesson. You won't understand that, but maybe just once you can accept something from someone who knows that it is absolutely correct.

It doesn't matter if you think it's 'dead cool' with your mates, it is not value for money. The instructor giving the lesson cannot possibly make on the deal - and it is his livelihood after all - nor can the company (if he works under a name). This is why they've cut back, most likely, and are offering it only where there are already too many instructors and are trying to capture the market through price initially. This enables them to trundle on for another year.

I can promise you: overall, people going for these cheap lessons WILL lose out generally. They may never realise it if they pass, but they WILL lose out generally.

It's a risk and a gamble to use these schools.

desperate1984

hy all am new so howdy.
i saw this offer when i did a search for driving lessons in my area, as it was the first link that came up, when i clicked through it wasnt available in my area. now knowing the rules of being listed i emailed them informing them that it was still coming up, so could i still take advantage of this deal. and litterally half way through a search i went back to the first page of my search and it had vanished( obviousley got my email) i couldnt believe it. now i know they dont have to give me it. so am gutted, as on a really low income and have two small kids so cant really afford £105 for 5 lessons so would of been a good start just to get some knowledge if anything. they are sneaky arent they

lovemystudentloan

I understand the theory of you get what you pay for but it doesn't always work in practice that way does it? When I signed up with BSM I booked 20 lessons and the first thing the driving instructor wanted to know was how many lessons I booked. He said once they'd run out I could book with him direct but really he just wanted to use them up so he could pocket some cash. After 12 hours he still wouldn't let me drive away when he collected me, turn left or reverse, yet I was driving daily with my boyfriend to neighbouring towns and cities. When I called BSM to complain they couldn't care less. i used up the lessons, kept practicing with my lovely boyfriend, who really does have the patience of a saint and passed the test in my own car. Incidentally, the instructor was Wayne Miles, and he now teaches independantly in a red mini under the name 'Miles Ahead'. Utter utter rip off merchant. Point being, I would have saved myself a fortune using this offer and probably learnt as much as I did with a big well established company like BSM.

FallingDownMan

You're dead right.

All instructors are self employed and how good they are is purely down to the individual at the core of it.

Other issues, though, can make matters worse. If they are only after money, paying less means they'll be after it even more.

It is a gamble. Low-cost offers just make it a bit more of one.

alchemista

So what happens to people who bought this offer before they restricted it to certain locations? I purchased this last week, and have heard nothing since. It was supposed to be sent via Special Delivery so I would have received it by now. I haven't checked yet to see whether they've charged my card.

Keith_F

Advice, never book a large block of lessons with an instructor you do not know.

Book 3 at most, this gives you time to find out what sort of a person they are and whether thier teaching methods work for you. 1 lesson will probably not give you a good idea, 3 will enable you to see how they want you to progress.

You all will have had teachers at school or college that bored you during lessons and others who really made it interesting, driving instructors are no different. But this time you get to dump them if they do not do it for you, unlike school!

lumpy_bum

well ive paid for them, they should be sending them today apparently

aloiseb

I have taught a lot of different people (music, not driving) over the years. Some were successful in learning, others less so. A lot seemed to depend on how they related to me.......i.e. did they understand my explanations? Did they enjoy my teaching style? :T Most of all, did they practice in the way I suggested in between lessons :A, or did they ignore what I'd said?:(

It seems clear to me that what really matters is to find a teacher YOU can learn with. If you are an unfussy, easy-to-teach type, you will probably be fine with nearly anybody, so you might do OK with a cheap driving school deal. If not.....you probably know who you are, by the time you are 17!.. did you spend a lot of time saying !!!!!! about your school teachers?:eek:....choose a teacher more carefully, e.g. find one your friends or family recommend.:cool:
The price is not the main consideration,cos it's not just about passing the test..... Once you've passed, your life and others will depend on how you have been taught to drive, and that's got to be worth an awful lot of money.:money:

gorgirl

That's all good and well but not everyone has access to a car to practice between lessons!

philhuff

Why is there an assumption that the £5 is all that goes to the driver? If that's right, then fine, but it wouldn't surprise me to see the instructor being compensated more substantially by Surepass, with the promotion being a loss-leader to hoik in new customers.