A Year of Frustration: My Awful Experience with This Driving School
add_circle Pros
- The school is conveniently located, I'll give them that. The building looks nice from the outside, and the office staff seems friendly enough. But that's where the positives end. The 'teacher' I had was completely unhelpful, and the materials they provided were outdated and useless. The school also offers a 'discounted rate' for the theory portion, which sounds good at first, but trust me, it's not worth it. The driving lessons are overpriced, and you'll end up paying way more than you expected. The school also doesn't offer any real support or guidance, so you're basically on your own. And don't even get me started on the 'exam' they offer - it's a total scam. You'll pay extra for it, and it's not even a real test. It's just a way for them to make more money off of you. The school also doesn't have any kind of 'student success rate' or any other kind of metric to measure their effectiveness. It's like they're not even trying to help you pass your test. And finally, the school doesn't offer any kind of 'refund policy' or 'satisfaction guarantee', so you're stuck with whatever you get, even if it's not what you expected. The school also doesn't have a good reputation online, which should be a major red flag. And to top it all off, the school doesn't even offer a 'free consultation' or 'free trial lesson' to give you an idea of what to expect.
remove_circle Cons
- The 'teacher' I had was completely unhelpful and uninterested in teaching me anything. He just lectured and left, expecting me to magically understand. The materials they provided were outdated and useless, and the driving lessons were overpriced and not worth it. The school also doesn't offer any real support or guidance, so you're basically on your own. The 'exam' they offer is a total scam, and you'll pay extra for it. The school doesn't have any kind of 'student success rate' or any other kind of metric to measure their effectiveness. The school doesn't offer any kind of 'refund policy' or 'satisfaction guarantee', so you're stuck with whatever you get, even if it's not what you expected. The school also doesn't have a good reputation online, which should be a major red flag. And to top it all off, the school doesn't even offer a 'customer support' or 'FAQ section' to answer any questions you might have. And finally, the school doesn't even offer a 'free consultation' or 'free trial lesson' to give you an idea of what to expect.
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Editor's Summary
I'm still fuming about my experience with this driving school. Last year, I thought I was saving money by choosing the cheapest option, but it ended up costing me a lot more in the long run. The theory portion was a joke, and the driving lessons were even worse. I paid extra for each two hours of driving, and the 'teacher' didn't even try to teach me anything. He just lectured and left, expecting me to magically understand. I'm not kidding when I say it was a total waste of time and money. If you value your sanity and your wallet, stay far, far away from this place. I'm still trying to figure out how they stay in business, to be honest. The whole experience was just a huge disappointment, and I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy.
Specifications
Hello everyone!
Last year, I decided it was time to get my license. I didn't spend too much time choosing a driving school - I went with the one closest to home and cheapest, which was a huge mistake. I mean, I thought I was saving money, but it ended up costing me a whole lot more in the long run.
After filling out the application, I paid the discounted rate for the theory portion. The catch here is that you have to pay extra for each two hours of driving, and you can take as many hours as you want, depending on how well you do. It's like they're setting you up for failure, and then charging you even more to fix it.
I went to theory classes twice a week and never missed a session. I approached it seriously and studied hard at home. But looking back, I realize I could have easily passed the theory portion without the 'teacher's' help. It's all about effort, not his guidance. I didn't enjoy listening to him, and his teaching style was just to lecture and leave. Who cares if you understand or not? It's like they're just collecting a paycheck, not actually trying to teach you anything.
I started driving lessons about two weeks after starting the course. My instructor was a nervous wreck. I didn't get it at first, but as I continued, I realized the whole point of this driving school was to take your money. After the third lesson, I was so fed up that I didn't want to continue and definitely didn't want to pay for it. I mean, who wants to waste their time and money on a subpar education?
And yes, to make my words seem less subjective, I want to mention that my friends who took classes in two other driving schools around the same time had a similar experience. Their schools charged a fixed fee for the course, not like this one where it's all about making money. They finished the course around the same time as me, but it took me a whole year to pass the internal exam and get my license. I'm not the only one who's had a bad experience with this driving school, and that's what I want to highlight.
Now, about the driving lessons. They promised to teach me everything, but I'm not sure they taught me anything. I changed instructors a few times, but the situation didn't improve. It seemed like only people with prior driving experience or those who took automatic transmission classes passed the internal exam on their first or second try. Everyone else was just lucky. I mean, it's not like they're giving you a fair shot at passing - it's all about who you know and how much money you're willing to spend.
And the best part? Instead of teaching me how to drive in our city, they sent me to drive on the outskirts of town, on the highway, or on some deserted streets near the agricultural college. I never drove more than 20 minutes in the city! I mean, what's the point of learning how to drive if you're not going to practice in real-world conditions?
MINUSES
We never drove in the city for more than 20 minutes!
No one ever explained how to make a turn at an intersection (we just drove straight most of the time)!!!
The car was always super loud!!! I mean, their teaching method is to just yell at you, and that's not how you teach people how to drive, which is a matter of life and death.
We never drove on major city streets or bridges (after a few lessons, I tried to express my dissatisfaction and make some suggestions, but they just nodded and gave me some vague excuses).
We never drove on the rails (which is part of the curriculum).
I managed to do okay on the practice course, but it was only because I already knew the basics of driving (like how to use the pedals and gears). I'm not saying I'm a great driver or anything, but at least I had a foundation to build on. And it's not like the driving school provided any kind of guidance or support - it was all on me to figure things out.
INTERNAL EXAM
I took the internal exam a few times, but the director was super strict. Instead of talking to the instructors about how to interact with clients and hire decent instructors, he just failed most people who took the exam. And it wasn't just on the practice course - he failed people who took the exam on the actual driving course. I failed three times because I didn't stop at the right spot after the 'hill' exercise, or I didn't stop far enough away, or he just didn't even look at me while I was driving. It's like they're just trying to make money off of people's failures, rather than actually helping them learn and improve.
THE VERDICT
I could go on and on about how much this experience cost me in terms of nerves and money (they make you pay every time you fail the internal exam, so you can take it as many times as you want until you reach a certain amount). I didn't learn anything from this driving school, and I'm probably going to have to find a new instructor who can actually teach me how to drive. It's not worth the risk of wasting more time and money on a subpar education.
Now that I've finally got my license after a year, I wanted to write this review to help people who are looking for a driving school. Look for a driving school with a fixed price for the course and don't fall for their discounts. There are some good driving schools in Omsk that actually care about their reputation and teach you how to drive without being afraid of the road! Treat your nerves, time, and money with respect! Good luck to everyone!