The AA Driving School Reviews

Name: The AA Driving School
Address: Fanum House, Basing View,, RG21 4EA
Rating: 3.99

4.0 Rating 666 Reviews

75 %

of reviewers recommend The AA Driving School

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

4.0

Based on 666 reviews


Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Postal Service
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour

Visit Website

Phone:

0330 100 7470

Email:

customer.services@theaa.com

Location:

Fanum House, Basing View,
RG21 4EA
Basingstoke

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The AA Driving School 5 star review on 9th May 2024

Ranjithkumar Annadurai

115

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 1 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Worst possible experience with my instructor at AA. Avoid Abdisalam Osman, he is extremely rude, unprofessional and won’t be committed to you or your lessons. Look for much better other instructors elsewhere”

Helpful Report

Posted 1 month ago

“My experience with the AA was terrible, I signed up for a decent amount of lessons with Morty safari who was one of the worst and least professional driving instructors you could imagine. He did not provide a high level of quality instruction not informing myself about plenty of things according to other driving instructors have I would have failed for making it very hard for myself to pass. He would not allow me to correct any of my mistakes and would just take over the car whenever anything such a stall would happen etc. He would also go off on frequent rants in the car whilst I was driving the car getting very aggressive towards pedestrians and other road users that he would get annoyed by (when they would do something like cross the road) calling them various farm animals, screaming at them and then would spend ages making farm animal noises whilst I was trying to focus. He also shouted “what jungle did you come out of” towards a black woman jay walking across the street which I could not tell if it was racially motivated or not. This was not the only mildly racist comment he made as he would frequently talk about pedestrians “coming to this country, not speaking English and walking around the street like they own the place”. When contacted the AA they informed me that because it’s a franchisees they don’t really have any responsibility to give me any money back and naturally when they spoke to him he denied everything. They informed me my only option was to pursue legal action which I think is too far for this poor service as it was a completely waste of my money but I do not want to try ruin this man’s life completely. However I would not recommend this service or driving instructor and would recommend people to go through private individual companies. I also don’t have confirmation but from the way my phone call went with customer service I get the impression I was not kept anonymous which considering this driving has my address is very concerning as if I was a more vulnerable I could potentially be concerned for my safety if the driving was frustrated by this which he has shown he has a very short temper”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Terrible experience and AA don't respond to emails, Antony Ball in Poole has changed car to automation without any prior warning and canceled many lessons at the very last minute, avoid or lose money!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Avoid avoid avoid as said below, terrible experience Antony Ball in the Bournemouth / Poole area cancelled 3 out of 5 lessons at last minute and currently owes us 4.5 hours of driving no refund offered and refuses to respond to messages. Please use another school.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“avoid avoid avoid, lie to customer been promising lessons since August Samina Cheethan Hill was meant to be giving lessons in November, December 23 then January 24 let down not offered one single one as of March 24. Shocking experience, customer service just as mad never been treat so poorly for a service 0 stars cos they are so rubbish.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“do not waste your time, they lie, promise lessons from one month to next which don’t happen appalling customer services been promised lessons since August last year (23) my daughter hasn’t had one it’s now March 24. Please go somewhere else.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Very frustrated with the bad service.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“I had 1 lesson and it was terrible. I only drove like 0.5 mile for 2 hrs lesson!!! I made a complaint for it obviously they are not caring about how was your lesson. They only caring the length of the lesson. Avoid if you don't have a good recommendation for specific person.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Nice enough guy but not a good instructor. I think after 8 lessons not learned the clutch or done much on the road. Constantly late or no show due to AA area covered, couldnt get from lesson 1 to the next in time. Worsened by turning up in different cars several times. Poor show to let inexperienced instructor take proper lessons. Lack of consistency and poor attention to planning his timing.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“The instructor was late, rude and then proceed to tell me he will take me for a drive even though and I quote "the DVLA says tou can not drive because of your eyes" how do you let people continue a lesson when they can not see?”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Disappointing experience. Had one..ONE two hour lesson.. booked in 34 hours worth of lessons in advance. After 5 lessons cancelled by my instructor for various reasons I've given up. My first lesson was over a month ago, which feels like a waste because how am I supposed to remember what I learnt for two hours over a month ago. I've now asked for a refund and will find someone else.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“I live in Battersea the area. The lessons are expensive which I did not mind but AA lessons are absolutely not worth the money. I chose AA for their excellent reputation. However I had a very rude instructor who was critical and shouting at me during lessons. I did not learn anything at all. I tried to complain and get support to change instructors and after 2 weeks of trying I still have had no support from AA and I have paid for a block of lessons! There is no phone number for customer service, if you need support it is all online and they are unresponsive!! Highly disappointed and giant waste of time and money!!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“I've giving this service a one star, not because I think it deserves it but because I can't give any lower. Where to start? Well I guess I should probably lead with this. If you're looking to use this service with the hopes of reliability and punctuality, then don't and if you're hoping to pass with quick succession then don't, as well. I understand things happen, once, maybe even twice if you're unlucky, however, after about the forth time you start wondering what sort of sevice this company's offering? Driving lessons or lessons on how your times being wasted? If I was you I'd look into other instructors which will probably do you better than this company has me. I did try to get a new instructor using their website where you can request a change, but that was the last I heard about it, no email, no action, no nothing. Not only is their reliability questionable but I was supposed to have a lesson today at 13:30 (23/2/24), which per usually is a no show, but they haven't even had the decancy to inform me that they wont be showing up. Hence why I'm writing this review. Not only that but before my first test I had to have three lessons, one day after another (Saturday and Sunday) as my test was on the Monday. It was intended to be the Friday also but heyhoo, take a guess - They cancelled that one resulting in four hours of driving on the Sunday, which to a student can be quite draining and intimidating. Hell, it only took one day before my test to be told how to use the head lights. However, if you're still interrsted in using this company for lessons, good luck. Because you'll need it”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“I had a very bad experience with the AA driving School in Bournemouth. The allocated driving instructor Mr Anthony Ball did mot turn up for lessons on six occasions and on rhree of these he did not bother to reply to my messages or answer my calls. Avoid AA, no point in wasting your time, find a local driving instructor that you know or recommended from friends and relatives.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“I booked my first two hour lesson because I the reviews on this forum were better when compared to other driving schools. However, my experience was disappointing. I had to wait a couple of weeks for my first driving lesson because the only viable instructor in my area didn't have any slots for a while. I didn't get to have this two hour lesson because he cancelled it at 10:38 pm the night before I was meant to have an 8 am lesson. So less than 12 hours before the lesson was supposed to start although he knew he had car trouble for a few days before this. I requested a refund that night and again two days later. For 5 days I didn't receive a refund processing confirmation so I messaged an agent via a chat box and it was then that she told me she would process the refund. This means that if I didn't get in contact with the team directly they would have never processed my refund although I requested it through their online platform already. I have chosen a more reputable and local driving school instead. Sometimes bigger isn't better.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“My daughter has been learning with the AA they sent a third party to teach her he's been breaking the law answering the phone during lesson which is totally illegal and dangerous the AA allowed him to do this and let him charge for lessons he didn't teach her basically rip people off beware of the AA their is much cheaper driving lessons and better instructors than the AA is providing so avoid them at all costs”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“A whole year of paying for driving lessons for my daughter to then find out the instructor was a trainee who then failed his own driving exam and no longer doing it. We've just been told by a proper qualified instructor that my daughter isn't ready to take her second driving test!!! So obviously was no where near ready for the first! Time and money wasted when times are hard enough as it is. DISAPPOINTED as well as fuming right now.....”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“AA allowing driving instructor to use their phone while teaching my daughter to drive they said that he can use his phone whilst not driving this is entirely breaking the law the driving instructor can be banned from teaching people whilst on the phone while teaching them the AA is a rubbish driving school avoid them at all costs their expensive and law breakers”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“My son used to take driving lessons from an AA driving Instructor. 3 days before his driving test his driving Instructor met with an accident and his vehicle was not available for my son's driving test. I requested the driving Instructor as well as AA that atleast for my son's driving test a replacement car should be made available to him, they refused saying it was not possible because they did not have any cars available. I had to hire a vehicle from Arnold Clark for the test since the test amount was non refundable. After the test (which he did not pass) I asked AA to compensate us for the test and vehicle hire which they refused saying that they would have compensated if he did not sit for the test. Very disappointed with their customer service. After having spent thousands this is the service we received and that to from a reputed company which was not expected.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“If you want to waste your money and time chose AA. Mark the driving instructor I would say he stole my money. he booked upfront lesson even if you don’t have any bookable hours later when you top-up he charged for the day he booked and you didn’t do. Basically the The AA driving school is very unprofessional and doesn’t practice rights, they always safeguard their instructors not their customers. I have been charged 70£ for not doing a lesson, which I didn’t book from my end or myself. The instructor booked it upfront and didn’t let me aware, later he charged money from my future bookable hours. I thought the AA will assist me in this regards but they are too hunger of money too I didn’t realise. They protect the instructor and said instructions has right to charge money. They didn’t even try to understand my concern. My question was to them that: when I already finished my 6 hours package. How can I book further lessons without getting paid. The instructor booked a lesson upfront without informing me but I had not money at that time to do this lesson. Laster when I top-up my account he charged for the day he booked lesson for me and I didn’t do. The system is too ridiculous they are try to cheat you by book your hours advance without letting you know. Later they will charged you even if you don’t do lesson. They will not refund that lesson money even though you know you are right. They always save their instructors not students who invest their hard earn money. So think 100 times before choosing the AA. Very unprofessional and hunger for money.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

The AA Driving School is rated 4.0 based on 666 reviews