Wish I could have rated zero Stars. I asked for a refund after the second lesson I had with a man called Steven Armstrong. The first lesson seemed to go okay, he was quite blunt and direct than what I was used to and he seemed to reiterate his experience incessantly so I kept schtum about any red flags I had. The second lesson was an absolute nightmare, my teacher was an incorrigible browbeater who didn’t seem to realise that it was my time and my money that was the prerogative. I was very rusty on my theory at this point, I had been let down and getting an instructor had been difficult this was not made easy by him interrogating me/ playing twenty questions about roads etc etc which I didn’t mind until he was deliberately misunderstanding me and not allowing me to get anything right, he wanted exact lingo and generally wouldn’t let up. By the second lesson I had spent considerable time on the apps he had shown me (about a week between the two lessons) but this didn’t seem to change much. The foreshadowing red flags I had seen in the first lesson we’re in full swing. He told me that in this car he is right about everything, and he brought up his 30+ yr experience as if no else knows how to drive a car. I’m a learner and I’ve had lessons with an unreliable instructor before (scheduling issue and delays were the issue there) but this guy takes the cake for being very arrogant. He pulled me up at the side of the road, he said I muttered “no” or something when he asked me to turn in the left hand lane (even though I did it?) well, we went through a heated discussion for about 10 minutes. I wasn’t about to admit to something that I didn’t remember because I was trying to focus on the road but I did end up apologise if I had and repeatedly asked to continue on with the lesson that I was paying for and said that I trust his sodding experience. This wasn’t enough for him and for the rest of the drive, he was snarky, and quite loud. There was a moment where his yelling caused me to accidentally accelerate rather than break which has never happened to me before outside of my lessons with him (I believe this is a testament to the tense environment that my teacher created). At the end of the lesson, I was pretty much and decided that I would not be getting in a car, plane or any other mode of transport with this man, ever. I had never felt so defeated and so discouraged to drive before. He told me that I needed to know what a handbrake was and decided that this would be a good lecture. I explained to him that I obviously knew what a handbrake was, it was just that I had never physically used one until the last lesson and that before it was a different form (button) that I had used one. He wanted to argue semantics on something as simple as that and it was here I told him plainly that I believed he was deliberately misunderstanding (maybe as some sort of ego thing? Couldn’t say). He revealed to me that he tells off his nephew in the same way and it was then that confirmed to me the type of person that was teaching under AA. I have no time for bullies and considering it’s my dime and my time, I wasn’t about to book another lesson. This person wanted to lecture rather than be direct, straight to the point and advise (his one purpose that I hired AA for) I brought this up and left the car. I had just had a blood test so I wasn’t feeling great that day either, I left feeling deflated but determined to get a refund. Now, onto AA for the worst customer services that I’ve seen in a while. They have an online chat that you have to queue up for about 15 minutes to use. The people there won’t give you a straight answer and you’ll often need to leave and requeue. Immediately I requested a new instructor and relayed what was essentially the worst experience driving I’ve ever had. On their messaging system they told me that Steve was apparently the only one available on driving an automatic and that Trevor had left a voicemail message, when I asked them to relay the message they said I would need to check and requeue (aka another 15-20min wait) I asked for any other form of contact other than ridiculously queuing, an email or a phone number would’ve been easier but I was told no. The voicemail offered me a spot on BSM which initially seemed like a good replacement. It was only after waiting again that I was told that it costs £42.75 per hour and that I would need to pay £70.50 upfront. For what? Placement? Either way I’m no mug especially when they were not going to take these funds that I had already placed in my AA wallet. I asked for a refund right then and there.