The AA Driving School Reviews

Name: The AA Driving School
Address: Fanum House, Basing View,, RG21 4EA
Rating: 3.93

3.9 Rating 807 Reviews

73 %

of reviewers recommend The AA Driving School

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

3.9

Based on 807 reviews

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

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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 25th September 2024

146

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“The worst company i have ever seen. Take the money. Driver did not showed. Till now no response.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Terrible service from instructor Ed Pratt cancelled every lesson less than 1 hr before and was offended when I said I needed driving lessons from someone who doesn't keep cancelling really shocking that he wasn't embarrassed at his own unprofessionalism clearly has some issues going on in his life probably for the best he didn't teach me So thank you Mr Ed Pratt for letting me down remember you don't like it when other companies have let you down last minute. Just to add you can't talk to anyone when you have a problem it's all web chat and operater can't tell you anything as it's a franchise and instructors have no one to answer to so s$_t all over a large name like the AA now the fun begins to get my refund as they have no other instructors and I paid booking fees on top I really did try to be understanding but the instructor just clearly has no shame or value other people's time I lost a days wages and was sat waiting 3 times with a no show then a sad excuse of how frustrated he was for letting me down unbelievable don't take people's hard earned money especially in this climate to let them down with not even a sorry”

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Posted 2 years ago

“i would like compliment your instructor BRIAN McCLUE IT HAD BEEN A FEW YEARS SINCE I HAD DRIVEN A CAR SO I DECIDED TO BOOK A LESSON TO FAMILIARIZE MY SELF WITH DRIVING AGAIN NEED NOT HAVE WORRIED BRIAN MADE ME FEEL COMFERTABLE IN HIS INSTRUCTIONS WOULD RECOMMEND THIS INSTRUCTOR TO ANYONE LIKE MY SELF OR BEGINER THANK YOU”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Honestly, I wish I could put 0 stars. Been with the AA from March to August, I've booked lessons every week but only actually got to drive 3 times. Yes, that's 3 lessons in 6 months. I've had multiple instructors, all cancelling lessons 30min ahead of time. I've had to take time off work or arrange work to go around these driving lessons and they kept cancelling without notice, as I get ready to get out of my home, pretty much. I've not received any compensation or refund for this. Waste your money at will with the AA. In addition to this, one of my instructors lost their license as I was about to get into a driving lesson with them. Go with the AA at your own risk. Finally, out of the 3 lessons, one of them, my instructor was 1h late and hadn't even checked where to pick me up. I need to pass my license soon as I will be moving out of the country and they've just wasted my time and put me in great difficulty. In addition, to not answering my complaints/sending me a refund.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Absolutely Awful. Their website is a nightmare. A "glitch" cancelled my lesson that I did not know about until the instructor didn't arrive. This caused a huge inconvenience as it was at 8am and far from my home. Zero compensation.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“I had taken few classes from Jesuthasan Rajkumar after my previous instructor went for medical procedure. Unfortunately Raj had already planned vacation hence he could not continue and I had to find my third instructor. But since I took lessons from three instructors, it gives me a different perspective. I found Raj making you relaxed. He explains the mistakes very nicely but at the same time, he makes the experience not stressful. It helped me a lot, compared to my previous instructor. I would have continued with him had he not taken a vacation planned during my scheduled test day.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Brian from AA driving in Derby has been teaching me since February. I passed first time yesterday and I give him every credit. He’s an amazing instructor who was so patient with me and helped me gain my confidence on the roads, to be honest I will miss my lessons! He is my 100% recommended instructor to anyone and I’m sure if he is still teaching in a few years he will be teaching my younger brother too! I was honestly so scared to start my lessons but since the beginning he was so friendly and made me feel comfortable which really benefitted my driving. Thank you so much Brian for all you did :)”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Faisal Anwar was my driving instructor- He is utterly amazing and I passed 1st time! He is so calm and so experienced and such a great teacher and full of all the tips and tricks to help you pass. He has loads of stories to tell which make the lessons go really fast and makes them really enjoyable. I cannot recommend Faisal more highly - I even missed my lessons once I had passed! I've learnt so much from Faisal about driving that i will carry with me into the future as i become more experienced. Thank you so much Faisal!!!”

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Posted 2 years ago

“I've had a brilliant time learning to drive with my instructor Ron Hemers (Cheshire area). The AA made it really easy to add money to my account and to book lessons, and to cancel them if I needed to as well. The 2 hour lessons are really helpful at building up confidence, and Ron is a spectacular instructor who helped me to find my feet (or wheels) on the road, and offered lots of good conversation throughout my training. I passed first time today, and I literally couldn't have done it with anyone else. Thank you AA, and thank you Ron!!!”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Jesuthasan Rajkumar (Raj) was amazing, he spent a lot of time and effort with me and ultimately he was the reason I passed first time! He was always available when I needed help, gave me the absolute maximum amount of time on the road (some previous instructors spent an hour pulled in by the side of the road chatting instead of driving) and is a genuinely lovely person. If you get the chance to select him as your instructor, I would, as without him I would probably still be doing lessons, thank you so much Raj.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Don't go with this driving school they will just waste your time. Their drivers cancel last min and have no regard for someone who might have taken time off work etc for the lesson. They literally cancel 10mins before the lesson time without any explanation!! When you ask their customer service for refund, they run from the chat - plus there is no customer number to call either!!”

The AA Driving School 1 star review on 3rd August 2022

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Posted 2 years ago

“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.”

The AA Driving School 1 star review on 30th July 2022

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Posted 2 years ago

“Faisal Anwar was an absolutely amazing and very professional instructor. Love the way he encourages his pupil . I had great experience with him and PASSED !!!”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Shocking experience , booked a 10 hour block booking, on first 2 hour lesson instructor called me at time of lesson to cancel !! a bit of notice would have been appreciated. second booking waited for instructor to turn up, rang 10 mins after waiting no reply, kept ringing, 3 hours later managed to get through only to be told she never had lesson booked even though i sent her proof on AA app of confirmation!!! AA has a great reputation, don't know how and difficult to find a spokesperson to complain...have done so on their complaints dept but that will be brushed under the carpet !!!”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Faisal Anwar was a great teacher and true educator, Hope the best for him and AA Thanks again”

The AA Driving School 5 star review on 25th July 2022

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Posted 2 years ago

“Jesuthasan Rajkumar (Raj) is a great teacher. Makes everything easier and it wasn’t a surprised I passed with him as my instructor. I definitely recommend him.”

The AA Driving School 5 star review on 23rd July 2022

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Posted 2 years ago

“I’m an EU license holder & planning on buying my first car in the U.K., I therefore, wanted to familiarise myself with the driving rules & culture here. Raj, my instructor, was an excellent teacher, methodical & explained everything clearly & in detail. I’d highly recommend Raj!”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Jesuthasan Absolutely amazing instructor I couldn’t done it without him 🤩🤩🤩🤩”

The AA Driving School 5 star review on 22nd July 2022

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Posted 2 years ago

“Faisal Anwar is an exceptional instructor. Patient, professional, dedicated. He is a true educator. I would not have passed without him.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Passed my test in first attempt, my instructor was Faisal Anwar his lessons were very informative, well-structured and I really appreciated his encouragement. As well as having a very professional attitude, he is also a very caring person.”

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Posted 2 years ago

The AA Driving School is rated 3.9 based on 807 reviews