BAD Navan Instructor experience

Wolff

My wife is up for her test next week and has been driving for a few years now - good safe driver in my opinion - so she books a couple of lessons to iron out any bad habits last night the lesson was to last for two hours

The Instructor from a local driving school met up with her and off they went - 20 mins later he got her to drop him off - told her she frightened the life out of him and she knew where the test centre was - my wife does not drive like someone off road wars and if she has bad habits was it not his job to try and iron them out ?

I was flabbergasted when she told me this - I rang the guy and he basically hung up on me the first time - the second time I told him exactly what i thought of him

Anyone else out there with bad experiences of a certain driving school in navan ?

the name of the shool <MODEDIT shall not be named unless we have something more to go by than just hearsay>

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Wolff

I think you are missing the point the guy told her he was in fear for his life !
he told me on the phone he was in fear of his life! - the wife is a good driver safe as houses - has some bad habits like us all - usually has three kids in back so is no looper on the road - this eejit has shattered her confidence - and he is supposed to be a driving instructor - not accredited btw by the looks and as for the mod editing the name out fair enough -

I thiink i know the difference between driving experience and being test ready as well as Ive been driving for nearly 16 years - full licensed for 14

she just needs to get her confidence back and she will be fine - the purpose of this thread is to warn others around Navan of this cowboy

Enii

Wolff wrote: »

I think you are missing the point the guy told her he was in fear for his life !
he told me on the phone he was in fear of his life! - the wife is a good driver safe as houses - has some bad habits like us all - usually has three kids in back so is no looper on the road - this eejit has shattered her confidence - and he is supposed to be a driving instructor - not accredited btw by the looks and as for the mod editing the name out fair enough -

I thiink i know the difference between driving experience and being test ready as well as Ive been driving for nearly 16 years - full licensed for 14

she just needs to get her confidence back and she will be fine - the purpose of this thread is to warn others around Navan of this cowboy

Well maybe he did feel in fear of his life. Feelings are subjective - you can't say what someone is allowed or not allowed to feel.

As the above poster said, your wife needs to put the whole incident behind her. Get a new instructor and focus on the test.

BTW - just cos she has 3 children in the back does not mean that she is a good driver. My sister drives with 2 kids in the car and I would defo think she is a looper with them. She concentrates more on the kids then the road. Passing them back bananas and drinks when they are whinging and the like or shouting at them to be quiet! I fear for my life when I am in the car with her!

Wolff

the point about the kids was not to imply my wife is or is not a good driver - just that she is a carefull driver - unlike your sister - again my point is here im just warning other board users of non accredited driving instructors like this cowboy

Morgans

Wolff.

Constructive advise from some and I think just have to try to convince your wife that the driving instructor was (as you now realise) a cowboy. Hopefully you havent had to pay for his driving lesson. Move on, try to get your wife to forget that experience, and how much work a decent driving instructor feels that she requires Even if your wife has a lot to learn before her test, the instructor should be there to help.

I personally would like to name and shame these people, but I realise where the moderators are coming from.

Best of luck to you and your wife. Would recommend an intensive set of lessons as well before the test. (hopefully you can book them) Even if your wife is a safe driver, the driving test can differ from driving in the "real world" and learning the tricks of what the instructors are looking for can take more than a couple of hours.

don65

I assume he said he was in fear for his life for a reason. I assume he didn't say it lightly and genuinely meant it. ie. it is not in his best interest to say something like that and have to get out of the car and discontinue the lesson and not get paid.

Maybe you are just used to your wife's style of driving and it takes someone new to point out that her style is not appropriate for passing her test. (This could be the best thing ever said to your wife if it means she will pass the test)

All things aside I think you need to focus on the test, arrange some more lessons/pretests for your wife and best of luck I hope she passes.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Wishbone Ash

Wolff - you say that your wife has 'bad habits' but is a good driver. One cannot be a good driver and have bad habits!

don65 wrote: »

Maybe you are just used to your wife's style of driving

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

+1

Many people who are generally considered by others to be 'good drivers' are very poor drivers. I had to go on a couple of short drives with a colleague at work recently and they were a total 'white knuckle' experience. I found it traumatic and won't ever travel with him again. I genuinely felt that I would become another statistic but his driving must be considered acceptable by most people as I've never heard of anyone else complaining about it.

I cannot see what an instructor would have to gain by abandoning a driving lesson (and forfeiting the fee) unless he was in genuine fear for his safety.

It should also be noted that a test examiner is perfectly entitled to abandon a test if he feels that his safety is being compromised during a test.

Caychadh

I wouldn't have thought that a certified instructor would stop a lesson "in fear of his life." I thought it was part and parcel of the job!
In my (humble) opinion, if the instructor felt worried, he could have got the OP's wife to pull over, explain to her that her driving was not up to scratch and then taken her somewhere quiet to practice the basics as opposed to running screaming from the car, which is not very professional! :eek:
This is why instructors should teach new pupils in a dual control vehicle. As mine once said- 'you can't kill me, I've got a brake on my side of the car.'

Caychadh

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

It should also be noted that a test examiner is perfectly entitled to abandon a test if he feels that his safety is being compromised during a test.

Ah shucks, now I'm having visions of that happening when I take my test. :eek:
ME: "Well, the examiner is still in the secure unit but he doesn't keep screaming during the night any more, which the specialist says is progress."

Wishbone Ash

Caychadh wrote: »

I wouldn't have thought that a certified instructor would stop a lesson "in fear of his life." I thought it was part and parcel of the job!

Presumably the learner in question informed the instructor that she had been driving on a regular basis for a few years and he therefore assumed that she may have been reasonably competent.

Caychadh wrote:

if the instructor felt worried, he could have got the OP's wife to pull over, explain to her that her driving was not up to scratch

I agree but perhaps he did.

Caychadh wrote:

and then taken her somewhere quiet to practice the basics

Agree.

Caychadh wrote:

as opposed to running screaming from the car, which is not very professional! :eek:

Where does it say that he 'ran screaming from the car'? It says "20 mins later he got her to drop him off".

Caychadh wrote:

This is why instructors should teach new pupils in a dual control vehicle

Agree but the pupil may have requested lessons in her own car.

I'm not here to defend the driving instructors but just giving some balance to the debate as we only have the OP's version of the story.

J_R

Hi,

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I'm not here to defend the driving instructors but just giving some balance to the debate as we only have the OP's version of the story.

OK as a driving instructor, here is my version of a recent pupil. (NOT Navan hasten to add)

Sat into the pupil's car Her driving history, she had been driving for years had taken lessons with another instructor, did the test and failed.

We drove off, negotiated just two junctions, one right one left when I told her to pull over.

Then very slowly and as calmly as I could told her I had no intention whatsoever of carrying on the lesson unless she slowed down and made at least some effort to follow my instructions. Otherwise we would stop again and I would walk back.

She promised she would, drove off and we finished the lesson. She took another few lessons did the test, but failed. (Drove through a red pelican light.) She was happy enough with the result, as it was her only mistake. She has applied again and next time will know that even if nobody there must still stop for a red light.

She showed me the report sheet from her previous test. There was two or three printed X's on the sheet, then twenty, maybe 30 X's written in Biro.

Asked her if the examiner's PDA had broken down. (SGS) No, she said the examiner told her he was unable to mark her whilst she was driving.

Obviously poor man was too terrified to take his eyes off the road and needed his two hands to brace himself in anticipation of imminent crash.

Thing is, other instructor told her she was a good driver and should pass the test no problem :eek:

Caychadh

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I'm not here to defend the driving instructors but just giving some balance to the debate as we only have the OP's version of the story.

Well of course. The OP will obviously be bias since it's his wife. But I do think that driving school policy should be new pupils (no matter what they say their driving ability is) get the first lesson in school car, and get driven to a quiet area by their new instructor to assess their driving capabilities. That way such fiascos which cause distress to both pupil and teacher can be avoided.

Wolff

Thanks for all the comment lads - even the smug ones !

Yes my point is if I was a driving instructor - which and correct me if im wrong I could set myself up to be tomorrow - I would stop the lesson - tell the person they need to go back to the drawing board - dual control etc

I would not tell them they frightened the life out of me - my whole point about this thread is to warn people of dodgy, unprofessional and incompetent driving instructors - stick to certified ones - ones part of a franchise as you have at least some fall back when this sort of thing happens -

I am very objective about my own abilities - clean license - no accidents and have been driving a long time - my wife abilites are not the issue here - the instructors appaling lack of professionalism is.

Also the quite cynical attitude of some of the posters here has disapointed me greatly - accusing my wife of breaking the law even - quite a big presumption to make lads.

Again the point of the thread there are some real cowboys out there so be carefull -

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Wolff

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

funny dont remember saying that - maybe you are hallucinating

My old man has never had an accident - and he is an excellent driver so your argument doesnt really hold water does it

Certified or Franchisees - the point is you have some comeback if you encounter unprofessional or incompetent behavoiur - again you miss my point
indeed my wife is now with an excellent independent instructor (certified)who was frankly appalled at the behaviour of the last instructor but not surprised -

Honesty - I dont mind - cynicism and making false assumptions I dony like and lay off Aristotle...

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Cabaal

Wolff wrote: »

Also the quite cynical attitude of some of the posters here has disapointed me greatly - accusing my wife of breaking the law even - quite a big presumption to make lads.

Everybody is correct in saying that she would be breaking the law if she drove without a full licensed driver beside her, regardless of if she's driving for 5, 10 or 20 years if she does not have a full license she is breaking the law and deserves to be treated the same in the eyes of the law the same as anybody else.

Having kids in her car does not make her a safe driver either regardless of what you may think, bad habits means she hasn't passed her test yet and this means she is not a proven safe driver in the eyes of the law and as such is viewed as a potential danger to others on the road, herself and any passengers if they do not have a full license and if she's driving on her own.

If she's found a better instructor that's great and I wish her best of luck ironing out those bad habits she has,

Wolff

Again - my point with this thread is to warn people of the utter wasters that can call themselves driving instructors at the moment - at least from the end of the year they have to get some form of accreditation.

the new guy should sort her out and BTW her self vindicating story was bourne out by the new instructors knowledge of the other instuctor - ie not the first time this instructor has behaved in a completely unprofessional manner..and wont be the last Ill bet

thanks to everyone who posted..

Morgans

Indeed Wolff, sometimes you get the impression that video evidence, aconfession and lie detector would still not be enough for some posters to take you and your wife's story at face value. As if it was extraordinary to come accross a poor driving instructor (who are still unregulated) and it must in fact have been the driver, your wife's fault. Anyone who questions the system appears to be given very little leeway.

Obviously the mods have a job to do, so I couldnt recommend posting the name of the driver (as it would be snipped) but I personally would prefer a name and shame system, where admittedly anecdotal evidence can be weighed up by the learner driver. Most people know at this stage not to trust all information on the net.

Best of luck to your wife on the test.

Wishbone Ash

Wolff wrote: »

Again - my point with this thread is to warn people of the utter wasters that can call themselves driving instructors

Your wife had one bad experience but there's no need to go overboard about it. If you had a bad experience in a restaurant I doubt that you would begin a thread about all cowboy wasters of restaurants out there. Your wife now has an 'excellent instructor'. If she had started out with this great instructor, I somehow doubt that you would have began a thread about her experience with him.

Morgans wrote: »

Indeed Wolff, sometimes you get the impression that video evidence, aconfession and lie detector would still not be enough for some posters to take you and your wife's story at face value

We frequently are presented with a story/scenario from posters. When others question, debate and tease out the issues in this scenario, the 'cracks' in the story often appear. When you've being doing this for a few years, you learn to take much of what is said with a pinch of salt.

I'm not in any way suggesting that Wolff is being economical with the truth. I'm just saying that many people don't believe everything they read.

Morgans wrote:

Obviously the mods have a job to do, so I couldnt recommend posting the name of the driver (as it would be snipped) but I personally would prefer a name and shame system, where admittedly anecdotal evidence can be weighed up by the learner driver

We would all like a 'name and shame' system but there are a few points to bear in mind.

1. We would not be able to verify the story and therefore could be open to libel.

2. A driving instructor could pose as a learner and post untruths about another competitor in his/her area. We have had several problems with instructors posing as learners and pimping their business. That is the reason why recommendations etc. can only be given via PM.

3. The instructor may be excellent but the pupil may be a disaster. We all know people who simply don't listen and know it all. To cover their own shortcomings, they blame the instructor. If I was an instructor I would have very little patience with those types.



Here's a sample type of scenario which has happened here several times.

Lets suppose we have a driving instructor in a particular area. He wishes to drum up business. He begins a post lambasting a particular driving instructor on a thread here about how he, or one of his family was treated during a driving lesson in that particular area. He is warned not to name the instructor. Other posters PM him to find out which instructor to avoid.

A few posts later, he then informs us that he has discovered a great instructor (i.e. himself) and names him. The name is SNIPPED and he is reminded to use the PM function. Posters again PM to get the name of this fantastic instructor.

Hence the reason that we may be sceptical.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Morgans

I understand completely wishbone ash.

As you suggest, in this case, its wrong to suggest that all driving instructors are cowboys because of one negative experience. However, its right to suggest that you should try to get some feedback on who you get your driving lessons from.

I am sure there are plenty of poor drivers who petulantly blame the dodgy tester for their failing, and come and ahve a good moan. I can understand that. It is also wrong to suggest that because one individual has a problem with a driving instructor, that its "yet-again-another-one-of-these-blame-the- instuctor/tester-when-in-fact-the-driver-is-at-fault" threads.

I'd prefer a forum where the poster is given the benefit of the doubt, even if they make minor slips in language in their posts, rather what seems to happen regularly on here (i havent been on here as long as you) a disection of the post to see if the driver slipped up, or did something wrong, even confused phraseology gets jumped on.

The OP said his wife had bad habits that needed some ironing out, and some on here felt this was enough to support the "cowboy" driving instructor's stance of getting out and stopping the lesson. An orgasmic rush to judge the OP wife resulted, rahter than actually discuss the point that the OP was making.

Wolff

Thank Morgans for the support - to further back my so called claims bear in mind I myself spoke to the guy first hand and found him to be blunt an absolute arsehole - he hung up on me the first time I rang - he didnt get the chance the second time

also this driving school has other instructors who in the past were very good -she had this individual once before and found him aggressive - the new instructor seems to know of the guy and his reputation

I agree a name and shame would be great but this aint gonna happen.

Some of the posters here seem to like their high horses so if it makes them happy to pass judgements on others, let them, its only an forum after all..

Morgans

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

From my experience on here the driver is always guilty until proven innocent regardless of the complaint or situation.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Morgans

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

The OP didnt pursue a "name and shame" campaign, yet you say that he was OTT when he insisted that his wife's driving skills make her Navan's answer to Kimi Räikkönen.

Funniest post in a while. The OP was OTT? Funny. Thanks for that. You do realise that you are making my exact point in that statement.

donegalfella wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Its not legalistic language. Ive also paraphrased the same thing in earlier posts, but its a decent short-hand phrase to sum up my feelings on the attitudes of many posters on here. I couldnt care how they relate to tribunals or courts of law. I dont want to go on about more - its not the right place to continue the overall attitude of posters, and I've said what I've had to say. But thanks once again for the OTT attitude of what the OP was trying to do in this thread. Brilliant.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.