Defensive Driving School

Just thought I would update everyone here that after I took my drive test here and the rude tall curly blonde hair guy failed me, I went to the DOL in Bellevue two days after and passed with a 96%. I also called Defensive to complain about the experience I had and the guy on the phone could care less. My friend also happened to take a test here and heard that this guy is literally known as the «failer» cause all he does is fail people when he works. Don’t ever take your test here unless you want to waste your money. Why is this place still a business again?

I had Michelle for my class, and I learned a lot through her. She was very informative and let us take breaks and walk to Rite Aid. She went through everything pretty thoroughly and in a good amount of time. I only wish we could’ve taken the WA State written test on the last day of class like I hear Swerve does. This would’ve been nice to check off and not worry about separately. As for drives, they did not go as well. For one or two of my drives, I had Matt, and he was awesome. If you have the option, request him! For the majority of my other drives, I had Albert. He had a weird sense of rude sarcasm and personality, so my drives were kind of uncomfortable with him. He also made me stop at Tully’s to get him coffee for at least two of my drives. Not only was this a waste of my time, but this also wasted time I could’ve been learning and improving my skills. If you have Albert as a drive instructor, try to request someone else. These were the only two instructors I remember having. All in all, Defensive was a good program, only apart from Albert. I also did the separate Skid Training, and although this was helpful, I feel it may have been overpriced.

Steer clear of defensive driving school! After being assured they would accommodate my daughters learning disabilities before we enrolled her the refused to do so when she showed up for class. It was a waste of time, money, and caused a significant amount of stress. My daughter was discouraged, demoralized, and intimidated by her instructors; in class and behind the wheel. We ultimately took her to a different driving school where they gladly accommodated her needs, and cleaned up the mess that Defensive Driving caused. Another problem is their phone system, they never answer it, and after long waits on hold you redirected to an answering machine where your messages aren’t returned. Don’t waste your time and money.

TERRIBLE DRIVING SCHOOL. THIS IS FOR THE COMPANY as a WHOLE and the Mercer Island Location.
My Husband, who is from England, has been trying to get his testing (knowledge and drive) completed through Defensive Driving School for almost 2 months now. They NEVER answer the phone. After 2 weeks he was able to get in contact with someone and scheduled his knowledge test. It was at a dumpy old school in the U district, smelling of urine, and the instructor was insanely rude and lazy. Now he is trying to make an appointment for his drive test which has already been paid for and cannot get in contact with anyone. He has called probably 5 times a day for multiple weeks and has even stopped by the Mercer Island office only to find it closed 3 times. He has left multiple voicemails. They have called back ONCE and didn’t even address any of his questions. He has tried emailing multiple times as well and finally got a time offered for the test. When he emailed back an hour later to confirm they said nope, its been filled we’ll have to call you back. I’m sure we’ll never get an appointment. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. We will be using another service.

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