BSM Instructors!!

Aaaaarggghhh has anyone else found that the BSM instructors are so unproffesional and that they are a complete waste of money?
i have been learning since feb and had around 30hrs+ of lessons and my instructor has probably only been like on time once. he is always late and uptill now i've always let him off because hes a good instructor and i dont feel so panicky with him.
But i have my 1st test on weds and we were supposed to have a lesson today at 2 and it got to 2.20 and he still never came to pick me up so i rang him and he goes that his car is blocked in his driveway and cant make it yet n he'll ring me when hes unblocked.
At 3.20 I ring him cuz he still aint got back to me and he goes our lessons cancelled and that he'll ring me in 10mins to rearrange the lesson when he finds his diary.
its now 4,20 and he still aint rang. ok it's not his fault that someone has blocked him in but he could ring me and let me know whats happening so i dont waste my afternoon and plus he couldve called a tow truck or something!
i am so p***ed off because i'm paying like £25 ph and this is what i get.
plus i have explained to him that i cant drive on fri,sun n tues cuz i'm working and now when the hell am i supposed to have a lesson before my test which is 6 days away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just feel so angry but i dont like the idea of calling bsm and complaining because we get on quite well aside from his time keeping and pluz i only hopefully have to spend 2 more hrs with him n once i've passed thats it.

i know this is really long but i just needed to have a good long rant!
ok complaining over.

Reply 1

L0RA

9

I had BSM and the person that did my lessons was sometimes late but that was because i lived away from the area she taught so she had to drive across if that makes sense so it was more understandable.

I agree he should have let you know what was going on and it wasnt fair to leave you waiting around for him to pick you up/call you.

Ring BSM if you have a problem, i would under those circumstances.

He should make every effort to fit you in because he let you down so good luck. :smile:

Reply 2

Fluffy

15

aha! British School of Moneygrabbing.

The best thing I ever did was to switch from them to a local independent instructor...

Reply 3

nk_angel89

OP

loll at school of moneygrabbing.
He still hasnt called me to rearrange a lesson and I'm getting a bit worried becuase my test is so soon otherwise i would'nt have really minded...

Reply 4

OBScene

4

Bit late now if you've almost passed your test but as Fluffy said, independent instructors are often better than the AA/BSM, cause they want to keep you on their side because you're paying them directly and a big company isn't going to give them someone to cover you if you quit. At least he's a good instructor though, and it doesn't sound like you have anything urgent to do after the lesson so could be a lot worse!

On a side note, one of my mates is a BSM instructor but he's the worst driver I know! Drives 90-100mph as a matter of course, suddenly brakes/accelerates - still, it's amusing to see the look on people's faces as a BSM car cuts them up at 90mph :smile:

.

Reply 5

nk_angel89

OP

lol obscene at ure mate -

my instructor is good at teaching the stuff but he just really annoys me because his time keeping is so bad and he never rings to tell me that hes getting a bit late - i always have to call and for the price that we have to pay for the lessons this should be part of the service.

Reply 6

Lofty

13

Its been that bad and you stayed for 30 lessons? Got you wrapped round his little finger!

Reply 7

Arminius

14

I think independent instructors are the way forward, she was never once even 5 minutes late, she would stay and talk to me about the lesson/what i needed to look at for as long as i wanted.etc very proffessional and made the lessons fun.

I went with a guy from "Keiths" when i went to uni for 3 or 4 lessons. he was crap. He "forgot" our appointment twice and had to rearrange. He never returned my calls and was just hopelessly unorganised.

When we did have lessons he would often drag on any time we spent outside the vehicle so he could fit a fag in. He was very impatient and diddn't seem to be focussed at all on my driving, just aimlessly chatted and a few half-arsed comments.

Also his car was rubbish. :rolleyes:

Reply 8

dh00001

16

bsm = bring some money :p:

Reply 9

timharvey

BSM are the only person who actaulyl turned up
my AA guy was **** he never turned up....i kinda sacked him...he didn't like me much for that :0)

Reply 10

xsbrx

8

switch! i changed from BSM (my instructor 'forgot' about lessons, turned up about 45mins late to most, tried to fraud me out of extra money, shouted at me for not being understanding)....and BSM's solution to my complaint was to provide me with one free lesson with the instructor. Great! I changed to a independant instructor which a friend recommended. I loved him, never looked back and passed first time!

I know you might not want to change cos you are near ure test - i was 'near' my test in my BSMs instructor's opinion (even though i felt no way ready). but my new instructor said i wasnt ready and i was with him for about 4 months, so it is worth it to change!

Or just stick with it until you do your test. If you pass (im sure u will :biggrin:

) then just forget about it, but if you don't, do consider changing.

Reply 11

nk_angel89

OP

He finally called me back just before 6 and we arranged some more lessons so i'm not too stressed now. also, he's giving me a free lesson so i'm not that p***ed off. but if i dont pass on weds i might just switch to an independent instructor because it will be cheaper and like everyone else said they will probably treat me better.

Reply 12

Kicky

2

My instructor is with BSM and he's great :biggrin:

, although he usually turns up about 20 mins early-not sure if that's a good thing when your lesson starts at 8.30 in the morning. I pay him directly, not BSM and i've only had 14 hours and have my test booked in 2 months time, so i'll have had 30 hours by my test, so I haven't experienced any money grabbing by BSM. I think it just depends on the instructor

:smile:

Reply 13

musicalfruit

My BSM instructor was a genius! I loved him!! We got on really well and I found myself hoping I'd fail my test so I could spend more time with him! LOL! Woah... is that weird?! :confused:

Anyways. Good luck with your test, and woo for free lessons! I never got one... pah :mad:

Reply 14

fairy spangles

1

My BSM instructor was a complete waste of space. I travelled nearly 180 miles after a full day at uni so i could have a driving lesson before my test the next day. He was 30 mins late, i phoned him and text him no answer. I phoned again and his girlfriend was like oh he forgot so he cant give u a lesson tonite cause we are out at the pub.

I phoned BSM the next day and they were like oh its not his fault he forgot. I text him 5 times that week just to check the lesson time etc was okay and the acehole forgot. Glad i didnt use his car for the test i had my own. Then BSM have the gall to call me and ask whether i want 2 do pass plus with them. Told them where to shove that one!!

Anyone who goes with BSM beware they are a bunch of thieving conartists!!

Reply 15

Fluffy

15

Anyone in Oxford after a good driving instructor, I totally recommend Access Driving School...

http://www.192.com/directory.cfm/OXFORD/DRIVING_SCHOOL/X6D358297BD3C4A7A90AE44171E39F04F/AID860933

Reply 16

mark1010

I learnt with BSM and i didn't have a problem with them. Of course they will be slightly more expensive than others, they have to pay for shops with driving simulators and all the theory test and hazard perception test practice computers etc. So i used a little initiative and bulk bought lessons and it actually turned out far cheaper than anyone else could offer. Had a great instructor and easily passed the theory and hazard perception tests after using the free computers in their shop and passed the driving test 1st time with 5 minors.

So less of the "they are con men" stuff!

Reply 17

EconLou

12

the advantage of using BSM/AA is that you can complain about your instructor, without having to complain directly to them! You should have called up BSM along time ago to get the problem sorted, which is a lot easier to do than telling your independent instructor that you're pissed off. But anyway, not much you can do now, other than keep pestering him to rearrange the lesson.

Reply 18

Luize

13

Zakatu

I think independent instructors are the way forward, she was never once even 5 minutes late, she would stay and talk to me about the lesson/what i needed to look at for as long as i wanted.etc very proffessional and made the lessons fun.

I went with a guy from "Keiths" when i went to uni for 3 or 4 lessons. he was crap. He "forgot" our appointment twice and had to rearrange. He never returned my calls and was just hopelessly unorganised.

When we did have lessons he would often drag on any time we spent outside the vehicle so he could fit a fag in. He was very impatient and diddn't seem to be focussed at all on my driving, just aimlessly chatted and a few half-arsed comments.

Also his car was rubbish. :rolleyes:

I'm with Keiths now. I think it just depends on who you get. My instructor is good. My first lesson had to be moved because he was double booked but he was very apologetic for that in my first two lessons. He has always made me aware of what is going on and is very calm.
The car isn't as good as my old instructors (it's a Corsa...much prefer a 206, it's easy to drive) but it's not bad. It's still an easy car to drive.

I have to say independant or smaller companies are better than national ones. But it is always good to ask your friends for their experiences as well.

Reply 19

pete42

£25 ph!!! i only paid about £18 ph with BSM

i totally agree with them being late though, once my instructor was 30 mins late, but he was a good at teaching

BSM Instructors!!

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