My friend has fallen into the trap of a certain driving school in Sheffield. Not naming names but the one that advertises 1st lesson free, 5 lessons £56.
Well, she's been dithering for ages about whether to take the plunge and learn to drive, then after us all nagging her about how it would make her life so much easier, she did it. She got a few quotes, then got suckered in by the cheap prices, even though she was told by us "you only get what you pay for". Alarm bell should have started ringing when her lesson times kept getting changed at the last minute and she was sat in the car by the side of the road for most of the time. Then to top it all, she finds out she had got an instructor that isn't even qualified himself. Surely they should have to tell you they are still training!!
She now feels that even though it was only £56 it was £56 and her time wasted!! She has written a letter of complaint to the company but hasn't had a reply.

which company is it?
BSM (as an example) are well known for having lots of trainee driving instructors.

If u think there a rip off..... then don't drive.

I'll name and shame.

It's Bill Plant, a millionaire who is only out basically to rip off instructors (by setting low fees and high charges) and the public alike (by using loads of trainee instructors). By the way, its a national company, not just a Sheffield one.

As you rightly said, you get what you pay for.

Anyone who sits for a long time at the side of the road should be asking questions of their instructor. There are times when things need to be explained in a little mroe depth than can be done on the move, but if it happens a lot, look elsewhere.

If u think there a rip off..... then don't drive.

I have already passed my test and I'm sure if my friend had known it was a rip off she wouldn't have used them

I'll name and shame.

It's Bill Plant, a millionaire who is only out basically to rip off instructors (by setting low fees and high charges) and the public alike (by using loads of trainee instructors). By the way, its a national company, not just a Sheffield one.

As you rightly said, you get what you pay for.

Anyone who sits for a long time at the side of the road should be asking questions of their instructor. There are times when things need to be explained in a little mroe depth than can be done on the move, but if it happens a lot, look elsewhere.

Thanks Saxon, I didn't know if I was allowed to tell his name.

So long as you only post facts and nothing libelous it should be okay.

It's a while since I learnt to drive, but I'd have been asking what we were doing if I spent more than about 10 mins out of an hour sat still rather than practising.

Fact is driving instructors who are still training have all the necessary knowledge and training to teach by the time they are eligible to take pupils on, on a 1-2-1 basis. They will only really be missing the experience of having been a driving instructor for a long time. However, just because a driving instructor has been around a while doesn't neccessarily mean they are any better!

What qualifications and knowledge does your friend have that enables her to assess the abilities of her instructor in the first place? She may not have the ability to start driving at the moment which is why more theory work at the side of the road is necessary.

Saxon, I'm suprised you're so quick to put a black mark on this company in this. Either you know more about sassy_1's friend's situation than is led to believe or you don't like competition being mentioned on the forum!?

there is a woman that lives v near me who i cnt stand site of that learnin wi bill plant her driver is an asian guy god i hope she gettin ripped off coz she deserves 2 lol

She may not have the ability to start driving at the moment which is why more theory work at the side of the road is necessary.


Surely that's what an instructor is for? The theory is for doing at home in your own time when you're not paying. Sometimes you need a few minutes to discuss how you're going to do a particular thing, but the point of the lessons is that they are practical.

Surely that's what an instructor is for? The theory is for doing at home in your own time when you're not paying. Sometimes you need a few minutes to discuss how you're going to do a particular thing, but the point of the lessons is that they are practical.

Cyclone, are you a driving instructor?

Fact is driving instructors who are still training have all the necessary knowledge and training to teach by the time they are eligible to take pupils on, on a 1-2-1 basis. They will only really be missing the experience of having been a driving instructor for a long time. However, just because a driving instructor has been around a while doesn't neccessarily mean they are any better!
Not necessarily true. What you need to remember is that if you get a trainee instructor, you might be being taught by someone who may not even make the grade by passing the final exam. 80% won't, in fact. Look for the colour of the instructor's badge - if its green, he/she is fulyl qualified, if its pink then its a trainee that you've got. I've no problem with trainee instructors providing the trainee tells you that he/she is such. Most people won't even know the difference.
Saxon, I'm suprised you're so quick to put a black mark on this company in this. Either you know more about sassy_1's friend's situation than is led to believe or you don't like competition being mentioned on the forum!?
I've no problem with competition being mentioned - the quality of lessons we provide stands up for itself. The company involved is rapidly gaining a reputation for using mainly trainees (in fact out of all their cars in Sheffield, probably only 2 or 3 are fully qualified, although I stand to be corrected on that) and for providing cheap lessons, with cheap being used in its commonest sense. I believe in providing value for money, not ripping people off by sitting at the side of the road for ages because thats the only way the instructor can make the lesson pay.

I've got to agree with Saxon here. The Bill Plant advertising is also stretching the truth a little bit. The ad re "First lesson free and 5 lessons for £56" is actually the 1st lesson free and the next 4 lessons at £14 each (Total £56 for first 5 lessons). I personally find this misleading but I suppose it generates the business - whether its value for money depends on the number of satisfied and retained customers.

Sassy_1 - perhaps you can enlighten us as to the cost of the lessons after your friend had completed her £56 set?

Will back Saxon up on this one.

Had the (mis)fortune of having an instructor working for this particular organisation relate his own version of the company to me at the local test centre. Lack of ongoing training since he started giving lessons, lack of support, demoralised due to rates vs earnings. Bear in mind that quite a number of these trainees have arrived via a certain national training college that advertises wth the attention grabbing "Earn £30k pa". Earn maybe if you work hard, take home after expenses, think again. With fuel costs on the up it's easier for him to sit at the side of the road & keep expenses down.

With an attitude like this, any wonder why pupils would feel dismayed?

Quality does come at a price in this business just like any other.

Cyclone, are you a driving instructor?

No, but I was a driving student once.

She may not have the ability to start driving at the moment which is why more theory work at the side of the road is necessary.



I think she would have liked to have been given the opportunity to show some ability instead of sitting at the side of the road.

As for theory work, I thought that was down to you to put most of the work in at home, and ask your instructor for help when needed, not pay for an hours lesson to talk about the theory test. If you are not talking about the theory test itself in your post, I thought 'practice makes perfect'

I've got to agree with Saxon here. The Bill Plant advertising is also stretching the truth a little bit. The ad re "First lesson free and 5 lessons for £56" is actually the 1st lesson free and the next 4 lessons at £14 each (Total £56 for first 5 lessons). I personally find this misleading but I suppose it generates the business - whether its value for money depends on the number of satisfied and retained customers.

Sassy_1 - perhaps you can enlighten us as to the cost of the lessons after your friend had completed her £56 set?

She had 1 lesson after that at £18 then found out about the 'pink badge /trainee thing' and was annoyed that she wasn't told

I'm sure that if she decides to move instructors that any of the 3 instructor contributors to this thread would be more than willing to take her on board. :)

If you look at the site the instructor that is making posts, is offering 3 lessons for £33 i.e. £11 each. How long is the lesson?

This compares to that offered by B**l P***t

Whats the difference.

I am a fully qualified ADI with the above company and offer the same startup deal for new learners at £14 per hour, I am very busy and no complaints from ANY of my pupils.

there is a woman that lives v near me who i cnt stand site of that learnin wi bill plant her driver is an asian guy god i hope she gettin ripped off coz she deserves 2 lol

What's that got to do with anything? We were talking about price and how long you should be sitting talking not about race/religion of instructors!

If you look at the site the instructor that is making posts, is offering 3 lessons for £33 i.e. £11 each. How long is the lesson?

This compares to that offered by B**l P***t

Whats the difference.

I am a fully qualified ADI with the above company and offer the same startup deal for new learners at £14 per hour, I am very busy and no complaints from ANY of my pupils.

Bill Plant is offering 5 lessons for £56 - my wife offers 3 at £33 for new drivers (ie those pupils that have never driven before). After that she charges standard rate so for 5 lessons that would work out at £71. Lessons are for 1 hour.

Most driving schools seem to offer some sort of promotion including "free" first lesson. If their standard charge is £19 per hour this means they charge £76 for the first 5 lessons. The reasoning behind spreading the cost over 3 lessons is that in my opinion you have a better chance of retaining the student after 3 lessons.

Believe it or not there are some people out there that have been known to change instructors just to keep trying to get as many free lessons as possible:D

BTW If you're happy working for Bill Plant then thats fine and good luck to you. The main issue re sassy_1's initial post was the fact that she spent a lot of the lesson sat at the side of the road and then discovered that her instructor was on a trainee licence. Again this is another issue and I would go along with some arguments that trainees can at times offer a better standard of tuition than some established ADI's, but in this case the student is unhappy with being taught by someone on a trainee licence which has prompted the discussion.

If you look at the site the instructor that is making posts, is offering 3 lessons for £33 i.e. £11 each. How long is the lesson?

This compares to that offered by B**l P***t

Whats the difference.

I am a fully qualified ADI with the above company and offer the same startup deal for new learners at £14 per hour, I am very busy and no complaints from ANY of my pupils.

Yes I offer the first 3 lessons for £33, mainly because there IS a lot of talking in those first 3 lessons. After that, my hourly rate is then £20, because we then get on the move! No reduced fees for FIVE hours.

For your information, all the lessons we offer are one full hour in length (or a multiple of).

Can you answer me a question - how many Bill Plant cars are there in Sheffield?

Yes I offer the first 3 lessons for £33, mainly because there IS a lot of talking in those first 3 lessons. After that, my hourly rate is then £20, because we then get on the move! No reduced fees for FIVE hours.

For your information, all the lessons we offer are one full hour in length (or a multiple of).

Can you answer me a question - how many Bill Plant cars are there in Sheffield?
And also how many of these are trainees? There is at least one BP car that has been providing tuition that is not displaying either a green or pink badge at the moment and hasn't been doing so for approx 2 weeks.

I learnt with the AA. They were sound - only use fully qualified instructors and got me through first time (a minor miracle). About £17 per hour I think.

I have recently passed my test and paid 16 quid a lesson. The guy who I learnt from was called Alan and was very calm and really good at his job. I have had about half a dozen instructors in the past so trust me I know how some can be. If anyone wants his number feel free to PM me.

I learnt with the AA. They were sound - only use fully qualified instructors and got me through first time (a minor miracle). About £17 per hour I think.
The official AA price is about £22 an hour although some of their instructors do charge less (of their own free will).

All my instructors are fully qualified as w ll.

i passed my test in may with paul bennett and i passed first time, im no expert but id suggest using a well respected company or one reccomended from a friend as some companies may offer cheap rates but may hang around in waiting to put you in for the test just to line their pockets

I was looking at B*** P**** to start my driving lessons within the next week or so, I wouldnt say I was a new driver that has never been behind the wheel before, because I have, I dont know how good I'm not, but I can start up and set off and change gears and all that, I would also say I can anticipate what others may do because I used to drive a motorbike,then my entitlement ran out before I passed the test, and I used to drive from Gleadless Valley to Hillsborough to work every day in my car, which was a fair few years ago, I know this was wrong because I hadnt passed my test, but I never had an accident or hit anything/anyone, and after the car failed its MOT, I scrapped the car and never drove again, but now, my circumstances have changed, and I need to drive asap.
Dont think I'll use B*** P**** now, so I guess i'll just keep looking :(

I was looking at B*** P**** to start my driving lessons within the next week or so, I wouldnt say I was a new driver that has never been behind the wheel before, because I have, I dont know how good I'm not, but I can start up and set off and change gears and all that, I would also say I can anticipate what others may do because I used to drive a motorbike,then my entitlement ran out before I passed the test, and I used to drive from Gleadless Valley to Hillsborough to work every day in my car, which was a fair few years ago, I know this was wrong because I hadnt passed my test, but I never had an accident or hit anything/anyone, and after the car failed its MOT, I scrapped the car and never drove again, but now, my circumstances have changed, and I need to drive asap.
Dont think I'll use B*** P**** now, so I guess i'll just keep looking :(

I don't think you deserve to drive ever again anyway, makes me sick how idiots go round breaking the law thinking it's no big deal. No matter when it was! You should have a big stamp on your forehead saying I drove without a licence and insurance, I must never be allowed to drive again!

I used the same instructor as my brother and his mates, although he's now retired. We had a brilliant rapport, I always enjoyed myself as well, and I passed first time. That was 9 years ago and I think I paid about £14 a lesson.

Incidentally, there's a B*** P**** car that parks near me when I'm at work. As it's often there all day, either he's the trainee and working elsewhere at the moment or he's just driving it around for advertising purposes.

why are we starring out the name of this company now?