AMA driving lessons beware

I just wanted to give people a heads up(and maybe rant) about AMA driving lessons.

We paid $1500 for in classroom instruction and car instruction for our son as we thought it would be best if someone else taught him to drive.

Well it has not turned out like we expected in anyway. First the classroom instruction seemed to cover a lot of what you need to pass your learners license.

Next the in car instruction- after 6 hrs of instruction he does not know how to make left/right turns nor lane change. I would expect he would not be good at but he would know the basics. In addition he gets a list of things to practice when he is driving with his parents,etc and there is nothing helpful just comments like you are more comfortable with the car, and stay 15 seconds behind traffic( or like told him you need to anticipate the traffic). I think after 2 hrs of driving there should be more than that.

It has not turned out at all like I thought or remember from my driver training.

If we had known before we would have taught him how to drive then register in one of the cheaper schools to get the insurance reduction.

I wonder how much it changes from driver to driver. I remember my classroom instruction being kind of silly, but my car time was good. This was a small town though so word about a bad instructor would have made the rounds quickly.

Driving trainer to driving trainer.

Just thinking would it be worth it to ask for a different trainer for your son and see how it goes.

I paid for a more expensive course when I was younger for the same reasons and never got my license, still felt I couldn't drive. About 5 years later when I really needed a car in my 20's I went to Joe Blow and passed on my first attempt. It was a huge waste of money especially since I paid for it myself.

It's too late to ask for a change now as he had his second last lesson this morning prior to work.

I think it is a bit of scheme to get you to pay for more lessons. They don't teach you the basics and it is obvious you will never pass your test or feel confident driving so then it is "well if you pay for this many more lessons you will pass".

The other thing I did not realize is the instructors now are not employees of AMA but private individuals that contract to AMA.

My husband is an excellent driver and I think I am a better at realizing what he needs to know to be able to drive.

As well just so people know you can get some really excellent instruction online about how to parallel park, make turns, make lane changes. It helps visualize what you need to do.

WOW has the cost of drivers training gone way up. I got my license 9 years ago and paid under $500. I know at the time I took mine they encourage the parents to also take the child out as often as possible. Its like anything else new the more you practice the more comfortable you get and the better you'll be.
My mom would take me out at midnight in Spruce Grove during the week. So there was very little to no other cars. It helped me get more comfortable without having others all around me.

I don't mind helping him practice but I do think the basic topics like making turns, lane changes, anticipating traffic should be covered then he practices to get more comfortable. We have been doing the teaching of the basic concepts. He told me after 2 lessons of 2 hrs they had not covered how to make turns yet spent almost 2 hrs on parallel parking. You need parallel parking to pass your exam but it does not teach you how to drive.

it is wayyy over priced and not much of a reduction in insurace only like 200 bucks a year and the amount you pay for traning proves that its not worth it. also i found they really do try to make you pay even more cuz the teaching suxs.

It is a business for the instructor, there are some good ones and some bad ones.

I have had both. The only way to get a good instructor is by asking around, and not going with the instructor assigned to you by the school.

Man I wished I would have posted here before. There is no way we would go with this woman for more lessons. He should not have to tell her he needs to work on turns. She should know that from teaching other people.

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Originally Posted by Kelkens

I don't mind helping him practice but I do think the basic topics like making turns, lane changes, anticipating traffic should be covered then he practices to get more comfortable. We have been doing the teaching of the basic concepts. He told me after 2 lessons of 2 hrs they had not covered how to make turns yet spent almost 2 hrs on parallel parking. You need parallel parking to pass your exam but it does not teach you how to drive.

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Have you complained to AMA? Thats ridiculous. It's good to know how to parallel park (even though we live in a city that has very little parallel parking), but if he can't even do the basics what does that matter. Turning probably should have been one of the first things taught

Well today he told her he thought he needed to work on turns and she told him she did not want to review stuff they already covered but to go over new stuff so they did traffic circles.

When I took driver training we did spend a lot of time on traffic circles however there are not many left in the city as so few people know how to drive them. I know though that is definitely on the test.

At the same time though I don't get the not going over old stuff. He had no idea where to put the vehicle when making left or right turn so it seems to me it is not a matter of going over old stuff if you don't know how to do it.

He has one more lesson left then d/h will just do it. Next time we will not bother.

Wow Kelkens, I feel for you. What a rip off. I agree with DolceBella - have you called AMA and told them what this particular instructor is doing? Sounds ridiculous - especially for what they are charging!! Good luck.

I am sure you son will do great with your husband teaching him. :)

:( Isn't it an outrageous price?!? My son went through AMA as well and part way through we changed instructors. In our case, we had signed him up for manual transmission and my son decided he didn't like that so we changed to automatic. *Best thing we did*! How many more lessons does he have? I would definitely complain to AMA. They may assign a new instructor and also throw in a few more lessons. Never hurts to ask ;)

from experience small town instruction is the easiest way to go because like said earlier they care more about their rep. then the ones in the city do all the ones in the city want is your $ because they know that they can get it :( as sad and terrible as that is and when your son does go for his license dont go to millwoods reg. as the instructors there take you out and they fail so many and pass so many to meet daily quotal and also if you fail you but you are a good driver they tell you to come back tomorrow with 50.00 and they will give you your license without having to do the test again... just for the extra buck :( so terrible explains why we have so many terrible drivers out there that shouldnt be driving !