To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding my children’s enrollment at Austin Driving School – White Settlement location (1628 Cherry Lane). My twins were enrolled in... Read More
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding my children’s enrollment at Austin Driving School – White Settlement location (1628 Cherry Lane). My twins were enrolled in a behind-the-wheel driving package, and unfortunately, our experience raised serious concerns regarding professionalism, safety, instructional quality, and customer service.
From the outset, communication was problematic. When I visited the school to schedule driving sessions, the front desk staff member was dismissive and unprofessional. I requested a 4:00–6:00 PM time slot due to my work schedule, but my children were assigned a 6:00–8:00 PM slot instead, despite my clear explanation that this time would not work. I was told no instructors were available earlier, and no effort was made to accommodate us.
The written instruction portion of the program was acceptable. However, the behind-the-wheel instruction was deeply concerning. I was informed that each child would receive two hours of individual driving instruction. Instead, my children were receiving approximately 30 minutes each, often during the same session, and at times with other students present in the vehicle. This did not align with what was promised or what we paid for.
On the first day of driving, the instructor arrived 30 minutes late. I was told she was late because she stopped to get food. While I attempted to be understanding, this set the tone for future issues. During subsequent sessions, instructors were rude and discouraging toward my children, making inappropriate comments about their abilities and implying they had not been practicing at home. Lessons initially consisted almost entirely of driving around parking lots and apartment complexes, with little instruction or feedback provided.
A significant safety incident occurred during the third day of drive time. One of the training vehicles began smoking and slowing down, forcing my daughter to stop driving. The instructor then drove the vehicle back to the school while speeding and texting on her phone with students still in the car. After switching vehicles, the second car also began smoking, and the lesson was cut short. This incident was reported to the school the following day. Staff denied that any such issues occurred.
Shortly after raising these concerns and requesting a different instructor, my children were removed from the driving program entirely after completing only three of the seven scheduled drive sessions. This response felt retaliatory and unprofessional.
Regarding refunds, I was repeatedly told that a refund for unused lessons would take 30 days. After considerable delay and multiple follow-ups, I received a partial refund of $222.86 on January 1, 2026, for three lessons. Given the lack of instruction during the first two lessons and the safety issues involved, I believe a full refund should have been issued. At no point did we receive an apology or acknowledgment of these concerns.
I escalated the matter to the main headquarters in Austin as instructed, but I was given the runaround and the issue was never resolved.
I enrolled my children during an extremely difficult period in my life. I was a single parent caring for my father, who was dying from cancer, and had recently lost him. I trusted your organization to provide safe, professional instruction for my children when I was unable to do so myself. That trust was unfortunately misplaced.
I am submitting this letter to formally document these concerns and request accountability for the issues described above. I believe parents deserve transparency, professionalism, and—most importantly—safe vehicles and attentive instruction when entrusting their children to a driving school.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Read Less