Complaints

This profile includes complaints for 1 BAL Driving School's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  1 BAL Driving School

  2121 E College Way Ste A Ofc 2 Mount Vernon, WA 98273-2372

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  1 BAL Driving School

  1800 James St Ste 101 Bellingham, WA 98225

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

   
  Complaint: 20290997
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Dear Bal Driving School,
  Thank you for your response regarding my previous review. I appreciate your acknowledgment of my frustrations and your commitment to addressing my concerns. However, I would like to provide additional feedback to ensure a comprehensive understanding of my experience.
  I came across another review highlighting similar issues, such as instructors being late, simultaneous assistance to multiple customers, rushed payment processes, and other complaints. This suggests that the issues I faced have not been resolved since that review. It is crucial for your school to thoroughly investigate and address these recurring problems to enhance the overall quality of your services.
  Regarding the phone call, I checked my call history and voicemail but found no record of any communication from Bal Driving School. I apologize for any confusion caused, but I assure you that I did not receive any call or voicemail from your end.
  In terms of the cost discrepancy, I understand that my son signed the exam policy before the driving test. However, the document could be more explicit in describing the options and associated costs. The first two lines state, "1. TESTING FEE: The ** state knowledge exam is $30 and Drive test exam is $35.00. 2. SCHOOL VEHICLE FOR SKILL TEST: Using school vehicle for drive test is $40.00 and $70.00 with instruction.These fees are separate from DOL fees." It would be beneficial to clearly state prior to any signing of paperwork that using a school vehicle incurs an additional cost of $40, while using a personal vehicle is free of charge. This clarification would prevent confusion and ensure transparency in the pricing structure. Additionally, it would be helpful to clearly mention the option to use a personal vehicle directly in that portion of the document.

  Furthermore, I find it important to note that the fee of $75 dollars was collected first, and only then did Bal ask my son which vehicle he wanted to use. This sequence of events raised additional confusion, as it compounded upon a vague answer.

  I acknowledge that my decision to use the school vehicle was influenced by the rush and the suitability of a smaller vehicle for the course layout. However, it would have been greatly appreciated if *** had provided a clear explanation as to why the cost increased and why the choice of vehicle was discussed after the payment amount was mentioned. This lack of immediate clarification created further confusion and dissatisfaction.
  I hope that my feedback will contribute to the improvement of your services and prevent similar issues in the future. Promptly addressing customer concerns and taking proactive measures are essential for a reputable driving school.
  Thank you for your attention to this matter. I also kindly request that the difference in cost between the initially quoted price of $35 and the actual cost of $75 be refunded to so as to  rectify the confusion caused by ***. I feel this would be a fair resolution to this unfortunate sequence of events.  I hope you will consider my feedback seriously and take appropriate actions to address the areas of improvement I have highlighted. I remain open to further communication and resolution.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  e driving schools vehicle, as it was smaller and more suited to the course layout.After the test, I decided to text the driving school manager on my sons behalf to see why the cost had more than doubled in the space of a few days, and I was then redirected to Bal. When I spoke to him, he was very rude and said words to the effect of Why are you so upset, its not like I ripped you off for a million dollars, he then hung up on me. I then texted the manager again who informed me that *** would get back to me and resolve the issue; *** called back, but the conversation went roughly the same. After texting the manager again, he would do nothing other than say sorry, failing to resolve the issue. In summary, I would not recommend this school to anyone. My opinion of the school is that they are rude, dishonest, and unprofessional.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/08/2023

  Hello *****,
  

  We sincerely apologize for your negative experience with Bal Driving School. We understand your frustrations and would like to address your concerns. We aim to provide excellent service and regret falling short of your expectations.
  

  Regarding the cost discrepancy, we apologize for any confusion caused. Our records show that your son signed our exam policy before he took the driving test. We understand this caused inconvenience and frustration for you and your family. We will ensure better clarity in our communication moving forward. The first two lines clearly outline our costs of using a personal or school vehicle. When *** asked your son if he would like to use the personal or school car, he opted for our vehicles due to the smaller size of our Kia ****** as you said. You also mentioned your son's father was there, and he paid for it. There was no mention of any problems when they were there, and they didn't tell us they wanted to use their car; otherwise, we would've used it.
  

  As for the phone call, we couldn't hear anything from the phone call, your voice kept getting cut and the call eventually got dropped. We assure you we wouldnt hang up, we kept in communication with you as much as we could whether that was through texts or calls. We tried calling back but were sent to voicemail.
  

  Furthermore, we apologize for the delayed arrival of our instructor for the driving test. We strive to be punctual and regret any inconvenience caused by the delay. We let you know one hour in advance that our instructor would be late due to traffic; in our texts, you said it was okay.
  

  We do apologize for the misunderstanding *****, and it's not our intention to make this experience hard. We have profusely apologized through our phone calls and text messages. We appreciate your honest feedback, and we truly regret that your experience with us was unsatisfactory. We will take your concerns into account to enhance our services and ensure a more positive experience for our future customers. If there is anything further we can do to address your concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
  

  sincerely,
  Bal Driving School

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/18/2023

  Dear BBB,

  Bal never supplied ** with a receipt, an issue that was also mentioned in another review . Hearing from you soon. Thanks 

  Best regards,

  **********;

   

  Business Response

  Date: 07/28/2023

  Please forward to Customer if possible, thank you! 

  Good Afternoon *****,
  
  We apologize for the delayed response. It appears that we did not receive your reply until today. 
  
  Regarding your comment about our previous reviews, we understand your concerns. Although our staff is limited, we strive to work together to assist everyone to the best of our abilities. We aim to create an inclusive and attentive environment and will do our best to help all our customers.
  
  We completely understand your concerns and assure you we take them seriously. We conducted a thorough investigation and found that your son did sign the school policy with complete understanding and that there were no issues with payment before or after the test. Your son's father was also there; he did not raise any concerns.
  
  We truly appreciate your patience and understanding as we did our best to contact you. We understand that the phone call did not go through as we had hoped, but we want to reassure you that we took the time to review your concerns thoroughly. *** explained the situation to the best of his ability, and we apologize if the outcome did not meet your expectations. 
  
  Below are the first two lines in our exam policy, which clearly state our costs of services within the first two lines.
  
  1. TESTING FEE: The ** State knowledge exam is $30 and Drive test exam is $35.00.
   2. SCHOOL VEHICLE FOR SKILL TEST: Using School Vehicle for drive test is $40.00 and $70.00 with instruction. These fees are separate from DOL fees. 
  
  We want to thank you for your son's participation in our driving school and acknowledge that we understand how challenging it can be to navigate policies and procedures. If there are any misunderstandings or confusion, we apologize and want to emphasize that we are always here to help. As you can see above, we have clearly outlined our charges for each fee.
  
  We request payment be made after completing the school policy signing process. This ensures that all parties are fully informed about our policies and costs, leading to a smoother and more enjoyable experience for everyone involved. 
  
  We want to ensure that everyone is fully informed about our exam policy and the reason for the increase in payment. Your son read our exam policy and signed it.
  
  Please let us know if you'd like a receipt. We're happy to issue another one for you - reach out to our office with the date, time, and applicant's name and card number.
  
  We sincerely appreciate your cooperation, *****, and thank you for sharing your concerns with us. Please feel free to reach out anytime with any questions or further concerns. We're here to help!
  
  Best regards,
  Bal Driving School