Theaa Avis 

"I am writing this to warn potential customers. I signed up for a career package with this firm, paying £2,349 upfront 3 month ago. Despite being fully transparent about my circumstances before the payment was processed, the company has now reneged on the agreement, refusing to provide the franchise I paid for. They are now trying to retain my money for a 'training-only' service that I never requested and would never have purchased. By withholding the primary service I paid for, they are in clear breach of contract. They have ignored my requests for a refund, and I am now escalating this via formal legal channels and Trading Standards. Do not trust their 'guarantees'."

My car broke down on a Sat morning with alot of metal clangging noise.
I contacted the AA support company Prestige to ask for garage booking and to request replacement car.
They advised of garage booking but said replacement car information would come from AA.
I had no information on rest of Saturday.
I had no information from AA on Sunday.
J had no information from AA on Monday because it was a bank Hols.
I called AA on the Tuesday and was advised that no car had been ordered yet and they wanted to know if I could drive it. I said I could physically drive it but noise of metal parts was so loud that it was not driveable for lessons. Local garage advised that clutch or gearbox had broken up.
Each time contact with the AA was me to them and not them to me.
I was advised that a car would be with me by 8pm on Thursday.
At 7.44pm I received delivery of replacement car.
AA advise that there target aim is to get you a car within 48 hours.
Most of Sat ... no car ( does not count as it is weekend)
Sunday ...no car ( again weekend so does not count)
Monday ....no car ( does not count as it was bank holiday)
Tues .. no car but car is to be delivered Thurs.
Wed....no car but car is to be delivered Thursday.
Thursday ....7.45.pm car delivered.

How is this aim of 48 hours.
I requested a reduction in my weekly franchise but thus was refused.
So very poor service for such a company that used to have a good name

Overall, I’m happy with the AA, and would say that the booking process online was simple and easy. Rates were also quite fair, and often inexpensive compared with the general range out there. Particularly, if you opt for a trainee instructor, although experienced ones offer quite fair rates too. I think the most expensive I’ve personally seen was £38/hr, for a highly experienced instructor, which still isn’t at the highest end of the scale. The AA also consistently provides well-kitted, higher spec vehicles which often led to smooth drives during lessons.

I’m reviewing to provide another perspective, as I can see that other reviews vary and may seem disheartening.

I can say that I learned a great deal from my previous instructor and was consistently reminded to learn to drive at a test standard. They were patient, and I felt, safely vetted as an individual. I was never made to feel like I was being shouted at or demeaned.

Although I chose not to continue with the AA, I’m thankful for the driving experience and for opting to go with them. It helped me to gain a lot of initial confidence on the roads, and to want to pursue driving further, as I was ready to initially quit. I may not have pursued driving lessons, had I not have gone forward with the AA.

I took lessons in the Birmingham/Harbourne area. I would say to anyone interested, remember that each instructor is different as an individual, and that patience as a student can also be key (something I’ve been learning myself).

Ps, I’m not being incentivised to write this review, it’s genuine, as I also want to allow for more recognition of the AA as a driving school.

I was assigned Indalecio after my last instructor backed out.
Inda was a genuinely great teacher, and even though i only had a few lessons with him, it was enough to pass. Many thanks! Highly recommend him if you're in Ashford, Kent.

I am really happy with the service I’ve been provided. The booking process is made easy and clear for both the instructors and students to keep track of lessons on their system. I had several instructors before but no one like Kabir Ahmed. He’s been excellent all through the process. For the past year, he’s helped me re-build my confidence and prepare me to not only pass my test but be a safe driver anywhere.
Kabir is dedicated and makes sure you cover all the knowledge and fixes any gaps in your driving. He is really patient and has a fantastic attitude every lesson. He is not only a great teacher, but a great person!!

I'm not taking lessons, but something is really bothering me. I was walking in the town of Clevedon (North Somerset) when I saw an AA instructor slam on their brakes and give verbal abuse to a cyclist. Gestering wildly like crazy. Their crime? The cyclist pulled out from the junction, they had given the AA guy plenty of space. Honestly with someone with that short fused temper I wouldn't recommend the AA to my friend's kids!!

Avoid the AA/BSM driving instructor franchise - I am an AA driving instructor, but I am only continuing with the AA, given I am under a contract that is very much in the favour of the AA, meaning I can't leave. Although I am a customer of the AA as a franchisee, they do not treat me like a customer, with all policies favouring the AA. Even when a fine is picked up, they charge a signifcant administration fee and take the fine out of your income, giving you no chance to defend yourself. This is just one of so many unfair situations the AA put you in as a driving instructor. My recommendation to anyone looking to be a driving instructor - avoid the AA and BSM, which is one of the same. In hindsight, I should have gone down the private route and avoided the PDI route altogether with a franchise, or get another private ADI to sponsor me so I could earn while I learn. The online and practical training is largely terrible. Please be aware that the pink PDI licence is unlikely to last long enough for you to take your ADI part three, if you take more than one attempt to pass. This is something the AA don't make clear.

My instructor is great, but the same cannot be said about the company. You can only book 10 hours and every 10 hours is getting more expensive. First 10 hours is okay, after that they just rip you off, knowing that you will not want to change instructor half way through learning.

They should have been

I had someone called Anthony and he was very helpful and comforting when I was nervous, we had a laugh and joke to ease my nerves and it helped. Past first time today all thanks to Anthony 👍👌

Please don’t use aa driving school if you don’t want to have metal disorder , cause they will frustrate your life cancel your driving lesson , this is the 3rd they have cancelled my lesson after paying for 4 class I haven’t been able to have one lesson ,

I am extremely disappointed with my experience with AA Driving School in Brighton. We purchased 6 hours of lessons in advance, but only 2.5 hours of actual instruction have been delivered so far.

Each lesson should last 90 minutes, and my son arrived 15 minutes early on both occasions. Despite this, the lessons ended after only 1 hour and 15 minutes each time. I have proof of this on my phone.

When we raised the issue through the AA chat, the instructor, privately messaged my son denying the claims, which I found highly unprofessional and unacceptable.

I originally contacted AA on 3rd November, and to this day 4th December I have received no response. The lack of communication and accountability has been incredibly disappointing.

We are now requesting a refund for the missing 3.5 hours of lessons that were not provided. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend AA Driving School

So I sent my son £320 pounds to book driving lessons with the AA he booked on line the first instructor canceled so they gave a knew instructor who lied through his teeth saying turned up and waited for client he lied the instructor never turned up he also said he spoke to my son he never phoned.
The AA have made it as hard as possible to lodge a complaint and won't refund the money and have come up with every excuse not to refund, the driving instructors are not reliable they don't tell the truth and think of every excuse I phoned the client I waited I have text the client all lies and they just keep coming .

I have been a loyal car insurance customer for many years, and have 9 years no claims bonus. I rang to get advice from them in January 2025, because a neighbours trampoline hit my bonnet and caused a tiny scratch. They advised to get it fixed privately and sort the matter out without involving insurance. In April I noticed a crack in the windscreen, and got this fixed through the insurance company.

I received an email today stating they were “cancelling my insurance” no warning, no discussion, just CANCELLED.

I put my complaint in at this preposterous stance (which will amount to nothing) and want to warn anyone thinking about getting advice from their insurance company about this policy decision. They are not there to help, advise, or support. They want any excuse to increase your premiums, now I have to find another insurance company and state that I have had my insurance cancelled.

Disgraceful behaviour. Absolutely disgusted by this decision.

I’d have put NO stars but it wouldn’t let me !!! Yesterday 21st February 2020 (Awful Awful Awful) I broke down just outside Oxford at 7.30Pm I managed to limp to Oxford service station... called AA at 8.13pm my car couldn’t be fixed, I live in North Wales, I am covered for full recovery. I was with my Daughter, I was told to go into services and wait and a recovery vehicle would collect us and take us home at 10pm a recovery vehicle came and said he could only take us to Warwick services were we would be picked up and taken back to North Wales. We arrive at 11.45pm at Warwick services the driver told us the next driver would be 20mins, 2 hours later and 3 phone calls to The AA we were eventually collected at about 2.50am by a different driver (none of these vehicles were AA vehicles) the driver loaded the vehicle and said he could only drive us as far as Birmingham, and that his engine light had come on and we had to drive in limp mode to Birmingham worrying at any moment we’d breakdown, whilst in the cab I phoned the AA to tell them that this is unacceptable, we were told at the next services we’d be collect and that we would be going home. I was told that it was the distance driven at night time was against the law!! Utter rubbish I replied I knew all about tachograph charts and the distance didn’t change because it was night time, that The AA should have enough personnel to drive as advertised, that no where in there advertising does it state you can’t break down at night because there will be no one to take you home !! I tell them that I want one trip home. We get out and trudge into yet another service, moto Frankley. It is now 3.58am in the morning, the next driver arrives only to tell us he can only take us as far as Hilton Park, I phone the AA and blast them as my first call was at 8.13pm I’m still nowhere near home, I haven’t been offered a courtesy car, over night accommodation...absolutely nothing except excuses, and that they are busy ... I might add it is now 5.35am I am still in Hilton Park no where near home my daughter is curled up on a chair in Costa asleep ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED!!! I have tried to get onto the website to complain it keeps bouncing me around I have requested the phone number for complaints..they didn’t have a number for me! I have been told the next vehicle is due to collect us at 6.20 I am still 108 mile from home very very upset!!!! 6.20am came and went still no sign of a recovery vehicle, yet another phone call were I was fobbed off yet again and told vehicle recovery would be there at 7.20 ... at this point I went ballistic, were I was told it was only another 20 mins to wait !! ( in fact it was another 35mins) I was lost for words at the not bothered attitude... 7.30am a recovery vehicle arrived and this time it was an AA vehicle. The person driving said he’d started at 5am so didn’t know why he hadn’t been sent straight to us. I assured him this farce was not his fault but rested total with the head office call centre who truely did not give a damn, customer service was non existent. If you do go with AA breakdown Total National Recovery, and you breakdown at night time.... you have been warned!!! There are much much better companies out there.