Ideal Driving School — Attraction in Union City

I would first if start by saying the reason I am giving this place 3 stars is because the office is unprofessional and rude. As for my instructor, Hugo, he is 5 stars. Absolutely amazing and worth every penny. Not only does he make you feel comfortable, he absolutely cares for his students. I paid for a package that was suppose to be 3 practices and the day of my road test I was supposed to be picked up an hour before to practice and taken there. Today was my rode test and I was wondering why Hugo had not contacted me yet and why he was late without calling me. Turns out I paid to be taken to my road test and I was not even put on the schedule. Thankfully I called Hugo and he was able to pick me up very kindly even though he had no idea. I was picked up 20 minutes after the original time. I do not blame Hugo for this because he had no idea. I do blame the office staff. I called to speak to a manger and the same guy that messed up in the first place would not hand over the phone to his superior. According to him he saw nothing wrong with the fact that I was not put on the schedule and claimed I practiced driving because I drove to my testing site. It took so much for him to admit the office made a mistake by not putting me on the schedule but they genuinely did not care about that and gave me an attitude and started yelling at me over phone. I did not pay to almost miss my exam, which is what would have happened if I did not call Hugo or if he was not by my area. As a customer I am very upset that the office would not take responsibility for this and saw nothing wrong because I passed the exam. It was never about me passing the exam; it was the fact that I almost missed my exam that I’m truly upset about. I was already stressing about my exam enough. If you want a great instructor that cares about students I recommend if you come here to pick Hugo. He is amazing and will show you all the tricks to pass; he is seriously a GOAT! But make sure this office does not try to mess you over and act like it’s your fault because it is exactly what happened to me for how much I paid they should have accepted responsibility because it was not cheap! I’ll say that I spent $370. And I’m concerned it may happen to someone else. But seriously with Hugo you will most likely pass he is absolutely amazing. I’m not writing this to blame Hugo at all or say that because of this I failed my exam because thankfully I didn’t. I just think about how I almost missed my exam and I am very upset with the people who run the office who made this mistake. I made my appointment in June when they open their offices after everything happening with corona. I made this appointment very long ago and should have been on the list but instead I was disrespected and had to reach out to my instructor to...

This place cheated me out of money. Back in June 2024, I first contacted this school and purchased the 3-lesson package for $360. The package was valid for 6 months. At the time I spoke to them, I gave them my address for pickup and they expressed no issue with it. So, I schedule my first lesson in June. The instructor arrived on time with no problem. I call back in November to schedule my second lesson. The night before my lesson, the instructor texts me and says we have to reschedule because of car trouble. I had no problem with this. I call the office to reschedule. He showed up on time. Again, there was no problem. When I scheduled the third lesson, that is when things got shady. On the morning of the third lesson, the instructor never showed up. The next business day, I called the office to ask them what happened. The lady on the phone said the instructor called me the day prior to confirm the appointment, but I didn't answer so he cancelled on me. I told the lady that I did miss his phone call because I was at work at the time he called. But the instructor also sent me a text to confirm the appointment, and I responded to that as soon as I could. So, I DID confirm the appointment. The lady just acted like she didn't understand. Anyway, I just rescheduled for the following weekend at the same time. Next weekend came, and again the instructor was a no call, no show. I call the office again on the following business day and tell them it happened again. The lady I spoke to last time is now clearly making things up. She claims that my phone is not receiving the instructor's calls, even though that makes no sense. Keep in mind, for the previous lessons all the instructor did was text me when he got to my address. I asked the lady why was this now a problem and she just changed the issue. Then she claimed that my address was too far away from the school for pickup. This excuse made no sense whatsoever, because I already had two lessons with this school. The lady then said that I would have to come to the driving school (in Pearth Amboy, not Union) in person to do my next lesson. I told that lady that I am not doing that because that was not the original agreement. This is the same lady I spoke to when I purchased the 3-lesson package. I told her if my address was an issue then they should have said that before I paid them. They already told me that pickup was included. The lady just continues to try to gaslight me. So, I told her if this company is not going to honor the deal we made then I want a partial refund for the third lesson I never received. The lady just nonchalantly responds they do not give refunds. I was so angry at this point that I just hung up. I will never again do business with this company and I am going to spread the word to as many...

Ideal Driving School provides all of the resources, help, and management to ensure a stress-free and smooth process. That being said, the highlight of my experience with this company was my driving instructor, Carlos. I cannot recommend him enough, I would choose Ideal Driving School just for Carlos. Carlos knows exactly how to turn even the most inexperienced (and I mean ZERO experience behind the wheel) students into confident, skilled, and independent drivers. He is the reason I can drive today. From my very first lesson, Carlos has truly been the best teacher and driving mentor I could ask for. He provides the exact information one needs to understand every detail about driving in an efficient, simple, and straightforward manner. His relaxed and even-tempered approach to teaching will put even the most anxious learners at ease. He knows exactly what will help and provide the biggest challenges to new drivers and he makes sure his lessons reflect these skills; teaching you not only what you need to know to get a license but also the critical capabilities one will need to use on the road every single day, in any situation. Additionally, Carlos is dedicated to ensuring his students will be able to use these skills on their own; making sure to take the time to practice your weaknesses until you perfect them and turn them into strengths. Moreover, Carlos is simply great company throughout this entire process, and if his steadfast demeanor doesn't ease your nerves on the road, his jokes certainly will. I just passed my license test today and I can confidently say it was because of the irreplaceable lessons Carlos has taught me on the road, ones that I will keep with me for life! Carlos - can't thank you enough for all of your help, I will miss...