Top Driver

March 13, 2023 37 1

It potentially disconcerted me when it came to my knowledge that I could sign up for a teen program of a driving school. This conceivably happens with every teen that either turns 16 or laces across 18. Our world operates businesses on the emotions of their consumers; the same happened while teaching ‘driving’. With thousands of driving schools available on the list; Top Driver Driving School came up into the market in 2003 while covering 40 locations since last updated in 2019. Top Driver covers much of the Midwest (Chicagoland, Illinois, and Michigan) with online enrollments for coaching.

Getting to know Top Drivers’ driving system

Top Driver claims to have taught and trained over 275,000 students in these 16 years. Before discussing the escape clauses it had shown to their customers, it should be infused into the knowledge of our readers over how this system operates. Top Driver Driving School asserts to offer one of the most ‘versatile’ schedules of the car driving industry to ensure ‘suitability to their busy clientele.’ They are ascertained to make safe and intelligent drivers (which I highly doubt) with their innovative setups and highly trained (unavailable) instructors. They have their abeyant promotional packages such as the Parent Care Program along with Teen and Adult Programs which are most likely some simple car driving training schedules with a commercial frosting to just foolishly allure public attention towards them which ineptly got successful.

A Not-So-Driving-School

I might not deny the fact to a certain level that Top Driver did make some mark in the consumer’s hearts with their services during their initial years, but competency requires consistency. The market won’t be accepting your services if you aren’t satisfying them with proficiency. But with their scheduling appointments, they did augment but in an abrogating direction. Either it’s been my long-related relative or the Internet; I have seen nothing but shame for the company, which I believe is highly justified. This futile tantrum in the driving school market has been binging money under the name of scheduled appointments. Their most ‘economical’ Silver Package has been subtly used and reported as 30 hours of instructions; 6 hours of driving lessons and observations are to be compensated in around a ‘$400 bill’ only! It is so alluring how they set up our citizens in such complexities and then drains out their chores with a bill I won’t ever be paying up for. The reports started coming into public knowledge three years from now. What I want is to show their highly mismanaged system and their money-grabbing intent that’d help the future consumers be very skeptical in their choice while selecting the right driving school for them. Top Driver is never a recommendation for driving courses.

“Can I ask for my refund?”

In the last weeks of 2015, a concerned parent signed up and paid for a Teen Driving course for her daughter which according to the sufferer accounted for eight hours of interactive driving training. The course started with the online instructions for the in-car experiences which were said to be covering the ‘minimum needs’ of the State to get the license. As soon as the course went towards the online scheduling; it started damping and stretching, eventually getting onto the nerves of the customer.

As soon as the appointment was merited; there came into the concerns of the customer, of the provision of the license. The officials expected it to drag it down 8 or 9 months. Every appointment scheduled wasn’t proceeding, and the day after another there had been trying to re-organize such pointless consultations. The customer eventually moved for the refund and then try to gain her daughter’s license from another school; she exclaimed to have contacted the numbers present on the website and even approach the local officials for the refund but every step taken went in vain.

The incompetence of this very school can be measured with the further account of how they have been treating their customers lately. Their calls, their appeals were either unanswered or dawdled by the officials of the Top Driving Company. Consequently, the narrator got a call at their helpline where she was to ‘wait till she can receive the schedules from the concerned drivers who were already busy with other jobs.’ (Highly unlike to see the merchandisers coaxing more than the consumers) Their efforts remained in convincing the consumer that they’d be done with the course very soon and then conclude the process; yet the narrator questioned for a refund. The company’s intentions were evident to drag the process further ultimately frustrate the customer which is highly unprofessional for a certified company. (Like they cared)

A bid for submitting a request was filed which was to terminate in 3 to 5 days. It was then most unlikely to see from such a company to treat its users with such non-seriousness. It became a routine for them to extend the work with lies and extra time. ‘Unavailable managers’ allowed the company to aggrandize new schemes. With consistent demand for refunding; the company kept giving new proposals. It became clear that the company intended to keep the money for themselves without even providing their services to the students. (“275,000” students; laughs) Whenever the company was questioned for a refund, they replied with “questions related to the progress of (the student) with her online classes”. They then started to present a refund of $200 with one driving lecture; in hopes to convince the customer (Which is predominantly an illegal compensation as the driver portion cut has far more value than they’ve been presenting). This continued till date and the client unfortunately neither could get their amount credited to some extent nor could cancel the deal completely. It was always their decided case to never answer to “Can I ask for my refund?”

“Sorry, but we’re short of people behind the wheels.”

Scheduling driving seemed to be a great addition to the marketing industry; it took time for people to realize that this addition is nearly impossible to be implemented into the system. With limited instructors at hand, it is undoubtedly absurd to blend this in. A very straightforward statement can conclude the quality of this company’s operation; “Don’t bother. Poorly organized and very late. The customer service is horrific.” The following discussed is the narration of an incident in 2018, the year which accounted for the most cases of unavailable drivers. The company had been overselling to the customers everywhere; let it be Illinois or Glenview or Cleveland and are hence unable to provide drivers behind the wheel for all of their students. At first, it seems to be a highly unprofessional act (which it is) by this company; but then the question arises on the intention; either it is fractious and undisciplined. I would prove to the readers that these acts aren’t just a matter of discipline and control but are intentional acts to get more money with fewer services. It hasn’t been discussed before that this training period needs to be scheduled by the customer within six months and completed within this span; which if not done will be shut out for them with no refunding policy. The picture is hence quite clear to us now. It is necessary for the consumer to ensure completion within the time frame. This helps us connect all the dots. The intention to bring down the scheduling system into the market, extending the calls and reports, and commending the unavailability of drivers for months is interlinked all over together. With these latencies, the driving class will be OVER before the customer can even get a single driving lesson. And the company would enjoy all the money gained from them. It was all over the intentions once again, that clouded them to do such unprofessional acts under the light of ‘unmanageable’. With no reinforcements and hands-on experience, the customer couldn’t get their license and this leads to a total wastage of money and time; which in comparison are more than any other driving school. It’s strange and ironic how the company responds to all the allegations and problems. “I am sorry we’ve not met your expectations thus far and would like to work with you to resolve your dissatisfaction.” that is what the Regional Manager of Top Driver had to say over this.

New Offices; No services

It came from a user of this company’s services that she had been waiting 4 months to date when she filed a report and complaint against them; exclaiming that she had never had a single behind-the-wheel experience with Top Driver Company. “They were happy to take my money without actually giving me the service they offered. Every time I go online to schedule a driving lesson for her they are completely booked.” That’s what Pam; a victim of these money-grabbers had to say over Top Driver Services. The funny side to it is that the period for the course was also about to end. The corrupted intention of this company is exploited to a greater extent when it comes to the knowledge of the consumer that the company has been able to move to the new office with bigger space and affordability with the money they have been paying to them which is consequently returned with ‘no provision of services.’ What they had on their plate was ‘to be happy to assist you with your scheduling frustration.’

Miss a class; miss your chance

In all the incidents discussed, this one was the most hilarious reason to make the fool out of their customers. A person who has been paying $300 to $400 for this course hasn’t had the autonomy to be elective for his schedules and times. It so happens at places that effortless compensation is provided to the customers if they face any unfortunate event which led them to miss their presence where required by the company officials. Yet it seems from their uncertain attitude that Top Driver Driving School gives away $300 to $400 to their students who are to be penalized if they miss any class. It is very deplorable to see that if any scheduled class is missed, it has to be covered in a make-up class; in the exact circumstances and in a different session which could take months to happen. This again is a criminal thought to lead the customer to a point where they have to give up their money contrary to the window they have been provided with. All we could hear from the customers is “Very frustrating experience.” Top Driver is undoubtedly a company that doesn’t deliver and is a rip-off.

Top Driver Review Conclusion

Their commitment to providing a top-class and premium experience here at Top Driver is a mere marketing stunt that has been practiced by the company for quite a while now. It is quite lamentable to have such companies in our environment that intend to leak out money from the pockets of the citizens under the name of ‘services industry.’ The importance of a license is of undoubted priority; with its legal procession which is made a joke by such companies. Under the disguise of miscalculations and mismanagements; the methods they undertake are of an utmost felony which needs to be identified by the people that live within its radius. Such blood-sucking convicts feed over the innocent and their revenues which need to be countered at the very moment; because corruption starts from this level and infects more that come under or over it. Top Driver has committed deceit with the people and it will be set answerable to these acts; because nature never accepts such deceit for a long period. It is a poison that will be intoxicated out very soon. Such people have no right to make up for the marketing system as we need to agree over the fact that the system needs to be customer-friendly as much as possible.