I am an experienced driver with a valid American driver’s license but due to U.K. law I have to take a driving test in this country to obtain a valid UK driver’s license. I called Chris Kelly Driving School to purchase a course suited to my needs. I was advised by staff that a 15 lesson course should be sufficient to pass my driving test. My instructor was selected for me. Unfortunately my lessons had many issues. The times I could book my lessons were restricted by my instructor making scheduling lessons difficult. My instructor was late for every lesson and didn’t always make up for the lost lesson time. My instructor cancelled advanced bookings to prioritize the other students. Although I never booked double lessons my instructor would tell me on the day of the lesson that it was a double booking at the last minute creating more inconvenience to me, and forced my hand in using the time I didn’t plan for because “single lessons are pointless, it’s not sufficient time to learn”, despite it starting on my receipt that I purchased 15 single lessons. The instruction was poor; I had minimal criticisms to improve my driving and I was not sufficiently taught crucial test material. Before I had even completed the original 15 lessons, I was told I would need another 15+ lessons before I could take my test, despite my goal being clear from the start. Because I had not yet taken 6 of my lessons this suggested I would need another 21 lessons, which I see as over the top to suggest as I am an experienced driver and had no major negative criticisms of my driving thus far. I wrote a detailed complaint via email stating the above. I expressed that I didn’t feel it represented the company’s values and that I feel entitled to a refund or compensation for the time wasted and a new instructor to start fresh with that is capable of adhering to the company standards and achieving my goal. None of my complaints were truly addressed and I was told via email “we would suggest you cancel your lessons and pick another school and we don’t give refunds to students who take the lessons then say they are unhappy with their instructor!” This came as a shock to me. I called to confirm this and inquire about the 6 lessons I haven’t yet taken. I was further disrespected and I was told to get in contact with my instructor about refunding the 6 remaining lessons and was refused a refund on anything else despite it being a very bad experience. My instructor then tried to charge me more per lesson instead of the discounted amount I paid for the block booking, I had to negotiate this and after more struggle finally got refunded the correct amount for the 6 remaining lessons I had yet to take (£138). Despite my complaint and all the issues I had, out of the £345 I paid, they kept £207 (for 9 lessons, 4 doubles I was forced to take and 1 single). As a customer I felt exploited, undervalued and that my time and money were wasted. This company has very poor customer service. I would not recommend this driving school to anyone! Edit As response to the Owner (4/04/18): I was not refunded the full amount I had paid for all the lessons, I did however state in my review the amount I was refunded for the lessons I did not take as well as detailed out the struggle I had to get that amount refunded, this was obviously overlooked. I have a receipt written out by my instructor stating that I was signed up for single lessons and taking double lessons only was not explained to me via my assessment and your website advertises for single lessons as well as double lessons and speaks about being flexible for all students. The first response to the Issues I raises was an email stating I would not be refunded or given another instructor which is also stated in my review, and none of my Issues were formally addressed in the email or later on, I was told to seek another driving school and cancel my lessons. Your response here does not address my concerns either and is just a continuation of poor customer service, as the review I left was accurate to my experience. Read Less

Would highly recommend my instructor Adrian at Chris Kelly Driving school! After a crash when I was younger I was put off learning to drive & left it an extra 17yrs. I was so nervous switching to the drivers seat but Adrian really calmed my nerves & I actually looked forward to each lesson! I passed today 1st time & am so thankful to Adrian for his belief in me, he really helped my confidence. His useful tips & the Chris Kelly videos were a great help too! Thanks again Adrian! Read Less

Firstly  I would like to say a massive thank you  to Alan aka. The best driving instructor in the world. I was emailing and ringing as many places as possible because I was desperate to learn how to drive, and oh how luck I was that Chris Kelly got back intouch with me promptly.  My driving instructor Alan was amazing so patient and understanding for the more nervous drivers out there such as myself. Alan does double lessons which are an amazing idea. I personally  recommend doing 2 a week because it sinks in and you also get the pleasure of Alan's company. When I first got behind the wheel i genuinly never ever thought I'd be where i am today which is sat writing this review with a FIRST TIME PASS! I cannot recommend this company more and most of all my amazing instructor who is without a doubt one of the best teachers and friends I've ever made. Thank you so so much ❤❤❤❤💪💪💪🚗🚗🚗🍾🍾 Read Less

I would definitely recommend chris kelly driving school, i passed first time started my lessons in march and passed in june i would highly recommend Linzi Johnson she is amazing she made me feel relaxed, calm and she believed in me and had a lot of patience with me, just like to say a big thank you to Linzi still can't believe it xxl Read Less

Passed with Phil Gray today with only 5 minors, had 2 different instructors in the past can definitely notice the difference in quality after just 15 lessons with Phil. Extremely calm and knowledgeable and a nice person to be in the car with 👍 Good luck in retaining that gold Chris Kelly sign lad I'm sure you will 👍 Read Less

Thank you to Chris Kelly Driving School for helping me passing my test, but all credit goes to my instructor Pete. He’s a brilliant instructor with patience.I was a complete beginner on driving, never touched steering before. I am able to get my license due to his amazing teaching techniques.He is also very flexible with his timings and always tries to work around your timetable . I would definitely recommend him to anyone who is learning to drive or who needs more practice in their driving or who don't have confidence or they think they can never drive. Read Less

I honestly could not recommend Dave Duke & Chris Kelly Driving School enough. I had spent over a year with Ashley Neal and learnt nothing, whilst failing 2 tests along the way. After just 10 hours with Dave I passed thanks to Dave's friendly and professional attitude and his in depth knowledge of driving. Dave's tuition massively helped my driving, confidence and abilities when learning, which I desperately needed. Thanks a lot to Dave and Chris Kelly, I couldn't recommend you enough. Read Less