Hampshire Driving School LLC

Positive experience: I’ve noticed a lot of the negative reviews for this place have been from years and years and years ago, so I just wanted to post one that’s far more recent as a student who is currently taking and finishing their classes here. I can’t speak on the negative reviews from years ago and everyone’s experience is different, I’d like to say the overall experience as a student here was one that I found enjoyable and honestly valuable. That’s not to say this school doesn’t have its short comings hence the 4 instead of 5 stars. I’ll start with some of the cons. The room is extremely small, almost cramped. You feel like a can of sardines in there when it’s a completely booked class, and it doesn’t help that you have to sit in the tiniest most uncomfortable chairs and that the classes are 2 hours. It is in a “rough” area and there’s a bar next to the school so depending on the time your classes are you just hear loud music, people singing. It’s slightly entertaining but it is a little annoying in the middle of a class. However that’s outside the schools control so there’s only so much anyone can do about it. I do find it a bit odd that you can only miss 2 classes before getting kicked out without a refund I think that’s unreasonable especially when some students have jobs and can’t always make it to a class. The cars you drive are serviceable but you can tell they’re old, one of the cars I was in literally had one of the door handles broken in half. Now for the pros, and in my opinion the pros far outweigh the cons. If you are serious about learning to drive, and you want to learn, this place will get you there. The information you learn here is genuinely useful, and applicable which is the most important. It helps a ton that my instructor would have me apply what we learned in class on the road. My instructor was very patient, very kind, very constructive, and he was funny. It helped made me feel comfortable. I KNEW he was giving me useful information so it allowed me to trust my instructor. I can’t speak on all instructors and some people simply get along with different instructors, but Mr. Eckman was amazing. I went from someone who was sweating bullets, at just the thought of getting behind the wheel, someone who had never driven before in my life, to feeling more confident in myself and believing in myself at the end of each lesson thanks to him. You WILL learn by taking these classes. There is homework but as long as you’re on top of it, it shouldn’t be a problem it takes 15-30 minutes max to complete when you get home and you can submit it through email for convenience. If you don’t do it my teacher was really lenient and forgiving on people who had even been missing week 1 homework when we were in week 4. Don’t take advantage of that though, do your homework. In general, it’s not the most glamorous school, you don’t get the most glamorous materials or hardware, but the information you learn is valuable, it’s applicable, the instructors are patient and care about the students, they’re humorous so even when a class feels super dull you can tell they make the effort to make it interesting, and you will come out of this a better driver I think if you’re willing to push through it. I hope this helped someone!

Negative experience: litter boxes and cigarette stench.. if you’re allergic to cats i wouldn’t recommend because there’s a cat that comes in from time to time. for the price of drivers ed, you would expect more. especially after paying a non refundable $800+ deposit..

Fantastic experience: Great place to get your license! Wonderful instructors who care about what you learn !

Negative experience: I went here last year for my drivers education and the place was an awful experience for me. The building is so small and the classroom inside is like a preschool. They have those types of desks that are connected with a chair and so me being a tall person, it was so cramped and uncomfortable to sit in for two hours. The instructors are terrible and one of them smelt like cigarettes while I was driving in the car. One day I had trouble pulling a handle in the car and the instructor just laughed at me for 2 minutes straight without helping me. During the time I was in my class, the person who teaches the class made an uncomfortable conversation about politics and race. There is also a stupid limit that we can't miss class more than 2 times or we get kicked out even though I paid $700 for it which is unbelievable. All of my friends at NHSN say its not that good and honestly I believe that.

Negative experience: I went here in the early 2000s for drivers Ed, and per the reviews it seems that a lot of the same nonsense I experienced back then is still going on. A lot of the driving instructors were rude, disrespectful and obnoxious, and a number of them discussed how they had previously lost their drivers licenses for various reasons and/or were recovering alcoholics - not exactly the kind of people you want teaching kids, never mind doing in-car driving instruction. The “classroom” is dirty and run down. When I went there, there was some sort of dance club next door that was always blaring its music throughout the classes, which made everything even less pleasant. The cars we drove for instruction were all at least 10-15 years old, and not in the greatest condition. There were all sorts of extra fees and charges for every single little thing. They made it hard to schedule driving time, and god forbid you miss any of the driving hours because of scheduling conflicts etc. They get away with all of this because there’s not much other competition in town…but I would stay far away if I could.

Fantastic experience: I really enjoyed it. It’s drivers Ed it’s not interesting! But the teachers make it so worth it. They are patient and willing to work with you, and also pretty funny to. I’ve seen a lot of people downing on this place and I know every person and experience is different but for what I experienced it was pretty enjoyable.

Negative experience: After being on a wait list for months, my son got a spot at Hampshire. The deposit was paid in July for a January class. 2 weeks before the class I emailed to make sure he was in fact in the class because there had been zero communication. The woman who abruptly emailed me said "you will get email". 6 days before the scheduled start date they emailed to let me know that the class had been rescheduled to April due to lack of staff. When I told them my son couldn't do April, due to a school trip, they didn't care or provide any solution. I told them I needed my money back, it's 2 weeks later and I've yet to receive a refund. They never answer the phone (and the one time they did, the woman sounded like she had been chain smoking cigarettes all day and i was the one interrupring her). They respond in very short, unprofessional emails that dont even answer your question. I highly recommend staying far away.

Fantastic experience: I've been doing business with this s hool for over 10 years. Everyone is so friendly and the office Staff are very helpful.

Negative experience: I have never dealt with a company as unprofessional, unorganized, and rude in my life. The driving instructor is allowed to be unethical and extort money from families because “she” gives you the driving certificate at the end of the lesson. You are not allowed to voice concerns to her or she will keep your child from being allowed to complete his/her hours. Absolutely awful!! I would give a zero star if it allowed it. In response to the owners comment. I called the office to voice my concern, I was supposed to get a call from the owner and never did. Glad I get a response now when I submit a review. There was a miscommunication of time for the driving hour between the teacher and my son. It was not a no show. She canceled a driving hour 2 hours before the lesson....there is supposed to be a $40 fee for students who cancel less than 3 hours before, where is my refund? The only reason these people get away with what they are doing is because you are required to have drivers Ed by the state. This is definitely creating a major conflict of interest and allowing unaccountability by the driving companies. I will be contacting BBB and the attorney general’s office.

Negative experience: Lack of professionalism across the board. Poor, poor communication. Argumentative staff. Lack of organization. In a virtual format, instructors routinely held class for 30-60 over the allotted time. Emails and texts go into a black hole. I think part of their problem in general is they are stuck doing business in a decade gone past. Nothing is digital. Signing up for drive time is a big deal and that is done on paper. Documents, manuals, notices...all paper. If you call with a question, assuming someone answers the phone, if they do not have the piece of paper where things are written down, they can’t answer the question. And then they won’t call you back. All analog. More than five times, they called me when trying to reach my son or vice versa. When corrected, they never recorded it. So the next time they called there was no telling who they were call. Just unorganized. Online payments are ancient. Once again, lack of organization shines through. You call because there is an issue, and no one answers or has the piece of paper where they wrote down the online payment made through their backwards and dated system. If you have a child with special needs that may need accommodations, run. Run away. They are clueless. Compounded by again...communication and organization issues. They are not cheap. And they are not worth it. Find another school.

Fantastic experience: Teachers are funny and relatable. The classes aren't boring which makes learning to drive fun. The school may not be in the best physical condition but the experience makes up for it.

Fantastic experience: I’m hungry

Fantastic experience: Thank you Hampshire. My wife passed the first time taking her test. We appreciate all your help!

Positive experience: Attended classes here from Jan - March 2005. They gave me an insurance discount and I passed both the written and driving tests with a perfect score. I still remember some of the stuff I learned here. Maybe things have changed in the last 14 years, lol, but overall this place isn't bad for what they offer.

Negative experience: If you love your kids DO NOT let them learn to drive from these people. They only want your money and arrogantly said so right to my face. They take frequent cigarette breaks during class and tell your kid that high school is a waste of time. There is a supply and demand problem with Driver's Ed in this area and that is the only reason this place is still in business.

Negative experience: Will not bring my other kids. They had too many students vs teachers. Driving hours were booked out over 3 weeks. My son finished the classes over a month ago and they cancelled 3 driving hours within a little over a week. I now need to call to set up his driving hours since he is done the classes... but no one calls you back!!! I have also called to ask to speak to who is in charge and they obviously don’t care because they didn’t call me back either. My son finished school on 9/5 and he still has 6 driving hours he needs to do in mid October and we can’t even get in touch with them to schedule them. They definitely don’t seem to care about their students.

Negative experience: Absolute terrible experience. Cancelled my daughter's driving hour 4 times (twice when I had dropped her off). Had to pay $50 for missing 2 classes due to family vacation (which we told them before she even signed up). We give them the $50 check and then they say they need cash the night she is waiting for her certificate. Overbooked and took them over a month AFTER my daughter finished the classes for them to find time for her to finish her driving hours. DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE!

Fantastic experience: Hampshire Driving School is the only driving school in the state to be a Three-Time Winner of the Amvet Trophy, for the title of "New Hampshire's Safest Teenage Driver." Hampshire Driving School has been in business for 45 years. The school uses the required "New Hampshire Driver Education Curriculum Guide" for the core of its course instruction.

Negative experience: I strongly DONT recommend Hampshire driving school to anyone !! This driving school is a complete joke, its too expensive for no reason, the class room is trashy, the video lessons are old and trash, the teachers are all unprofessional. The whole driving school is unprofessional. Don’t waste your money here

Negative experience: Caveat---this review reflects my experience as a pupil in '08 or so. Claiming that this school is overall awful would be quite an understatement, but at least there were a few very nice and helpful driving instructors.

Negative experience: Quite possibly the worst group of people I've had to interact with. Every time I would be trying to access my rental space, which required me to walk through their hallway, the instructors would be chain smoking directly outside the door...with the door propped wide open...in the dead of winter! Just a really sketchy vibe all around with some of the characters coming in and out of that place. I'd keep my distance...

Fantastic experience: Thank you HDS for helping me get my license. It was a lot of work but i learned a lot. Great insturctors, helped me a alot.