Glen Cove Auto School

Negative experience: Please don’t do any service with these people. I paid for 6 lessons and only took 5, the last one was supposed to be my road test. It took them two months to get me an appointment, then they got the time wrong, and I ended up going on my own. When I called asking nicely for a refund since I didn’t use their car, they asked, “And who are you?” that’s their idea of customer service?! Then, when I asked to speak with someone else, both people on the phone started yelling at me. This company is completely unprofessional. Don’t waste your time or money.

Negative experience: My sister barely took her first class and the instructor hit her on the arm and yelled mean things at her. His name is Oscar Ochoa. He thinks he is paying for the class. This is not free. I called to make a complaint and he came out saying that Only the steering wheel moved him to avoid an accident. I will not file complaints because I do not like problems, but I hope that no one else happens, we must raise our voices.

Fantastic experience: I just finished my driving lessons with Oscar and he very well exceeded my expectations with how clear, comfortable, and understandable my driving lessons with him were. I would highly recommend him!!

Positive experience: My instructor Mitch was just the nicest guy, and his demeanor while driving with me was exactly what I needed to build my confidence driving. I was hit by a car as a teen and was terribly nervous to get behind the wheel and potentially do the same to someone else. Mitch, bless his heart, was always patient, never insulting, and just seemed to understand what I was thinking before I even said it. Like, if I was hesitating to make a left turn because there was a parked vehicle beside the lane I was turning into, he would notice and reassure me that we would clear, and he could brake before it could become an issue. I have nothing bad to say about my experience with him as instructor and really credit him with the progress I have made. Yes, sometimes my lessons were scheduled quite a bit far out; I get the sense that this is a very popular driving school, esp. for high school students in the area. In my case, spread out scheduling wasn't too much of an issue since I was planning to take my road test about year from when I started lessons, but definitely keep your expectations in check if you're trying to take the test and pass ASAP. I do wish that the driving school had maybe an online system to request lessons & offer individual availability, for students who have already paid for their packages. That way, someone would be able to get in line for a lesson without having to call or wait until someone is in the office to pick up the phone. The number of times I have remembered I need to call the office to schedule more lessons after 5pm is truly a shame lol Overall, my experience, esp. with Mitch, was great—will update after my road test!

Fantastic experience: Mitch has been a fantastic driving instructor. It’s always a pleasure to go for a ride with him and I’ve learned a lot from his teaching. He is always calm and makes sure that I understand the rules of the road. The office staff is also extremely helpful when I need to setup a lesson. I also did my 5 hour driving course through this school, and what could’ve been a terrible experience, was great. Thank you to the school and Mitch! I highly recommend both.

Negative experience: Awful experience. The first instructor they gave my son was not at all reassuring, she made him nervous and would call my son’s phone cursing about roadwork in the area before lessons. Her name was Mary. Very unprofessional. We ended up rescheduling with an instructor that we liked (Mitch). However i paid for 10 lessons, and the instructor/car for his road test. Well, my son never got his last 2 lessons, he was not helped with the road test scheduling- for 3 mos. We were given nothing but excuses when Id call. We ended up doing it all on our own. They were not helpful at all and made the experience unpleasant and frustrating. Not to mention they take your money and dont make good on their end, and dont give you what you paid for. The 4 lessons with Mitch were the only good part. Dont waste your time and money at this place. What a rip-off!

Negative experience: The only reason I am giving this 2 stars and not 1 is because the lessons I did have did help me. However, I signed up for the 10 week course, let me tell you it took me 5 months to get through this AND I DIDN'T EVEN FINISH. The instructor cancelled on me multiple times (I could only do Saturdays) and when he did cancel on me I had to call the office to schedule another one, but they aren’t open on Saturdays so I had to wait until Monday. When I called on Mondays, many times they didn’t have another available slot for me until WEEKS later! How am I being penalized having to wait so long when HE cancelled on ME?? Then, a couple weeks ago it was finally time for my last lesson… of course the instructor cancelled on me last minute, I called to reschedule on Monday & they tell me they don’t have another available slot until A MONTH FROM THEN! Are you joking? what is going on here?? I just said forget it, booked my road test ON MY OWN for A WEEK LATER, and passed. Don’t waste your money and time here.

Negative experience: This school is a scam, for one they charge you $100 to take you to the road test, if you go on your own its free

Fantastic experience: I loved the treatment, Charlie (my instructor) did such an amazing job I couldn’t have done it without his help and attention, thank you so much.

Fantastic experience: Charlie is a great driver instructor.He is very patient and professional! I got 10 lesson package in the Auto school and 5 hour lesson. Thank you so much!

Fantastic experience: Im so glad I went to his place its close by and convenient. My driving instructor was Charlie and what he did for me will always be in my heart. Charlie is great person hes kind, caring, and gives you the feed back you need. If your doing something wrong he will tell you with love and joy. He help me pass in six lesson and Im tremendously generous. I highly recommend Charlie because he focuses on two things teaching you how drive properly and making sure you pass the road test. Without him and God my driver license would have not been possible. THANKS Charlie MUCH LOVE LEONARDO De Jesus.

Fantastic experience: I just passed my test today, and I couldn't have done it without Charlie and the Glen Cove Auto School. Charlie was my instructor and he helped instill the confidence I needed to be ready to drive. He also taught me a unique way to parallel park that was easy to learn, easy to do, and reliable. Thanks again to Charlie and the Glen Cove Auto School!

Positive experience: I give Mitch, my driving instructor 5 stars! He was very friendly, patient and clear in his instructions and teaching. I would recommend him anytime! I deducted a star because I had to follow up with the main office several times in order to pin down a date for my road test. Other than that, i was very pleased with my experience.

Fantastic experience: After taking 4 classes with this school, I received my license today! I had Irvin as an instructor + he was INCREDIBLY helpful + kind. He wrote tips down for me, gave great constructive feedback, and was positive about the whole experience. You could tell he really enjoyed seeing his students succeed. The school was also great about scheduling when I had to cancel/reschedule lessons + tests. They really helped accommodate me! No problems at all!

Fantastic experience: Great experiance. I was scared to start driving and Irvin made it easy and comfortable for me. Passed my road test on my 1st try in 3 minutes!

Fantastic experience: Irvin the Driving instructor was truly amazing and took the time out to teach me how to drive the correct manner he even went as far as to write me out a sheet to study the driving maneuvers this man Is one of the best he goes above and beyond for a student who is one of a kind and I learned a lot from th is one of the best goes above and beyond for a student is one of a kind and I learned a lot from him

Fantastic experience: It was really good. It was a little hard in the mornings, but it was worth it. I had a great driving instructor and there was no problems. I missed 2 lessons because of AP Exams, and he worked very well for me to make them up. No problems at all. Would recommend to anyone.

Negative experience: Crooks, they don't even deserve a star. They're not real driving teachers. One lady yelled at me for wide turning, "You're scaring me!!! Don't do that!!" My turns could have been better if she taught me properly. When I asked, "How do I make better turns?" another teacher replied, "Just turn the steering wheel." They never even taught me reverse, parallel parking, or the 3 point turn. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your money with them. They are scammers more than they are a "school."

Negative experience: I'm going to share my experience with this company so you can know what to expect doing business with them. I signed up for their '5 hour class' which you need to complete before NY will allow you to take the Driver's License road test. I don't have any serious complaints about this part. The instructor was a nice guy. The class location in glen cove however looked like it was abandoned since the 80's - broken chairs to sit in, half the lights not working, no A/C. There are also cheaper options in Nassau like PAL Driving school (my first choice, but Glen Cove was walking distance) At the end of the class, the instructor told us that the school offers services like a.) for $5, they'll register you for your driving exam. b.) for $135, they will provide you with an instructor and car to take you to the road test day of. About 2 weeks after my class, I call the school to inquire about packages a.) and b.). This is where things start going south. They ask me if I want to be signed up for a driving test. I say yes. They ask me if I want the $135 instructor + car package, I say I don't know, I will have to think about it. As of the end of this conversation, I am under the impression that neither I nor the driving school have committed to anything (I did not give them my credit card info to pay yet) Fast forward two weeks, one of my coworkers agrees that I can use his car for the test and he will drive me there. I then go to the NY DMV website to register for the driving test. I am surprised to find that when I enter my personal info, it says I cannot register, because I am already signed up for a test on October 20th. I think 'great! the driving school gave the $5 courtesy sign up they told me about in class.' I then tell my coworker and we clear the work absence with our boss. Fast forward weeks later to today: the driving school calls me and tells me that the instructor will pick me up next week for the test. I say, 'actually I wont be needing that package, I have someone to take me." Then they tell me: "OK we're going to cancel your driving test then" What follows is about 45min of back and forth on the phone but the gist is this: The company's policy is "I should have known" that the test date of October 20th that they signed me up for was only valid if I paid them $135 for the instructor + car package, and now since I choose not to take that package, they are going to cancel my test and give it to another customer. Needless to say I'm furious. The take-away for anyone who is curious about this business is this: 1.) They put nothing in writing, all arrangements you make with them are verbal and "their word against yours." 2.) The customer is always wrong Im filing a small claims suit against the company as their business practices are preventing me from obtaining a driver's license in a timely manner, which is going to negatively impact certain responsibilities I was supposed to take on at my job

Fantastic experience: Mitch from Glen Cove Auto School is fantastic. He is reliable, punctual, and personable. He takes the time to actually provide constructive feedback during his lessons. I don't think my son would have gotten his license without him!