Avon Driving School

Fantastic experience: My daughter recently completed her driver ed program through ADS and passed her driving test. I am so grateful to Angela and Pete for their patience and kindness. My daughter has extreme anxiety, especially with strangers, and these amazing people just rolled with it. Angela was super understanding and helpful when we had to cancel and reschedule some lessons, and she worked with me to make sure my daughter had the same instructor for each lesson. Pete, her driving instructor, was extremely patient and gentle, and always showed up with a smile, even when my daughter wouldn’t say a word. He worked around my daughter’s needs and allowed her take the lessons slowly so she could get comfortable and focus on learning. By the time she went to take her test she was very confident and passed on the first try. What a great company they have been to work with. I’ll be signing my son up for their courses next year. Thank you ADS!

Negative experience: I just need to start by saying that the driving instructor that we had through this school was incredible. The owner of the business on the other hand is the most unprofessional woman I have ever dealt with. If I could give zero Stars I would and I will be contacting the BBB in regards to her unprofessionalism. She contacted me via text 3 days before my son's license test to tell us that we had not yet paid and that she does not keep records of payment that that is up to the parents to take care of keeping any records of payment made which would have been back to almost 6 months prior. And then on the day of his license test even though her website says pay check or venmo, and let me tell you that she likes to refer to her website as the base of all the information for her business and ways of payment but when my wife shows up with my son to take his license test she then demands cash in hand without even a heads up that she would like to be paid in cash. This woman is rude and I am not the only one apparently judging by other reviews that she has been rude to. I would highly suggest you look elsewhere for your children's Driving School. There is so much more that I can leave in this review but I'm done putting my time and energy into this person. Once again I encourage you to look elsewhere for your driving class needs

Negative experience: My Son's last class that he needed for his license test next week was today. We had car trouble, called, texted, emailed to ask for the zoom video, and were told too bad. She couldn't possibly accommodate him even though we pay 800 bucks and called her with this one emergency. Would definitely not recommend this program.

Fantastic experience: I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Angela and her team for their exceptional service. Angela was incredibly accommodating, taking into consideration our family's busy schedules to ensure that my son successfully obtained his driver's license in the most comfortable manner. Her dedication and personalized approach were instrumental in my son's success. I highly recommend her services. 10/10!

Fantastic experience: I have had four kids who completed the full drivers education course as well as the driving portion. Not only is the owner amazing but she is responsive and puts the kids in her program first. She goes above and beyond and has shown me that time and time again. She makes the kids want to learn and understanding all that goes with driving. I would highly recommend Angela and her team 100 percent!!!!!

Fantastic experience: Our experience with ADS was great! Our son passed his driver's test first time and I feel very safe with his ability to handle an automobile. ADS is a Farmington Valley tradition for good reason. Many thanks to Angela and ADS.

Fantastic experience: An absolute five star service. Kudos to the Angela and the ADS team. My daughter enrolled for the entire program and she got her license in first shot. Their patience and grit in teaching kids to drive (and survive the experience) is nothing short of heroic. I’m sure it’s not easy, but they made it look effortless.

Negative experience: Please choose a different school...

Negative experience: I attended Avon Driving School last year and wanted to share my experience, after hearing many others had the same experience as me. My classes were all conducted online, with instructors either Angela or Kathy. Angela, in particular, was exceptionally rude. While I’ve had challenging high school teachers before, her behavior was far worse. I was genuinely excited to begin driving and learning at Avon Driving School, but Angela’s constant criticism and humiliation quickly dampened my enthusiasm. During live calls with over 20 students, Angela would pick on specific students and act like a bully. One particularly embarrassing incident occurred during a live call where she publicly humiliated me for answering a question incorrectly. She called on me to explain backing out of a driveway, and I provided my honest response, which she deemed incorrect. In front of the entire class, she belittled me, implying that I had cheated and looked up answers online, which was not the case. The humiliation was so intense that I started crying. The fear of asking questions or answering them became overwhelming because I didn’t know if Angela would be mean or condescending. The learning environment was challenging and discouraging. The classes were also extremely unengaging. We would watch outdated drivers’ education videos, and then she would make us take quizzes on them at the end of each class. It was rare for her to actually teach the material. Her unprofessionalism is evident in her responses to negative reviews. Instead of attempting to understand the negative experiences of her students, she responds with snarky comments. Go ahead and read some of them, definitely gave me a good laugh. I deeply regret that my parents invested so much money in this class. I wish I had chosen a different driving school.

Negative experience: I was crossing the street at Northwest Park with my children and one of the student driver cars with a student and an instructor inside almost ran me over instead of stopping to let me and my children cross the street.

Positive experience: Ms. Tanisha Sanchez deserves all recognition for helping me, as a student driver, pass my road test!!! She definitely calmed my nerves when I was driving and was extremely down-to-earth. I was nervous to have an instructor that might belittle or make me feel inferior when driving, but she was one, if not the BEST instructors I’ve had through this program (thank god I had her 3 out of the 4 lessons). Thank you Tanisha!!!!

Negative experience: Terribly unprofessional and speaks to people like they're less than dirt. Would never recommend these people UPDATE: Idk who Jessica is but it's clear I'm not the only person who has the same views. Review other 1 stars for reference

Fantastic experience: The best!

Fantastic experience: 100% send your kid to Angela at Avon Driving School. I went there years ago while I was getting my license, her and her team got me fully prepared to ace the test and be a safe driver. They do a wonderful job helping the kids actually absorb the information rather than put it in one ear and out the other.

Fantastic experience: Having four kids, going through this milestone with Angela time and time again, I couldn't have asked for a better school! As a small business owner, I understand when employees can damage your reputation. If Angela knows, she will do right by you and go above and beyond to fix it. I also understand when people are angry their quick to leave a horrible review, without really analyzing why….all people need to do is communicate in a civilized way instead of getting aggravated over rescheduling and it not working in your favor. If thats the worst of your problems maybe its a you problem. Ive dealt directly with Angela through covid and the DMV being severely backed up which is not of her doing and she honestly did the best she can. All of kids loved her and would go through this school again but I recommend people need to chill

Negative experience: horrible experience. almost all of my lessons were rescheduled without asking our availibility, and they never contacted us to tell us about these changes, leaving me confused and stranded at the school. in one lesson, i spent upwards of 45 minutes parked on the side of the road so that the instructor could talk on the phone. in another lesson, i was left to drive down rt.44 with no instructor because she was texting. instructors will grab your wheel and slam your brakes when you are actively using those tools because they have no faith that you can stop a car goimg 5mph in an empty lot. instructors will tell your child to pull into the gas station so they can buy a drink for the lesson. i've had my own drink snatched out of my hand because "you won't need it on the road". i can put my own cup down! we also had to argue about how much money we owed because communication seems so poor in this business that they just assumed we owed them an extra $150 - no idea what for!

Negative experience: Please stay away from this driving school. The instructor distracts the students, and yells. They are not special needs accommodating either.. Horrible experience.. Please take your business somewhere else.

Negative experience: Badly backed up. Poor response to calls. Rude. Can’t keep track of payments. I had to text proof of my payment. General incompetence. Every kid says classes are boring. Update: Luckily my review has caused Angela to discontinue my kid’s enrollment. She doesn’t give refunds but her pettiness moves mountains. Please read other one star reviews and notice her lack of accountability. Bets on her ability to return my payment timely?

Fantastic experience: All of my family has learned from Avon Driving School and none of us were disappointed. Angela might seem harsh but this is a driving school, rather beat road safety into you than think it's a joke and not learn. All the staff are really nice and informative, easy scheduling, and an overall fantastic time. Can get your license test done here directly which is very convenient.

Fantastic experience: This review is from the perspective of a 16 year old student who completed the 30 hours of classroom training, 8 hours of driving with an instructor, and did the license test here as well. It seems like most of the reviews are from parents so I figured I'd offer my opinion. In June 2020, I completed the 30 hours of classroom training over Zoom. I'm so glad they offered this as it would have been next to impossible to have in-person sessions due to the ongoing pandemic. I give them an 8/10, and the first few lessons helped me pass the permit test. It took until October to complete the 8 hours of driving lessons, but because of the extreme delays with the shutdown it is understandable. Don was my instructor, and he was very kind, informative, and professional. Unlike most students, I drove over 5000 miles before I got my license, so I already had a lot of real-world driving experience. Don clarified a few things for me and helped me improve my driving skills. I recommend getting as much general practice in as possible before doing the lessons so the instructors can focus on more specific skills. 10/10. I initially decided I wanted to take my driving test at the DMV so I would be able to use my own car. That was a huge mistake. The DMV was unprofessional and rude, and the instructor tried to make things up just to fail me. (Seriously) ADS was the complete opposite of the DMV. They were very kind, helpful, and they were able to schedule a test for me over a month before the DMV could. The instructor doing the tests was very kind, gave great instructions, and actually wanted me to pass. I don't know why anybody would go to the DMV. 10/10.

Fantastic experience: I am 29 years old and I utilized Angela for drivers ed in High School. The year was either 2008 or 2009. It is 2020, I decided to look her up and see she is still in Business. Great job Angela. I hope all is well. I am up taking a trip down memory lane as my son sleeps. I went back to the Bronx before getting my license. Angela allowed me to come back to CT, stay at her house and test the next day. Provided me with breakfast and was just all around kind. Things you think about as an adult, that you know people do not have to do. I see a few 1 star reviews on here. I say let cooler heads prevail, then reproach Angela. No she didn't ask me to write this review. Thats how you know its real!

Fantastic experience: I must say today I passed my road test and that was the greatest thank u Avon driving school am very pleased and excited

Negative experience: I made an appointment a month ago for the 9am session on July 9th. I talked to ADS today (July 8th) and they claimed I didn’t register and that there were no spots available. They are liars. I have the confirmation email, I even told them I have a confirmation but they didn’t care. Horrible company and horrible customer service.

Fantastic experience: My daughter went through ADS four years ago and we had a fantastic experience. My youngest will be 16 in June and we have already contacted Angela to enroll her. I found Angela to be caring and thorough, with her sole purpose to put safe and prepared drivers on the road. Bottom line is I trust her with my girls.

Negative experience: Angela is extremely unprofessional not only to myself but to my 16 year old child. I do not recommend spending any of your time or money at this establishment unless you want to be insulted. I agree wholeheartedly with the negative reviews that I have read because I was also treated the same way. Go anywhere but Avon Driving School.

Fantastic experience: Both of my kids ( 6 years apart) went to Avon Driving School. My kids loved and trusted their teachers. Angela is a really caring person. My kids were in good hands and thanks to Angela and staff, they are very safe drivers. I am so glad Avon Driving School continues to train kids to drive safely.

Fantastic experience: My daughters just got their license through ADS’s program, and it was such a pleasant experience! Angela and her staff are professional and friendly. In addition, the classes and driving schedule offered are quite flexible. Training was second to none exceeding state requirements. In summary, ADS not only offers stellar training, but also generous discounts (i.e., sibling and military).

Fantastic experience: My oldest daughter used ADS for classroom and driving lessons in 2013. Angela was always very nice, informative and professional. It's time to enroll my 16 year old and I wouldn't trust anyone else to teach my kids to drive!

Fantastic experience: Angela and her team were both attentive and nurturing to three of my children which have all taken and successfully passed your driving test . Patient and professional to adjectives I would use to describe Avon driving school.

Negative experience: Regsitered my son for this driver's shool. The classroom sessions went fine with a couple minor issues. I scheduled driving sessions and the road test over the phone with Angela in April 2014. I was told that the driver's test would be on Friday July 25 and that license pick up would be July 29th. At that time I was told the driver's test would be in the morning with an exact time assigned. This week I discovered that Angela did not put my son on the driver test schedule. Angela was asked to correct this as this was her error. Angela offer an Aug date ( which fell during our family vacation). I told Agenla that she should honor the July date as the error was her's not mine. Angela then hung up on me. After discussing the problem with my family we decided to reorganize our vacation and return to Simsbury for one day so that my son could take the driver's test on the Aug date offered. I caledl the driver's school ( a few hours after the call with Angela) to setup the driver's test for a second time. I was told by the person that answered the phone that the next available driver's appointment is in Oct..I left a message for Angela to call me back and followed with an email. Agela has not called or email me. This unprofessional awful behavior from a business owner is the reason for my poor rating. There were signs that this business owner was disorganized, litlle issues which included scheduling the parent class, a change in a driver's time schedule with limited notice. I should have required a written confirmation of all appointments including the driver's test when I made these appointment way back in April. I cannot recommend this business at all, if you are reading this review and choose to use this business get everything you schedule in writting!