Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went to Safepass driving school last May. I was not able to complete behind the wheel training because I needed 8 hours of driving lessons with my parent. My car had mechanical issues that could not be fixed prior to me leaving for the Army. Safepass is refusing to give back the money or teach me how to drive. This agency does not support veterans and not willing to fix the problem. They want me to pay another $410. Please advise?

  Business response

  04/24/2023

  This is the second time this complaint has been filed. Initially, this complain was filed by the student's mother. We have replied thoroughly to her complaint and will respond to this one with the same details. Our next step will be to contact legal counsel.

   

  ***ORIGINALLY SENT ON 8/8/2022***
  
  Hi ****!
  
  Thank you so much for your message! I was able to follow up with Instructor Amanda about her conversation with you concerning getting your 10 hours behind the wheel on the road (which all of our students are required to have before their first lesson) so that you could schedule and continue your lessons with her. My understanding is that she did not hear back from you about that, which is why your remaining time behind the wheel had not been scheduled.
  
  According to the State of Ohio and as stated on your training agreement, students have 6 months in which to complete the entire driver education course. Next spring is beyond that 6 month time limit for the course that you began in April of this year. Your 6 months expires on 10/4/2022.
  
  If you would like to begin the driver education program again next spring, we would be happy to get you all set!
  
  If you have any questions, please respond to this email. We’re happy to help clarify in any way we can as you continue to work toward your goal of attaining a license.
  
  Thank you!
  
  Rob

   

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  Reply from the student, sent to Safe Pass on 4/5/2023

   

  Hi, this is **** ******** from a few months ago. I'm currently getting hours on the road with other driving instructors, and I should have 8 hours by the end of April. Would you guys be available at the beginning of May 1? 

   

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  Reply to the student, sent on 4/5/2023

   

  Hi ****,
  
  
  Thank you for you message! Please refer to our email to you from 8/2/2022, which we will resend to you. The six months in which you were required to complete your driver education program expired on 10/4/2022. If you would like to continue driver education with Safe Pass, you will have to begin the program from the start.
  
  The link to register is ****************************************************************
  
  We are still accepting students for our May classes if you’d like to join us.
  
  If you have any other questions, please let us know. We’re happy to help!
  
  Have a safe day!

   

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  Email from student's mother, who submitted the first complaint to the BBB, sent to SP on 4/7/2023

   

  To: Safe Pass,
  
  **** was not able to schedule driving lessons in June or July because he needed eight hours of behind the wheel training with someone else. 
  
  It was difficult in that short amount of time to find someone who could practice with him due to the car unexpectedly having mechanical issues, and the car wasn't able to get fixed in time before he went to the Army for basic training. 
  
  He tried reaching out to other people but they had busy schedules, so we would very much appreciate if you could give **** an exception.
  
  Thank you for your consideration.

   

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  Reply to student's mother, sent on 4/11/2023

  Good morning!
  
  Thank you for your message. This is a continuation of the conversation that we had through text message with you on 4/7/2023 regarding ****’s driver education journey with Safe Pass.
  
  **** began his driver education course with Safe Pass on 4/4/2022. As explained on the registration page for the course his registered for, on the training agreement for the course he registered for, in the email reminders we sent, in class, and as explained specifically to **** after he shared with us his intention to leave for boot camp (see attached messages), students are required to complete the entire teen driver education course within 180 days. All the students in our April 2022 cohort, including ****, had until 10/1/2022 to complete their course. We trust that when students register for their courses, they and their families are telling us that they are able to make the course requirements — including the 50 hours behind the wheel with a parent/guardian/custodian that the State of Ohio requires — a priority among the other demands in their lives. If that appears to not be the case, we actively encourage students and their families to consider registering for the course at a time where it can be that priority.
  
  To our knowledge, **** was in Ohio and communicating with us until at least 8/8/2022, 126 days after the start of the April 2022 teen driver education course. Most of our teens complete their courses within approximately 90 days or fewer.
  
  While **** did have his first behind the wheel lesson with Instructor Amanda on 6/1/2022, it was clear to Instructor Amanda in that lesson that **** did not have the 10 hours of behind the wheel on the road experience that all of our teens are required to have before their first behind the wheel lesson. **** was instructed to reach back out to Instructor Amanda to schedule his remaining lessons once he had attained that experience. The next communication that we received from **** was on 8/4/2022 (see attached message). We replied to that message with a reminder that **** had up to October 2022 to complete the course that he had begun and that, if he so desired, he would be able to begin the course again in spring 2023 when he returned. We received no reply to this message.
  
  When we consider whether or not an extension can be offered to a student, we look to the student and their family to share any extenuating circumstances that might have prevented the student from completing the course within the 180 day time period in which the Ohio Department of Public Safety requires that the course be completed. Extenuating circumstances usually include long-term situations regarding the student’s health or that of a family member or another unavoidable long-term emergency situation. While what you were able to share with us about finding someone to practice with **** and the car having mechanical issues are undoubtedly challenges, they do not rise to the level of an extenuating circumstance that we would be able to defend to the Department of Public Safety and, in turn, offer **** an extension beyond the at least 126 days that he was both in Ohio and available to complete the teen driver education course for which he registered.
  
  As mentioned in our message to **** on 8/8/2022, we would be happy to welcome **** back to Safe Pass to begin the teen driver education course again. We do still have seats available in our May cohort. CLICK HERE to register.
  
  If you or **** have any other questions or concerns, we are happy to address them. We want to do what we can to support ****’s development as a safe driver and in his journey through teen driver education.
  
  Thank you so much for taking the time to discuss this with us. Have a safe day!

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  Conversation continued with the student's mother, until his mother decided to end the conversation and begin posting reviews on websites, the most lengthy one being on NextDoor, attempting to discredit Safe Pass as s driving school, accusing Safe Pass with no evidence of not supporting veterans and of planting friends and family members to comment on her posts. Please see attached screenshot for a portion of this conversation.

   

  We have thoroughly responded to this particular complaint and have expressed our continued desire to assist the student in beginning again with driver education. Considering the potential libel issues concerning what this student's parent has posted about Safe Pass on social media and the continued complaints, we are unsure as to how that can continue.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩