In the fourth year of analysis we have a new leader of the driving school anti-TOP! Taking into account the main evaluation criterion — manipulation of the price of theory training — Driving school Gross deservedly received this rating.
Gross continues to follow its well-worn path:
- In 2015 it was a permanent discount on theory training.
- In 2016 promotions were deleted after they ended, attempting to create the illusion that the new offer must be taken while it is still available.
- In the 2017 contract analysis we discovered that students were bound to the driving school, not allowing them to freely choose practical training with instructors from other schools, even though students have the legal right to this freedom of choice. Any deviation from the contract terms was punished disproportionately.
Also in 2018 prices continue to be manipulated daily — special training prices, discounts, and low-priced driving lessons (20 EUR per lesson) are constantly offered. You can see this in more detail in our screenshot gallery. After four years of monitoring we can confidently say that Driving school Gross has taken a consistent position in its attitude toward consumers, continuing to rely on its name recognition without much concern for quality or fairness in its operations.
Driving school Mustangs continues to operate in the same way as before. No measures have been taken to improve its reputation, even though its negative reputation continues to grow.
The only reason the school has taken 2nd place in this year’s ranking (therefore a better position) is its YouTube channel “Mustangs TV”, where the school publishes various educational videos about driving.
We still receive the largest number of complaints about this school. Several entries on Sudzibas.lv in 2018 specifically mention fraud. The usual marketing tricks remain the same — gift cards, free lessons, and “better prices”. In short, everything we already described in the 2017 anti-TOP.
Driving school Krustojumi.lv caught our attention with its promotions where theory training was offered for euro cents (essentially for free). Such a marketing approach is a mockery of the driver training industry and distorts the market of the sector. As we have emphasized several times, free training does not lead to anything good — the lost revenue is compensated at the expense of instructors, while instructors compensate for it by increasing the number of driving lessons.
The CSDD statistics of Krustojumi are mixed. Its theoretical training is at a fairly good level, with an average of 90% of students passing the exam on the first attempt. However, practical training is below the industry average, with only about 38% of students passing the driving exam on the first attempt. This means that compared with the results of the best driving schools, a Krustojumi.lv student has about a 20% higher chance that the CSDD driving exam will need to be retaken (which means additional expenses).
Driving school Draugu autoskola has come to our attention due to its CSDD statistical data. Over a six-month period, fewer than 75% of the school’s students passed the theoretical driver qualification exam on their first attempt. These results are not just an average coefficient but consistently low statistics. Such critical indicators are close to the threshold where the license issued by CSDD may be revoked. We recommend that the school evaluate its operations and direction.
Driving school Venta has entered the anti-TOP due to its blatant misinformation. In order to attract new students, it advertises that 99% of its students pass the theory exam on the first attempt — even industry leaders have not achieved such results. These advertisements appeared both on the school’s website and in its Google ads. In reality, the average result is about 92%, which anyone can verify in the CSDD statistical data. Such misleading practices indicate dishonest intentions, therefore we advise potential students to be especially cautious about other hidden issues if they begin training at Venta.
