A-L&L Driving Academy

I waited for months until my anger went away just to comment fairly. Do not waste your money, they will let you drive just so you can pick up the next person. The schedule is horrible because by the time your next appointment comes chances are you’ll probably forget everything (this happend to me)
I tried most driving schools in the boston area, i was hoping this would different because its Expensive compare to others. These schools are a scam. I paid 459.00 for full lessons then they scheduled my 1^st test which i failed so i paid 459.00 I failed Again. They took me to the Cambridge location both times. the guy testing me was Mean and Dismissive, he was the same guy for both tests, he failed me although i did fine. After all that they never contacted me. If you dont have a car, Ask a friend or pay a friend instead atleast your friend cares. I AM SO Crushed, these schools killed my excitement for driving.

I’m sure their driving school is great, judging by all the positive responses from other people. I just wish I could get through to them! Of the 12 times I’ve called them, all within hours that they SHOULD be open, I’ve gotten through to a person once. I tried to inquire about how much drivers ed would cost (information that most driving schools put on the website) because it’s a convenient location for me to get to from school, but the one time I tried to ask that simple question, whoever answered my call (I didn’t get a name. Usually good businesses say hello and give their name when someone picks up!) complained that it was too noisy in my background and told me to call back, before hanging up quickly. I called back 20 minutes later when it was much quieter, no one picked up. Apparently they were open on Monday, even though I called MULTIPLE times throughout the day. A good business includes good desk services, something I don’t believe A-​L& L Driving Academy has, in my experience!

I would give zero stars if I could. Don’t even waste your money! Your «lesson» will be to pick up his next client and drop yourself back home. Not only that, my lesson was $ 43, I gave him $ 60 and he gave me back $ 12. Keeping $ 5 tip for himself without asking for saying a word.

I purchased the driving package of 9 driving lessons and a road test. Bu the time, it was the 5^th class I still did not know how to parallel park and do a 360 turn thanks to the Al&L Driving Academy.
When I called to complain about it the manager started arguing with me over the phone.
Worst customer service. Would never recommend this school to anyone.

I passed my test from A-​L & L that was a year ago.

I passed my road test today, and i couldn’t have done it without this driving school.

I have passed my road test today! Without A-​L and my instructor Greg, it won’t happen. I really want to thanks them! As other people saying here, they are very professional, pickup you on time, help you booking driving test quickly, etc. I have failed 12 times in UK, and got my UK driving license on my 13^th. So didn’t really expect to pass the US road test on my first time. I have booked 10 lessons package, and Greg taught me to be a better driver during those lessons, so I have much more confident for the test. They are very good, and worth every penny I paid for. Highly recommend this driving school.

So, I don’t really know what to make of this place to be honest. It’s my first driving school I’ve ever been to. I’m really trying to like it because the people are so nice & professional over the phone, but every time I come out of one of Greg’s classes, I feel so negative about myself and my driving… Please note that I did not look at any reviews before taking my lessons with Greg and this is why I want to try to give it the benefit of the doubt in todays lesson, which was equally unbearable. If my next class doesn’t go so well, I’m just going to ask for my money back. Everyone is writing such nice reviews about Greg, but I don’t see the kindness or the helpfulness in him. He’s a bit rude to me (I don’t know if it’s personal). I’m Christian, so I know that when people are thinking and acting negative I should think: WWJD. Lol. In any case, he is a bit rude, he acts like I should already know what I’m doing (If I knew, I wouldn’t be taking the classes), and it seems like he is so miserable with his job. I don’t know if it may be the current timing in his life, where he may have something going on wrong in his lifestyle or what! But if I’m paying a whopping $ 450.00 for some OBVIOUS BEGINNER sessions (when I can be paying other bills), then I expect a bit of patience, instruction, and professionalism.
Example A on his Impatience: I don’t know how to maneuver a car AT ALL, and I made sure to tell him this information at the very beginning. 1^st Lesson: We started driving in silence. Mind you – he doesn’t seem very talkative or pleasant, and when I try to start conversation, he just doesn’t want to talk. He expected me to know how to turn the wheel correctly and seemed a bit angry when I was turning the wheel too much (hand over hand). NEWS FLASH: I don’t know how to drive, like I said in the beginning. Maybe some instruction BEFOREHAND would have done me some good. My apologies, as I thought this was a driving school? Duh!
Example B on his Instructions: So after Example A, he bought me to this quiet street to parallel park. Later after the session, when I was on the verge of breaking down and crying, I found that the person who introduced me to this school hadn’t learned to parallel park until her 8^th session. Wow. So, he takes me to parallel park, after knowing that I’m a beginner, after my trying to maneuver through BOSTON CITY streets on my own (with no instruction on how the car works), after basically telling me that I have no sense of direction. Lol. OF COURSE HE WOULD TAKE ME TO PARALLEL PARK! So, I ask him, «How should I parallel park», His reply, «Just start turning the wheel and back up». I didn’t think this would take much effort if thats the case. So I didn’t even move AN INCH and he already told me angrily that I was doing this incorrectly. I was very annoyed and frustrated at this point, so I spoke angrily back, and told him that I was doing exactly what he asked of me.
Example C on his improfessionalism: So just as I was TRYING to learn how to Parallel park, his phone started ringing, I think it was actually on its loudest volume since it was a Metro phone. Uh how about you try putting your phone on vibrate while your teaching, now, an EXTREMLY nervous driver? Just when I thought he wouldn’t pick up the phone (to save his professionalism at least!), he picks up the phone and puts it on speaker, not only so that he can teach me how to parallel park, but so that he can multitask in talking on the phone WHILE teaching me… this was very frustrating to me. So after speaking to him angrily, as he had spoken to me the whole ride, he tells me «Look you have to be calm, I’m trying to help YOU .» My reaction in my head: THATS HELPING ME? NO! HELPING ME is SHOWING me how to PARALLEL PARK and HOW to DRIVE! If thats his «help» then I’d rather not bother, and I’d rather a different instructor, or a different school all together. Not only any of this, but you’d think that we would practice Parallel parking until I actually GET it the correct way, nope. He just said «You did wrong, lets take a left at the light»…
Example D on his lack of commendment: This section is not so important, but it is for those who don’t feel confidence in their driving as myself. He doesn’t say anything about my driving unless I’m wrong. I never get commended for doing right, so I never know if I’m doing anything correctly. I just feel that I’m doing everything wrong. I think he should at least commend someone if their doing SOMETHING right.
If my third lesson is like these experiences, I’m just going to move to another driving school from Chinatown that I seen, WHILE driving with Greg today.

They were great from the very first phone conversation! The person on the phone was always friendly and she seemed genuinely interested. My instructor was Greg who did a wonderful job. He was always punctual for the lession and boosted my confidence on the road. He had a lot of patience with me (and other learners) and had a sense of humor. They called me a day before my road test to remind me about my appointment and to make sure I had all the papers ready.
Thanks to Greg I got the license my very first attempt. Sometimes I can still hear his voice saying «indicator!!!» when I’m trying to parallel park or pull away from the curb. :)

Having recently passed my road test, I am thoroughly pleased with the driving instruction provided at Al&l. As a new driver with no prior experience, I met with Greg over the past three weeks for lessons. Thanks to his patient supervision, I was able to overcome my anxieties about driving in the city and successfully pass the driving test. I also found the scheduling services to be very amenable and the at home pick-​up was a great convenience. Its a fair price for such extensive services.

A-​L & L was quite impressive. From beginning to end — they were A+. I had let my driver’s license expire after first moving to Boston, so I needed to hire a car, a sponsor and some extra time to drive the city streets before my road test that morning.
My instructor Greg picked me up bright and early, on time, in a newer model car (no tin cans like I have seen elsewhere from other schools) and we were off! SO PLEASANT! If anyone is looking for a super driving instructor — ask for Greg. He’s truly exceptional: professional, funny, relaxed and kind. He is on your side 100%, has great tips to keep you focused on confusing streets and he keeps your nerves in check. This came in handy because my RMV examiner turned out to be a rude and crude, sadistic, misogynistic idiot — HOWEVER knowing that Greg was there, supporting me in the back seat, I was able to get through that very disturbing and upsetting situation.
If you are in need of a service such as this — then this is a stellar choice.

I am very pleased with this driving school. I had never driven before and had to be taught from scratch. My instructor Greg was very, very good. He never got angry… he was firm and patient and very thorough. He was also a really nice person and easy to get along with. He was always on time and took me all over Boston and Cambridge so I learned to drive under different circumstances. The lady at the office who answers the calls was also super helpful and nice. Overall, I was impressed by how professional this school was.

I was pretty surprised at how efficient this driving academy was, they’re like the hidden gem of driving schools. They offer various packages for driving and they will pick you up and drop you off anywhere you need to go. I had lessons during my lunch break where they picked me up at Park Street. I bought the 10 lesson package — which means that the 9^th lesson is practice before the test and the 10^th lesson is the test itself. The package cost $ 385, which included the car and sponsor for the test.
The girl who answers the phones is extremely patient and very kind. Classes are scheduled as you proceed and simply require that you call the 617.361.3666 number. I scheduled my own road test, but you can schedule it through the school as well.
My instructor was the best, he never raised his voice or panicked, he tested me constantly and was extremely knowledgeable. He is also very honest and if he doesn’t feel like you’re ready for the test, he will tell you so. My instructor has been a driving instructor for years, so he knows when students are ready or not. A lot of the students are those who have driven before but haven’t done it in a while, and a number of them come from International backgrounds. The only downside is that you spend some time picking up and dropping other students off, but for the most part, you get to drive at least 45 minutes each lesson. Driving schools tend to be awful experiences, but I really enjoyed mine.