Very disappointing experience
Very disappointing experience, and I would advise anyone considering booking with King Singh to be aware that there is a possibility of losing paid lesson time being driven to an area where the instructor is more familiar teaching in.
Around 20 minutes of my lesson was spent being driven approximately 10 minutes from my home to another area and then driven 10 minutes back again.
This was not communicated to me prior to the lesson. I was not told in advance that I would be driven to a different area to start the lesson, meaning that approximately 20 minutes of my paid lesson would be spent travelling rather than receiving driving instruction.
Initially, Pamala told me that the issue was that she did not know my area. She then said that she would do some research on the area before the next lesson to prevent this happening again. However, this raises the obvious question: why was this research not done before the first lesson? If Pamala knew she was unfamiliar with the area, this should have been established before the lesson rather than using 20 minutes of my paid time to travel elsewhere.
What I found particularly disappointing was how Sye handled the situation afterwards. I reasonably asked for reimbursement for the approximately 20 minutes of lost lesson time or an additional 20 minutes on my next lesson to make up for it.
I don't think it is unreasonable to expect to receive the full amount of driving time that I have paid for. If 20 minutes of a lesson is lost because Pamala chooses to travel to an area she is more familiar with, I believe it would only be fair to either reimburse that time or add the 20 minutes onto the next lesson. When I raised my concern, Sye told me that my area was not suitable for lessons to start off in, and that was why I was taken to another area. I have had other driving instructors in the past start lessons in my area, and I know plenty of other learners who have also had lessons start on roads near me. Therefore, I strongly disagree with the claim that my area is unsuitable for beginner drivers.
So, a warning to anyone thinking of booking with King Singh, make sure you are clear beforehand about where your lesson will actually take place and whether travel time to another area could come out of your paid lesson. In my experience, this was not communicated beforehand, and I ended up paying for approximately 20 minutes of lesson time that was spent travelling.
Overall, I was very disappointed with my experience with how Sye dealt with the situation afterwards. I found that my time and money was not respected, and communication unsatisfactory. Based on this experience, I would not recommend the company.
Response:
Thank you for your response. I would like to clarify a few points.
I did not falsely represent myself as being test-ready. I explained that I had previously been at that standard a number of years ago, but I also made it clear that I had not driven for some time and could no longer remember a lot of what I had previously learned. This was not the point of my review.
My concern is that Pamala told me she was unfamiliar with my area and that this was why I was driven approximately 10 minutes away to start the lesson. She then said she would research the roads in my area before the next lesson. This is why I questioned why the area had not been researched before the first lesson. I was not told that being picked up from my house would result in 20 minutes of travel time nor that I could start my lesson in Hornchurch to avoid this.
I also disagree with the suggestion that the roads near my home are unsuitable for beginner drivers. I have previously had driving lessons start in my area, and I know of other learners who have also had lessons there.
I also don't believe that my intention to take my test at Hornchurch explains why I needed to be driven there for the start of this lesson. I understand the value of practising around the test centre as part of test preparation, but that does not explain why approximately 20 minutes of this paid lesson needed to be spent travelling there and back, particularly when I had not been informed beforehand that this would happen. My concern is not about where I eventually practise for my test, but about the unexpected use of paid lesson time for travel.
Ultimately, my review is about the lack of prior communication and the approximately 20 minutes of paid lesson time spent being driven to another area and back, rather than receiving driving instruction. I requested either reimbursement for that time or an additional 20 minutes on my next lesson, but this was not offered.
That remains the reason for my dissatisfaction and my review.
I would encourage anyone considering booking lessons to evaluate this circumstance and their reasoning provided and decide if this approach to lessons is right for them.
25 de agosto de 2026
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