Reliable Private Driving Instructor?

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Agatha_sm

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sammmmmm said:
This is gonna be a longgggggg post!
So anw, i finally passed my practical (class 3A) on my second attempt under Comfort Delgro Centre at Ubi! Was previously a private student under ssdc@woodlands. Had this pdi named MR Lim khim smth? He was quite nice at first and sometimes would even buy you food！However, after a few lessons, he became very angst, distracted and all. When we were at the circuit for the first time, i didnt know what to do and thus made many mistakes. He scolded me for those mistakes made when in the first place he didn't even teach! He was busy using his phone! When i asked him questions, he would go "follow your gut feeling/Agar Agar lo". Walao, if everything agar agar, still need him for what? I might as well agar all the way, then get both of us into an accident and just die la! SO MAD :mad:. He is always telling me that he is busy. I only managed to have ONE lesson per mth despite me booking lessons in advance. Sometimes, he would even cancel my lessons, telling me that he is unwell/not in town. He said that he would call back and reschedule but he never did. I have to call him to check. And guess what, he would then say that his schedule was packed for that particular month and i have to wait for another two weeks or so. This happened more than once. SO, finally i had enough and didn't bother to call him anymore. money wasted... Had to renew pdl as well :s27:

Fortunately, i later on found Mr Loh! He teaches at Ubi. He is a very organized and caring person. He writes down students's name/time of lessons neatly on his planner and he is always punctual. He has these 2-3 files that he used to keep all his docs. Eg, print outs, pictures of test routes and student's sign in sign out form. I really like the fact that he doesn't seem to have that many students as compared to other PDIs as (if i am not wrong) he doesn't teach at night. The latest slot would be like 5pm-6.40pm. So, you wont see him having too many of his students calling him in the midst of your lesson. Also, he can focus on you more and schedule you for more lessons! He starts from the basic;like how to steer steering wheel and etc. Can be a little lame la but he just wants to ensure that you know your stuff. Occasionally would chat and joke with you but most of the time he really just focus on teaching whatever is needed to learn for you to pass. Of course, there will be times he would raise his voice, but it is all understandable la. It's cute that he would even feel bad for raising his voice. He would try to break the ice by making jokes and afterwards explain to you patiently again. Oh and yes, he converses mostly in mandarin. Mr Loh genuinely cares for his students. I could see how disappointed his was when i failed on my first attempt. And i would never forget how he broke into smiles and laughter when i told him that i passed on my sec try.

He provides lessons for people with disabilities as well. This just show how compassionate a person he is. Can actually goggle his name and find out more. He appeared on some sort of news/articles i think? He is charging $60/100mins. Pick up place (eunos/ubi area) can be further discussed. I think his rate is slightly higher as compared to the rest. But for his effort and quality lessons, i think its all worth it. Sometimes, it's just really "you get what you pay". For me to travel all the way from the north to Ubi to attend his lessons simply proves how good this pdi is.

Okay enough of story! I am just so so so thankful to have Mr Loh Lian Choon as my PDi!
Click to expand...

Hi there, would you be able to PM me with Mr Lot's contact? Thank you in advance :)
 
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Agatha_sm

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durachaos said:
Hi bro, I just passed my test last week at cdc on my first try with 18 points though, even though i felt some of the points were not given correctly but hey a pass is still a pass right?? Oh and btw my first pdi was actually Ivan tan, after a few lessons with him, I really buay tahan his attitude... so unprofessional and always scold without any reason!! After that i decided to look for a new instructor online, i was interested in the top few instructors with tons of good reviews hence i decided to call them but it was no surprise that they were all fully booked within the next 2 months( in fact i think 1 of them would be the mr lee u contacted) And since i dont wanna risk finding another lousy instructor, i decided to ask them to recommend me some instructors, out of 3 pdi recommended if i rmb correctly, only 1 was currently free to accept new students. His name is Frankie. Even though his schedule is actually quite tight but if u inform him early enough he will try his best to accomodate ur schedule. During my first lesson with him, he asked me if i knew how to drive already, i said yes since i took a few lessons with ivan tan alr but turns out i missed out so many things that is required in a tp test( checking blindspots, correct turning point etc) which ivan tan nv emphasised during the few lessons i learnt from him. after he saw my driving skills which was really bad at that point in time, he took out a file, a THICK file with lots of notes inside and he took a toy car tgt with his notes and showed me how to turn properly,( dont cut into other lane, dont turn too early/late) which I felt was very effective. he also emphasised a lot on checking of blindspots which is a good habit esp during ur tp! after i took a few lessons with him, when he started to teach me parking, he took out the toy car along with his notes and demonstrated the whole process which again i felt was very effective.

All in all, he is a pretty damn good instructor imo but pls be cautioned he only speaks chinese and he is not the chatty type so dont expect him to chat with u thru out the whole lesson but he is definitely very patient and doesnt scold, the most he do will be to remind u about ur past mistakes and not to repeat them.( and maybe sometimes sigh a bit?? can also be due to him being bored la, whole day in the car, or maybe im too sensitive lol). Also, for those "ji jiao" people who scared their pdi scam their money by wasting time, thru out my 10+ lessons with him, he only went to the toilet twice and its less than 5 min so pls be rest assured he will treat ur time seriously. If u want his contact number pls pm me as I'm not sure if it will be nice to give his number out openly.
Click to expand...

Hi there, would you be able to share Frankie's number with me. Thank you so much:)
 
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Jiruff

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Hi guys, just passed on my first try for class 3 at CDC last month and I think my PDI is not bad.
Searching for a PDI was a nightmare at first, from all the reviews(dunno fake or real) to all the passing rates published. I eventually got the contacts of Mr James, 9857 **** from my friend.
Calling him on the phone was a bad experience, his attitude on the phone just wasn't great(guess he was bz). Ff to the first lesson which happen to fall on New Year's Eve, he went through the basics of how to gauge my car position and the proper techniques of handling the pedals, gears and steering wheel for about 15-20min, and he asked me into the driver seat to try. Before I knew it I was already driving on the small roads. His pace of lesson is reasonable, and urges u to book FTT asap so that he can book ur TP test.
Don't worry about him making u take more lessons just to earn ur money, Coz he has no time for that. His lessons are usually quite packed so I advice to book 1-2 weeks in advance to get ur desired slot. He works everyday too so don't worry. Charges $352 inclusive of everything for TP test. His rates are $36 per hour, circuit +$32 for peak hours. I don't know about off peak since all my lessons are on week nights or weekends. I know it's a bit on the pricey side but his advice and lessons are on point IMO. He will fall asleep sometimes during lesson(maybe Coz I always take evening 6pm slot - food coma).
Teaches driving on road before going into circuit which i feel is good so that u can maximize ur time and money in the circuit since it's already so crowded.
Anw I'm curious if anyone knows what his registered name is as I have been trying to find his stats on the TP website, and can't seem to find a review for him as well.
 
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cutefarts

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Hi, I am learning auto car driving lessons at ubi, and want to get a patient instructor, can any kind souls help? Thanks!
 
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idknick

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durachaos said:
Stop creating fake accounts and recommending urself man...
New scam to psycho ur existing students not to quit and find another instructor ?? My advice to you is if u want more students or to keep ur current students, pls change ur negative attitude, ur students are not paying money to get scolded by you. For those who is thinking about engaging him as a pdi, pls kindly think twice... I was once a student under him and I will post my review about him for all to read.

Hi bro, I just passed my test last week at cdc on my first try with 18 points though, even though i felt some of the points were not given correctly but hey a pass is still a pass right?? Oh and btw my first pdi was actually Ivan tan, after a few lessons with him, I really buay tahan his attitude... so unprofessional and always scold without any reason!! After that i decided to look for a new instructor online, i was interested in the top few instructors with tons of good reviews hence i decided to call them but it was no surprise that they were all fully booked within the next 2 months. And since i dont wanna risk finding another lousy instructor, i decided to ask them to recommend me some instructors, out of 3 pdi recommended if i rmb correctly, only 1 was currently free to accept new students. His name is Frankie. Even though his schedule is actually quite tight but if u inform him early enough he will try his best to accomodate ur schedule. During my first lesson with him, he asked me if i knew how to drive already, i said yes since i took a few lessons with ivan tan alr but turns out i missed out so many things that is required in a tp test( checking blindspots, correct turning point etc) which ivan tan nv emphasised during the few lessons i learnt from him. after he saw my driving skills which was really bad at that point in time, he took out a file, a THICK file with lots of notes inside and he took a toy car tgt with his notes and showed me how to turn properly,( dont cut into other lane, dont turn too early/late) which I felt was very effective. he also emphasised a lot on checking of blindspots which is a good habit esp during ur tp! after i took a few lessons with him, when he started to teach me parking, he took out the toy car along with his notes and demonstrated the whole process which again i felt was very effective.

All in all, he is a pretty damn good instructor imo but pls be cautioned he only speaks chinese and he is not the chatty type so dont expect him to chat with u thru out the whole lesson but he is definitely very patient and doesnt scold, the most he do will be to remind u about ur past mistakes and not to repeat them.( and maybe sometimes sigh a bit?? can also be due to him being bored la, whole day in the car, or maybe im too sensitive lol). Also, for those "ji jiao" people who scared their pdi scam their money by wasting time, thru out my 10+ lessons with him, he only went to the toilet twice and its less than 5 min so pls be rest assured he will treat ur time seriously. If u want his contact number pls pm me as I'm not sure if it will be nice to give his number out openly.
Click to expand...

Hi bro mind pm me his number? thank you
 
InQuEsT

InQuEsT

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Asking onbehalf of friend

How much does it cost nowadays to take TP test? My friend told me and its about 360+ inclusive of everything! I thought car rental is only $100 for TP driving test? The guy charging about 270+!
 
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cutefarts

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Hello!

Hello! Is there any instructor teaching auto driving lessons at Ubi? Had a horrible experience with Ivan, and am looking to switch instructor. Please share and much appreciated :)
 
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JaeC2107

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PDI recommendation

Hi, anyone got any good recommendation PDI. west area. Manual
 
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LexLuthor

LexLuthor

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Looking for PDI @ East side

I'm looking for a PDI who are able to conduct 3A (Auto) lessons on the weekends (morning/afternoon). Serious learner here.

Hoping there'll be a pickup @ the east side MRT. I stay in Bedok.

PM me for any recommendations please.

Thanks all!
 
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kittykat111

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Do Not Take Ivan Tan!

Do Not Ever Take Lessons with Ivan Tan![/SIZE]

I fell victim to the "positive review" here, right in this post. And I feel obliged to let everyone, who comes here to find a good instructor, to know that IVAN TAN is someone you want to avoid should you wish to pass!

1. He does not teach, you will not learn any concrete driving skill from him.

If you are new to driving, avoid him like a plague. He assumes that you have experience and already know how to drive. When you make a mistake, he doesn't explain first but goes straight to scold you with comments like: your driving not good, you liddat cannot pass. When you ask questions to clarify what is the right way, he will shoot you back with comments like: you don't want to listen, then you go do your way.

The most ridiculous encounter was when he told me to use the reserved parallel parking place in the circuit, and someone called to tell him to get out of there and make way for testers' cars. He turned around to scold me for entering there. I didn't really bother to comment on his remarks but felt really stupid about myself for taking lessons with him.

2. He is very calculative and not worth your money

He is charging $406 (in total) for taking the practical test which the market price is around $350. He did not mention to me the price until 1 week before the test date, by when is quite late to change or cancel.

His rate is competitive but he does not provide full service. He doesn't pick up students from the nearest MRT also. Even when he did offer once to pick me up at Tai Seng, he was late for 30 mins. He said I still have to pay him because he was stuck in traffic. Understandable from a logical perspective, but still quite an unpleasant experience. I am sure there are more kind-hearted instructors out there who charge fairly and give you a pleasant learning experience.

3. He doesn't have a teaching plan to get you fully prepared for test

This is probably the first red flag. I told him the timeline for my test and I asked him about what are the technics I have to learn and when do we go in the circuit and how many lessons roughly to get there. His exact answer: "Just drive la. Worry so much for what?" I have booked my practical test next week, and I know I will not be able to pass (I only entered circuit 3 times). I regret taking him as PDI, so people don't fall for it.

And Ivan, if you are here posting with fake reviews with fake accounts, please stop. What goes around comes around.

For all your new learners, stay away from Ivan Tan

P.S. If you also had a very bad experience with Ivan and want to file a formal complaint against him, please PM me. Nobody is going to advocate justice for you unless you take action to fight for it. That is what I believe.
 
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