Hi All,
Could use some advise as feeling a little cheated. After moving to Geneva this early this year I realised I was pregnant. New country new language and new kid!!! We decided that with a new kid on its way( we ahve one before). We should buy a car as it would make life easier. For that I decided to do my driving classes and pass the test first although my pregnancy was well under way.
I found a instructor in Champel and explained my situation as well as the fact that I had not driven since six years and that too on the other side of the road and that I had a major fear of driving. He assured me that it was no problem It really took all my will power to get back behind the wheel after so many years. On first day I expalined to this guy that we would be buying an automatic car and he had broughta manual one. He said you learn on this first, and he would change later. I paid him 90CHF for the class and 50 CHF for some insurance. I was given no receipt.

Again paid him 90CHF for second class and soon as it ended, he tells me I would be better of going to some other instructor who has an automatic car as I would take very long to master a manual one. He said he had no automatic cars ( which he did not tell me before) and that if I bought my own car he could still teach me. I was given no refund on anything (including insurance I paid 230CHF to this guy) and was just left to myself to find a new class with my confidence shattered. I doubt if I can again gather the courage to go to a new instructor. I would like to know is this ethical? Aren't there any rules for these guys? Can anyone advise me on a new guy also?

I'm not too sure he did anything wrong, maybe he was hoping your fears and unease with manual cars would be overcomed but once he noticed you could not really get your head around it, he told you straight you needed to see an instructor with an automatic car. He did however provide you with two driving lessons and the insurance is compulsory, should you have an accident.

To be fair Neerajana, I'm not sure that the combination of being pregant and fear of driving is the best mindset to re-learn to drive, you seem to be very anxious about this and it's probably the last thing you need on top of all your other concerns. If you are planning to get car anyway as your husband can drive, go with him after you had the baby for a few drives on quiet roads, to get used to the feel of driving on the right then your confidence will be higher and you can formalise your training with an instructor.

Good luck.

Driving instructurs usually have a manual car. The reason is that if you complete the test drive in an automatic car, you'll have a notice in the driver license that forbids you to drive manual cars. You have to specially mention it if you desire to take driving lessons in an automatic car.

That said, 90 Fr./50 minutes lesson is a bit pricey, at least in Zürich. I'd not pay more than that, or ca. 850 Fr./10 lessons. You should ask for a reciept if you wish one and I've paid a flat-charge insurance, too. It's nothing special although I don't remember how much I've paid. 230 seems a bit high.

I encourage you to try it again with a second instructor. I personally know somebody who passed the test after changing instructors.

Hi. Few weeks ago I paid a driving school in Basel, a learners driving insurance of 100 CHF. Do you think this is normal going rates in switzerland.

Ashish

I paid 80 CHF of this same insurance here in Zofingen. I got suspicious though because I wasn't given any receipt neither for the lessons nor for the insurance. When I asked for these receipts (I already had the lessons) they unhappily obliged.. Just want to make sure that they pay their taxes too after charging so much for each lesson..

It amazes me that so many small businesses operate here without issuing receipts. How many times I buy lunch from stalls and it just goes into a box, not even a cash register. You'd think it'd be against the law what with money laundering etc. but it seems this is ok for the Swiss.

Oh come on, like the chap selling you sandwiches is part of some money laundering operation

The above only apply in case you never have a driving license before.
If you already have a driving license from your country, you can have the choice to either do the driving test with manual or automatic car. It will have no impact on the type of license you get. Well, at least this is the case in Zürich.

I have a Malaysian driver's licence and had to do a driving test recently to convert it to a Swiss one. After six or seven lessons, the time had come for my driving test (Kontrolfahrt). I had paid for each lesson at the end of it - had to ask for a receipt every time.

The instructor took it upon himself to be there before the test. I didn't ask for it. He met me at my apartment half an hour before the appointed time of the test, got into my car, and ask me to take this road and that. Thought he just wanted me to calm down a bit and practise for 10-15 minutes before the test. Then he went with me in my car to the Strassenverkehrsamt, and hung around while I went off with the tester.

After the Kontrolfahrt (I passed - thank the cosmos!), my driving instructor was still there - he kind of annoyed the clerk at the counter who was getting together my papers.

Today I received a bill for another CHF80. I called the instructor and asked what it was for. It said it was for the 'before-test' 'lesson' and for his time spent at the Transport Dept. Is this fair?

i don't always "just eat" at lunchtimes

Probably. Maybe you didn't order him, but he is basically charging you for his time.
The costs are lower as it was in your car at your risk and and expense.
Considering you were ultimately successful he could argue his time helped you calm down contributing to your good performance. Also testers seem to like your instructor being around as they informally ask for an opinion and this shapes the result.

I remember when I was in the initial stages of buying my apartment the seller proposed a meeting time and place when I was out of the country by email. I never responded/confirmed. When I saw the message I got the complaint and protested there was no agreement to meet on my side. They then threatened to charge if I didn't make the next appointment. I almost gave up but wanted the place and ultimately went through the whole process. This is the culture here. Are the other apartments selling like hot cakes? Nope....

Yup , sounds familiar .... My wife and I both had to do the same ( we also have Malaysian licenses ) - 1 day apart so we paid twice !!! - but the driving test was relatively pain free .

Me too...and I agree that driving test was relatively pain free. I think this "before-test" lesson is a common practice here. And if you do not require this lesson, you have to state exclusively to your instructor.
Isn't it like this too in Malaysia? Your instructor is around during the test. Okay, of course their rate is like all-inclusive package and not hourly rate. And Yes! me and my hubby too has Malaysian licenses .

The cost was not lower. Every lesson had been CHF80 for 50 minutes - be it in his car or my (automatic) car.

I didn't even know there was going to be a 'practice drive' just before the test (so I couldn't even say "I don't want a lesson" - anyway, why isn't the onus on him to say explicitly this was going to be billed as a lesson, especially when it was just a short drive?); the instructor told me to turn down this road and that road - I thought he merely wanted to take another way to the Transport Dept.

Only the tester and I were in the car DURING the 40-minute test, so the instructor gave no input.

I always paid him at the end of every lesson, so why this 'sneaky' way of sending me a bill now? My other half is refusing to pay this last bit - what will happen next?

you have no legs to stand on; you would have to send him away when he turned up and not take the "lesson". You don't pay now and it will end up becoming an official debt at some point.

In the greater scheme of things, consider the final instruction and whether you might've passed or failed. In the end, the chap has got you through the exam.

Thanks, Lob Rockster.
I just hate the feeling that the instructor is trying to squeeze every last franc out of me that he could. Nobody asked him to hang around at the Transport Dept wasting his time till I got back from the test. I thought he goes there out of interest or goodwill (some curiosity or concern over the welfare/results of his students), but I guess I was wrong. It was merely a ploy to charge another CHF80.


In another incident, a hairstylist told me the total cost for a "haircut and colour" was a certain amount - when I specifically asked beforehand for the total cost. But, when came the time to pay, she added an extra CHF10 for the washing off of the hairdye (incredible! How can haircolouring exclude the wash-off?) and extra CHF6 for my purported extra grey hair at the back (which she claimed she didn't know was there; why wasn't the onus on her to take a good look at my hair before quoting me the total cost?).

There is an important lesson here Argos. As you can see, not knowing in Switzerland can become expensive. The onus is on you and your pocket to find out exactly what the full cost will be, beware of " I thought" because Thought followed a muck cart and thought it was a wedding

In each canton there is an association or federation of driving instructors, which gives information about prices, rules etc..

I would suggest to contact them.

In french you can google "association+moniteurs+auto-école"+your canton.

Just a question. But I assume that you were planning to make your own way to the test centre in your own car and that your Malaysian licence was still valid. Was your instructor aware of this? Otherwise he could quite easily have assumed that he would be needed prior to the test and then afterwards if you had failed for whatever reason.

I think that with most people the instructor would provide this service as they would need a qualified driver with them when they drove to the test centre, so he probably just assumed that you would also require the same service. In this particular case you may have been better off explicitly telling him that you did not require him.

But, as you took advantage of his service, you have to pay. Nobody does anything for free.

Can anyone recommend a good English speaking driving instructor in the Zurich area?