Reviews of Andes Driving School Inc. (Driving School)

Michelle Bass

My boyfriend purchased me a 2 hour stick-shift driving lesson with Ed for my upcoming travels to South America. My only other experience driving manual was 20 years ago, for 5 minutes, in my friends’ car that I thought I ruined in the end. Because of that, I was extremely nervous. However, Ed was pleasant, patient and took things at a good pace. We drove around the parking lot for a few minutes and then graduated to a neighborhood. I honestly never thought I’d be able to “leave the parking lot” but here I was now heading out to Southpoint after being successful in the neighborhood. While I had very few problems originally, when traffic and pressure were thrown in, I had a few times where I stalled out. While this did fluster me a bit, Ed didn’t panic and helped me regroup. We did a variety of driving situations in the two hours, including hills and reversing. Ed’s teaching allowed me to surpass my expectations. I obviously still need a little more practice before I’d independently go for it, but I’m close. :-) Thanks, Ed!

Meera S S

In minutes you will know that Ed is an experienced instructor. He makes sure he equips a student with important driving tips. He is firm yet very encouraging. I would highly recommend this place if you want to quickly start to confidently drive in the US. Thanks Ed for the very positive approach you took in making sure I drive right and safe!

Alper Sayıner

Ed is a great teacher, and he successfully prepared me for the DMV driving exam in very short time. You can easily tell he really wants his students to succeed rather than just taking their money. He will also occasionally give you additional helpful safety tips to make sure you drive safely after getting the license as well. I highly recommend him.

Ambika Menon

I was very pleased with Ed's 5-hour course. I was able to get my license very easily after taking it with him, and he was very flexible and ensured that I was able to use his car and get my license before I had to go abroad for school. I am very grateful to Ed as he ensured I was ready for the test but also ensured that I would be a good driver outside of the test, which a lot of driving schools do not do. I would 100% recommend him to anyone in need of good, concise, clear instructions with a guarantee of being a better driver.

Rosemary Ffiv

I do not recommend this place, if you are international first-time new driver like me. The instructor is kind of rude and not very patient, and I sometimes had problem understanding his intention because of language barrier. He seems to have a tight schedule too, I took his 5-hour-in-total learning program thing. The lessons spread across 3 weeks (1-2 hr/week), which was very inefficient and not good for learning. I had a pretty bad experience at this place.

Jim M

Be cautious. In 2015, I signed my teenage daughter up for driving lessons with Mr Rincon. We terminated the lessons when Mr Rincon told her 3 times during a lesson that he liked the way she smells in addition to asking her if she prefers to wear pants or a skirt. Your experience may differ, but this was our experience. (Responding to the response) My daughter is not a client of the practice upstairs, nor was she reluctant. She was actually very excited, and her trust in Mr Rincon was betrayed. My warning to other parents still stands: based on our experience, you should be very cautious.

Tom Freeman

Excellent Instruction! My daughter was in a serious car accident a year and a half ago and after a long recovery is able to drive thanks to Mr. Rincon's expert instruction. His background as a flight instructor no doubt added to the knowledge he was able to relay to my daughter. Andes gets my highest recommendation for all drivers but especially those coming back from accidents and wanting to re-establish a full life. Thanks Andes!

Nancy Sohl

Edward is the nicest driving instructor you could have. He teaches you everything you need to know while maintaining a calm, respectful, yet personable attitude. He has the ability to calm your nerves and doesn't become excitable if you mess up. I had never driven beyond a parking spot before our first lesson, and after 5 lessons was able to easily get my license. I would definitely recommend taking lessons from him!

Justin Torres

I am so glad I found this school! Andes driving school is excellent. Edward Is a phenomenal instructor. Very professional and effective. Firm but encouraging. I personally went for manual driving lessons, and I must say it was a very pleasant experience. I have never driven a manual car before, but with Edward’s guidance and instructions I was driving within the hour around town. It’s THEE place to go for your driving learning needs. I would highly recommend anyone to attend this school! P.S Andes driving school tambien ofrece clases en español. Es enteramente acessible a la communidad hispana! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nidia Matute

My daughter had her teen training classes at Andes Driving school. We had an outstanding experience with Edward. He is an excellent instructor, has great patience, and treated my daughter with respect and professionalism at all time, now she is a very confident young driver. I highly recommend Andes Driving School.

Judith Kalich

Edward Rincon is an excellent teacher! I highly recommend Andes Driving School to anyone just learning to drive or to anyone needing a refresher or defensive driving instruction.

kim skeen

My daughter finished instruction and driving lessons and got her permit in less than 2 weeks!! Covered more material in that time than other places. Instructors are very professional, friendly and accommodating to personal schedule. Highly recommend!!! A very individual approach to the driving part which is something that I do not find at other places. Quality Customer Service!!!

Anu Iyer

Ed was an excellent instructor, got my Drivers License in very first attempt,i took 5 classes his teaching is strict and professional it helps learning correct driving habits, he is better then any other trainer in this area,he helped me not to be very nervous now i am very confident to drive alone, i strongly recommend him for my friends!

Daisy Wang

great teacher!! wonderful experience!!

Zuzu Smith

What a wonderful experience and service we received! It was very easy to set up an appointment and within 7 days my daughter Isabella finalized the required 6 hours behind the wheel. Thank you Ed for giving my daughter Isabella such a great training. She said she is now ready for her permit. We would highly recommend Andes Driving School.

teymour dajani

Got my license after 5 hours. Feel confident on the road now:)

Van Vinh Nguyen

Ed is a great tutor. I didn't have much driving experience in the US before taking his lessons. He was experienced, patient and very professional. I gain lots of confidence when seating next to him because he has total control of the car. He also did a lot of drilling for the road test so it's hard for you to fail after taking his lessons.

Hellyna Patel

Amazing, he clearly knows what it takes to get a license, he has patience, guides perfectly and a great teacher! Will definately recommend to friends.

Elder Yoshida

Andes Driving School is the best you can find in Durham! Ed is a great teacher knows exactly what it takes to get a driver's license. I wouldn't be able to get my license during my final examination week without his help! With only 5 hours, I even feel confident with hitting the road! I rented his car for the driving test and all went smoothly. Ed was very nice and caring staying with us all times in DMV and even taught a last minute class right before the test. He is a professional, ethical and hard-working teacher. Thanks Ed! I recommend him most highly!

john tafford

Andes will tell you that they are qualified to perform a driving evaluation for a medical clearance for driving after health issues. They will also tell you that this is “where Duke refers patients”. Please note that this company is NOT on the Duke hospital referral list. When it was mentioned to a Duke Occupational Therapist, they specifically noted that he was not on the list and that multiple patients that have used this company were unhappy with the service and had difficulty with the language barrier from the instructor. Multiple people who have not “passed” his evaluation due to the language barrier have easily passed the evaluation at a trained medical facility. I would strongly recommend that you not use this service for an actual medical clearance evaluation. Also, if done through a medical center, you pay a co-pay not the $$$ that this costs.

Terry Pulley

I had to take a Defensive driving class to clear a ticket. I picked Andes driving school. I am glad I did. Ed made the class bearable. He threw in wit and humor as well as numerous relevant informational tidbits. Ed engaged the class in several ways which helped to stay on track with the topics reviewed. I would recommend Andes Driving school.

Patricia DeCamp

Mr. Ed was great - best investment - he taught my 16 yr old daughter to drive a manual car in two hours. She immediately felt confident and was driving immediately. After her lesson she went to the mall. Thank you so much Mr. Ed, I highly recommend Andes Driving School to anyone wanting to learn how to drive manual transmission.

Sally Fessler

Edward is excellent! My child took the compressed course over the holiday break and loved it. Highly recommended

Jane Dollar

No experience in driving? No problem. Edward is the very person who can help you get prepare to the DMV road test as well as the solid knowledge you need as a responsible driver. I felt so nervous to start the engine of a car by myself for the first time, but he his clear instructions, patience and professionalism calmed down my nerve and then everything became easy and natural. I got my driver's license today after my six hours class, yay! And you will definitely get your driver's license too with the help of him.

Amit Kumar

Edward is a nice guy, I took five classes from him and I was able to pass the DMV road test in first attempt.

marvin foronda

I'm writing this review on the same day that I received my driver’s license. Ed is an awesome instructor. Not only is he passionate about his job but he is also caring for his students as well. I will never forget my first day driving with Ed during an unexpected (and heavy) shower. Although I was nervous at the time he was in complete control of the situation and guided me through my first lesson despite the bad weather. He’s a very nice guy, cool and calm. As an instructor he is VERY patient and professional on the job. We practiced in one hour intervals each lesson. We drove around in the city, interstate and back roads which gave me valuable experience as a student driver at the time. Most importantly, we practiced on the same DMV that I got my license from. By the end of all the lessons I practically knew the course like the back of my hand. I passed on my first attempt and I guarantee you will easily pass as well after taking a few courses. Thanks Ed!

SK Y

I must say I haven't met someone as arrogant as Ed in a long time. I don't know whether it's because of his large base of clientele, but I do know that he's extremely condescending and rude. He doesn't seem to have the patience to listen and communicate well about your concerns but rather calls you argumentative even though you just sought for clarification on his vague instructions. He sort of has this "keep quiet and listen to me" kind of attitude which didn't go down well with me at all. Edward has no idea about the difference between constructive criticism and right out frustrating someone. Especially since he interprets every concern you have as an argument. But for some reason he thinks he professional and that his way of handling things are the best and accepts no improvement. And worst of all, he even went as far as talking nonsense about me to another client of his (a female by the way) who happened to be related to me. I honestly regret having done business with him as it was just a complete waste of my money, because all he does is making you more and more nervous while masking it with one or two jokes during the whole lesson. Hopefully, he'll figure out that his method on communication is not the most ideal for his type of profession and that he learns to respect people's opinions without dismissing them immediately instead of listening to their concerns. Respect is key. And if you read along all the reviews you will find several people with similar experiences with him which only reinforces my point. We all cannot be making all this stuff up. Oh and a little advice for the guys that may read this, Ed leans to be more gentle with the ladies than with men! If I was you I would just stay away from him altogether.

Alison Mattox

I had a great experience having a 2 hour stick shift lesson with Andes Driving School. Mr. Ed was patient, clear, and professional. He is very skilled at pinpointing what the issue with my driving was at any given moment and communicating that clearly and calmly. I gained skills and confidence. I will definitely recommend to others!

Clemiblac S

It's very important to note here that Ed not only fires back at independent reviews about his business that don't appear to favor him, but he also doesn't hesitate to call you out by your FULL NAME as well while doing so. So much for confidentiality. That's an extremely low move for a so called business owner and definitely shows he's undermining the privacy of his clients. He seems to forget that it's not the client that has a reputation to lose, IT"S HIM! And firing back at clients is proof of being unprofessional. Basic Business Management 101. In his response below to one of his client's reviews, he claimed that that client, who he boldly called out by his full name, was new to the US. I don't know what gave him the right to make false claims like that but that client has lived in the US for several years now and I know this for a fact because I am the female friend that was being referred to during their review and response. We may be new to Durham, but we surely have been in the US a lot longer! That was obviously just a desperate attempt to justify himself based on a pointless yet false fact. Yes, I was Ed's client as well. I'm glad he feels that I was being friendly and receptive. What he doesn't know is that I was already warned about him three days in advance by my friend, the client whose review got responded to. I already knew that no matter what he says I better just keep every serious concern that I had to myself and just focus on the driving. The one thing that definitely didn't go down well with me was when, towards the end of the lesson, he started saying negative things to me about his other client, my friend for that matter, behind his back. That only begs the question HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR HIM TO SAY NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT ME TO ANOTHER CLIENT OF HIS? Again, so much to confidentiality. I thought a private lesson was meant to stay PRIVATE! But not with Ed. Latest then is when everything I heard about his attitude was confirmed to me and the condescending tone with which he spoke couldn't be any more obvious. That made me very uncomfortable. Finally, I have to point out how utterly DISCRIMINATORY and even RACIST Ed proved to be for making an assumption about my friend's place of origin without having been there himself or knowing anything about it. It was totally redundant to mention anybody's place of origin, especially since he's a foreign national himself. It just proved that any of his international clients that don't seem to get along with him get attacked based on their places of origin and that it's them that need adjusting. As if it's the individual that represents the behaviors and conventions of their place of origin. That was irrelevant but Ed seems to miss the point here once again. Based on my overall experiences with Andes Driving School I personally don't endorse his instructions. His method may be suitable for others, not everyone. He seriously needs to be reminded that he's the one that has to adjust to his students, not the other way around. So, let's he whether he wishes to fire back at me as well for my independent review.

Monisha Kumar

Ed is a great driving instructor, and offers the additional benefit of renting his car for the test. He knew the course, and we practiced there a few times, which made clearing the test extremely easy! I would definitely recommend Andes Driving School to anyone that wants to learn driving!

Srinivasu Mandava

Prompt and scheduled classes when needed

Kiran Bettadapur

It took us a week to get an appointment with Ed - but the wait was totally worth it. Both my wife and I very quickly learnt to drive on US roads. He is friendly and patient. Thanks Ed!

Faisel Farooq

There's no chance you can't clear the driving test after taking Ed's classes. He covers all aspects of driving extensively - be it city driving or highway driving. He makes sure to concentrate and work on the weak areas more and improve them. Coming from a country where the driving conditions and road rules are totally different, I can now drive confidently after completing the course. Rest assured, after his 5 hour course, not only will you be able to clear the driving test without any glitches, but you will also walk back having made a good friend :)

Yolanda Brown

I took the driving course today. Though it was not my ideal place to be on a Saturday, the class was engaging and informative. The instructor offered free doughnuts, chips, coffee and water. This was awesome since I drive 2.5 hours to take the Saturday course. I loved the videos and the instructor was very knowledgeable and humerous. The building was easy to find and Not to far from the highway. I would recommend this class to others! - Yolanda

Erika Ayala

(Translated by Google) Excellent service my 8 hours of classes were excellent to learn more about driving on the streets, thanks to him Mr. Erik Muñoz for his time. (Original) Exelente servicio mis 8 horas de clases fueron excelentes para aprender mas sobre como manejar en las calles,gracias a él señor Erik Muñoz por su tiempo.

bertibeyil

I was confident in my driving skills but was frustrated when I failed the DMV road test. I rented a car and did the one hour driving evaluation from Andes and it helped me pass my test easily. Ed has a lot of experience with nervous drivers and international students and I think I would have had to take the test a few more times had I not had his help. Very satisfied!

Sandeep Khera

Ed was very patient and his suggestions were so handy when it came to clearing the driving test. Infact it was absolute match to what he told during the driving course and what happened in the real driving test which made clearing the test so easy.

Amy Oldenburg

I took a 2 hour instruction from Mr. Ed to learn to drive a manual transmission car. The guy has the patience of a saint as I made many mistakes trying to get the car into gear. Now that I've bought my own manual car, my remembrance of his lesson has helped me a lot. I would definitely recommend him.

G. R.

Very unprofessional, they don't get back to you. I called to schedule a driving lesson and the guy told me to text so I did. He replied asking for when I'd be available to do the lesson so I did. And then nothing, they never replied. I texted a few hours later asking if they could please let me know about the lesson and they just never replied. I guess they don't care about getting new clients.