I had all of my classes with Mr. Zafry except for the last one. I contacted him to have a few classes to get used to driving in Canada, since I already have a license from my own country for years. He taught me several techniques that were very helpful and he seemed to me like a good man. I did not pass the first time that I did the road test but I would not blame it on him. I would suggest him, however, a few things to improve the experience of clients:
- Being more gentle in the way clients are treated, particularly during the first class. I do not mean being strict with errors, but the manner in which things are said. It can be a little bit rough and may make people nervous.
- Being more clear with the way in which classes are defined: Mr. Zafry calls "one class" two sessions of 1h, which means that you pay 60 dollars and not 30. I do not complain about the price at all. I am talking about being clear. These are actually two classes and not one.
- Being less strict regarding certain techniques: after I failed the first attempt, I tried to change to another driving school to see if things would be different and more helpful. To my surprise, some of the things I learned with Mr. Zafry did not seem to be important at all at the exam or should not be taken as things that are wrongly done if done otherwise (e.g. doing an inspection of the car before coming inside, the way double stops are taught by him...).
- While most techniques proved to be useful to me, it seemed to me that he inflated his skills as an observer. He may tell you that he can spot what you do wrong in 15 minutes; however, he does not take any notes and he tells you about it by the end of the session relying on his memory. In many occasions, he missed things that I was doing just fine, but it felt that he had some sort of "script" in which he would tell you what's wrong and needs more practice.
- Avoiding to talk in secrecy: an example of this happened the day of the exam, when he was going to tell me a trick that I would benefit from but seemed to regret last minute.
All in all, I think he did a good job for a reasonable price.
Wish you success, Mr. Zafry.
Jaime