If I could rate this company 0 stars, I would. I took my written test here multiple times and “failed” them all.No, BS. I got feedback on the very last test I took there and was able to connect the answers to questions as much as I could mentally and saw I should have gotten them correct. I also started realizing this with my previous tests as well. I did a bit of research and saw this place has a recorded of messing with peoples tests for money. IT IS TRUE.Also don’t get me started on how many times no one was there when I got there early or on time for my tests. Their excuse is they were doing “other tests.” I understand if it’s a one time thing but every time I had an scheduled appointment and this happened? Yeah uncool.I just went to Nelson’s Driving School a couple days ago and passed my first try there. Don’t go here, go to Nelson’s. I had no issues with Nelson’s at all, highly recommended going there instead of here.

I highly recommend this driving school to every one who are willing to obtain their license. The staff is very accommodating and patient specially while dealing with the clients. I got my license from them and the driving skills that they taught were amazing. I feel so safe behind the wheel now. Thanks again Bal Driving school for all your help making me a confident driver.

We are SO HAPPY and thankful! A big shoutout to Roger for helping both of my sons with their driving. Very thankful for the prices too! During these weird times, it’s been amazing. Thank you!

Literally just finished my test, I took my knowledge test and skills test here it was awesome, Bal is great he let me know what I needed to work on at the end 👍 I Highly recommend this school

If there was an option to give more than five stars, I would! Paperwork was made effortless for me. I didnt have a book to study so i called and was told about the pdf file on their site. The lady in the office was super kind and eased my nervousness! Prices are solid compared to others in Bellingham

Bal, and everyone else employed at the driving school are very nice and knowledgeable. I am getting my drivers license for the very first time at 38 years old, and everyone was very accommodating.

Excellent school with warm welcome by the woman who registers you. I had private lessons that easily helped me to obtain my driving license renewal. The instructor was hard-working and cared about my doing well. I cannot recommend Bal Driving School enough. They are the best!

I highly recommend this driving school, they dont rush and encourage you so you can pass very professional.They want to make sure you do it right.

This School is Kind Bal will guide you :)Nice school to learn or give written test I advise you to go here man

BAL Driving was excellent we went for my son 16 to take driving test. They are very professional and nice. Pleasure ! It is a bit nervous and they help with that with their friendly way. I recommend this place will be there with our next kid

I brought my son here to get his license, he had already taken drivers ed in high school so all he needed was the written and skills tests. He had to do the written twice. Why? Because HE didnt study. Had he reviewed the drivers hand book, he would have passed the first time. He passed on the second try, after studying. On his drive test, he failed the first time because he went straight from a left turn only lane. Some people will say, Thats not a big deal. However, had you been driving next to him and he did this, there could be an accident. I agree with BAL for not qualifying him at the time. When they returned back to the school, the examiner let my son know exactly why he didnt pass and how to correct it for the next time. When we returned a week later, the examiner let him know that he would be taking a different, harder route this time just to prepare him mentally. They did go through the the same intersection though. My son passed.Every time I called BAL driving school, the people were always nice and polite and to the point. When my son took his written test, he did not have to make an appointment either time. The lady was always nice and polite. We did have to make appointments for the drive test, both times they were at 5 p.m. AFTER they were supposed to be closed, not many companies do that anymore. Both times the examiner was on time, polite, and friendly. Very business like. My son was very comfortable with him in the car, not nervous at all.I have been recommending BAL to all the families with teens around me. The cost of drivers ed at the high school is the same price if you can get in. However, BAL does the actual written and driving test, high school dont. Testing fees are fair, $30 for the written EACH time, and $35 for the driving EACH time. They even have a vehicle you can use for your test (for an additional fee) or you can use your own if it up to state standards. I highly recommend BAL Driving School.

Everyone was very kind and helpful! I was nervous about both my written and drive test, but they were very sweet and reassuring.

Showed up for my knowledge test but no one is here. Open sign is on, its well before their close time but the doors are locked and no one is answering the phone. Absolutely worthless customer service

Nothing bad to say about this company. I would like to note that transparency is important when it comes to telling customers who have passed that, not only are they paying such an exorbitant price for the privilege of testing, the price of the actual drivers license is not included. All told, a two-hundred and twenty-four dollar license is by far the most expensive license Ive ever had.

My experience was really good, the price was incredibly reasonable! Took both of my tests in Bellingham, Bal was nice enough to let me know what I did wrong after my drive test and took it a second time and passed it! If you’re looking for a school which will cut the b.s. and make you a confident driver then Bals’ school is for you

Customer service was amazing! They were so excited to help me, didn’t waste anytime at all. Even provided feedback for me to be a better driver even though I did pass both test! When I called they were eager to help and greeted me with a smile. Truly an awesome experience! Thank you!

This place is shady and they scam! Cheat and fail people to make money off retest.

Regardless of the negative reviews, I chose Bal Driving School, and I found that it is actually a very nice place. The lady who did my written test was very polite and kind. It was a very nice experience. I didnt even have to wait long either! And the prices are great too! Cheaper than the other schools I researched around the area! Im glad I didnt listen to the negative reviews. Because it actually is a really great driving school! Thank you Bal Driving School! You guys rock!

Best customer service EVER!!! Love Bal driving school .. The lady in the office was amazing beyond pleasant and professional was so easy to deal with and the male that did the driving test was so professional and awesome. Gave amazing driving instructions. Congratulated me and was happy for passing license . Amazing Amazing Amazing place to go to . Thank you Bal 💖💗

Bal is a great instructor! I took 5 adult driving lessons from him to help me continue to get my license. He was very professional and patient with me. He was also very nice during my drive test and made me feel comfortable. I was able to get my license in a little over a month with Bal driving school, which has been a long and hard process before singing up for drives with Bal. This is a DOL certified driving school so I believe he is a tough instructor, but that is his job. Also the women who helped me sign up for drives was very kind and understanding of my school and work schedule. Dont listen to the negative reviews, Bal never scammed me out of money, in fact, he even gave me my money back when he realized I paid for a 30 minute practice before my test that I ended up not using. I really enjoyed my time with Bal Driving school and I would recommend to any new driver or adult trying to get their license.

This place is a rip off. The tester was over 30 minutes late, appeared on drugs, and was hardly understandable in his speaking. And Who conducts a driving test in the dark? I will report this business to DOL as highly unprofessional and in fact dangerous to the other drivers on the road. Driving for over 6 years and in foreign countries but take a test in small town Bellingham and fail?

Tester was over half an hour late, he was robotic and he was very unhelpful. It is not a comfortable environment to be tested in. I would recommend EXCELeration instead.

I pretty much forced myself to learn how to drive when I came up to Bellingham for school. I knew I needed to get it done but I was really nervous about getting in a car and driving. The instructor, Bal, and the office lady were both very understanding about my nervousness of the road. Bal taught me the solid basics of driving while also teaching me some tips and tricks. Overall, I recommend this school to anyone who needs a little push to get their license.

Definitely a money making scam, I have been driving with a permit for years passed my written test first try. But when it came time for the driving test I signaled and made sure to stop and be extra cautious at all stop signs and lights. This guy actually had the audacity to tell me i didnt stop long enough after stopping and looking both ways. I would recommend a different testing facility for something like this. You can tell its not about how good of a driver you are when you come in for the test and the instructor is decked out in gold rings and expensive clothing and sunglasses. Truly a waist of time and money and I am certainly appalled.

We took our knowledge and road tests at Bal Driving School. Both processes went smoothly and the owners of the company were very courteous. We had an overall positive experience.

Highly recommend getting your road and written tests done here. The instructor is very helpful on the road and gives clear instructions. Very professional and proficient driving school!

If you are looking for a place to take your road or written test, I would highly reccomend this driving school. The teacher was very patient and very organized! The professionalism of the school was great, creating a positive environment.

The customer service that I received at this location was excellent. The environment was very professional and I was able to take my test without distractions. If you are a new learner, this is the place to go!

A fantastic and convenient location for learning how to drive. The school offers excellent customer service tied with outstanding/thorough drive instructors at prices to be found nowhere else in Bellingham! Highly Recommended!

A year ago I passed the driving test here, the experience was very good. This year I registered my wife here for the driving test. At the appointed time, we arrived and saw a queue of Latin Americans talking to the instructor in Spanish. The instructor wasnt the one who passed my driving test. This nervous guy told us that our time is taken by others, we had to wait for our turn for more than an hour. I do not advise to take the exam here, the place is spoiled. Will be able to communicate politely and courteously..

This place is a total scam!

Some of the negative reviews on here are suspect. The people writing them should prepare more next time and take personal responsibility. I have never driven in downtown Bellingham before, or Washington for that matter, and I made a number of errors. These errors took two failed attempts to notice and correct before I finally passed.Instructor Bal was professional and calm and always explained exactly what I did wrong, and at what point during the test I did it wrong.Definitely will recommend to others. Great waiting room with comfy couches too!

Best customer service EVER. Taking the written and driving was very pleasant . Very well organized company. They also let you use their vehicles for a cost but is well worth it .Thank you BAL 💖💗

Worst experience Ive had when it comes to getting a license. Ive had a DL in multiple states but had to basically start from scratch because I had been out of country for some time and not originally from Washington.Multiple people have confirmed this place will milk you for every dime they can. Even other driving schools have told me this after the fact. One of the questions that they failed me for was apparently the current driving standard is now a hand placement of 9 and 3 as opposed to 10 and 2 which was the standard for many many years. Going with my instinct I selected the 10 and 2 answer and that was wrong. Come to find out that question shouldnt even be on the test according to other driving schools.Having paid for both the driving test and the written test up front and having failed the written test the company allowed me to leave without giving me the money back for my driving test since I never actually took it. They didnt even call me to let me know. If it had not been for me to realize I left it there 2 weeks later and thank god I still had my receipt they wouldnt of said anything!I go back to the schools to pick up the money I left and I didnt have time to wait for them to finish with a test for someone. I come back again and magically, they dont have the key to the money drawer conveniently enough. Finally the 3rd time going back they were able to give me my $30 back.I will be making reports about this company to the BBB and whatever possible government agency so they can be made aware of these practices since these are just government contracted positions. By far the most unprofessional scam out there. Avoid this place at all costs.*Edit* I accidentally said $35 instead of $30 that they tried to keep from me and that is the owners justification to call me a liar. Out of everything I said, he chose to correct me on a $5 mistake but says nothing about the scam questions they put on the test. Avoid this place. Call and ask other driving schools. They all say the same thing about this place.

Being 52 means I can be told I can take the drivers test with a booster seat or a pillow. The guy was an ass, and reeked of cologne. Ladies who care about being treated with dignity and respect, go somewhere else!!

The teacher was very nice. I learned a lot.

If I could give less than 1 star I would. The woman was distracting during the testing, walking around, making noises with her straw and eating while proctoring. My husband arrived for his test on time and Bal refused to let him take the driver’s test saying he was missing paperwork from the insurance company. The insurance company said Bal was wrong and we were not missing anything. Bal refused to refund our money and was wanting to charge extra to reschedule. We went to another school, no extra paperwork needed and my husband had no problems getting tested right away. Bal chose ungenerous and possibly unethical behavior, demanding paperwork that was clearly not required. We are at the DOL now, proving Bal lied AND took our money. Go to Nelson’s instead! Nice, quick and honest.Interesting, that Bal’s reply to my review has 3 lies: 1. My husband tested at Nelson’s and got his license without providing an SR22 certificate. 2. The windshield of our car was not cracked. 3. All lights on our car were functional.

Absolutely terrible service. This guy fails you any way he can. Im at a loss for words for how belittled I feel after how this man treated me. I am looking into any possible way I can get him reviewed. I really want him shut down. If you do choose to go here record your driving test with a dash cam otherwise he will take advantage of you.

The people that work there were very kind and professional. They want to do what theyre doing right, according to the rules, and I respect that. They were very patient and even stayed open later than usual for me to take my driving test.

If there is less than one star I will gladly rate this place with

Very friendly and efficient.

WRONG DECISION TO BE AT BAL DRIVING SCHOOL!!It was JULY 30th, 2018!!!!!He was using the phone while teaching me driving !!!!At Bellingham location, the Indian instructor was so impatient!! I had hard time understanding so i did repeat what I understood so he kinda pissed. He was kinda yelled at me “JUST LISTEN! JUST LISTEN TO ME!!!”. I GOT SCARED AND UNCOMFORTABLE in the car. I just didnt want to be ruded about it since English is also my second language as well. So it is even harder for me to understand. So he should not yell since i was trying to make it clearI did make appointment with his wife at the office then i came back to the lesson at 6 pm. She knew i would be done at 7.30 pm but she kept calling him at 7.10 ish!! ( i did 1 hour lesson and 30 mins test). She should know I was gonna be in the driving test.Maybe he was in rush because he needed to fall on her. It should not be interrupted while teaching and testing students!!Oh well, just recommended to go other school! There are cheaper than Bal driving school as well. Nelson is quick no appointment needed. EXCELeration is friendly and cheaper. So BAL IS N O T a good schoolespecially for people WHO WANT TO DO DRIVING LESSON.Ps. I’m complaining that it was NOT because I didnt pass the driving test. But how to teach me driving for 1 hour was bad and scary with kinda of yelling at me and sighed deeply. Teacher should be professional to understand that students are different and they are not good at driving THAT’S WHY I COME TO GET DRIVING LESSON.

If you have anyone with you in the waiting Area and they misplace there cell phone or a pen they will acuse you of stealing instead of looking for what they misplaced... very unprofessional.

I went to Bal and the reviews are true, I confronted Bal himself about this highway robbery of a business and he couldnt say anything. Ive been driving 7+ years, 145$ later still no license. GO TO NELSONS.

Worst service ever. Cant understand accent. Teaching sucks.

Scam artist. The nerve of Harbinder Singh Bal to talk about safe driving as he comes flying into the parking lot. Owner, Mr. Bal, drives like a jerk and fails people just so he can get more money. This is the problem with privatization of government right here. A greedy scam artist with a $10,000 rock on his finger. He has a camera on his car for a reason. He rips people off. My step son knows how to drive and he failed him twice just because he didnt pay for the course. This way he gets 3X the money. I have the Score sheet -- SCORE 100% yet FAILED!.There are a lot of negative reviews for a reason.Very Unprofessional. Does not even have business cards and signature is too sloppy to read name.I watched Harbinder Singh Bal drive in and out of his parking lot and he is very reckless and arrogant.

Great driving school. Gonna recommend to my friends!

Should be called Bad Driving School, LLC. Money Scam will fail you over and over. My son took the test for the third time and the instructor lied and said he put both Wheels into the curb while backing up. One wheel hit the curb. There is no way he did that!! He was failed immediately. Watch out for the East Indian tester he will fail you!!

This is a good driving school. I got the drive lesson from here.

The man is a liar and a thief. Lied about the car to force me to use his, then fell asleep during the test and failed me by 2 points on BS, just to get me to take the test again. Not to mention his very poor personal hygiene.

Horrible place! Worst experience ever! These people are just out to get your monty. Dont ever go here! Not recommended at all!

WORST DRIVING SCHOOL EVER, CHEAT MONEY! RUDE PEOPLE! AVOID AT ALL COST!!!

The instructor was rude and made me feel uncomfortable. Points were taken off for another driver cutting me off during much test. Dont recommend.

Money making scam

Very good

Very professional