Lee F.
A bit of bait and switch
Overall, a course that went very quickly. As dull and boring as any other defensive driving course. You're bound to learn something and change your habits if only even slightly after watching all the "safe driving" reminders a course like this gives you. However, there were several things I didn't like. 1) Bait and Switch. It advertises as $25 for the course. However, then there is a $3.00 "required" fee (the state getting it's cut no doubt), a $2.00 "audio" fee, and a $10.00 fee to EMAIL you a pdf vs FREE mailing (snail mail) of your certificate. It actually cost me $38.00 (I didn't use the audio). I wouldn't trust the USPS to get me any document of importance so I paid the additional $10.00. 2) There was no comedy whatsoever. Perhaps if I had spent the $2.00 for audio there might have been some. The course itself it just as dry as any other defensive driving course on the market. 3) FOUR TIMES the timer (required by the state) said it was time to take the test. When I clicked the "TAKE TEST" button, it said I had not spent enough time on the material. The "TAKE TEST" button does NOT appear until the appropriate time for the section has expired. This is DEFINITELY a bug. The timer reset and I had to wait up to another 10 minutes to take the test. 4) THREE TIMES the screen locked up after I attempted to grade the test and it showed I had not taken any part of the program. Fortunately logging off and back on solved that problem. I have 1 gigabit per second internet, so it was NOT an internet speed issue. If you're looking for a different defensive driving course, this is NOT the one. I chose it because I thought some humor would spice it up a little. Not even the slightest attempt at humor....just the same facts and figures that defensive driving always presents. In response to the reply from the company. 1) If the state REQUIRES you charge $25.00 for the course and $3.00 for administrative fees, then the cost of the course is $28.00 NOT $25.00. I CHOSE to pay the extra $10.00 to prevent the USPS from losing my certificate in the mail, so I'll take responsibility for that charge. 2) I saw the blue boxes at the end of the page just before taking each test. One of them referred to some fact about Mt. Everest (don't even remember what it was), and the other referred to a camel being able to be more dehydrated than a human (I do remember 12% as the figure for the human). Since it had nothing to do with the course and appeared to be just random facts spewed out, I stopped reading them after that. Maybe it's just me, but some fact about Mt. Everest and camels being able to live longer than a human without water just doesn't touch my sense of humor. Maybe it's just me. In response to the second company reply. Thank goodness I only have to do this every 3 years. At least I won't expect any comedy in a "comedy defensive driving course" in the future. Appreciate your kind replies.
Response from Finish Fast Defensive DrivingDec 31, 2023
Lee. Thank you for your review. We take all comments to heart and attempt to improve our course in any way we can. We apologize if you considered the course fees to be a "bait and switch". The State of Texas requires a "minimum" fee of $25 "and" at least $3 for course materials. We offer a course audio option for convenience - but since we must have the audio streamed it costs additional resources (bandwidth etc) so we charge a minimal fee to cover those costs. Many other providers charge as much as $5. The $10 fee is for expedited processing so you may download your certificate immediately. We make all certificates available for download within 7 days - but expedited processing is extra. We have been experiencing some issues on one of our servers over the holiday and are working on it. It may have resulted in some miscommunication with our servers. We apologize for this issue but we are aware and are working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue. The comedy portion is at the bottom of each page. Not every "factoid" is funny. But there are several jokes in those areas. We don't actually have one regarding Mt. Everest - we looked. Here's one of the actual "jokes" just for your entertainment. A lawyer opened the door of his BMW, when suddenly a car came along and hit the door, ripping it off completely. When the police arrived at the scene, the lawyer was complaining bitterly about the damage to his precious BMW. "Officer, look what they've done to my Beemer!!!", he whined. "You lawyers are so materialistic, you make me sick!!!", retorted the officer. "You're so worried about your stupid BMW, that you didn't even notice that your left arm was ripped off!" "Oh, my gaaaad...!", replied the lawyer, finally noticing the bloody left shoulder where his arm had been. Where's my Rolex???!!!