GASTONIA, N.C. — North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is suing a Gastonia driving school and its owner, accusing them of taking money from families for driving lessons they allegedly failed to provide.
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Stephanie Newcomb says her daughter is very active in sports, especially cheering.
“Her being able to drive when she turned 16 was going to be a huge help for us,” she told Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke.
She says they signed her up with N.C. Virtual Driver’s Ed in Gastonia but regretted it. She says they had to fight to get her daughter’s certificate for completing the class time; that she only received two hours of actual road time; that they asked for $250 back but never got it; and that they ended up having to complete driver’s ed somewhere else for another $350.
“It’s just very frustrating, and I feel bad for my kid,” Newcomb said. “She’s very upset. Very upset.”
The DMV revoked the school’s license to do business in North Carolina in September -- for multiple reasons -- including allegedly giving people the runaround when it came to refunds and completion certificates.
Attorney General Jeff Jackson says more than 50 people complained to his office and the DMV.
“I think their behavior was pretty egregious,” he told Stoogenke.
His office sued both the school and its owner Tuesday, claiming, in part, they:
- Charged new drivers and their families for lessons they didn’t give.
- Would give parking lessons and vision or medical screenings instead of the actual behind-the-wheel training the DMV requires.
- Took money up front even though they allegedly didn’t have enough qualified instructors.
- Refused to give those refunds and certificates we already mentioned.
“We found a bad actor. We found a company that was holding themselves out there [as] helping families and helping young drivers. And, as it turns out, they were just ripping people off,” he said. “Cases like this serve two purposes: one, get money back for families that were ripped off and, two, send a message that ripping people off in our state will not be tolerated.”
Action 9 reached out to the school, but didn’t hear back in time for this report.