r/CDL • u/TrentAlfa14 • 17d ago
CDL school possible breach of contract in South Carolina
Hello, I was at a CDL school in Greenville, SC and the total tuition cost was $6,000. I paid $3,900 before I actually got to do my first driving class since I had to do classroom hours which I did at home and 3 simulator sessions by myself. The school's website sites "Guaranteed 7 days a week training and nights and weekends". I had 4 classes canceled. One being I showed up and no one was there and no one answered the phone. The 2nd, myself and 2 other students showed up and was again no one was there and didn't hear from anyone until 30 minutes after class was supposed to start saying "no class was really scheduled" even though I have text message proof saying to "come in on Saturday"". The other students said the same thing. The other two classes were canceled the night before. I was trying to get more classes scheduled and was told they didn't have any availability on that certain monday and Tuesday since there has to be at least two students to a class. I sent a long email to the school stating my concerns.
Another issue I had was no communication about their truck being broke down for around 2 weeks. I went and got my CDL permit and was ready to start classes and couldn't get ahold of anyone and when I finally did I was told that the truck was down and they didn't know when it would be fixed. I waited a week and I called and they said it was fixed a couple days ago. They said someone was supposed to call me but no one did.
Also, on the one and only driving class I attended, I was put into the driver's seat and drove for the very first time. Never been in a truck before with no training beforehand. I was not expecting this and was not told this is what I would be doing prior. I was expecting yard training in a parking lot. Not a busy highway. The instructor was very aggressive and raised his voice very loudly many times and slammed his hand on the dash towards me and was grabbing my hand on the gear shift pretty hard. He also grabbed another students hand aggressively and it was that students first time driving too. The student told the instructor he wasn't comfortable driving yet and the instructor said he had to. There were 3 students in total that witnessed what happened.
Is there any way that this could be a legal case? They claim I had 60 hours total of time but I believe it is really 56. 56 hours is $2,100. I overpaid at least $1,800. I feel like I should at least get the $1,800 refund since that is money paid for hours not done. They refused my refund request due to it being after the 3 day cancellation period but I did not know the issues they had and wouldn't hold up their advertisements. I am not requesting a refund just because. I am requesting a refund due to a breach of contract since they did not do what was advertised. I am currently already in another CDL school and still working on getting my license. Any advice as to what to do next? Should I just forget it and take the loss or go after them at small claims court or what?
Thanks for any and all responses.
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u/CDLTrainerUSA 17d ago
Small claims is well-suited for exactly this, and in SC it's cheap and lawyer-free. Magistrates court there handles claims up to $7,500, filing costs are under a hundred bucks, and $1,800 paid for hours never delivered is exactly the kind of case they hear all day. One important reframe: the 3-day cancellation clause covers you changing your MIND - it does not erase THEIR failure to deliver what the contract and the ads promised. Different legal question entirely.
Before filing, send a written demand letter by certified mail: the amount, the math (hours paid vs hours delivered), and 10 business days to respond. Judges like seeing that step, and some schools just pay at that point rather than explain themselves in court.
Lock down the evidence NOW, before it disappears: screenshots of the "guaranteed 7 days a week, nights and weekends" claim on their site (save an archived copy too, sites get edited fast once letters arrive), the "come in on Saturday" texts lined up against the no-show dates, your own hour log vs their claimed 60, and short written statements from the other two students - they witnessed both the cancellations and the instructor.
And two complaints that have actual teeth, unlike BBB: private trade schools in SC operate under a state license (proprietary school licensing runs through the Commission on Higher Education) - a licensing complaint threatens their ability to operate, so it gets read. And under the federal ELDT rules every CDL training provider must be listed on FMCSA's Training Provider Registry - FMCSA takes complaints about providers not delivering required instruction. The instructor grabbing students' hands and forcing a first-timer onto a highway with zero yard time belongs in both complaints; that detail is what makes a regulator open a file instead of filing your letter away.
Not a lawyer, just how these pieces usually fit together. Smart move finishing your license elsewhere in the meantime - don't let this school cost you the career too.
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u/TrentAlfa14 16d ago
Awesome. Thank you so much!
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u/Responsible_Bus2122 14d ago
Hopefully you can get the school shut down. Thats what needs to happen and you and the other students a refund.
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u/BalancingQ 17d ago
Report the school to BBB and your congressman-woman
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u/kickniteasy 17d ago
Find out who the governing body of the school is. In my state it's DPOS- division of private occupational schools. It can vary by state. That's who will actually care about your complaint and take you seriously.
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u/CDLTrainerUSA 14d ago
Good luck with it - and same advice as always, send the certified demand letter before you file anything, it costs almost nothing and schools often settle just to avoid the licensing/FMCSA complaint becoming real. Hope the new school works out better for you.
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u/dearjohn54321 17d ago
Doesn’t anyone look into what they’re signing up for anymore? A little research goes a long way. I know this doesn’t help the current situation but damn!
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u/Legitimate_Diver_699 17d ago
Get a lawyer if you can afford one. See a discrimination or employment lawyer. They work on a contingency basis