Oregon Driver Education Center

This company is a joke.
I’m in the process of reinstating my drivers license and wanted to use the DMV drive package offered by ODEC.
Before purchasing the $ 263 package I called in numerous times to confirm what I needed to do in order to purchase and take the test. Not only was I given different information each time I called in, but after purchasing the package, it took me 3 days to get a hold of the scheduling person because, again, everyone kept telling me different times to call in. It also didn’t help that she leaves by noon on Fridays…
Once I finally got ahold of the scheduling person I was informed that I was being lied to the entire time about the package prerequisites and was not even able to use the package I had purchased.
That should’ve been the end of it but. NOT WITH THESE JOKERS.
When I requested a full refund I was informed that all refunds must be approved in person by the owner of the company, who just happens to be in Korea??? Seriously, I could NOT believe the nonsense these people were feeding me.
When I told the manager about all the misinformation that his employees are giving his response was «well, he’s new.»
ARE THEY ALL NEW???
This has been one of the most frustrating and absurd experiences I’ve ever had dealing with ANY kind of business.
Save yourself a lot of time and headaches, go somewhere else.

Couldn’t be happier with the results and the instructors at ODEC. It’s a bit expensive, but you won’t get consistent customer service with the cheaper ones I bet. I’ve had my permit for FIVE years and had enough experience to survive the roads, but not safely. I asked for a female instructor due to some PTSD issues. They informed me that they didn’t have any available in my area but could give me a lesson with the supervisor (very professional and kind of them to do). Right away, I knew I’d be coming back for more after my first lesson due to the guy’s expertise and knowledge. I felt at ease once I started. So, I continued my lessons on with another instructor who was his cousin, Craig I believe. He was very kind and patient even though I drove like Spongebob at times. When time came to pass my first test I failed, but in no means do I blame this on the school. I’m a really nervous girl and that’s what got the best of me. He told me to keep my head up and keep trying even though I felt like crap and I felt defeated. It was my last lesson, so that was the last time we spoke.
Well, I took a little break (two, three weeks), did some kick ass Tai Chi, and came back with a vengeance. I PASSED with two minors and it was awesome. Even though I probably broke his record of how many kids he’s passed since he started working, I would like everyone and him to know that I PASSED my second time and now I am driving with confidence :]
I would recommend this place. Fer sure.

Easy to book class and my instructor was awesome. However, be aware that if you ever want to cancel a class, good luck with getting that money back. Nothing could be worse than dishonesty and inconsistency.
When I cancelled my class on apr 22^nd, they told me they put in a refund request and i would get a check in a month. When I contacted them by email on May 13^th, they told me there was no refund request there.
If I could give negative starts, I would. Bottom line, don’t overpay/​cancel classes.
Update: after giving a negative review on Unilocal,filing a complaint with BBB, and having them informed about this, my credit refund was quickly processed and it hit my account as of May 22^nd. I’m updating my review from 1 start to 3.

We had a great experience with ODEC. We opted for the package with the preferred scheduling options and the Extreme Course experience. The preferred scheduling option made the process of getting the classroom and driving times much easier and eased our concerns of not finishing before school started back up. My daughter had great in-​car drivers and learned a lot from the Extreme Driving session. Also, at first I was annoyed that parents had to attend an opening session, but I learned a lot in the process. THANKS!

I am not a driver. My experience learning to drive at the age most people do was pretty traumatic. Not fatal motor vehicle accident traumatic, more like mom freaking out in the passenger seat traumatic. The whole experience sucked and I gave up. Trimet, bike, cool.
Cut to March ’09, I’ve been unemployed for a few months and I’m not finding any decent maintenance jobs that don’t require driver’s licenses. I curse repeatedly. I shake my fist at God, Henry Ford and buildings that don’t need their own technicians. That didn’t work? Crap. Okay, I need to get my license. See first paragraph.
The answer? Like millions of 15 year olds, I need professional instruction. I google «driving instruction» and end up with stuff like Al’s Purfeshional Drivin’ Teachin’s. Underwhelming. So I check the DMV’s website and sure enough, they have approved driving schools. Sweet.
My choices came down to two that looked like they had their stuff together. They worked high schools (mind OUT of the gutter!), they had a web presence, cool. I went with ODEC because they offered three 2-​hour lessons, the other did (IIRC) four 1.5 hour lessons. It works out to be the same but I just had more confidence in the slightly longer sessions. Dunno why.
It’s not cheap, my package was almost $ 400, but I also wasn’t stuck in a old Yugo with someone who smelled like cheap booze.
The instructor meets you with the car bearing those fashionable «student driver» placards at one of a few local high schools. Maybe it’s standard policy for the school, maybe it was that I selected Grant HS (with the oh so lovely Hollywood to drive through) but after a quick run through the basics in a parking lot I was pretty much thrown into it. There’s no hand holding, you’re here to learn some driving, so you get learned. Maybe if I’d been panicky about it they would have slowed things down, but since it was my money and the clock was ticking I appreciated the nudge out of the nest.
After the lot we started on some of the wackest side streets I’d ever seen. Lopsided intersections, greenery that blocks lines of sight around corners, streets with no sidewalks, potholes. Yikes! It felt custom made for new drivers. The second lesson (also begun at Grant) I was handed the keys and sent onto Broadway and the hills around Grant Park and Irvington, through Hawthorne and finally ending up with a spin around Rocky Butte. It was a lot of driving.
The only caveat is ODEC mostly does high school driver’s ed (duh) so the adult lessons are pretty free form. If you’re going it would help to know what you want to do. But I recommend without reservation if you’re an un-​American slacker like me, you’re rusty, or maybe you realize (ahem) that your technique is lacking. I learned some things that several people who have driven professionally didn’t know. And I know how to parallel park. Word.
One semi-​related warning, you may be accused of backseat driving after a lesson or two. It’s not my fault certain people I know have bad habits. Nyah!