Funny Bone Defensive Driving, 9070 Research Boulevard, Austin, Reviews and Appointments (2024)

40 Reviews

Austin, Texas

Reviews

Jennifer Beets

4 May 2018

REPORT

LaDonna was a funny and great instructor, she was full of energy and I really enjoyed her class. If you’re thinking about attending a drivers defense class, I would suggest signing up for her class. S... Read More

Charmaine Sheffield

14 Apr 2018

REPORT

The instructor for Texas defensive driving course was very energetic Ladonna Claude was very knowledgeable about driving itself .The part that was a eye opener for meto learn about was the DWI and how much it cost and how it can ruin your life .Overall the class was Lively everyone enjoyed itI enjoyed it she's very good at what she do Read Less

Kam Colvin

14 Apr 2018

REPORT

It was a great fun experience, much better than you would expect for a defensive driving course and the instructor LaDonna was awesome! A great fun way to get defensive driving in whatever situation a... Read More

Kikay Ingle

24 Mar 2018

REPORT

Ladonna is the best! Location: Texas Land and Cattle near Lakeline Mall. She rock! I’ve learned so much from her that I never heard before;) She made the class interesting everyone get to participate. I am glad I went to her class instead of doing it online. I highly recommend her and get to meet bew friends at the class too;) Read Less

John Ferguson

23 Mar 2018

REPORT

Class content moved along at a very good pace keeping it both interesting as well as making the classroom time fly by.Highly recommend!

silver Light

9 Aug 2017

REPORT

Very nice - Fun filled Informative Class - I liked the communication skills of Sean - the Instructor. He had very good skills to breaking the eyes(ICE). Liked it very much, will recommend every one wh... Read More

Nick Gaskill Vlogs

5 Aug 2017

REPORT

Great experience! Made something bad into a fun time! Also LaDonna was great.

Tyler Martin

26 Jul 2017

REPORT

When I was signing up for a defensive driving class, I was not expecting to straight up enjoy being there. I had Sean, and he was fantastic. Personable, interactive, funny, etc. If I ever have to do d... Read More

Marissa Jeter

22 Jul 2017

REPORT

Had a lot of fun here. LaDonna Claude was such an amazingly funny speaker. Made the class super fun & exciting! Food was great too!

Zachary Wilemon

15 Jul 2017

REPORT

Mrs. LaDonna Claude was a great teacher and kept everyone involved and active. She also did a very good job of keeping everyone's attention. I highly recommend this class if you need to take it.

Rolando M.

30 Jun 2017

REPORT

LaDonna Claude made the class great and go by fast and gets us involved in the class and let's us share our stories. We talk about actual driving experiences that happen to us here in Austin Area and explains what maneuvers are legal and illegal. Lunch is great while watching 2 Fast 2 Furious then she starts class after lunch. Read Less

Laura N.

13 Jun 2017

REPORT

The instructor in Round Rock was great, but paid for overnight paperwork and did not receive it. I was billed for overnight results but company states request was not received. Would not recommend.

Beth L.

6 Jun 2017

REPORT

I took the online class and it certainly wasn't funny as advertised. The course was long (well, no longer than it had to be by law but extremely un-funny) and rather outdated. Many of the new laws are notated above each video, but I would not take the online version of this class again. Not even corny funny. They have a young girl who tries to be funny but it's just not working for her or them. :) The material was good and they covered what they needed to, you'll be ok as far as requirements by Texas law, but look for a more updated, newer course.They also spell brakes all the way through the test as 'breaks'. Now THAT'S funny. Read Less

Petsitters P.

28 Apr 2017

REPORT

The online course was horrible. NOT funny at all. Video's were incredibly OLD!!! The "host" was just as horrible as the rest of it.

Sharon S.

22 Jan 2017

REPORT

I wanted to go to a classroom setting and get it done and over with, but can't because of other Saturday obligations, so I was going to take their online class. That is until I saw that they are ripping people off by trying to get them to order their driving record through their website for "Only $22.95". They tout "Order your Texas Driving Record through us and Save Yourself a Trip to the DPS Office!" What they don't tell you is that you can't get your driving record by going to the DPS office even if you wanted to! You can print it out from the DPS website instantly for $12, or request it by mail for $10. So they are charging you $11-$13 more to reenter the same information on the DPS website that you entered on theirs. I hate businesses that take advantage of people like that. Read Less

Texas W.

2 Aug 2016

REPORT

I arrived at 8:50am for the Saturday class at Casa Chapla. This same day about 11 other people showed up and when the restaurant opened at 9:00 we were told where to sit at. We waited, and waited, and waited. I sent an e-mail, called several times, asked the restaurant manager if she had a phone number for anyone and she didn't. The instructor never showed up!I ended up leaving around 9:40am along with everyone else. Nobody from the company ever contacted me to apologize or offer another class.Thanks, Funny Bones for wasting my morning. Read Less

Aileen H.

16 Jul 2016

REPORT

I signed up for a Saturday class, there were 10 or 11 of us but after a half hour of waiting people started to leave because instructor never showed up. 3 of us waited for an hour and then we left. I was very disappointed that we didn't even get a phone call to let us know instructor was unable to make. I feel like they had no respect for our time and I will be going elsewhere to take class. I DO NOT recommend this company. If they had called and advised someone of a problem I would not be upset but they didn't. Read Less

Linda G.

29 Jun 2016

REPORT

I just got done taking my defensive driving class with Funny Bone Driving School. The instructor was LaDonna Claude. She made everyone feel comfortable and was very funny. I loved how down to earth she is. I would recommend this class and LaDonna as the instructor for anyone. Thank you so very much!! Read Less

Jamilyn H.

27 Jan 2016

REPORT

Very helpful and they answer all my tech questions.Thank you Bianca for all your support questions . you were a big help!

Laura F.

17 Dec 2015

REPORT

Great class enjoyed my instructor total riot...makes a bad experience a bit better. Thanks for still offering classes vs online...get it done and don't procrastinate or if you have procrastinated this... Read More

Jeremiah B.

18 Nov 2015

REPORT

That was the most informative and funny 6 hours I've spent in "time out" in years. Mark was witty, fully engaged and kept all of us awake!! I highly recommend Funny Bones for DD. You won't be disappoi... Read More

Jason D.

28 Sep 2015

REPORT

Abort!!! I recently received my first speeding ticket in about 10 years. I chose this site to do so. The lady is rather boring and the comedy (questionable to label it as comedy) is cheesy at best. What really bothers me is that I've had to re-watch the same videos repeatedly because the site logs me out at random times. I'm sitting here watching and it, not starting and leaving it. It's really aggravating. I'll use a different one should I have to do this again. Read Less

Dax N.

27 Jul 2015

REPORT

It was good.mark was entertaining. Also the 6 hrs was spent at Logan's roadhouse, and a free meal was included with the class. Not the worst thing considering I had been at work for 8 hours prior. Any... Read More

Gisela F.

7 Mar 2015

REPORT

Took the class today. The time flew by, the instructor Mark was great and the food was delicious! The class was very helpful and informative.

Summer B.

5 Feb 2015

REPORT

You can tell this place was going to look like a junkyard. It doesn't show a picture!

Kim H.

7 Aug 2014

REPORT

This funnybone was at Texas Land & Cattle. And it was taught by LaDonna Claude. I have attended defensive driving classes quite a few times. I have to say - this was the first time I actually enjoyed a defensive driving class ever. I would HIGHLY recommend taking LaDonna's class. It's not so much that she was funny - it was more that she was so friendly and engaging, she involved the class and kept our attention the entire day, and it was never boring. Also - when you go there, you don't get pizza. You get a really good lunch - no steak, but you do get a really good burger, chicken sandwich, or salad. Read Less

John M.

23 Jul 2014

REPORT

I attended the Funny Bone Defensive Driving course in Round Rock on July 9th. The purpose of my attendance was to reduce my car insurance premiums. The course was taught by Mark and he did a wonderful job. He used to be a police officer so that gave the class insight that they wouldn't receive from other instructors without this experience. The time went by relatively fast (the course was from 9am to 3pm) and was both enjoyable and informative. The only thing I would change is the pizza we had for lunch from Austin Pizza - Domino's would be a far better choice. John Read Less

Aaris E.

19 Jul 2014

REPORT

In 2013 I took defensive driving with a company that shall remain nameless. The instructor appeared to know the material however he had no personality. As you can imagine this made the required 6 hours seem like forever. This year I again had to take defensive driving. Because of my past experience I searched for a better way. I'm happy to report I found it! I attended a class led by LaDonna with Funny Bone Schools of Defensive Driving. It was a painless, yet very educational experience. While the subject matter was serious, Ladonna's personality and delivery made it fun. This resulted in the time zipping by! I have taken appropriate actions, such as slowing down and being more mindful of traffic signs, to avoid needing to take another course. However, should the need arise I'll again be sitting in LaDonna's Funny Bone Schools of Defensive Driving course. Read Less

Evan B.

14 Jun 2014

REPORT

They do a very good job of making the best out of something you don't want to do. Mark, the instructor was enjoyable and kept attention through class very well. You'll learn some things and you'll be ... Read More

Nicola S.

25 Apr 2014

REPORT

I'm taking the online course to excuse a speeding ticket. I expected it to be funnier and more entertaining, with demonstrative skits by a comedy troupe. It's just a very animated woman, Megan, in front of a green screen who matter-of-factly speaks about safe driving procedures and presents a few dated (besides one about texting) short films from different sources. The course is very informative and makes me rethink some of my driving habits. I just thought it was going to be more fun and engaging to watch. It took me 3 days to take the course, but that's just because I didn't have a lot of time to do it until the weekend. I got through chapters 3-9 in a few hours on a Saturday, so can definitely get it done in a day if you have about 6-8 hours free. After watching all the videos, you have to make over 70% correct answers on an untimed 20 question comprehensive quiz to pass the course. You can log out and in during the quiz. You have 3 chances to pass the quiz. If you fail after 3 chances, you have to reorder and retake the entire course. The quiz questions are pretty common sense questions, but you have time to research it if you can't remember or don't know. Make sure to read everything carefully, including the answers. I answered too quick on one and got it wrong because answer D was "Both answer A and B."The course is very thorough and informative, but it's also boring at times and I find myself zoning out and then getting surprised and flustered when a question comes up. I fell asleep during a 20 minute video 2 times and had to rewatch. If your computer shuts off for some reason you have to rewatch the entire video over. I don't like how some videos are split in two, but I guess that helps with the having to rewatch the entire video problem. There's 9 chapters with varied subtopics. In every chapter there's a timed surprise question to validate your identity. It's handy to have your insurance info, vin number, license, and registration info handy for when these questions come up. If you miss 4 answers you're locked out. After every film there's an easy untimed question about what it was about.As far as the humor, it's pretty tame and at times annoying because I'm totally aware of how flat the jokes are and how they're eating up time when we could just be getting on with the program. Instead of incorporating humor into the lectures, the instructor goes off on unrelated trying-too-hard tangents and then some uptight angry man off screen yells at her. It's not my taste of humor. Maybe others find it funny, but I think they could have thought up a more effective and funny way to present the course. The one thing I did find funny was her pronunciation of "rural." I do think she's a good speaker, though. I'd probably appreciate her approach a lot more if I didn't come in to this expecting the course to be funny. I will admit I am a snob when it comes to what makes me laugh. (My ideal hosts for this course would have been equivalent to the Kids in the Hall, or the cast from The IT Crowd.)Despite the lack of funny jokes, the course got the job done for just $25 (minimum amount by Texas law to be accepted for a driver safety course) so I guess that's the most I can ask for. Read Less

Hot S.

31 Mar 2014

REPORT

Make sure you call these people IMMEDIATELT after you finish your class to once again provide the information you already provided when you signed up because they will wait 10 days to give you a call and tell you your certificate cannot be issued because they don't have all they need. Also they will attempt to charge you for expedite delivery. The course was alright, dry and didn't think funny at all but it's my own fault I had to do it in the first place. The videos are dated but I guess the information is relevant or they wouldn't be licensed. Read Less

Monica M.

24 Mar 2014

REPORT

From my husband:Unfortunately, I have been to many Defensive Driving courses in my 25years of driving, but this was one of the best I have ever attended.The 6 hours FLEW by. The instructor was funny and knowledgeable (he wasa former Wilco and Austin police officer, so he had lots of great andvaluable insights). I would highly recommend Funny Bone to anyonelooking for a fun Defensive Driving class. Read Less

Brian E.

30 Jun 2013

REPORT

AWFUL TECHNICAL PROBLEMS!So, Texas law requires that you watch 6 hours worth of videos. There are a series of videos that you watch/click thru etc.Close to four of the videos froze up and I had to refresh/log back in, which meant I had to RESTART these videos. One of them was a 21-minute video that froze three times, when it had 3 or 4 minutes left. This did it on 2 different browsers.It finally went through on Safari, although the pic skipped, then another video did the same thing. I did not have any other connectivity issues with any other sites etc, so I know it was not my connection.Extremely frustrating. Took and additional TWO HOURS to complete because of this.Use some other school. Read Less

Jennifer F.

8 Apr 2013

REPORT

The online was awful. Really easy until I needed assistance. I tried emailing, no response. Next day try live chat, no response, try calling, wait on hold for over 21 minutes just to be talked to disr... Read More

Jacqueline S.

2 Mar 2013

REPORT

I am reviewing the online driving course. I recently took it to excuse a traffic ticket. It was my first time doing an online class, and I thought it was easy and even kind of silly at times (funny). I actually liked a couple of the videos and learned something new - I thought the video about texting and driving would be very helpful for teens so I hope it helps other drivers. Got through it with a couple of weekends and then ordered the expedited certificate! Easy peazy! Read Less

Fareed T.

11 Sep 2011

REPORT

Took the Monday 9-3pm 6hr class. It did the job and got my dd out of the way. However, it wasn't very funny, the ongoing political commentary was annoying, and the facilities were run-down-just-this-s... Read More

Angela L.

2 Nov 2010

REPORT

I attended the Sunday defensive driving class at the North location. The instructor was Matthew, who is a very nice guy, but not funny at all. 3 of the 6 hours were DVD videos. This was torture not only because of the content of the videos, but because the DVD skipped and stuck- often. Several times, the video stopped, and the instructor ejected the disk, wiped it on his pants, and put it back in, which sometimes fixed the problem. And sometimes did not.The class was 12-6, and we had pizza at 3. No complaints there. Austin's Pizza was fine.If faced again with the choice of driving schools in the future, I will NOT return to Funny Bone. Read Less

Tenoch M.

8 Oct 2010

REPORT

It's defensive driving - might as well be somewhat enjoyable.The food was actually pretty good and there was a really good selection. I had the chicken sandwich with bacon (and they have Pepsi, which is a plus in my book!). You can drink soda all day for $2.Collin was pretty funny. I enjoyed (as much as one can enjoy spending a Saturday in defensive driving) Collin.If you have to go, might as well laugh it up a bit.Take this one. Read Less

Melanie H.

20 Jun 2010

REPORT

Just came from a one-day stint in defensive driving AKA detention for adults. The course was fine. I thought it was fitting that the interstitial entertainment was "Groundhog Day" on DVD. The instructor, Keith Kelly, was fairly humorous, although the misogynist and political jokes wore a bit thin. I skipped the free pizza (Austin's Pizza) in favor of a more wholesome lunch from home. Overall the course was fine, despite the uncomfortable chairs. My biggest complaint stems from a five-minute spiel during the last hour of class. Seems the owner of Funny Bone also owns a Farmers Insurance office in Round Rock, so we had to sit through a five-minute sales pitch for Farmers Insurance (if you switch to Farmers, we'll give you the discount for taking this class!), which really bugged me. Read Less

Alex A.

5 Aug 2009

REPORT

Took the North Austin location class over 2 nights at 9401 Research Blvd.They try their damndest to make the 6 hours bearable. They do not hammer you with stupid sh*t; your instructor is a professional comedian who is there to talk to you like an adult when it comes down to brass tacks. The first night's instructor seemed like he felt he was in a comedy club, complete with meta-analysis of how we received his jokes. The second night's instructor was much more at ease with the class of 16.Served good Austin Pizza, not some Domino's or cheap-ass bargain pie. However I was led to believe we would get pizza both nights, when in fact you only get food on the first night. Moral: if you split the class into 2 3-hour sessions, eat dinner on the second night.Recommended- I can think of worse ways to get your DSC out of the way. Read Less

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