written by Darrenu128 on 04/10/2021
If you want to pass your cbt or full licence go with Phoenix in Crystal Palace I wasted £1000 pounds with Bikewize where I failed my mod1 due to not enough training and bad instructions so couldn’t take my mod2 me and another guy both failed and after we both failed the instructor was laughing and joking with the examiner once I failed with Bikewize I went to Phoenix and I mentioned where and why I failed and the instructors there were laughing and saying we get a lot of business from them stay away from this company I wish I had trained with Phoenix in the 1st place I now have my full licence thanks to Phoenix passed 1st time with these they are so much more professional and they don’t shout at you they make you feel comfortable and also cheaper more reasonable Bikewize get lots of bad reviews for a reason I wouldn’t recommend these to anyone
written by HillarySpencer on 29/07/2016
Having Initially passed my CBT with BikeWize in 2012 it made sense to return as I knew what to expect and was sure I would receive everything I need to get me back on the roads. I recently completed my CBT which was broken down in to a well structured day involving listening & learning, show & tell basics and a safe and prsctical ride on the roads with the instructor. Having completed this I spent the next three days training to take my DAS. The instructor delivered all parts of the DAS test throughout these days in an intelligent format which was perfect for myself as I have some experience riding but never have been on anything larger than a 125cc. I found the days to be full of information which I was given plenty of time to understand and practice before being able to get experience on some of the bigger bikes to get me ready for my DAS test. I had no trouble in finding test dates on the same day. All the staff are polite, helpful and friendly & the instructors are very experienced and answered all of my questions. I have already recomended two friends who wish to get their bike license.
written by kjNolan62 on 25/05/2016
The instructor was very rude and at times aggressive. An overall extremely unpleasant experience, especially as you are a paying customer and deserve due respect. Bikewize is an amateur set up bent on humiliating and intimidating their customer base with full knowledge that people rely on them to pass training and therefore know they can get away with such behaviour.
written by paul07paul on 24/04/2016
I went to Bikewize after trying another organisation who basically had a money-making factory approach to their customers. By contrast,I found Bikewize genuinely were interested in me as an individual. When I started with them I had no confidence and was at the point of giving-up. By contrast I have now just passed my CBT with them. Their instructors are personable, patient, honest and they treated me as a proper customer always putting my welfare first. The whole culture of the company is a family,friendly one which soon puts you at ease. It feels like everyone there has time for you... I cannot speak highly enough of them and would 100% recommend them without a moment's hesitation. A great bunch of people.
written by MarenDickinson259 on 23/12/2015
I felt robbed, half way through the day, the instructor stopped the course due to rain and wind ( rain was not heavy) , when queried why we stopped the instructor said the course was taking longer than usual already running 1 hour late and soon it will be dark , we never did the road course and once back in the office we were told we have to pay to do the course again or complete it. Why should we pay when they stopped the course due to no fault of ours.
Written on: 11/02/2016
I feel that this review is written incorrectly. If we stop your CBT due to bad weather we would not ask you to pay again we would postpone it for a another date which is suitable for everyone.
A CBT is usually a day course and throughout the day there are 5 elements to complete we have an allocated time on each section in order to complete the day.
I'm sorry you felt this way and surely it would have been better to discuss this with the staff to see what we could do or clear any confusion.
Further payment is only due if further training is required if you didn't mean the required standard set by the DVSA to gain a certificate.
Written on: 11/02/2016
I had a bad experience dealing with these people too. Court action against them pending, so can't go into details yet, but I found them arrogant and rude.
written by JayceeFigueroa on 19/09/2015
My son did a cbt with this company and he feels that he was let down by the instructor as he was abrupt aggressive and in no way helpful in anyway. Don't go with this company pay a little bit more.
Written on: 11/02/2016
You are not the only person to say this. There are similar comments like yours on other review sites as well. I found them very rude and arrogant to deal with. I certainly would not recommend them. When you complain the threaten you with legal action if you speak about it on social media and sites like this. Really not nice people.
written by 463Blackwell on 23/08/2015
Don't waste your time!! Go somewhere else. For extra £30 you will get a pleasant, motivational,respectful staff and instructor!! Bikes provide are very old and tacky. Don't know how to accommodate customers need! Get threaten if u done this and that, it will cost u MONEY!!! Cbt suppose to be a bloody training not a TEST! They think they have this kind of authority invested on them!!,respect man! Instructor needs to check hygiene!
Written on: 10/05/2017
Sadly, we do have the authority issued by the Secretary of State. So many people think that a CBT is just training and they will automatically receive a CBT certificate at the end of the day. THIS IS NOT THE CASE! Please review then governments web site regarding CBT training before you start making this kind of post.
You are correct in your statement regarding paying the extra £30! Sadly though, they are money grabbers who will give you a CBT certificate (death warrant) at the end of the day. This is not what the government wants.
written by suem16 on 18/06/2015
Having read some of the previous reviews it is clear that these are "old" and do not refer to the current owners/training team!! I have undertaken pre-CBT and CBT training with Bikewize and could not be happier with the experience. My trainer was really clear about her instructions, but patient when I did not get it right straight away. She was so encouraging and really build up my confidence and knowledge. I would have no hesitation in recommending her. Having said that, the whole staff at Bikewize are really friendly and welcoming, and students with other trainers seemed equally happy and confident with their training. Bikewize make the training a really enjoyable experience.
written by Brian_London on 01/05/2015
Strange to read some of the other reviews - I completed my CBT and a 5 day DAS course with BikeWize and never heard an instructor yell at anyone - in retrospect I found all the staff extremely polite, patient and knowledgeable. I failed the MOD 1 on my first attempt due to nerves but the second time round I passed both MOD 1 and MOD 2 on the same day without a hitch. All in all I had a wonderful experience. Thank you BikeWize and especially Martin!
written by itwashimnotme on 12/04/2015
Did my CBT with Bikewize on 10th April 2015 and I have to say that the experience was pretty intense. The instructor was at times abrasive (lots of shouting)however there were no favourites because he shouted at everyone in equal measure! it was also very apparent that he really did know his stuff therefore the shouting - although unpleasant when on the receiving end certainly concentrates the mind. Would i recommend Bikewize to anyone that suffers from a nervous disposition - probably not) Would i recommend Bikewize for those wishing to learn lots of really good stuff about life on two wheels then it's a categoric yes.
written by johnnyquid on 03/03/2014
To start off the instructor was an absolute idiot, very rude and ignorant. I had no experience on a bike before booking a CBT, they treat you like you should know everything and anything. The reason you are there is to learn not to be shouted at if you do something wrong, if I knew how to do evertyhing I wouldn't be doing a CBT would I. Secondly the bike they gave me was good to start off with in the training which seemed ok I built up my cofidence, so after and hour to an hour and a half we went on the road. This is where it all went down hill.... The told me to have a 2 hour break before the 'test' which is stupid considering you've only done about and hour to an hour and a half training. Then when I got to do my on road test part they gave a different bike with broken wing mirrors and all the instructor did was scream and yell and kept saying how bored he was and 'couldn't really be asked today'. So I'm riding a bike with no working mirrors after all that big health and saftey talk, I was told if a driver is pulling out infront of you just go straight on insted of stopping to wait. And it went on like this for the whole time just yelling and swearing at you, walked away thinking I would never ride or drive again. I'm now driving a car its a million times better and I got a decent human being to teach me from scratch. So if your thinking of going to bikewise just don't. But always remember there is no such thing as a bad student just bad teacher, especially when these lot are involved!!
written by on 04/10/2013
Avoid at all cost. Do not waste your time and money. Complete rip off. Pay extra to find someone professional. I registered for the CBT course recently. The CBT course is supposed for someone with no prior experience and it lasts for one full day according to the website. However they do expect you to have experience and do not use a day to teach you. In the first few min on the motorbike, the instructor told me that my balance is bad and she would not let me on the road today. I accept that it might take somebody a few days to do CBT, didn't realise it means my £90 is a 1.5hr 'one-to-four' off road training only. One scooter broke and there is no automatic scooter available as a replacement. As I was the only person in the group with zero driving experience on a motorbike / car, I became the easy target. They told me to sit down and cannot continue the course. They said I am too dangerous but did not offer a refund. It was 11am. Two other people already had a CBT in the past and the other person has a car license. Even if I was not deemed to be dangerous, the course cannot continue anyways without a bike for each of us! Paying £80 for course fee plus £10 for their insurance excess, the course was marketed for 1 whole day, instead of a merely 2hr. I would expect them to continue teaching me the basics that I cannot master rather than telling me to come back later after getting more balance, pay another £90 and train for 2hr. In the end, they refused a refund and threaten to throw me out of the premises if I continued to argue with them. If I am not suitable for driving at all, they should not suggest me to pay another £90 for another day. They said it is industry standard not to let me practice more nor give refund. In a normal driving school, if you register for a course that claim to be a whole day, say 7hr, they would work on you slowly if you cannot keep up with the pace, rather than stopping it completely, wipe out the 7 hr that you paid for and make you pay for another 7hr and potentially can only get 2. I accept that some people may take more than 2hr to do the basics such as 'figure of eight' to get a CBT. However I do expect them to teach me more than 2hr, using ONE bike, if I paid for a whole day course. At least let me ride off road for a few more hr. They could have continue teaching me the basics. However the instructor said she had no time. As a beginner, I was there to learn! £90 for 10min of classroom teaching and 1.5hr of off road teaching sharing bikes, is very expansive! My total time on a bike is less than 1 hr. The instructor was awful. She spent so little time teaching me. When I did something wrong, she yell at me. I had one go on doing a figure of eight. She did not give me instructions before I started then said I could not go on a road. Who can master a figure of eight in 1.5hr, sharing a bike???
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Sandman88's Comment
Written on: 29/04/2019
I was on the same the same training course and his bike riding skills were very limited he hadn't ridden a bike since passing his CBT test when the instructor tried to give him instructions on how to ride and advice him on how to obey the highway code correctly he couldn't do it I found the instructor to be an excellent instructor who demonstrated and explained everything very well all the staff were very polite and very helpful I would recommend bikewize to anyone who was thinking of learning to ride a bike.