Testimonials
This section highlights a selection of testimonials we receive from members.
If you have had a great experience with ActSmart or with any of our partners please let us know.
To see an overview and to read more about any of the services we offer click here.
Click on the service below to see testimonials
Accountancy for Business
ActSmart
Business Banking
Business Insurance
Card processing
Cycle Accident Support
Cycle Marketplace
Cycling to Work
Electricity and Gas
Employee Benefits
Finance for Business
Foreign Exchange
Job Advertising
Print and Design
Private Healthcare
Retail Finance
Training
Stationery and POS
Telecoms and Broadband
Accountancy for Business
"I have been using AIMS for some years now to prepare my accounts and I have been very happy with the information and service I have received. I don't have to pay for extra telephone calls and letters they have written for me. It all seems a much better set up than just dealing with a local firm"
Ruth Hargreaves, JD Cycles
"AIMS Accountants have always been of great assistance, always available, very efficient and professional"
Christine Fisher, Pedals of Baldock
ActSmart
"I've been a member for many years and I was taken aback by just how much ActSmart have to offer. After spending just 10 minutes talking to Tony at Core I feel my membership fee is worth every penny. I am looking forward to the launch or WorkRiders and ActSmart's new Gift Card service and suggest that all members keep up to date with what they are entitled to"
Simon Davis, Webb's of Warmley
"When I came to renew our membership recently, it occurred how many times I'd used ActSmart in the last year. I've asked for workshop output comparisons vs. last year's industry average, I've had legal advice as well as marketing tips. We also used their finance partner - Moneyway, hugely successful. We have also had plenty of use from the web site. It's very conclusive and easy to navigate. The site is absolutely huge and in an age when the internet is the most powerful influence on consumers buying, it's a great tool. The Cytech training discounts are another perk that makes the yearly membership fee, seem entirely worth it.
Every time I have phoned for help/info, I've been impressed by the cheerful, friendly and professional staff. No one can seem to do enough to help!
Thanks guy's, so nice to deal with"
Simon Frith, Cycle Mart
"Joining ActSmart was one of the best things I did to help my business in 2011 - I gained valuable advice and saved a lot of money"
Anwar Marzak, The Bicycle Man, London
Business Banking
"Tony has been extremely helpful, offering to look through all the quotes we'd received and offer his advice on them, and has gone out of his way to research our more technical questions and call us back with answers. Whichever provider you choose, I'd say it's well worth speaking to the ACT first for peace of mind and to avoid the common pitfalls."
Jake's Bikes, Bristol
Business Insurance
"I thought that the experience of changing insurance provider back to Butterworth / Hiscox seemed quite painless. All the paperwork etc has arrived within an acceptable time frame. We have their premises inspector coming next week - this is fairly normal when you take a new commercial insurance out I believe hopefully that wont provide any major surprises. The price was very competitive and they seemed to understand our market and the fluctuating level of cover you need at different times of the year. Hopefully I won't have to test their claims department anytime soon"
Chris Compton, Compton Cycles, London
"Butterworth Spengler has by far the most comprehensive policy available and a very competitive price - I cannot fault them"
Andrew Richards, Big Red Bike, North Yorkshire
"Butterworth Spengler have been absolutely fantastic, very very good. You get more for your money and I saved £300 on last year's premium"
Tina Wickham, Velocity Bikes
"I have been really, really pleased with Butterworth Spengler and i'm delighted that the bike hire is included within the policy, they couldn't have dealt with me any better"
Billy Bramman, Tendring Bicycles, Clacton on Sea
"With the help of ActSmart and Butterworth Spengler, I had a brand new policy within 7 hours and I saved £300 off the renewal premium from my previous insurer"
Allan Boult, Blazing Saddles, West Yorkshire June 2011
Card Processing
"HSBC Card Processing has saved me £650 PA compared to my previous provider and the new machine is must faster which saves my customers having to wait for the transaction to be processed"
Jon Letch, Chelmer Cycles, Chelmsford
"We were able to save £1000 thanks to HSBC Merchant Services"
Sue Nequest, Bunneys Bikes, Nottingham
"I am very happy to say that the ActSmart card processing scheme is still the most competitive, having looked at several recent offers by other service providers"
Nigel Hill, Sidcup Cycle Centre
Cycle Accident Support
"Fetch offers a great opportunity to give customers a better service and the kind of added value they deserve"
Mel Gwinnett, Ralph Colman Cycles
Cycle Marketplace
"I've just up-loaded 16 bikes onto bike soup. Could not have actually have been any easier at all. I will have the entire stock online by the end of today and have our logo seen a huge amounts of times by the end of the week. Like most shops, we need exposure that is affordable and easy and this is about as good as I could ask. Consumers love this kind of thing and love it or hate it, the internet rules the wallet.
I'm really pleased that we got on ourselves involved in bikesoup early, it's going to be one of those tools which you wish you had always had. All the developments that are planned for the site are going to make it a game changer."
Simon Frith, Cyclemart
Cycling to Work
"Cycle to Work was set up by DfT and HMRC to encourage people to get a bike, and the cycle schemes were set up as intermediaries to process the transactions. But in so many cases, the schemes have been really cumbersome and Workriders knocks spots off them. It's simpler for employers and simpler for retailers"
James Fitzgerald, independent electric bike retailer (as told to Business Green)
"We're really looking forward to working with Workriders, the scheme seems to offer many advantages over other cycle to work schemes which will mean we can offer better service and value to our cycle to work customers"
Steve Aicheler, Castle Bikes
"I think WorkRiders is a great idea and I can't wait for it to start!"
Maurice Burton, De Ver Cycles
"WorkRiders sounds like a winner for everybody... We are looking forward to working with them and will certainly be promoting the new scheme"
Tony Yerby, Action Bikes
"The Workriders service looks very interesting and we had no hesitation in signing up for it"
Sarah Wightman, Revel Outdoors
"WorkRiders is an ideal programme for independent bike shops that works very well for both retailers and customers. Because the WorkRiders transaction is immediate, we can order bicycles much faster for our customers. This comes in very handy because all of our bicycles are imported and/or hand built to order. No more unnecessary waiting for paperwork. That's the same reason why WorkRiders is so attractive to employers and HR departments. This is the tax-free programme retailers and consumers have been waiting for"
Anwar Marzak, The Bicycle Man, London
Electricity and Gas
"We were able to save £600 thanks to GET Solutions. Their advice and customer service are also excellent"
Chris Feltham, Cycleworld, Arbroath
Employee Benefits
"The BiTE card is the best thing in my wallet! I save about 44p a day on my morning coffee at the train station... that`s more than £100 a year saving! - Thanks"
James, London
"I've booked a weekend in Alton Towers for me and my girlfriend. Two nights in a hotel and entrance to the park for just £50 each! Thanks Superbreaks"
Mike, Surrey
"I've just bought an Ipad from Comet using the SMS discount and got the 16GB Wifi Ipad for £403! Amazing"
Emma, Kent "I just saved £30 off a Toshiba laptop with 0% interest for 12 months with Littlewoods, such a fantastic saving! Thanks Littlewoods"
Louise, London
Finance for Business
"ASC are a brilliant company to work with, outstanding in both understanding the complexities of the situation and finding a solution to the problem."
Foreign Exchange
"I've only just started using Caxton FX and the whole process of getting set up was very simple. The guys I dealt with were very helpful and the first payments have been made seamlessly - much easier than going into the bank, AND more cost effective"
Mark Meadows, Milk Bikes, February 2012
"I think Caxton FX provides an excellent, personal service. They are convenient to use and have saved us money. I would certainly recommend them to others."
Paul Snedker, Saddle Skedaddle.
Job Advertising
"I filled two vacant positions within 14 days by taking advantage of the free ActSmart job vacancy service"
Colin Trigg, Liverpool Giant March 2011
"Within an hour of our job listing going live we were receiving enquiries from high quality people"
Martin Richardson, South Downs Bikes
"The ActSmart jobs board was the only place I advertised my vacancy this time. The advert generated a number of good quality focussed applications rather than the number of general and unfortunately irrelevant cv's and applications that we would normally receive from a placing an advert in the traditional places. I filled my vacancy very quickly and efficiently - which was what we wanted to do!"
Chris Compton, Compton Cycles, July 2011
Print and Design
"We've been very impressed with the quality of the product from this company and they gave us very good service in terms of communication regarding delivery etc. We would definitely recommend them to others"
Cara, Triton Cycles
Private Healthcare
"We arranged our Private Medical Insurance through PHP. They provided us with a comprehensive package to suit our needs at a very competitive price. I would wholly recommend PHP as the intermediary as they are very efficient and productive and their customer service is very high"
Sue Froud, Trek UK
Retail Finance
"Damn guys, that's a fast turnaround. Black horse took ages. Well done, and thank you"
Steve Baskerville, Real Cycles, Belfast
"Superb service, I cannot fault them - a joy to deal with. A Very simple application process, a fast decision and payment notice within 2 days"
Steve Baskerville, Real Cycles, Belfast
"Moneyway offer an excellent overall package, support and back-up"
Training
Cytech
"I could not have done this without the Cytech courses and the confidence your training has given me, so many thanks"
Simon Pedrick, Dialled In Bikes
"Cytech training is absolutely vital for our mechanics as it gives them a rigorous grounding in the skills essential to our workshops; starting with the basics of Health & Safety and bike assembly to servicing suspension and disc brakes."
Mark Smith, Evans Cycles
"All our technical, sales, marketing and even warehouse staff are Cytech trained. We believe for many of them it is an essential part of the work they do and enables them to converse confidently with our customers. I always recommend retailers invest in Cytech for the same reasons whilst also adding credibility to their business from the customer perspective."
Nigel Roberts, Trek UK
"Cytech qualifications are a must for the bike business. Customers know that if a bike comes to our store for servicing they will get the same treatment as when they walk into the service reception of a motor dealer. Sometimes it can be better."
Martin Richardson, Southdowns Bikes, Sussex
"While attending my Cytech course at ATG I found the staff and training to be excellent. All of the tutors that I came into contact with (Steve, Jules and Ian) were friendly, helpful and professional at all times.
The other students in my group came from very mixed backgrounds' in the cycle industry, it was great to gain and share knowledge, experiences and stories. The knowledge and skills that I have gained from my time at ATG have set a very high platform for me to build on in the future.
I found Steve's explanation of materials, frame prep., installation and adjustment easy to understand with great tips for giving that extra professional touch to a bike.
I was in awe of Ian Hughes's knowledge and skill as a wheel builder. I have built a fair few wheels over the years, but listening to and watching Ian was one of the most impressive things I have seen off the bike in cycling.
More time with these great guys would have been good, but what I have gained in the time I had, I know has made me ten times the bike mechanic I was. Thank you to all at ATG."
Matthew Fordham, Live 2 Ride, Somerset
"I have been very impressed with the whole ATG training team from booking to the actual training itself and thoroughly enjoy my time in Manchester. Bal Chauhan has been my first point of contact with ATG and i have been impressed with the way he dealt with my training needs and booking process, having spent many years working within customer services he certainly provided a high quality service and should be commended on his service to his customers.
James, the tutor for the week in Manchester was also excellent and provided me with a very positive learning experience to enhance my own personal development. I left the course on the Friday afternoon with all my expectations exceeded and I am very much looking forward to my follow up week in February. His industry knowledge and experience clearly shows in his teaching which has provided me with increased confidence in developing my business over the coming months, James was more than happy to explain further and answer any questions I had and providing me with a tool list that I would need to get my business started.
Both should be commended and are a credit to ATG. I have no hesitation in recommending them and will be accessing further training in the future as my business develops. High quality training is essential and this reflects in the way ATG operate which is important to me and my business."
Chris Scott, Blue Giraffe Bicycles, January 2012
Stationery and POS
"First day using them (RIA swing tickets) and we sold £1800 worth of wheels"
Gary, East St Cycles.com
Telecoms and Broadband
"Significant discounts negotiated for members and a quality service from Chess"
"Chess are very good - If we have a problem, we phone them and speak to a person who solves the issue for us. They're cheaper than BT too"
Paul Hewitt, Hewitt Cycles
"Chess Telecom saved me over £400 per year. It was an easy swap - no real work on my part, we're now paying much less for our calls"
Simon Bownes, 18 Bikes, Derbyshire
"Thanks to Chess we make significant monthly savings on our telecoms bills"
Tim Grainger, Stourport Specialist Cycles
"I cannot recommend Chess Telecom highly enough. We got a very reasonable all-calls-included deal on business phone and broadband, but it's their customer service that's really impressed me. UK-based and the people who answer the phone really know what they're talking about - and they answer the phone instantly, I can't remember ever waiting on hold.
When we had an issue with our phone line they spent about 45 minutes on the phone explaining exactly what was causing the problem and what the options were to solve it.
And if you're an ActSmart member I think you get a discount."
Jake Voelcker, Jake's Bikes, November 2011
