Level X Middlesbrough — Local services in Great Britain

Took my son and his 3 friends (18, 18, 16, 16) there for the full level X package (Bowling, karting, golf, and 3 x VR). They all really enjoyed it, and it exceeded expectation after reading all the reviews. The VR and the karting were best, although I think they were lucky getting a really good member of staff in charge of the VR and they were lucky to be by themselves in the karting session. We thought the full level X package was good value, although if you bought the activities separately we think it's overpriced.

Trying to book the full level X package via the website was literally impossible, and this is why I took it down to 4 stars (would put 3.5 if I could). It didn't matter what date or time I chose (so it's definitely a website issue rather than just no availability) it always either didn't allow all the activities to be selected, or allowed them to be selected and then gave an error at checkout. I called the number from the 'contact us' page though and selected option (1) for bookings over 10 people, which got me through to helpful people who managed to make the booking manually for me. We also had issues with the online waiver form for the karting, as it was unavailable for quite some time exactly when we needed to use it.

Some reviews say the place is shabby and a bit run down, but we didn't think that and it looked fine to us. The staff were friendly enough too, especially the guy on the VR who was really helpful in selecting the best games confirmation for our party. He also allowed them to swap the Spree VR for another session in Phenomena, as they had the availability even though it was very busy.

They thought the bowling was poor, as the lane slanted to the left and the balls seem to be heavier than the weight printed on them. Also the finger holes in the balls weren't large enough for their fingers (without selecting a ball that was way too heavy). They ended up all sharing a '6' weight ball and not bothering using the holes at all.

The golf they thought was just ok, and not really any better than most other places. The electronic scoring wasn't working, which after reading the other reviews is probably a good thing!

Tips for customers: Don't waste too much time on the website if it won't give you what you want. Call the number and talk to them instead. In any multi-activity package try to book the bowling in the first slot, as it's the only one you have to queue up for at the 'Help' desk near the entranc. You can choose to arrive in plenty of time so that part is under your control. They give you a card to write your names on, and they program them into the computer for you. In any multi-activity package try to book the karting in the last slot, as from what we can tell it's the activity most likely to overrun. In a multi-activity package you don't need to leave any gaps between the activities, unless of course you want a rest.

Tips for Level X: Redesign your website, or give it to another company to manage properly, as really it's shocking. It's too heavyweight and focusses on trying to be flashy, but most customers will just want it to work and also give the information they need.

The 'Mario Kart' aspect of the karting is a unique selling point, because it adds an extra element to the experience and also makes it easier to overtake on a track where it would be overwise extremely hard to overtake. Our party felt this really added value to their experience. So, give more focus to this on the website and maybe provide more description on exactly how it works.

Our party are all games connoisseurs, and a couple of them have actually worked for gaming companies. They were REALLY impressed with the VR, and particularly the Phenomena VR. It was configured for team PVP (2 vs 2), which was absolutely brilliant for them. They also commented that the VR equipment appeared to be very good quality. There is some limited information on the site about the VR arenas, but I think if you gave more detail and maybe included some images or videos I think it would draw more...

Today my family of 4 tried out level X Middlesbrough, specifically bowling, and then unplanned, but perhaps inevitable, arcade games .

We arrived and were greeted by a helpful staff member who checked our booking and directed us to bowling, where other staff quickly took our names and directed us to our lane. We had arrived 2 minutes late, but it wasn't an issue and we got straight on. The 40 minutes allowed for 4 was exactly enough time. Part way through someone came and took out drinks order and brought it to our table, very useful to save time. Drinks quite costly but they've got a captive audience, and we all had a drink. Staff also gave one of our kids bumpers part way through the game to make the experience better for them.

The actual bowling was great and efficient. The alley length seems / is shorter than at Hollywood Bowl but this made it easier for me, personally. Haha.

Although it's a loud venue, the volume level wasn't too bad by the bowling. Quieter than Hollywood bowl and this was peak time, Sunday lunchtime.

Seating by the bowling was fine for us, but high wooden benches by a high table wouldn't be suitable for a toddler or an older person, however there was space for pushchairs / wheelchairs. Nb there is better, more supportive seating near the bar/food area.

After the bowling we looked around at everything else. We didn't know how to get credit to use arcade machines but staff were plentiful downstairs and quickly explained how to use the red payment machines to get a game card that lasts 12 months. This gives you points which are not in pounds and pence so it's hard to know what you're spending when you use the machines. Clear money making scheme, which works.

We used our credit to do bumper cars, very fun and safe too, as staff got us seated and ensured everyone was strapped in.

Next, we tried 4 player air hockey, but unfortunately after 1 goal, the machine locked up and wouldn't give us the Puck back. 2 staff members tried to solve the problem, by using their own tokens to let us play again, but when that didn't work, they said 'A manager will come, so play on something else.'

Big kid won some tickets on a coconut catching machine and staff later explained these go onto your card, which we were unaware of.

Little kid was having a strop by this point that she wanted to 'Win on a claw machine' and we had to let her learn the hard way that claw machines win your money only.

We went to the help desk to ask about our lost credit on the Air hockey because a manager hadn't come yet. Little kid bawling by now. The help desk staff was very kind and gave us a free £10 wristband of credit and even tried to help little kid win on the claw machine again. She was very sympathetic for our crying kid and went above and beyond by giving us more than the credit we lost. She also showed us how to redeem a prize with the tickets we won. The prize machine glitched for ages but eventually let us pick a prize. Big kid let Little kid pick and keep the prize. 😍

Additional:

Whilst we were by the air hockey, I nearly tripped on a power wire, so I tucked this behind the machine, and I reported this to the staff on our way out, who seemed anxious to put it right ASAP.

Toilets clean and spacious.😊👌

Lift working...

I would give this place zero stars if I could. We had purchased the all-in-one package along with £10 worth of arcade tokens, bringing the total to approximately £60.

Our session was booked from 3:00pm to 4:30pm. Upon arrival, we were informed that there were no available slots for any of the activities during our time slot. A manager kindly explained that bookings are taken at the desk, but unfortunately, the earliest availability was 5:00pm—half an hour after our session was due to end. It was unclear how this was being managed from a capacity standpoint, particularly when we had booked a specific session time and expected to be able to access the advertised experiences during that period. We were told to play in the arcades (why would I pay £60) to play in the arcades.

While I appreciate that your team, tried to accommodate us and later offered a return visit with full access to activities, this solution doesn’t work for us logistically. I had travelled from Scotland specifically for this visit with my sister and niece.

Our time at Level X was spent mainly in the arcade, which was not the experience we were expecting nor paying for. We could have visited similar arcades in Redcar or Saltburn for a fraction of the price. We attempted to play mini-golf, but the area was overcrowded and would have taken upwards of 50 minutes for just two of us due to the number of groups already playing (we gave up after 30 mins). The golf itself was very basic in comparison to local alternatives like Holy Moly’s, which offers better variety at a lower cost.

I was informed by a staff member that Level X does not offer refunds. However, I’ve read several reviews online indicating that refunds have been issued to customers in some circumstances. I find it difficult to understand why they are an exception to the rule but my case would be treated differently, especially when the inability to access the services was entirely beyond my control. We paid for a package that included activities we were not able to participate in, and being told to simply make use of the arcade (which I could do anywhere) is not an acceptable resolution.

While I understand that capacity can vary, I would appreciate some transparency regarding how bookings are managed. For example, with only one VR setup running 20-minute sessions, how are large volumes of guests reasonably expected to access this within their booked timeframes?

Lee also gave us free ten qr codes for bowling and informed me I needed a new email for every one I used? How will that work if I bring the kids? They don’t have emails? I’m I expected to create a whole bunch of random emails?

I’ve emailed like the manager Lee told me to with...