Pros
+ The staff are nice in person (I gave the office 10 out of 10 in an internal survey, as apparently, the reviews affect the staff's employment prospects. 10 out of 10 is far from the case, though.)
+ Good WiFi.
+ In contrast to WeWork, REGUS offices are not run by people who only know how to do things electronically. Most REGUS staff are affable, mature and normal; and they can be approached in person.
Cons
- The "House Rules" (that accompanied me signing the rental agreement) contained an unspecified cost for "unlimited tea and coffee" that was not mentioned to me when I signed up. Indeed, I paid up front for a year and, when doing so, was told by the REGUS salesperson, "There are no other hidden costs, just optional ones". This cost, not listed in pounds and pence, amounted to several hundred pounds for the year. I have never been charged for something without seeing the exact price first.
- REGUS continued to charge for "unlimited tea and coffee" even during lockdowns, when, by law, I was not permitted to use any REGUS office. This is really poor, in my opinion. Charging tenants for a service that they could not use would have made REGUS tens of thousands of pounds this year - at the expense of small business owners who had already been neglected by Government COVID 19 policies.
- There was no offer of rental discounts in 2020, despite the service quality in the building declining drastically. Many other serviced office companies offered rental discounts to assist tenants. REGUS did not once acknowledge the decline in their service offering.
- The temperature in my office - 27C - took an astonishing nine months to fix. Most of the time, my office was unusable, as it was so hot. I reported the problem endless times, starting in February. For nine months, I was met with words, not actions.
Conclusion
- In this era, when you want people to pull together, avoid REGUS. Choose somewhere that is owned and run by people who actually care about their tenants.