I don’t have too much that is positive to say about Regus in the Portland area. The obvious question for anyone reading this is: was my experience an isolated incident, or is this how these people conduct business?
My research since becoming a client of Regus is that deceitful and unscrupulous practices are a trademark of this company. For anyone interested in hearing about other people’s stories, simply type “Regus Fraud” into Google and read the countless stories that have been posted on blogs by current and past clients, as well as employees of Regus. I can assure you the stories you will see are consistent with my experience dealing with Regus here in Portland and LO.
In terms of my own experience, I offer a few points. This is by no means a comprehensive list of the issues I had, but just a few of the highlights in order to offer a taste of what sort of company this is.
1. Regus lures clients in the door with promises of cheap rent and first-class accommodations. This is half true – the offices are nice. However, the rates you see advertised are terribly misleading. For example, the competition in the area quotes rates inclusive of most ancillary services, while Regus does not. Want a phone? $100/mo. Want a phone line? That’s another $50/mo. Internet connection? $100/mo. Want to use the kitchen or a conference room? No joke – those too cost extra. Don’t go in thinking you’re getting a deal -- these guys are priced above the high-end of the market.
2. My billing was a disaster every single month, and never were the errors in my favor. Regus offers the option to have your rent billed to your credit card each month. This seems like a great deal – get air miles while paying your rent. WRONG. This was just an opportunity for Regus to continually overbill be and, I suppose, hope I would not notice. I don’t think in all my time at Regus that my credit card charge for a given month ever equaled my invoice. The central billing is a disaster, which makes it very tough to get them to reverse inaccurate charges. I spent a lot of time fighting with Regus each month over my bill.
3. When you leave Regus, per the contract you are automatically entered into a transitional services agreement. What this basically means is that Regus will collect your mail for 3 months for $250/mo. Again, this is mandatory, and is something the competition offers for free when clients leave. In my view this is a $750 tax for leaving Regus. Classy.
4. When I left Regus it was IMPOSSIBLE to get my damage deposit refunded, and Regus takes as a deposit the equivalent of 2 month’s rent, so the amount is not immaterial. Most of the other vendors I have found do not ask for any sort of damage deposit, but Regus does. Bottom line: don’t plan to get your damage deposit returned when you leave.
5. If you do not cancel your agreement within 90 days of the lease term (maybe it was 60 days, but I think it was 90), Regus automatically renews your agreement for another term (if you were on a 1-year contract, they will renew you for another year, for example). So, if you happen to forget to cancel, you have a problem, and Regus will hold you to the agreement. This is a clever way to trap clients into staying with them who would otherwise leave. Thankfully I did not fall into this trap, but I did know people who did.
In the Portland area there are lots of alternatives for this type of service – Advantage, Stoutt, Corner Office, etc. These other firms are out there, but you have to look for them. Trust me, however, when I tell you that it is worth it. The people at Regus are not ethical, which is very well documented.
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