1 /5 Anirbit Ghosh: I commuted nearly an hour to attend my 12:30pm class at 1Rebel Euston today, and as a first-time visitor I was genuinely excited to try it out with friends. Unfortunately, the experience was extremely disappointing.
I arrived at 12:31 — just one minute past the scheduled start — and was refused entry on the grounds that I had missed the mandatory first-timer induction. Despite explaining the situation, I was offered neither entry nor a refund. The only option presented was to reschedule at a different studio, which was of no use since I had booked this class specifically to attend with friends.
I understand that this rule is written clearly in their guidelines, and I do not dispute that it is a transparent policy they operate on. However, transparency does not justify an exploitative policy. The staff spent more time explaining the rule than it would have taken to quickly walk me through the induction and let me join the class (which I later discovered had lesss than 10 attendees out of 40 spaces offered). Instead, I was turned away and left ÂŁ26 out of pocket for a class I never got to attend.
This policy is not just unreasonable, it feels deliberately exploitative. In a city like London, where transport delays are a reality, there should be a small grace period — particularly for first-timers who are making the effort to try something new. A single minute’s delay should not justify refusing entry, refusing refunds, and essentially penalising customers.
The entire experience felt unwelcoming, inflexible, and frankly, unfair. I will not be returning to 1Rebel and would strongly advise others to think carefully before booking and making sure you account for every unpredictable delay on the road.