K1 Speed Toronto — Attraction in Toronto

WARNING: K1 SPEED NORTH YORK IS A SCAM – RUINED MY BROTHER’S BIRTHDAY AND CHEATED US OUT OF WHAT WE PAID FOR

On August 9, 2025, my family and I had one of the most manipulative, unfair, and downright shameful experiences I’ve ever seen from a so‑called “recreational” business. I paid over $42 for myself alone, not counting what my friends and family spent, for what was supposed to be a fun race to celebrate my brother’s birthday. Instead, this turned into a scam orchestrated by your own staff — Jaswant at the front counter, Manager John, track staff Karan.

We traveled over an hour to get here. The moment we walked in, Jaswant tried to bait us into giving a “positive Google review” in exchange for a 10% discount a manipulative and unethical practice meant to fake your ratings. Then, despite coming as a group of 9 people, you shoved in a 10th person without asking — Dylan one of top racers according to YOUR OWN leaderboard. Both Jaswant and John admitted he comes here to train regularly, meaning you KNEW he is way beyond the skill level of casual customers.

Because of this setup, Dylan finished 12 laps in record time, cutting the race short for everyone else. I personally only got 4 laps before the race was ended early just because he was done. My group all paying full price was robbed of our laps and our experience. This is not just bad service this is blatant theft of value. To make it worse, Dylan repeatedly bumped into multiple members of my group something your own safety rules say will get a driver removed yet track staff Karan ignored it and treated him like a VIP, even letting him keep his helmet while harassing the rest of us to return ours immediately. The favoritism was disgusting to watch. And when I confronted Manager John about allowing a top professional to ruin a casual group race, his excuse was “We can’t tell him to wait because he’s experienced” which basically CONFIRMS you knowingly place trained racers with regular customers to finish races sooner and push more people through. In other words — a straight-up scam to boost your profits while cheating customers. And your idea of a “refund”? Offering to let me drive a few laps alone after? That’s not a solution — that’s another insult. I didn’t pay, travel, and come for a birthday celebration to drive circles by myself while my group is gone. That is manipulation and shows you know you wronged us but don’t want to lose money. Let me be clear: under the Ontario Consumer Protection Act, what you did constitutes deceptive business practice, failure to provide a purchased service in full, and unconscionable conduct. I have receipts, photos of the leaderboard showing Dylan topping other races, and 8 witnesses who were there with me. Unless K1 Speed North York and your corporate office take full responsibility for this — publicly and financially — I will file a formal complaint with the Ontario Consumer Protection Branch and report this to the Better Business Bureau and also publish my evidence on every major review and media outlet possible. Your staff — Jaswant, John, Karan — should be ashamed of how they handled this. This was supposed to be a fun night for my brother’s birthday. Instead, it became a display of corruption, favoritism, and cheating your paying customers. K1 Speed, your business model here is unethical, and if you keep this up, it’s only a matter of time before someone shuts you down.

To be clear, I have no personal grudge against Dylan himself he may just be doing what he always does but placing a top-tier racer in with casual paying customers is blatantly unfair and absolutely benefits K1 more than the customers.

PLEASE LOOK THE REPORT AND OTHER RACES TOO WHY THIS SAME GUY IS RACING AGAIN AND AGAIN AND IS ON THE TOP IN ALL RACES NO MATTER IF HE WANTS TO TRAIN OR NOT THAT IS NOT YOUR CUSTOMER'S FAULT THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU INVEST YOUR MONEY HERE. IT'S NOT ABOUT WE SPENDING 40 OR 50 IT'S ABOUT YOU...

I visited K1 Speed Toronto on a recent date night with my partner. While we had hoped for a fun and thrilling experience, what unfolded was a disorganized, uncomfortable, and at times downright unsafe experience — marked by poor training, inconsistent safety enforcement, and immature staff conduct.

We arrived as walk-ins around 8:30 PM and were initially told there was a one-hour wait. That was fine with us — we live nearby and were ready to return another day. But the receptionist suddenly changed her tune when she saw we were leaving, saying we’d race in 30 minutes instead. This turned out to be completely false — we didn’t get on the track until 9:20 or 9:30 PM. There was no reason to mislead us. We would have gladly come back with a reservation.

We passed the time at the bar, where the bartender seemed entirely uninterested in making the experience pleasant. She offered no friendly chat, eye contact, or even the bare minimum of customer service. My partner awkwardly tried to make small talk — “It’s quiet tonight” — to which she replied flatly, “Yeah, it’s usually not.” That was the extent of the conversation. We were the only ones there. It felt icy, at best.

Both of us have done go-karting across Ontario and other provinces. We were surprised that instead of a proper safety briefing in a quiet room with a video or instructor, a staff member simply held up a board and shouted over loud music and an ongoing race. It was impossible to hear, let alone absorb essential information. This is a glaring liability risk.

Even more shocking: we came as a pair but were grouped with strangers. Typically, racing is done only with your party for safety. This decision was not explained and raises serious concerns.

Helmet sizing and driver prep were a mess. A medium helmet, far too big, was plunked on my head with no question about comfort or fit. Only one staff member — a young Black man — actually showed care. He noticed I needed a booster to reach the pedals and checked that I was comfortable and secure. He was the only one who demonstrated real professionalism.

Meanwhile, other track staff seemed to be “training” under supervision. At one point, the lead trainer asked if they wanted to do final checks before sending us out, and they all laughed and said, “No, that’s all you.” That does not inspire confidence in the safety of your operation.

I was slowed down mid-race after a couple of laps for supposedly “unsafe driving.” Flags were being waved, but no explanation was provided. I hadn’t tailgated, brake-checked, crashed, or drifted. At most, I had tucked my left leg closer to the wheel which had not been clearly flagged as prohibited in the chaotic pre-race “training.”

When I pulled over to ask why I was being flagged, I was told my foot wasn’t close enough to the brake — an unreasonable claim given the circumstances and lack of warning. I expressed that I’d prefer to stop racing altogether.

The lead staff then told me to “wait” and went to get the manager — not because I asked for one, but seemingly to escalate needlessly. Instead of assisting me out of the kart or acknowledging the issue, they left me sitting there. I eventually removed my oversized helmet myself and exited the kart safely.

Afterwards, I was met with gaslighting about the training process and virtually no apology for the confusion or lack of communication. Other drivers were bumping and crashing — yet never stopped or scolded. Another woman had her hair out; I alone was asked to tuck mine in. The selective enforcement raised red flags for me about possible racial and gender bias.

REMAINING REVIEW IN...

I’d like to share some observations that could improve the customer experience:

Staff Attitude and Engagement At both Toronto and Mississauga locations, I’ve often encountered unwelcoming behaviour, including condescension. At Toronto, one staff member handling bookings never speaks, watching and just noding as if she was talking to a stupid person; creating a negative atmosphere, Mississauga shows similar inconsistency, staff either need better training or genuine interest. Thankfully, a few engaged staff at both sites consistently improve our visits.

Booking System Issues The process is inconsistent. Customers with multiple races left in their account should be able to book online. At Mississauga, calls to book are met with contradictory information, yet races can often be booked once we arrive; highlighting misinformation. This system feels outdated and should be adapted for the Canadian market.

Direct Access for Package Holders Package buyers should have login access to book races directly. Relying on staff calls and inconsistent responses is frustrating for loyal customers.

Transparency in Junior Race League Registration lacks clarity. Spots fill instantly, yet the same families always secure them. If based on fastest laps rather than “first come,” it should be stated openly to avoid perceptions of unfairness. But there is definitively something fishy

Franchise Reputation Unmotivated staff, unclear systems, and lack of transparency risk damaging long-term success and reputation.

They’ll probably reply with something generic like, “Thanks for your feedback, feedback is at the heart of our brand,”the same response they’ve given for years to similar reviews, without making any changes. They genuinely believe...