Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/12/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ParkSmart, *** is the exclusive parking option for the Bay St shopping center in Emmeryville, CA. The parking garage recently changed to the ParkSmart app-based system. This required app raises serious personal privacy concerns, but beyond that, the enforcement of parking is predatory. On the last two occasions that I have parked there, I have received a ticket, despite having paid through their app. I have successfully disputed the first invoice, and am writing this report as I am writing up my second dispute. They provide no mechanism to dispute their fraudulent tickets outside of mailing paperwork. Such a system is not inherently wrong, but it is quite curious when as a consumer I must use a modern smart phone application in order to do business - surely if they were providing an honest exchange of goods and services, they would leverage this direct connection they have with customers for disputes as well.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/12/2023

  Hi *******,

  In order for us to research your transaction, can you please provide me with the Invoice number of the all-day parking charge.  Just an FYI, we recently installed new parking pay stations throughout the center, so using the app is just one option.

  Thanks!

  ***

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/14/2023

   
  Complaint: 20461467
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  *** responded asking for my invoice number and offering to investigate that particular parking invoice. However, that is not a sufficient response to the complaint. I do not believe that by taking action to benefit me individually, it satisfies my core complaint that there is insufficient mechanism for patrons to dispute improperly issued invoices. As a reminder, this process depends on producing paperwork and sending the dispute my mail. This is a ***** contrast to the clear technical capability of this company given that this is the only parking garage I have ever used that has its own iOS app. This is not a technical limitation, this is by design. It is not a bug, it is a feature.

  Further, from my experience the resolution of such a dispute provides no details so to what was the reason for the improper invoice.

  And finally, I have received an invoice the last two times that I have parked here. There is clearly an issue. Be it lack of training, issues with existing technology, or other. Most worrisome, would be if this is actually intentional to invoice customers that have sufficiently paid. Resolution of my specific invoice dispute outside of the existing channel is unrelated to the complaint.
  
  I would be satisfied if ***, or someone else from ParkSmart, **** could share how they intend to improve the process that customers can use to dispute. How do they intend to reduce the incorrect invoicing of customers? How do they intend to track measure that their corrective action has been successful? My current belief that this is an intentionally high-friction process in an effort to simply bet that most customers won't take the time to submit a dispute.
  

  Finally, I am not providing my invoice via this channel as a) this is a public record, and I see no reason why this information should exist publicly, and b) in keeping with my above complaint, if I were to receive any special treatment for my particular case, it would not in any way influence the future practice of this company as it relates to issuing invoices to other undeserving customers.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/17/2023

  If you don't feel comfortable providing your Invoice number, you can call our office (9am - 4pm M-F) and speak with one of our customer service representatives who can help you resolve your issue and answer any questions you may have.

   

  Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/20/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/13/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ParkSmart is the new parking system at ************** mall in **********. The instructor are convoluted and confusing to follow. There are no attendants in sight. When you call the ************** number no one picks up a phone. I brought my family to the movies last night. We pulled into the parking facility and I read the sign which is hard to understand. Cars were behind me so I did my best to go to the website to register before moving forward to find a spot. The website came up so I assumed I was in the system. I parked and saw an additional sign that said remember your stall number so I took a photo of it. The sign also said to remember your license plate number so I took a photo of that too. After the movie we walked to my car and found a $30 ticket. I walked up to a security person there who was talking to another consumer inquiring about their mystery ticket. I told them I had all the info and the website up on my phone. He said my bad, call the number on the ticket. Ive tried to call ParkSmart and left messages to no avail. Looking online at reviews of Bay Street and ParkSmart its absolutely astonishing how terrible they are to consumers. My story is just one of many that are all very similar. High tickets issued with convoluted instructions and no support when none of it makes sense.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/13/2023

  Issue has been resolved.

  Thank you,

   

  ***

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/13/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Hello,I am writing to dispute for my recent parking invoice# ********* issued on 4/27/2023 18:52 PST. I made my payment et 18:49 PST via Park Smart - Bay St phone website (please see the photos of your payment system message and my bank message attached with my personal information hidden). However, the parking receipt showed a start time of 18:53 PST, which I believe there was a system glitch that delayed the parking receipt start time for 3 minutes from my payment time. Therefore, I believe that this parking violation invoice was a false accusation due to your system glitch and should be removed.I have mailed my physical dispute form out to you via **** certified mail on 5/2/23, but it appears to be never received by you, so I am quite confused what is going on here.Thank you for reading my complaint, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/13/2023

  Hi Jialin,

  Per our conversation today, the invoice for the All-Day parking charge was dismissed.  

  Feel free to call our office if you have any questions.

  Thank you,

  ***

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/07/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The parking garage at ********** in ********** used to have a very sensible ticketing system, and now that they have removed the tickets, there is an incomprehensible payment system in place which they exploit by charging everybody a $30+ ticket.I went to the movie theater last night on 4/6, and the *** movie theater validates parking. As my friend and I were ******* up the stairs to catch the movie on time, my friend was also trying to navigate this payment app to make sure our validation was secured. Apparently the app was glitching and after entering my license plate multiple times, the app did not confirm the validation. When we left the theater there was a $30 ticket on my car and nobody to speak with. I called the phone number on the ticket the next day several times in a row during the stated business hours, and the calls went to voicemail. I also looked on their website and saw that there was NO email provided, no online form to fill out, and the only way to file a dispute is to send a written form via snail mail. Clearly this entire process is made very difficult and inefficient for people in the 21st century. I was delighted when somebody called me back, but his resolution was to charge me for 4 hours of parking (not honoring the *** theater validation) and he acted as though he was doing me a favor. It is certainly not my fault that their app was glitchy and not my fault that this entire payment process is the opposite of user friendly.Needless to say, I will not be parking here again. I will find other spaces to park when I go to this mall, but they will not get my business as long as they are conducting business in this way.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/08/2023

  Hi ****,

   

  We are sorry you had an issue with our app, we had hundreds of app payments that day and we are looking into the issue you described.  We didn't see any transactions searching by your cellular number, can you provide me with your license plate number?

   

  We also have 17 parking pay stations located throughout the property, in addition, we have hundreds of QR codes that you can scan and pay via your parking stall number rather then downloading our app.

   

  Once again, we are truly sorry that you had an issue with our app.

   

  Thank you,

   

  ***

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/10/2023

  Hello,

  I was driving my car, license plate # *******. My friend was using the app on her phone to validate the parking. She asked me for my license at lease 3 times and attempted to type it into the app. I saw her unable to press any buttons to move forward. 

  I feel that we were punished because of this glitchy app, which is particularly disappointing because the previous system of validating the tickets was perfectly fine. 

  I don't need anything from you, I simply won't be giving you my business anymore.

  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/04/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Third time Im double charged. Machine only gives out one recipt for one ticket but credit card is charged twice each time. Every time I contact the company and they say you cant call in to dispute. You need to email. And then no one responds when you do email. The one time someone on the phone did listen, they said they created a file and someone would get back to me, no one ever did, that was late 2022. I park in the parking lot for work and dont know what to do since it just double charges randomly.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/08/2023

  Hi,

   

  Our company is located in the U.S., *******************, you don't have locations in ******.  The photographs you sent is not the type of equipment we use.  Was the company name you are trying to find, ParkSmart, if so, try clicking on the link below:

   

  smartcity-parksmart.com
  ****************************************************************

   

  Our ParkSmart trademark only covers the U.S. 

   

  Let me know if you need more help contacting them?

   

  Thank you,

   

  ***

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/09/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I realized the error right after I submitted. Apologizes!  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/29/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I parked in the Bay Street shopping mall metered parking stalls. I inserted my credit card into the meter and it sked that I confirm the space (on the right). I did so. It then showed '1:00' on the screen and so I went into the Uniqlo for 15 minutes. When I returned I could see the parking attendant giving my car a ticket . When I told her it was paid, that I had given it my credit card she pointed to the red blinking light and told me to call the number on the back of my invoice. I did so and was told I needed to pursue a written dispute process. The fee on the invoice is 30 dollars, however, it was very clearly reading an hour (which in the moment seemed unfair as as I only needed 15 minutes, but the meter did not seem to have that option). I am color blind so cannot say if the light was blinking red. At this point I am reluctant to engage any further with this company, and certainly a dispute is warranted, but not one adjudicated by the company itself. And I certainly will not pay this invoice, for services that were never rendered, without registering a real complaint. Their business model seems deceptive, their equipment is clearly faulty, and in this case I would call the company's practices and policies fraudulent and even extortionist.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/08/2023

  ******,

   

  In order to start our investigation, please provide us with your license plate or Invoice number and the last 4 digits of your credit card number you used at the parking meter.

   

  Feel free to also give me a call as well.

   

  Thank you,

   

  ***

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/18/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ParkSmart, Inc. is a private company (non-municipality) that operates parking meters in commercial districts of ************, **********. They operate parking meters that are extremely difficult to operate, are hyperaggressive about fines and collections, and impervious to complaints that their meters are incomprehensible. In my situation, as I was trying to figure out how to feed the meter with a credit card, a passer by called out, "I hate those meters, they are impossible to operate." After an hour, I returned to the meter to reload it, entered my credit card several times, and tried to credit more money. I wasn't sure if my payment had gone through, but assumed it was, and left for a second hour. When I returned I had a $35.00 parking ticket. I called and attempted to explain to ParkSmart that I couldn't understand how their meters operated but had attempted to pay for the extra time. They said only that I could contest the ticket. Contesting a ticket is a cumbersome process that only results in a finding of liability. There are countless complaints on Yelp against this company and my feeling is that they purposely make their processes difficult to maximize revenue. When you offer a reasonable complaint or talk about all of the complaints against them, they say only: "No one is happy about parking tickets." I have never felt this strongly about a parking ticket, but this company really gripes my soul.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2023

  After speaking with **** on the phone today, she provided us with the last 4 digits of her credit card number and we were able to confirm her first payment.  Based on this, we have given her a one-time dismissal.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/20/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  However, I believe ParkSmart waived their fine only because I made a complaint to the Better Business Bureau. Going through their appeal process was cumbersome and there was no relief in sight until I complained to the BBB. They would have denied my appeal and collected $35.00 after I had spent a great deal of time contesting the ticket.

  They need to have an online appeal process and accept legitimate complaints about their business practices and improve them.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ParkSmart placed a parking ticket on a visitor's car in my own driveway. This is trespassing of my property and they think some people will not notice that this is not a City parking ticket, and will pay it. The only way to contact them about a specific issue is by downloading, filling in, and then affixing a stamp and mailing it to them. Of course, there is no way to complain to them via email or their website. This is a total scam, and they are operating illegally and trespassing on people's property.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/25/2023

  Per our conversation this morning, it appears that your friend who was driving your vehicle didn't notice the Invoice placed on your vehicle until later after he arrived home.  The Invoice was issued for parking in an expired metered at 500 Lake Park.   See attached photos.

   

  You can always reached our office during the hours of 9am - 4pm Monday - Friday to speak with someone.

   

  Thank you,

   

  ***

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/15/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been to **********, **********, twice in recent months and had terrible experiences with ParkSmart,Inc., operator of the parking garage at ********************. On December 3 and January 14, I parked in the garage to see films at ***********. Both times, I used a **** of ************ card to pay in advance for parking, and both times the machines screen showed a message that my credit card had been charged the appropriate amount. Both times, there was a $30 ticket from ParkSmart on my card when I returned to my car several hours later, claiming I had not paid for parking. On January 14 I parked in a different part of the garage in order to avoid the pay station that had failed the first time. The first time, I filed a complaint with ParkSmart and they accepted my check (for the amount I had originally tried to pay with a credit card). The second time, they rejected my claim, saying I had not submitted proof of payment. The second time, I had two friends with me to whom I had explained the December problem. They watched me insert my credit card and saw that the machines screen said my card had been charged. The vendors machines do not function correctly and surely it is not only me who is having this problem with them. ParkSmart appears unwilling to acknowledge that the problem is with their machines. My two friends and I will never park again in the garage. If that means we will not visit *********************, or even go to ********** at all, thats how it will be. I want them to (a) cancel the $30 "parking invoice" and (b) tell me their plans for replacing or remodeling all their pay stations.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/16/2023

  In your dispute letter, you did not provide proof of payment or the last four digits of your credit card number used at the pay machine.  Can you give our office a call, I also just left you a voice message.

   

  Thank you,

   

  ***

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/16/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********. Today I had a more than satisfactory call with the owner of the business, and the resolution he offered is good. I am impressed and will continue to patronize the business.
  

  I would like to add how pleased I am with the Better Business Bureau as well. Thank you for offering this service.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/17/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I paid ParkSmart, Inc. $20.50 on 14 January 2023 at 4:21 pm, for parking in a private lot in downtown ************ expiring at 11:12 pm. I left the receipt on my dashboard, face-up, exactly per the instructions on the receipt. The "parking officer" left a $35 "ticket" on my windshield at 6:27 pm claiming that I had not paid for parking. There is no online dispute availability, and customers targeted by ParkSmart are required to pay for their own postage to mail in their documentation of a dispute. I have attached a photo copy of the erroneously issued ticket (left) and my paid receipt (right) for documentation.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/18/2023

  After reviewing the photographs taken by our ParkSmart employee, your parking receipt was placed upside down on our dashboard, so we could not verify the parking payment.  We have dismissed the Invoice, and no further action is needed on your part.  In the future, please ensure the parking receipt is visible with the right side facing up.
  
  Thank you,

   

  ***