Smart Parking Technology Reviews 1,820

This company does not display parking signs or payment methods clearly at all. I have received a fine in the post, but even paying the fine is almost impossible. The advertised telephone payment service is no longer in practice. The fine I received is not logged for online payment yet despite the 14 day cut off date for paying it. They should be shut down for incompetence!!

Terrible company to deal with
Hounding 80 year old man for getting numberplate wrong
Utter s""t company

Absolute joke and bullies. Take my daughter to court who is a vulnerable adult. Disgrace. Pulled out a parking fine from 3 years ago, she can’t even remember when they are going on about so can’t really defend. Awful

By shutting down for good. Disgusting fining myself due to there machines not working. Appealed to no avail. Should be completely ashamed and shouldn't be allowed to trade at all.

AVOID AVOID AVOID

Terrible company - avoid at all costs - even when you follow the parking instructions on their signage - they will fine you - if you appeal with evidence this is ignored.

In 2025 businesses that oprerate with such underhand tactics should be bought to justice by the government.

Speaking from personal experience and from work as well.

AVOID AVOID - park anywhere else - even if the rate is higher - as after fine you will still be better off.

Disgraceful company who claim to have sent a Parking Charge letter to my address but the first I heard of any parking fine was via Debt Recovery Plus.

I had parked at Linkway West RP Superbowl in St.Helens on 4th August 2025, during the summer holidays to enjoy a morning at Superbowl with my children. I input my car details into the tablet device near the pay point inside Superbowl which I then thought meant that my car would be fine for the duration of our visit. I also visited Home Bargains on the same site, following our time bowling which meant I had stayed in the car park for 132 minutes rather than the 90 minutes it states that you get on the signage. However, as I had put my details into the tablet device inside Superbowl, I thought that this time restriction then didn't apply. Surely that is the point of validating your vehicle registration!

So despite following the correct process, I received a parking charge but only found out over a month later when I received a letter from Debt Recovery Plus.
I appealed the fine directly with Smart Parking Ltd but they said due to the amount of time the parking charge had been open, I had to contact Debt Recovery Plus who are now handling the fine on their behalf. The parking charge has only been open so long due to not receiving any correspondence until after the 28 day period. This also meant I was never given the option of paying £60. The only option I have had is to pay £170. I have had to wait a further 28 days for a response to my appeal. So since the date of parking, I am now 3 months on with no resolution to the error they have made. They are unwilling to be helpful or considerate and have not responded directly to any of the points that I raised.
I will not be using that car park in future and the businesses on site are sure to lose custom due to this ridiculous company and the way it operates. Sadly, I probably have no further options other than to pay the fine. If I am eventually successful in appealing it, surely they should face a penalty for making an error and causing unnecessary stress!!!

I parked at Red Lion in Bushey Herts. I went into the pub - had a few drinks. I did not see the screen and failed to put my reg in. I then received a debt collection letter for £170 saying this was the fourth letter I had received so Smart Parking had handed it over. This was the FIRST letter I had received. I tried Smart Parking - emailed them - automated response and nothing. I called and held for an hour to Debt Recovery Plus who said I had to go back to Smart Parking. I then received a letter from Debt Recovery saying they had reviewed my case and did not agree and I then owed £280. This is a complete rip off. Now my credit rating is at risk. I would pay the initial parking fine but no way and i paying £280. Really not fair.

Despite having a valid parking ticket still recieved a parking notice. Fortunately not cleaned the car so still had the ticket for proof. Have appealed it and awaiting outcome.

BEWARE!!! Attended a friend's funeral last year and only just received a parking fine for £170. I clearly remember paying for the parking, typing in my reg and paying cash. I've had to pay it because I can't handle the stress of fighting it but am absolutely disgusted with what's happened. Never use this car park!!! They've done this to hundreds of people!!! BEWARE!!!

Thieves!!! They have parking with minimal legal signage and threatening letter.

People working for this company should be ashamed!!!!

Disgusting company sent me a fine for parking in a pub car park did not see signs got a ticket. I appealed a long with evidence from my bank sent that I had been in there had to do it again as they wanted further evidence so another shot of bank detailing clearly but wasn't enough evidence and reduced it 20.00 I just paid it. Pub should of made it clear I needed to sign in but didn't. Have boycotted pub since as they are also to blame!!

Disgusting scammer, this company should be ashamed of themselves. Scamming hard working people, declining my appeal when I had paid for parking so forcing me to pay or sending debt collectors! Will never use your car parks again. Avoid at all costs

These people round down the time you purchase parking and round up when you leave - be aware

Was park in garage in challenge house croydon still sent me parking fine for parking in their car park

Contested parking charge with screenshots, images, and references with links to government website and the Protection of Freedoms Act (they list this legislation on the back of the letter they send out), as they did not follow correct procedure when issuing and delivering the PCN, which according to legislation, renders the charge invalid and unlawful.

Still received another letter after contesting stating the charge is upheld and still needs paying for.

Complete lowlife scum of a company, I had to take this to the IAS (Independent Appeals Service) to get this matter resolved.

Even when confronted with evidence, screenshots of legislation, and a detailed description of my counter argument. They seemed unable to pull their head out of the sand and admit wrongdoing.

Absolute criminals! All of them ! Went into a hotel to check for a room, no rooms available, so left & received parking fine for staying for 20mins !! CRIMINAL SCAMMERS ! Zero help from customer services who must have VERY low intelligence.

Parked on the main road for 5 min ,left the car to find a right place and got parking ticket that I entered hotel parking which I didn't. Hotels parking started after 50 meters from my car .

I've just been scammed by this company. There start the clock when U drive in, not when you make payment. You're fined before U start. It's a total scam. The meters don't work. Once you've realised that and resorted to downloading Ringo app then enter bank details etc, your done for by these scammers. DON'T EVER USE A SMART CAR PARK SITE. I really hope they go out of business.

Went into one of this companies car parks August bank holiday couldn't actually find a spare so we left but because it was so busy it took 11 minutes to get out. Apparently you only get 8 minutes to find a space so we got find £100 argued this so they handed it over to a debt recovery company who are nothing but rude and very unprofessional. This company are nothing but legal? Scammers. Be warned

Firstly confusing signage states registration machines available, then tele registration/payment line refuses to register new car despite several attempts. Went into shop looking sign machines stated on signage, told by m and s staff no machines, they checked the tele payment system confirmed fault and the manager called smart parking to report the fault and told me to email the only public contacts advertised on their smart parking signage which I did explaining the fault then waited 7 days (2nd oct)for the reply to be told I should have remained in the under ground car park until resolved/email replied to avoid being issued with a pcn and there was no way of stopping that being sent. I replied to that and several other emails requesting method to pay the 70p they prevented me from paying and the complaint about no payment methods working at sevenoakes site, being instructed to complete the appeal form for my complaint despite not having been issued a pcn/invoice for breach of terms. A PCN Invoice was received on Oct 13th which when I attempted to complete first displayed a pre entered text stating contravention 05A, this was admin error or malice? they've contacted dvla stating 05A as the contravention and after they were notified of their auto tele reg/payment system not working waiting for confirmation, if they come back and change the contravention to reflect no payment methods working/ava at sevenoakes it will just be a admin error that will need amending their application to dvla. The failure to comply to own signage, lack of customer service department, unreasonable expectations from smart parking expecting customers to wait on site 7 days to resole their malfunctions, deliberately creating situations to issue incorrectly referenced contraventions, limited appeal form, restricted appeal form only allows customers to add 3 pieces of evidence to support a appeal and those items have to be converted to certain size and certain format and software that requires, when you enter your text for appeal in the box they provide it lets you type it all in and click submit then it tells you there server does not recognise cheverons symbols or signs etc and takes you back to home page to re start the whole process. Deliberately difficult/repeat faults&deletes text I believe is to confuse people who are un certain of IT/software/systems and to make impossible for those who dont have or use computers. I've resulted to submitting text only and send my 11 items of evidence to the appeals@martparking address (keep getting replies saying only appeals via there form that i cant attach my evidence too) so sent to the Birmingham B377HE address for attention of appeals team.
On reading other reviews of similar customers I dont hold much hope for initial appeal done by smart parking themselves, the second appeal via the independent body will be done if if this is not successful I will tell them to take me to court and I will present all of my evidence to a common law judge. These digital only car park companies need properly investigating by independents to gather evidence.
Please avoid all the stress, anxiety, admin and time of parking in a smartparking car park has caused me by finding anywhere else to park with cash or card options. If you do ever parkk in a smartparking car park,report any faults/malfunctions on site ASAP via the email they provide so there is no reason for them to contact dvla when breach of signage terms and conditions are there's, even if a payment method is available and you think you have fully paid for your parking, please for your own sanity take photos of the signage, your car when you arrive and just when you leave so you have the real time data, if you do receive wrongly issued pcn/invoice or feel payment intentionally made impossible by their system malfunctions, check the contravention charge ref is correct for offence smartparking are claiming your details via dvla and all other details (on the appeal form online only) and send all your evidence not only the 3 items they say your allowed.
If you have evidence of fraud or malfeasance or deliberate situations created so these firms can issue wrongful pcns consider reporting to trading standards via citizen advice form online fri's from 5pm or call Mon-Fri before 5pm. Contact the DVLA and complete the Subject Access Request form to see what info SmartParking asked them for and under what contravention (see the contravention number when your completing the appeal not on the pcn/invoice/notice to keeper you get through post)
I wish anyone whose had the pleasure of Smart Parking's digital payment system and customer service the strength and determination needed for far below accepted standards. Intentional faults to gain £ from wrongful pcns X