I wanted to THANK the great customer service staff at ParkSmart NEWELL location. We are new to the area, my wife took our son to Emergency Room across the street, and being unfamiliar with the area she parked at the nearest open location which was a little plaza across the street. When she came back, - she had a citation for expired meter. Sure enough, as the emergency room takes a long time, and there was no way to come out and extend the meter. I wanted to THANK A LOT the considerate staff that reviewed our situation and dismissed this ticket for us (we provided the initial payment info and the ER visit note). My whole call and response experience was great and the gentlemen I spoke with was super polite and sympathetic, we received the reminder/explanation of the rules, guidance on the Kaiser Parking facility location, and the dismissal of our ticket! Again, thank you so much for the great Staff Team working for you and outstanding Customer Service! Happy Holidays! Vlad L. read more

Dropped change into meter and matched my phone timer to it. Upon returning there was a ticket issued less than 8 minutes prior. Sounds like they have an issue of clock calibrations or purposely adjust time to allow tickets. I've read ParkScam's CA and DMV rulings not supporting them or allowing access to car owners info. Thank you DMV https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/parksmart-inc-v-dep-891432987 Parksmart only works for private land owners and has been denied by DMV for access to the public's driving records or issuing DMV denials. read more

We got a parking ticket at Walnut Creek 6/7/26 from ParkSmart but after my explanation of what had happened, they grand us a one time dismissal! We really appreciated their fast & understanding to this matter!! read more

Scammers and thieves. This company needs to be shut down. I am going to report it to the city and anywhere else that I can, icluding the BBB. I have had enough. I received a ticket a few weeks ago after parking my car and paying at the meter. I inserted my credit card, paid for 1.5 hours and the meter appeared to be working because it was blinking green. I returned an hour later to a ticket! It said that the meter expired. I disputed the charge through their system and they declined my dispute. Could not believe it. Next, today, I parked and I went to pay to add time to the meter, but it said it was paid through 7:30 pm and I only needed it through 6:30pm. The light was blinking green. I thought it would be fine because I didn't need it past 7:30pm. I returned a to my car at 6:30pm and I had a ticket!! The meter was blinking red and expired. They definitely tried to screw me over and did this on purpose. This should be considered fraud. I sent in a dispute, and they denied it - again. That is because this company is a fraud and they want your money, so of course they are not going to approve any disputes. I have parked at these meters for years and spent hundreds of dollars, and they refuse to correct their mistakes. Shame on everyone that works for this sad excuse for a business. At this point, they owe ME money. For the two tickets, stress, and time spent with disputes. I should send them an invoice for $200. read more

Parked at 6:15pm, put in card and press + and had time til 9:15 pm. Came back to car at 8:20pm ish and had a ticket. Checked meter and had 1:05 hour remaining. Hmmmm . . . Park Smart employee was there, asked him about it. He didn't issue the ticket but agreed I had, on my left side/A spot the time. Told me this happens all the time, just give them a call. Did so and got a rude woman who says the car next to me didn't select or press the right spot and therefore canceled out my time and that is MY $35 program. Had this happen twice over the past year. Went round and round with the woman on phone. Nasty company to be serving the citizens and visitors or Walnut Creek and NOT the way to treat patrons of downtown businesses is it? read more

ParkSmart - Parking Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I am happy with the granted dismissal of my parking dispute. I feel it was fair and handled efficiently by the ParkSmart staff. Going forward I now b know and I have been informed where and how to avoid a citation in the future, hopefully. read more

Had a great experience with Park Smart thanks to Bob. On January 19, I parked at The Collection in Oxnard for about 10 minutes to run in and use the restroom. The sign said "Reserved Parking Monday-Friday 8 AM-5 PM" and also mentioned paying after hours, which made it seem like daytime parking was for shoppers. I ended up getting a ticket and called Park Smart to clarify. Bob was incredibly courteous, friendly, and easy to talk to. He really listened, agreed the signage could be confusing, and dismissed the ticket. He was fair, understanding, and just genuinely great to deal with. The only suggestion I have is to make the signage clearer, maybe by adding "permit required" instead of just "reserved" to avoid confusion. Five stars for Bob's customer service. Thank you again! read more

ParkSmart - The signage - Parking Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Do not use Park Smart lot in Lafayette behind Social Bird. Their app does not work. I could not put in all the verification numbers. Tried several times. Woman near me used the machine and it wouldn't kick out a ticket for her dashboard. Spoke to businesses near the lot and many people have complained. Furthermore, their customer service is lousy. Repot to Better Business Bureau. All to the many complaints there. read more

You guys are some liars! Gave me a ticket, I was not there more than 2 hours and I have the proof I will bring in Monday! Parking supervisor RJ you sir are a straight up liar giving people tickets when I was not there for more than 2 hours! It was not evenn1 hour I went into Xfinity and I have proof! You guys are some dang scam aritis RJ ID number 229 makes me wonder how many other people you have done this too!! Thank GOD I have proof of where I was at! I suggests to anyone who parks in these plazas take a video or the place and the time because this parking agency are liars read more

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Why in the world are you issuing parking tickets to people who are JUST GOING TO GET A COFFEE?! I recently went to Philz Coffee to pick up my order and I came back to my car and was issued a ticket. I had to pay off the ticket just so I wouldn't receive any issues. But like wtf? You can't just give tickets to people who are parking in the parking lot ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE JUST GOING IN TO GET A COFFEE. Whose idea was it to create this bogus company? read more

This Review is for Parksmart Inc that services 1630 Main St in Lafayette: On March 9, 2026 I parked in an empty parking space behind Postino Restaurant in Lafayette. There was no parking meter nor was there any signs designating that the spot I parked in was a "pay to park" space. Other parking spaces had parking meters or a sign in front of the space designating it as "pay to park". After I returned to my car, I was ticketed, despite the space not having a meter or sign. I disputed the ticket and submitted photos showing the space with no sign or meter - AND - a photo of another car that had been parked next to mine when I arrived and was still there when I returned BUT had not been ticked. My dispute was denied, my photos were not acknowledged, and did not acknowledge the other car NOT being ticketed despite being parked longer than my car. I attempted to escalate my dispute online but was notified that Parksmart Inc will charge an additional non-refundable fee of $27.00 if drivers wish to further dispute a ticket. After this experience with ParkSmart Inc, it is clear that: (1) ParkSmart Inc will ticket drivers even if ParkSmart Inc fails to provide signage or parking meters. (2) ParkSmart Inc practices selective enforcement of parking violations (3) ParkSmart Inc does not have a dispute resolution process - it is for "show" only. ParkSmart Inc will disregard any disputes - even if you have photos. ParkSmart Inc will also charge you an additional non-refundable fee if you wish escalate your dispute. (4) ParkSmart Inc has a long track record of deeply questionable business practices which is apparent in the number of negative experiences drivers are reporting. (5) Any business in the Lafayette or the greater Bay Area using ParkSmart Inc to service their lots should consider an alternative provider. ParkSmart Inc's poor business practices reflect poorly on your business. read more

On 03/03/2025 parking supervisor RJ (229) ticketed my vehicle. I don't know if they're bored or what but this seems to be something RJ (229) does apparently (going off of OTHER PEOPLES REVIEWS). I was ticked for the 2 hour limit max outside of Ross on Main street. I was INSIDE ross shopping while RJ decided to give me a weak ass ticket. I tried to call the number and it took me 5 times to get an answer and one time I was just hung up on. Don't worry about trying to go to the address it's just a P.o. Box, nobody to actually talk to. Anyways, I went to ross earlier that day at 1pm shopping. I saw something I want but was undecided. Around 5:45 ( rough estimate) I went BACK to the Ross to purchase something. I was ticketed at 6:36 not even an hour later. By the time I got to the vehicle it had not even reached 2 hours. Apparently In and Out parking isn't allowed, as said on the signs i was told. I'm unsure what IN AND OUT PARKING IS when I came back to ross damn near 6 HOURS LATER. Do yall job properly. 0 read more

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Predatory, unethical, and illegal behavior. This company operates like a scam--plain and simple. They issue bogus, unenforceable parking tickets, often targeting disabled drivers who are fully compliant with California law. I was parked legally at a green metered curb with my valid disabled placard clearly displayed--a right protected under state law. https://www.walnutcreekpdca.gov/i-want-to/parking Despite this, I received a citation. I even provided documentation of the law (which they should already be well aware of), yet they refused to dismiss the ticket but also knowing they can't enforce this bs. Instead, they doubled down and attempted to pressure me into paying a fine that holds no legal weight. This is not an isolated incident. There are numerous reports of this same behavior, especially in the Walnut Creek area, where they appear to prey on individuals who may not be familiar with their rights under the ADA and state vehicle codes. It's exploitative, shameful, and reeks of legal overreach. They have no legitimate authority to enforce citations--they rely on fear, confusion, and the assumption that people won't fight back. Know your rights. Don't give them a cent. Report their actions to the city, the California DMV, the Department of Justice ADA division, and the Better Business Bureau. Companies like this should be investigated, held accountable, and shut down. read more

Emily & Beverly were so kind & understanding about the fact that the parking machine didn't give me a receipt! Both helped in removing the $30. parking invoice for me! Thanks, gals! Connie Levin read more

The machines in this lot are super messed up. I went to a spot with 15 minutes left, and I inserted my payment to add enough time to make an hour, but it charged me over $16 for more than 4 hours. Stupidly, I inserted my card again, to check if I was mistaken, and it added another hour. I tried to call, but all three numbers listed have nothing to do with the kit. The Walnut Creek police dept, for example, said they have no control over it, and the tow number won't accept calls. I've reported them to my credit card, so I guess I'll have to see how that goes. Avoid like the plague. read more

Their site says to validate with a QR code but you have to check out a very specific and non-intuitive way to get the QR code. Otherwise you are stuck paying full price and no ability to validate read more

Thank you to Bob at Park Smart !We are local residents who always pay the parking meters to park in Walnut Creek. We put our credit card into the meter and paid for an hour of parking, but somehow the meter did not record the charge, and we received a ticket. When I called Park Smart, the young man, Bob, who answered the call was extremely courteous and friendly. He said that he would excuse the charge for us. Many thanks to Bob, for being so fair, courteous, and customer oriented. read more

I was "cited" for parking my motorcycle in a corner of a parking structure that has no indication saying "no motorcycles". I contacted Parksmart by phone, and the woman was so argumentative and aggressive towards me, I was shocked. She asked me why I didn't just park on the sidewalk? She asked me why I didn't park in a numbered space and pay? Motorcycles shouldn't park in a space unnecessarily because they can park in a corner where there is no risk of a car knocking it over because the driver didn't see it. I don't understand what it was affecting, she claimed I was blocking a door and the fire department wouldn't be able to access the building if there was a fire... I am utterly baffled. Almost every other parking structure offers a designated area for motorcycles free of charge, like Bart station parking structures for example. This company is greedy and quite ignorant to be honest. The employee on the phone was highly unprofessional and offensive. Don't park in their structure and pay them, a little extra walking is worth the money saved. read more

ParkSmart - Where is the "NO PARKING" sign? Also, where is that door I was allegedly blocking? - Parking Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I got a ticket for a 2-hour parking spot after an hour and 18 minutes. These private parking companies try their best to take advantage of those who don't know the difference between a government-agency ticket and a private company ticket. You don't have to pay any ticket from ParkSmart, as they cannot legally send your info to the DMV. Simply throw it in the trash and move on about your day. read more

Was charged far more than the posted hourly rate at this location. This has happened more than once. Drivers should check their credit card statements after parking here! read more

Great Parking Garage & our go-to parking spot in Walnut Creek. Clean Facilities & easy pay meters for parking.

Piece of S... company, started to issue a ticket at an empty restaurant parking at 8 pm which not only it used to be free , but also the whole street has free parking after 6 pm. Cant think of more of a rip off crap company / property management than this. read more

This is an innovative Walnut Creek-based service that leads the industry with creative solutions. Staff are friendly and result-focused.

They were very helpful on the phone. Really took care of my needs. Very communicative.

ParkSmart so stupid Everyone, read your ticket / read your "invoice" ***This parking invoice is not issued by a government agency*** (They tried but they couldn't) Me and my son won't go back to B St. Emeryville. So, ridiculous. We went to have dinner and to the movies, we paid for 3 hours. Walking back to our car it took us maybe 10 minutes and we got a $30.00 ticket. So ridiculous, rateros, aprovechados, desgraciados read more

Very easy to work with and communicative. Abides by rules but does not overcharge and is flexible to work with. This is the first time i have received a citation that has actually picked up the phone, and i was actually able to speak to a live person in the United States within less than 5 minutes. read more

SCAM - Prepaid Kiosk We used the parking at Bay Street 16. We prepaid following the Kiosk machine. Our car got the citation of not paying the parking fee = $30.00 charge. It is SUPPOSED to be $1.50 as we watched a movie with a discount code at the theater. We'll first call the company and if it does not resolve, we'll report it to Better Business Bureau. read more

ParkSmart, Walnut Creek, is great to work with! Prompt and professional! I had a situation occur and the staff helped me figure it out.

This review is mostly for the customer service rep that helped me out when I had a parking dispute. She took care of it. And gave me some tips on how to work the machines at Bay Street. She was very nice and did her job well! The parking machines at Bay Street though are pretty confusing. Sometimes they don't spit out the ticket. And I never did get my text for validation of my ticket, maybe I pressed the wrong phone number. There should be a button to review your purchase. This process should be simplified... But the over the phone customer service agent was really helpful! read more

I would rate this company a zero if I could. I parked in one of their Lafayette lots with meters that theoretically ran till 8 PM. That day, by the way, was a national holiday. I could not put enough money in my meter to pay past 7:30 PM though I tried numerous times to pay till 8 PM. The same thing happened to another car. We asked merchants and they had no idea how parking policy operated. After multiple attempts to pay past 7:30 we gave up. At exactly 7:31 both of our cars received parking tickets. Similar things have happened to friends of ours in other Lafayette ParkSmart lots. I paid my ticket promptly (very early the next morning) and have a receipt for my payment. I then wrote a long letter of protest to Parksmart in which I told them I had already paid the ticket but wanted to protest in addition. Three weeks later I received a dinging letter from ParkSmart telling me I had to pay up my unpaid ticket and then I could have a second tier hearing with the company. Parksmart ignored the information I gave them that I had paid the ticket already. I have since written Parksmart again and sent a copy of my ticket and payment receipt to them and asked them to correct their records. It will be interesting to see whether the company does this or not. So far it shows no indication of acting honorably. I know others who have had similar bad experiences with ParkSmart in Lafayette, for example, parking at broken meters and being ticketed for not paying when paying was impossible. Tickets have come as soon as the parkers have left their cars. I cannot say anything good about this company based on the experiences of anyone I know who has parked in one of their Lafayette CA lots. I seldom write reviews, but in this case I want all Lafayette parkers to be aware that their shopping expeditions may cost more than they expected when they use a Parksmart lot. read more

3 hours free, undisclosed cost for the balance (perhaps someplace in small print) $35 thereafter. Don't use this place in Walnut Creek. Broadway Plaza has much cheaper space availabl. read more

Definitely do not use service's parking. They ticket you even if you pay. I parked in an underground lot run by this service and then walked upstairs and left the lot. Minutes after I left, I paid for the parking through their app--in fact, I paid for a longer period than the period I ended up staying. Even so, I found a ticket once I got back. I explained the situation to ParkSmart (which they insist upon you doing through mail), including providing a receipt that I had indeed paid for my parking. Parking Supervisor "Omid" responded by saying that it didn't matter that I paid because "payment must be made before walking away from the vehicle." It said that nowhere in the parking lot. Furthermore, to contest the ticket, apparently you have to pay the ticket first as a "deposit." All nonsense. They give you a ticket even when you pay for parking, and then when you want to contest, they 1) make up an extra "can't walk away from the vehicle" rule without giving any prior notice and 2) insist that you must pay the ticket as part of the contesting process. Avoid this service. read more

Horrible folks! I got a ticket..and on the phone also they're not helpful. Such scammers. First time parket with parksmart. There was no way I could increase the time on the app also. I had dinner and came a few mins past the time and I have a ticket for 35 bucks!!! I don't want to go through the process of dispute. Time is precious. But got my lesson with this stupid company! Very annoyed. read more

Ole ParkSmart. Crooks... honestly fiendish when I think about it. One winter time, it was late at evening, around 8:30p or so... , pouring rain here in Walnut Creek. Coming down in sheets. I'd inadvertently parked in a "reserved" spot in a nearly empty parking lot next to Gott's in WC, to go in a get my food. I was inside for my 20 mins, waiting for my food, and someone from ParkSmart gave me a parking ticket. Literally the entire parking lot empty, and my mistake costs me a $35 parking ticket. Just recently, I used the same parking garage on 2 different times, one at noon and another at 5:30p, and they gave me a parking ticket for that! Believing that I'd been there past the maximum limit, yet my car was in 2 different places. ParkSmart could care less. That's the sad part. They could care less. read more

This company is a scam. I've paid for parking at Bay St and come back to my car to find a ticket on it. There were many other cars with tickets as well. It doesn't matter if you pay, ParkSmart will ticket you anyway. They've ruined Bay St and unfortunately until Bay St changes how they regulate parking (it used to be free) they've lost my business. read more

If there was negative stars to give, this would be the place ... Lafayette; we parked our car in a lot patrolled by these crooks. We paid and placed the tag in the window. Paid in full until 1pm. Here comes Jenny the Tyrant!! A supervisor no less. She issued a citation at 12:26pm. Placed it right on the windshield on top of our paid tag on the dash. Talking with the local merchants, Jenny is well known for citing people who are still PAYING at the machines! Wow. What a crook. A schyster. Disreputable thief. Ticket was sorted out, but Jenny needs to get sorted out, clearly. read more

ParkSmart - Not the date and time - Parking Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

These scam artists have managed to mess up Bay Street's simple process with a ridiculous and convoluted mess. Mining your information by forcing you to use an app that requires credit card payment and license tag information prior to even entering the plaza is clearly a security problem. The other option is to pre-pay not knowing how long you're going to stay. This discourages people from enjoying the plaza... As you have to either try to guess how long you're going to be there or run back and pay in two- hour blocks. Then there's a scam where you have to use a convoluted method, nearly impossible to execute, to get some kind of refund back when you validate your parking tickets. Obviously this was designed to either be dysfunctional, or so frustrating and time consuming the people just give up and pay the full fare. In the past, he took a parking ticket when you went in, he stayed as long as you want it... Validated your ticket, and paid on the way out. Nothing that Bay Street has to offer, including the beautiful bookstore the Great AMC Theatres, or the new Shake Shack is worth putting up with this BS I've called all my merchants there and told them that they have lost my business until the idiotic Bay Street management company either finds a better parking partner or forces this one to go back to basics. read more

Costumer service rep was extremely understanding in dismissing ticket considering the situation that me and our family was put in. Thank you so much! read more

This is kind of a pointless review because it's not like anyone chooses to interact with this company but I'm going to go ahead and share my experience anyways. I parked in the Bay Street Garage in Emeryville to go see a movie at 7:30pm. I paid $4 at the kiosk with my credit card which gave me 4 hours of parking. The ticket I got from the machine said I have 4 hours of parking and to validate my parking in the theatre to receive a discount that would bring my parking cost down to $1.50. I just had to validate it before 11:30pm. I watched a movie and came back to my car at about 10:30pm to find that I had received a parking ticket. The ticket was issued at 9:20pm, 2 hours before my time was up. I called to dispute it and they removed the ticket for me with no issues, which was good. What was strange to me was that they dissolved the ticket without me having to provide them with any kind of proof, other than my verbal explanation. This leads me to believe that they knew I paid but gave me a ticket anyways. What I think happened, and they will never give you any real answer, is that the parking attendant (the ticket says her name was Diamond, ID# 241) was getting off work and decided to just give me a ticket preemptively (by 2 hours) incase I stayed over my time and she wasn't going to be there, with the thought that I will just call in and have them remove it if I didn't. The reason I think this may have been the case is because I went around the parking garage looking for the attendant after I found the ticket and there was no one there. The ParkSmart branded car was parked off to the side and empty. I asked security if the parking attendant was around because I wanted to show her that I paid, but he said she was already off work at like 9:30. It was about 10:30 at that point. Needless to say, I'm going to avoid all ParkSmart garages from here on out. read more

"Beware of overpriced parking! They charge way too much for just 30 minutes--definitely not worth it. Avoid parking here if you can!