PayByPhone Parking Reviews

by Rachmarj

I was a big fan of PayByPhoneParking - until I started getting charged for parking options I never chose. I park in the same parking zone often but for a short period of time. I would choose 30 minute parking and it would give me 1hr30 parking and charge me for the extra time. PayByPhoneParking continues to show me the 30 min option, but every time I choose that, charge me for 1hr30. I finally saw that there is tiny writing at the bottom of the option page saying that I would be charged a certain tarif for 30 min the first time, but a different tarif thereafter for 30 min. The large print options never change though. I find this quite misleading. This is unfortunate for an otherwise very useful app.

by Grandgeezer

After entering all the necessary information - car registration, two credit cards (the location apparently didn't accept amex, which PayByPhoneParking might have mentioned before letting me enter one), and email, PayByPhoneParking kept telling me my "quote had timed out." I retried a few times, ensuring the time from quote to being told it was timed out was < 20 sec. Incidentally it worked fine on the website, I spent a fraction of the time there. Lesson: pass on PayByPhoneParking , just use the web directly.
Update: questionable privacy claims. It says location id both linked to you and not – wouldn't those be mutually exclusive – and it says that financial information is not linked to you, in which case it shouldn't need any information at all (if PayByPhoneParking interacts with the parking sites payment system directly). It uses a *lot* of third party APIs (including Google Analytics) – as in, a boat load.

by Smithsd1

Have been using PayByPhoneParking for a few months with only good things to say until tonight. After I paid to park and walked out a different exit I saw a sign on the lot explaining that it was permit parking only / tow away 24/7. I’d already paid but didn’t want to risk it and get towed. Annoyed, I moved my car and found a spot at another lot. Called customer support to explain (and suggest that they change their signs in that lot). I expected a quick fix refund - but they told me I’d need to call another number. Their customer support couldn’t transfer the call to their own refund dept... and the person I was talking to couldn’t authorize $3 refund - ugh. pathetic. Don’t waste your time

by Ackley121

App wouldn’t process my transaction when I was parking. Tried different cards, but to no avail and despite many repeated attempts. Verified my information was correct, but my transactions would not go through. Tried my cards out in the store late and they worked just fine. Had to scrounge up cash and was lucky I had any. (Paying with cash turned out to be another little nightmare, as the kiosk kept rejecting my dollar bills that were not perfectly flat. I had to keep ironing out a tiny crease. I know the kiosk’s temperamental nature is not at fault of PayByPhoneParking, but it certainly didn’t help the situation. If PayByPhoneParking was an option and PayByPhoneParking is supposed to be smart, convenient, and useful.... well, it wasn’t this day.) Really disappointing.

The interface is just short of pleasant and intuitive. It ran slowly. I also wonder if PayByPhoneParking struggles to process payments, then how it would do when you need to quickly park and move on, or when you need to modify your parking transaction. PayByPhoneParking has left a very poor impression on me.

by EnochMI

In this latest release, you cannot extend an active parking session. This is a huge loss of functionality. Until this is restored, PayByPhoneParking gets 1 star. You pay a premium for paying via PayByPhoneParking vs paying directly at the meter. Part of the justification for this, on the user end, is the convenience of being able to extend a parking session without returning to the meter. With this patch, the user has to watch their parking session like a hawk, and start a new session when the first is over. But you can’t even just choose repeat parking. You have to enter the location number all over again for select it from the map. Really poor update. Restore extend parking, and it gets 5 stars. Right now, this version is pretty bad.

by D@rkSn0w

Had to update my review because the latest updates keep going further and further in the wrong direction. I park in the same place with the same car and use the same credit card every work day; PayByPhoneParking has always made that a chore and it has only gotten worse with the updates. Two big problems, one; even though they have a captive audience (most locations force you to use PayByPhoneParking and only PayByPhoneParking if you want to park), the makers continue to try to force you into using location services -presumably to sell your location data. This is clearly bogging down their servers at peak times. Problem two; the designers of PayByPhoneParking have no clue about frictionless design and require the same inputs day after day instead of being smart enough to consolidate those inputs into one “repeat previous” button.

by Drmw61

Unable to set up an account using my mobile, because system doesn’t seem to recognise a 6 in a license plate. Just shuts down data entry: error message tells me to start again. Unable to create an account using PayByPhoneParking . Tap “register” to create an account and error message says log-in information is incorrect. Tried to contact Support but can’t submit the request - error message says I need to enter e-mail address (which was entered correctly). I have never come across such an awful process.
Update: account now set up and it seemed it was partially set up already, even though no prior indication of that. Not a straightforward process, but hopefully I can now use the service.

by Vivi27CVT

I did a parking purchase in pay by park app for 8 hours, I stayed about 30 min in the parking because I was trying to call them couple of time since they say the customer line is busy and can’t take my call, I have an emergency and had to leave right away, tried to call them couple time to change my duration for parking and a refund but they said if it’s more than 20 min parking they can’t do anything about it and I have to pay the full price, the person on the line said she understand but wouldn’t resolve my problems and there’s nothing they could do for me, I even asked them to charged me for the duration I stayed instead, Maria is her name, she’s not professional, doesn’t understand to be a customer resolution means, have to ask a lot of my question with her supervisor, without me talking to her supervisor, and she doesn’t fit to be one. I’m not the type of person who will write a bad review, because i’m in the customer service industry myself. I love PayByPhoneParking , it’s very convenient, I just hoped, I had a better customer service experience.

by ToddDaytona

Decent app, but there are a couple of things they should add to make it friendly.

1. The ability to transfer my parking from one location to another. I may be running errands and not sure how long I’m going to stop at one spot, so I pay for an hour and then get in and out quickly. Now I have to waste that time and then pay again at the next place I stop. Once I pay, the time should be valid for any space that costs the same rate.

2. I should be able to set a maximum time in PayByPhoneParking , so that if I don’t hear the notification telling me my parking is about to expire, PayByPhoneParking will automatically renew it up to the limit that I set.

by YaBoiHayds

You know, the convenience of PayByPhoneParking is great. It’s super easy to set up and input all of your information. Once you get your parking location it’s just a few clicks but the one big issue I have is that it’s hourly. I go to college and the campus took out the money meters for PayByPhoneParking and there are multiple times where I just need 20 minutes or less for parking. It would be amazing if they figured out a way to charge per 20 minutes instead of charging me $1 at least every time I use PayByPhoneParking . It’s only $1, I know but I’m a broke college student like many others and would like to not spend $1 most days per year just to park for 15-20 minutes. Great app though!

by Chedbe

The commuter rail station I park at is in a small town an hour outside Boston. Cell service is fine except for when it hits high saturation levels as is the case in the 10-15 minutes prior to an inbound train arriving. That’s when PayByPhoneParking doesn’t work at all. It seems like it always has to talk to a server for every step of the transaction: pick location, pick vehicle, retrieve parking rates, make financial transaction.

However, my banking apps, train ticket app, other apps still work in the same situation, although slower, but still work! I have to wait to do my parking transaction until the next train stop which is at a bigger city center and had more cell service capacity. Seems like work needs to be done on PayByPhoneParking to make it more efficient on the backend.

If I mark a location as a favourite (spelling intentional) then why isn’t the favorites tab presented to me first? And when I pick a favorite location why does PayByPhoneParking have to go verify the location exists? Maybe you need to work on your analytics and caching.

by Ex Expats

Has been great for a few years especially being able to reload parking from afar.

My only heartache was once running late and PayByPhoneParking continuously refused to find the zone I entered and without any sort of error message. Turns out my phone had camped on a WiFi from the office building without bringing up the sign on page. So PayByPhoneParking couldn’t reach home to validate the zone number. Once I turned off WiFi it worked fine but had me wound up for 15 minutes before I figured it out.

Had PayByPhoneParking given some sort of connection error I would have been set.

by MK Seattle

I work installing communications equipment in Seattle and Olympia WA. The parking app allows me to easily pay for parking and then submit the parking receipts to my employer at the end of the week. PayByPhoneParking has become one of my “tools” when I work in Seattle or Olympia. I have told other people who park in Seattle about it and they tried it and love it too. Additionally, when one of my jobs takes longer than expected, I can easily extend my parking time on PayByPhoneParking without going back to the street and putting more money into the ticket vending machine. Really makes my life easier.

by Marie-jan😡

Recently
I received 2 parking tickets from using PayByPhoneParking!😡😡😡 it was not even on the correct dates that I parked there. I was still living in Framingham and on Christmas Eve I had parked in Wellesley hills train station! However I paid these 2 tickets because I was leaving the country for 3 months! No I had to use this same parking location one other time and still recieved another ticket. Mind you the date was still incorrect.
Today I am forced to use this location due to the Corona Virus outbreak. Our usual garage is closed. If I receive a ticket today I will be appealing it and filing a complaint to the better business bureau .

by Phike

I've used PayByPhoneParking paying my commute parking for over a year. Once every couple months I get a notice in the mail from the MA bay transit authority (MBTA) saying I haven't paid for parking for a couple days that I actually paid for. PayByPhoneParking doesn't store your receipts and its transaction history gets randomly deleted, so I've had to comb through my credit card statements to prove that I have paid. Couple recommendations to PayByPhone: (1) fix your transaction history, and (2) communicate better with the Parking authorities on who is paying.

by Lllllkkkkkkkkjjjjjjj

Although it’s very convenient to pay by phone, especially if you’re at the beach I decide to stay, don’t be fooled by the purpose of PayByPhoneParking, which is the bag you when you’re over time. My meter ran out and I reloaded PayByPhoneParking four minutes after the time but when I return to my car I had a $30 ticket waiting for me. The people who run this, get on their computers expiration is so they could immediately run to the car and give you a ticket. I bet if I had the old printed ticket on my dashboard they would’ve never even gone to my dashboard to see it. Keep that in mind. Of course I’m pleading not guilty to my ticket and have proof that I paid before and after with a four minute lapse between times of reloading. We’ll see what happens.

by Uknown--user

How app works is great, HOWEVER, there is one problem that I have encountered couple times. I don’t know if it for US only, but the only time I can pick is hours or days, which isn’t really useful feature. Already two times I overpaid for the time simply because there is no option to end parking for the ACTUAL USED time. Sadly, PayByPhoneParking is the only one that is used on my campus. I know that it is relatively cheap parking, nevertheless, the couple dollars went to waste can be donated to help someone.

by Elcee

I love PayByPhoneParking. It’s the greatest type of app because of its simplicity and time savings. The first time I used it, setting up my account (entering car license plate and cc number) took less time than if I had walked to the pay station. The second time I used it, it took me approximately 10 seconds to open PayByPhoneParking , enter the location number, select my time needed, and hit pay. Plus, it’s saving me money because I don’t have to do the max time “just in case.” If I need more time, I just add it. And I get reminders right beforehand. I wish more apps were as simple and intuitive as this. It actually DOES save me time. And the interface design is really nice. I really like the clean white and green color scheme. Congrats to Seattle for choosing the perfect app.

by Sammy Winder

PayByPhoneParking is phenomenal! It sends me reminders that I need to add time or hurry up and finish what I’m doing. In addition - no receipts to carry, I have multiple cards on file for personal or business expenses, and the receipts come via email!
But the single best thing about this - I don’t have to wait for the meter/station to take care of my transaction. 90% of the times I parked and then tried to pay, it took way too long - and then, half the time the transaction didn’t even go through!
The people you have on phone duty are wonderful!
Thanks!

by KanjiLizzard

It works pretty well, but why am I always typing in codes? It knows my gps. Just show me the map and I can pick the pay station with one tap! Or QR codes on the signs - especially now that iOS supports QR codes natively in the camera app.

Could be so much faster to use.

The other annoying thing is I usually want max time - and unless you can calculate the exact total minutes, it’s a lot of taps to switch to hours and then type in the correct hour. Could be just one tap! Ironically, the physical pay meters are easier to use in this way - they have an add-time button. A few taps and you are at max time.

by Satine G.

On two occasions, although I had paid for parking using PayByPhoneParking , I received a parking ticket. When I contacted them for a refund, they refused to refund the money and instead requested that I resolve the ticket with the parking court. So, instead of refunding the money as a show of good customer service, they preferred that I file a notice of appearance with the court, spend at least three hours of time at court waiting the have the matter addressed, and ultimately risk having court fees assessed. PayByPhoneParking has a wonderful racket going on. You give them your money to park, they won’t guarantee it gets paid, and if you get a ticket, they won’t refund the parking payment. Instead, you’re left to waste time at the court. Come to think of it, there might be a good class action lawsuit here.

by Alan-in-Seattle

Being able to pay and adjust how much is a great concept. However, today, when I overstayed my limit, for some reason, PayByPhoneParking disconnected from my parking space, not giving me the option of adding more money for more time. I think that we users should have to sign out manually before we are disconnected.

After I wrote the paragraph above, I discovered that PayByPhone had alerted me via text message, and then by tapping the link in the message I could get back to my original parking arrangement. So I take it all back and now find that PayByPhone is a great app!

by Polylazareva

How app works is great, HOWEVER, there is one problem that I have encountered couple times. I don’t know if it for US only, but the only time I can pick is hours or days, which isn’t really useful feature. Already two times I overpaid for the time simply because there is no option to end parking for the ACTUAL USED time. Sadly, PayByPhoneParking is the only one that is used on my campus. I know that it is relatively cheap parking, nevertheless, the couple dollars went to waste can be donated to help someone.

by LaPappe1963

I really enjoy the system but you should fix the problem with the city parking authority. They give you tickets even within paid time. It has happened to me already 3 times. Is this the way they make the money? Do they think people will pay anyway to avoid the trip? Well the answer is no and please train them to use the system correctly to avoid affecting residents like this. Waste of time for everybody. Thanks

by Rivukis

PayByPhoneParking makes paying for parking so convenient and easy. The ability to extend parking without having to go to your car is amazing! They also notify you when the parking meter is almost expired so you never have to worry about it.

Adding a car is super easy too even if you are in the middle of paying for parking. I’ve added 2 cars now. Both done in less than 60 seconds.

Great work all around from the devs, to UI/UX, features decisions, everybody. Thank you!