ParkWhiz - #1 Parking App Reviews

by NPR Loving Guy

Tried to buy a parking pass for a Whitesox game (Parkwiz was suggested as the only provider by the White Sox ticketing website for parking in the stadium lot), first on the website using Apple-pay and got an error. Then tried using a credit card with the same result. Downloaded ParkWhiz and again tried to purchase a pass, getting the same error to recheck my credit card info after trying two different cards. Used both my phone and a laptop. No go. Emailed the “help” account and received the same boilerplate advice to check the info I entered. I emailed asking for further help as I did all of their suggestions. No additional response or help provided nor an explanation as to what is actually wrong or how to fix it. I guess I’ll go back to SpotHero where my credit cards work. Totally disappointed in Parkwiz. Edit: a few days later I received an email asking for more information. I appreciate the reach out, but I’m not sure what the fix would be in my case as the day I needed parking came and went. (BTW my solution was to go early and pay $10 to park in the game day lot, which was cheaper than Parkwiz as there was no service fee). I get they have associates whose job it is to “fix” problems, but the timely nature of my problem, and their business, requires they have a working system, and/or be nimble enough to find timely solutions that work for customers when customers need immediate solutions.

by Tomsmith47

I parked here with a truck just under 7’ tall The parking info said the maximum height was 7’2” tall I thought I got lucky immediately at the end of one of the first rows and parked. Two days later I came out to a red sticker over my door handle on the paint of an 80,000 truck saying it was an electric only spot there was no signage for my spot stating this information. I went to leave and have to drive up until I could cut over to head back down to exit. Right there going up further it said clearance was 6’10” and I could not have went up any farther meanwhile somebody is behind me honking . I always use park whiz but won’t use it again because I could not have parked if I didn’t park where I was. I expect a full refund and am appalled that the parking information was not correct and then a sticker is placed on my paint. Not acceptable!

by Annoyed1sttimereviewer

They do not offer the best parking!! Make sure if you use this it’s your last last resort. I would instead try spot hero. After looking up my lot I realized if I paid there i can pay $6 instead of the $20 I paid on ParkWhiz trying to save money. I texted the help number to get my refund and included proof of the special that is a regular thing ParkWhiz should’ve known about. The person the started replying aggressively with caps saying you need to get there “BY 9AM” I tried to explain that by 9 means before 9 and they continued to try and argue. They then tried to give me a $15 this app credit which i don’t want. I then called the help line and it was still kind of frustrating. They want bank statements for a refund. I have had to prove my self for the second time through email and will hopefully get my refund. I feel like it shouldn’t be this hard to get a refund the first person didn’t even tell me the steps I needed to take for the refund. ParkWhiz seems to try and trap people when a mistake happens. I have used spot hero before I don’t know why I didnt this time. And the one time I had a problem with the hours I requested vs the parking hours I really needed they understood and gave me my money back. It shouldn’t be such a rat race to get a refund, and the employees especially should not be rude ESPECIALLY if the customer was not rude to begin with.

by JamieA27

I signed up for there service almost 2 weeks before I needed a monthly spot, purchased it and followed the instructions with the garage manager to ensure it was a self park garage and not a valet garage. When I arrived at the garage an attendant gave me a confused look when I showed him my receipt from parking whiz and was completely unaware of the service and gave me a post it note with a manager to call who also had no idea I paid for a space and told me if I wanted to use the garage I could purchase a space from them for double the cost. I don’t think parkingwhiz communicates with these garages your better off just contacting them directly. I wound up having to park on the street that day and getting a different garage outside of ParkWhiz. When I reached out parkingwhiz for a refund they kept arguing with me to give them time to get in touch with the garage as I explained I already had to find a new garage. 2 weeks later they sent me an email saying they would issue a refund in an additional 5 days. Not helpful

by Andrew Airit

Was going to a show at the metro in Chicago and saw there was parking across the street at the hot dog Wrigleyville Dogs. Cool! Used park whiz and went down to park and see the show. Get to the parking and see a couple attendants and show them my printed receipt. They point me to another gentleman and I show him my receipt for the parking. Looks at it and asked for the email. Weird but whatever I show him the email and he leads me and instructs me where to park and get as close as possible to the car next to me.

Go to the show, have a great time and leave. A minute into my drive notice my passenger side mirror is closed. I Pull over and put it back. Just thought they closed it to get the the next car in and kept driving. Would of been a solid 4 outta 5 stars if the story ended there.

A day or two later I walk out to my car to see the passenger mirror cover scratched and the side of my car scratched too. I don’t know if this was the driver of the other car doing this or the attendant not paying attention when parking them. Either way I’m very unhappy with the way my car was dealt with at the establishment.

I don’t know if the attendants are employed by park whiz, but guessing from them not knowing about the parking pass I’m gonna say not, from the hot dog establishment or another party and who to reach out to. I have used parking apps twice in my life and have had terrible things happen both times and will not use this one or another one again.

by Jillitunes

I’m finding that the posted rate at Manhattan garages are cheaper than prepaid rates through apps. Also this app’s oversized vehicle policy of 181” allows attendants to tack on an extra $15 for vehicles which generally aren’t oversized. We’ve parked for 15 years in manhattan and never paid an oversized vehicle fee for our Toyota Highlander, then booked through this app with the Rose Garage and had to pay $15 on top of our prepaid fee. Since we prepaid it wasn’t like we could drive away and go elsewhere. Before booking check the policy of the actual garage. Icon is clear on its website that our car is not considered oversized so I suppose I could book through this app with them and not worry about being overcharged. But last time I went into the city the apps wanted to charge me 45-50$ whereas on the garage websites the posted rates for 12 hours were as low as $30, and I ended up driving in and finding a very convenient parking garage that had a special rate for grand total $21. So Next time I’m just going to drive in.

by Chuveee

Downtown Sacramento. I arrived early and entered the parking lot greeted by the parking attendant who had no clue about my printed parking pass. He told me to pay in order to park so I assumed I pulled into the wrong lot. There was no where else around the area that could’ve been the correct lot so I drove around in circles over and over again to see if I had missed a hidden entrance somewhere. I finally had to call customer service where they also could not lead me to the correct location. My circling around went on for half an hour until the rude and frustrated girl on the phone finally asked her manager who led me back into the same lot I had originally entered. I told her what happened earlier and that the gentleman did not accept my printed pass, nor did he have a clue what it was. They called the parking attendant and he finally let me park, still clearly confused. I was half an hour late to my conference even though I arrived early just to avoid such a mess. Good luck with this system, I’m never using it again.

by TateBB123

Used this app to prepay for parking but service didn’t work and was a hassle to get a refund. Arrived at the Parking Garage, tried four times to get the this app QBar accepted, scan device read it, processed it then said “access denied”. Got and used an old school parking ticket. Asked this app for refund, they wanted a photo of parking receipt. There is no receipt, at the parking garage payment kiosk you insert your ticket and it marks a barcode on it. Then when you exit you insert the ticket in a device that reads the tickets and opens the gate the device keeps the ticket. Like most folk I did not take a picture to document proof for this app. Evidently this app does not have technology that logs customer activity so no records of entering or exiting so it’s up to customer to prove their service doesn’t work. Ultimately I needed to provide a picture of my credit card account showing the charge. The service doesn’t work and is a big hassle for nothin.

by PHILLIP Y. CHOI 31

I’m generally an optimistic and easy going person. But I feel compelled to share my disastrous experience with this app and the horrible service.

I attended a concert to see one of my childhood friends perform at The Tabernacle (Atlanta). I purchased a parking pass and followed the instructions, leaving the pass visible on my dashboard. The thing is, there’s 4 parking lots all next to one another and the instructions available on the printout give little information (“look for a y’all maroon plaque with white AAA sign”.) Theres no lights anywhere and it’s pitch dark outside. Moreover, there were no white signs. There were plenty “AAA parking signs” but all different colors. Lastly, some of the signs were on the ground, perhaps knocked down or something. I had to make my best judgement after asking others around, all who were just as confused as I was. The instructions I followed were “parking is by the brown building”.... When I came back to my car, my vehicle was booted. $75 wasted ...

As an Army Officer, one of the basic skill sets we have is map reading. Unfortunately, the vague parking directions, outdated information, poor picture quality, and confusing notes did nothing for me.

I will NEVER use ParkWhiz again and will encourage others to use the more reliable Park Mobile in the future!

by Snowmommy.d.m

Went to an event in Brooklyn. Found a lot close by with super reasonable rate and and booked a reservation and paid. Went to lot on the day of the event - arrived early and attendant said that was ok. I did notice that sign had daily parking rate for $2 less than I paid, but overlooked that. I said to the attendant that he must be getting ready for a busy day. He asked why and I explained the sold out event at the Barclays Center. He was unaware, but immediately put up a sign that nearly doubled what I paid for my reservation. After the event, I returned and the attendant (who had said that arriving early was fine for the rate) said I would have to pay as he couldn’t accept the reservation bc we arrived early. But, since I told him about the event (he remembered me) he would only charge $15 - not the price that they had raised it to. He told me to contact Park Whiz and they would refund my money. Ha! Park Whiz has contacted me back and is asking for receipt that I paid the second time. I am not sure if I can find it. I am also being sent many of their FAQ’s - including not being able to be refunded after reservation as well as reservations not being valid if arriving early, etc. Complete scam. Knew it was a scam when I was leaving the lot but there was no way to do anything because a valet lot and wouldn’t be able to get my car. Horrible. Beware when using ParkWhiz!

by Tswiggett1

Paid 10 dollars more using ParkWhiz then what the kiosk at the lot was charging. I parked exactly where I was supposed to from where I paid on ParkWhiz . Went in to see show in Tampa, 2 hours later there is a 50 dollar ticket on my car from some private 717 parking company saying I owe them. So now I’m 80 dollars in the whole. Well....zero actually bc I’m calling iTunes and my credit card company to dispute the 30 dollar charge from ParkWhiz and of course I’m never paying that 50 dollar private company scam either. Shame was trying to do right thing and get taken advantage of by ParkWhiz. Stay far away from ParkWhiz and any 717 parking run lot. Just pay at lot using kiosk. Would be easier and cheaper.

Update: raised the review by one star due to the fact ParkWhiz contacted me after review. They reached out to the third party company who issued the citation and had it voided. Also refunded 10 dollars of what I paid for the inconvenience. ParkWhiz needs a better way to rate these lots. I see the lot has a very poor rating but I myself see no way of rating them. If they allowed costumers to post ratings and comments for specific lots then maybe people could avoid the lots the are scamming customers.

by K00ldaddy

I bought a parking pass via browser. Asks if I want to view pass in phone app. I select and download ParkWhiz . Great! Parking pass shows up immediately. Save it to Apple wallet. I try to login to app but I can’t because I don’t have a password. Expected. Try to create an account but I receive an account already exists with the email I used to purchase the pass originally. Now I can’t get into ParkWhiz . I don’t have a password and I can’t create an account. It’s nice the created an account, but they did it only halfway. If pass is bought online via computer browser, you’re screwed ever to getting into your account via ParkWhiz . If I didn’t save it to my Apple wallet, I’d be really screwed. I decided to go back to the email and select the “View pass in app” again. As long as all of the login and signup screens are closed, the pass will show up in app again. When purchasing online via browser, a place to enter a password would be helpful.

by Fan Of Einsteins

This is my very first app review in 9 years, but I love ParkWhiz that much. We always rent cars when we travel and often need to find parking in large cities with expensive parking. ParkWhiz ROCKS! We decide on our plans for the next day and book parking the night before, but you can also easily book 5 minutes before. We are able to link directions to our spot from ParkWhiz , leave our car, and tour all day. We saved at least 50% in Chicago and probably 25% in DC. Super easy app to navigate, super easy to pay, super easy to park, super great prices. I would give it 6 stars if I could!

by JBAldrich_geo

I needed to park downtown Houston when both the Astros and the Rockets were playing and used ParkWhiz for the first time. It found a great space, allowed me to prepay, and that part worked 100%. In walking to the game I passed 2 closer lots that did not show up on the map that had spaces- obviously not part of their system. And they were a bit cheaper.

When I went to rate the garage I could not do it through ParkWhiz . I have to do it through email and sign in again- a real pain.

I will use ParkWhiz again, constantly but I will be aware that for the convenience I might not get the best deal.

by Moonshine Dave

My first event in Washington DC to do Awesome Con, the traffic was worst than NYC even Chicago, the setup day I just unloaded and got to stay parked for a couple of hours, at the Loading dock, on my way out I looked for where the hell I was going to park the next 3 Days couldn’t find any parking garage signs , even asked the concierge at my hotel when I got back to it, they didn’t have a hard answer for me! Then doing a search for DC convention center parking I found Parking Whiz And in a few minutes I had ParkWhiz with Parking passes and short cuts for Siri to pull them up when I needed them and to take me there when I drove! It’s a great tool in a busy nightmare city to get around in.

by Altenhof1

I don’t live in a big city so I don’t have the opportunity to use this app very often. However, whenever I travel, I use ParkWhiz . I recently bought an overnight parking spot in Chicago and didn’t realize there were no “in and out privileges“. When I went to dinner approximately 45 minutes after I first parked, I couldn’t get back in using ParkWhiz . I ended up paying $25 for my original spot then another $51 the next morning. this app customer service was very prompt in reaching out to me in my confusion and extremely helpful. I was very satisfied with their efforts and now they have a customer for life. Thank you this app!!!!

by Doxzero

This is a great app and it’s beautifully designed. Hats off to all the me design work and thinking.

One thing though; is it possible to add “Directions” to the ellipsis of a pass, or some other solution for not blinding your users when they try to pull up the directions to a pass. I get that the full brightness is necessary sometimes even though I find most, if not all of the garages I use just write down the reservation number on the ticket instead of scanning anything, but it’s quite jarring when you’re trying to pull up the directions in the dark and your screen goes from minimal brightness to maximum.

by DontDwell

I use ParkWhiz any time I know I’ll have to find parking somewhere in the city. It’s really quick and easy to use, and makes the entire parking experience so much better. I know for a fact every time I use it I’m saving a ridiculous amount of time and getting the best price for a parking garage.

When you search, you get results for a TON of different garages in the area so you have options for both distance and price. It’s really simple to do it both on the spot, and way ahead in advance.

The best feature of ParkWhiz is that it will extend your parking ticket to the longest possible point before the next price tier. This gives you as much possible time as possible in the spot. On top of that I’ve found savings that can happen by using it (just recently booked a $22 spot for $9!). It also gives you all of the contact information, map, description, and a really, really useful image of the garage.

I’ve never had an issue using ParkWhiz across multiple garages throughout the city, over the past year. You owe it to yourself to get ParkWhiz!

by Bubba Mac

Everything you need in an app. Makes use of all iOS features: Apple Pay, Wallet, etc. Will hold back on that 5th star until I use the parking facility this weekend (9/17). I've had trouble in the past with lots I've booked thru this app being too tight to get out of the car; exit thru sunroof. But ParkWhiz is grrrrreat! Way to raise your game, this app.

After parking (9/17, Charlotte): The lot was "overbooked". It seems there are some issues with communication between the lot administrators and this app. I'm not sure who's at fault here so I will leave my 4 star review of ParkWhiz intact. ParkWhiz is awesome, the actual parking not as much.

5 stars for app and for this app reaching out to me about the issue above. Keep up the great work!

by Mil7409

Many company could learn a lot from you. You have great customer service. It is refreshing not to sit on hold for what seems like hours most of us do not have to spare, and equally refreshing to have responsive, kind representatives that are empowered to do something about a customers concerns. There are no trite, generic replies coupled with inaction. I call or text - and you resolve my issue immediately with no pushback. I LOVE IT. With the exception of one or two bad experiences with the garages themselves, this app has provided me with a service I have come to rely on and appreciate - particularly when I’m in an unfamiliar city. PLEASE keep up the good work. Don’t lose your “thing”.

by Kcbojksngles

I bought a parking pass via browser. Asks if I want to view pass in phone app. I select and download ParkWhiz . Great! Parking pass shows up immediately. Save it to Apple wallet. I try to login to app but I can’t because I don’t have a password. Expected. Try to create an account but I receive an account already exists with the email I used to purchase the pass originally. Now I can’t get into ParkWhiz . I don’t have a password and I can’t create an account. It’s nice the created an account, but they did it only halfway. If pass is bought online via computer browser, you’re screwed ever to getting into your account via ParkWhiz . If I didn’t save it to my Apple wallet, I’d be really screwed. I decided to go back to the email and select the “View pass in app” again. As long as all of the login and signup screens are closed, the pass will show up in app again. When purchasing online via browser, a place to enter a password would be helpful.

by Scrapcat

I’ve lived in many big cities and am comfortable in driving in them. It’s the parking that gets me. Are there spots? How much will it cost? Where am I going? Heading down to Comerica Park yesterday, I knew we would arrive as the business people were leaving for the day. Traffic, capacity, nearness - aargh! Comerica Park’s site redirected me to ParkWhiz.

Love it! Easy to see open parking garage spots near the venue. Pricing upfront. Easy to follow directions. Loved having the address, directions and structure image right in ParkWhiz ! There was no confusion which in a line of garages I needed. I will definitely use it again and again.