Smart Parking Technology Reviews 1,819

Smart Parking is one of the most predatory and misleading private parking firms I’ve ever dealt with.

I received a completely unjustified Parking Charge Notice despite being a genuine paying customer at the premises. Their ANPR system produced contradictory timings, their signage was unclear and misleading, and they even ignored evidence from the landowner confirming I was authorised to be there.

They then escalated the charge to debt recovery while my appeal was still ongoing — aggressive and intimidating behaviour that no responsible operator should engage in.

I eventually won my case through the Independent Appeals Service, whose adjudicator agreed Smart Parking had NOT proven that their signage or terms were clear. That alone says everything.

But not everyone has the time, knowledge, or confidence to fight these unfair charges — and after reading hundreds of similar complaints online, it’s obvious this company operates a volume-driven, unfair model that catches out ordinary people.

If you’ve received a charge from Smart Parking, don’t assume it’s valid. Challenge everything. Their business relies on people giving up.

Avoid sites run by Smart Parking if you can – and warn friends and family.

Arrived, paid for parking within 2 mins and left within the 10 min grace period.
Got a fine because they went on the time I entered the car park using anpr which meant I overstayed grace period by nearly 2 mins.
They rejected my initial appeal because they kept arguing I overstayed my grace period.
However they also stated that they operated a 10 min grace period which according to British transport legislation is the period of time after "paid session "expires. Therefore they contradicted themselves

Went through IAS in the end who sided with me as I left within the official grace period.

The evidence they supplied themselves actually went against their arguments and their records demonstrated I left in reasonable time

Worst parking experience if there is such a thing.

I write this long spiel as I have read a lot that people have stopped appealing because smart parking argue the anpr fact, but remember grace period is the 10 mins after paid session, not the moment you enter the car park. That is the consideration period which is 5 mins by law.

If yo have abided by the legislation they don't have a leg to stand on.

Recently issued a PCN for apparently not paying for parking at Manchester Airport Holiday Inn. Appealed as I had paid the airport and sent proof, was then asked for proof of stay at the hotel and informed them that there was no requirement to stay at the hotel to park there but still gave them my booking reference.
Heard nothing until a couple of weeks ago when I started getting letters from Debt Recovery Plus.
Fraudulent company that attempts to bully people into handing over more cash!

If I could give minus stars, I would.

I’m a paying member of a leisure park where Smart Parking runs the car park. What they don’t tell you upfront is that you must register your car every single time you visit — even as a member. Miss it once, and you’re fined. I only discovered this absurd rule after the penalty letters started arriving.

Here’s the nightmare timeline:

- First fine: Sent to my old address before I updated my logbook. I never received it, never knew it existed.
- Second fine: Arrived at my correct address. I appealed, explained I was a member and unaware of the rule. They reduced it — grudgingly — as if they were doing me a favour.
- Third fine: Also at my correct address. I appealed again, but this time they rejected it outright. I paid both fines immediately.
- One year later: Out of nowhere, bailiffs contacted me about the first fine I never received. Smart Parking had my new address for the second and third fines, yet they never re‑issued the first one, never mentioned it, never gave me a chance to pay.

When I challenged this, their response was robotic: “It was your obligation to change your address.” Yes, but once they had my new address, why didn’t they forward the old fine? Why keep silent until bailiffs are involved?

The bigger issue:
Smart Parking’s system is designed to trap honest people. Their rules are confusing, their communication negligent, and their customer service hides behind technicalities instead of applying common sense. Even as a paying leisure park member, I was treated like a target, not a customer.

My verdict:
Smart Parking is not about managing parking — it’s about manufacturing fines. They exploit unclear rules, ignore fairness, and weaponize bureaucracy. Their practices are predatory, their processes broken, and their attitude toward customers disgraceful.

Avoid them at all costs.

My parking charge was cancelled after I appealed through the Independent Appeals Service (IAS). The way Smart Parking handled the process felt unfair, unethical and illogical, and the initial appeal was rejected without proper reasoning. I would encourage anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly to challenge it and not just accept these charges. There are options out there to fight unethical practises such as Smart Parking.

On a massive retail park in Wolverhampton - Bentley bridge smart parking regulates your time for shopping, cinema or eating out. Maximum time you can spend is 3 hours, afterwards you will receive fine of £100. Who do you think you are to control my shopping time. It's just a joke.

I appealed a PCN issued by ANPR from Smart Parking. They claim my appeal was considered in detail. I can only conclude that either A) I received an automated response or B) whoever looked 'in detail' was quite frankly heartless. But it appears that's the norm for this company. They've got to make ends meet like the rest of us 🤷‍♂️ 2* because at least making payment was super easy 😂 🤦‍♂️

Bottom line was I tried desperately to make payment in one of their car parks. Unfortunately I was without a physical card so tried using mobile phone. For 10 solid minutes (no signal). I gave up and left the car park after 10 minutes and 30 seconds, so 30s over their grace period which is super annoying! Anyway it's on me but it's a shame that they claimed to have looked at the case in detail - that just annoyed me!

This company is horrendous. Please avoid College Street Car park in Aberdeen if you can. I drove in here this week, expecting to pay using cash as I have done in the past. There was NO signage at the entrance to say this had changed. Once I had parked, I discovered that all of the machines had been removed and there was only a facility for paying using a phone.
I am digitally illiterate and do not own a smart phone. After having a panic attack and trying to find someone to help me, I drove out again. There was no one answering the phones or any facility to leave a message at Union Square.
I have no idea if I was within the 10 minute grace period, so I fully expect to get some kind of fine. I can see by the sentiments echoed by others on here that there is little point in trying any sort of appeal if I do.

My workplace carpark is owned by SmartParking. I parked on the premises and put my registration into the system. Unbeknown to me, their system wasn’t working that week. I’ve now had over £1000 of parking fines through the post. I’ve appealed, rang, my workplace have emailed them numerous times to clear this up as they pay smartparking a fee every year for their staff to park there. All have been ignored. Rang up and they very rudely told me they don’t take any sort of argument/appeal over the phone and I have to do it via email. Still heard nothing and have had another letter saying this will be passed to the debt collection agency. Absolute joke of a company. If you are reading this you can take it as far as you want, there is no way in hell I am paying.

Stopped for 20 minutes in a retail shopping park at 6:20 am in Liverpool to administer my injection. Left at 6:40 am, didn't see any signage at all informing of any parking regs ! Received a fine for £60 telling me the the parking cannot be used before 6:30 ! W T F a car park, cannot be used ? Absolute madness ! Appealed the fine, they were not interested ! Just quoted all there B S about signs are clearly sited, I parked before the allowed time ...etc. ignored the fact I told them I didn't park, just had to stop somewhere safe to administer medical medication. Not interested.. heartless , only after your money. These reviews left all tell the same stories and nothing is being done about them.. bet they can't believe how lucky they are to take money off people without having to answer to anyone. And left , they'll get worse...

So smart that they don't tell you about their lies and instead pass you onto Debt Recovery Plus 6 months later ... FRAUD and discrimination against disabled badge holders. (5 stars only so surprised people read this review)

I attempted to access what this company is calling a "turning circle". I was in a 53 seater coach. The area has flower tubs in the middle and one of them was/is out of alignment, making it very difficult to negotiate the area with a large vehicle. However, with many shunts back and forth, I got through the limited space. This took me 16 minutes. They've sent my company a parking charge of £100, or £50 plus £10 admin charge if paid within 14 days. I have appealed and am awaiting their response to my request to cancel the charge. I have photos.

This company is discusting hounding my pentioner mother with mental health issues ... we all went as a family to ingoldmells and used this companys car park that iz a anpr car park upon leaving i put the reg correctly then the machine calculated what what was owed paid the fee and left 3 months later recieved a fine for £160 for incorrect fee ? Disputed with proof of payment ignored issued my mother with a ccj for £360 no way to argue this sent a request for a over turn to court this then met with the same amount to pay to get over turned they are vile theifs that should be taken to court and closed down as a company exploiting the vulnerable with no way to fight it !

Driven by greed and desperate to take your money by complying with bare minimum legal standards.
They adopt the minimal signage possible with smallest text required by law, making it difficult for you to spot any signage and then when you appeal about their lack of signage they will say "well we meet the legal minimum required". Gross and ugly money making scheme.

This company is a total disgrace and the management are thieves.
In August 2025, I parked in Newquay Fistral beach, one of their managed lots and paid for 4 hours of parking. However, I was issued a fine due to the company calculating charges from the time I entered the lot, rather than when I actually parked. On that day, there was a significant queue as it was a sunny bank holiday and it took me approximately 10 minutes to find a parking spot, which I believe should have been considered in their assessment.
I appealed this decision through the company's internal process, as well as through the Independent Appeal Service, but both appeals were rejected. I even went through adjudicator but all they are saying is that under the terms and condition, the payment should be made for the full period. I mean seriously! Do they even check the evidences and other factors or they just check the signage and just support this shit company. It appears that the decisions were made solely based on the displayed terms and conditions, without taking into account the context of the busy day and the additional time spent queuing for a spot. Despite my compliance with the parking regulations, I feel that my unavoidable circumstances was not adequately considered.
I am committed to addressing this issue and am considering seeking legal recourse against this company. I believe there are others who may have faced similar situations and would be beneficial to gather evidence and support from those affected by what I perceive as unfair penalties.
If you or anyone you know has experienced similar issues, I would greatly appreciate discussing this matter further. This company should not be allowed to run the parking management.

I dropped clothing off at a registered charity drop off located in a car park managed by this company, and I received a £60 fine for doing so. My appeal was rejected and I’m now being told that if I appeal again the fine could increase if I lose. I will be raising this issue on every social media platform available and highlighting the actions of both the car park operators and the charity involved. You should be ashamed

Do no use car parks operated by these people. Would put zero stars if possible. I parked in one that required me to enter car details on an iPad which I did. No receipt or proof given. 2 weeks later got a fine notice. I appealed. It said if you appealed and were unsuccessful the fine would revert to what it was when you appealed. It didn’t. Went up from £60 to £100. They ignored my statement that I’d entered details and concentrated on their signage. Unfortunately it also means I’ll be stopping using the company whose car park is the one they monitor. I feel that if that company are prepared to subject their customers to companies like this they don’t deserve my business. There are plenty of similar companies that don’t want to see their customers ripped off. Will switch to one of those.

I unfortunately overstayed short stay parking at Lincoln station by 11 minutes. I misread the signage and believed the time allowed was 20 minutes and not 5 minutes. My fault and I have today paid £60.00 (£5.45 per minute, or £327.00 per hour).

Although acknowledging my mistake, I have noticed it can take over five minutes from entering the car park to leaving when it's busy and please be aware, the clock is ticking from entry (not parking) to exiting the car park.

Organisations such as Smart Parking benefit from not being formally regulated and effectively, can charge whatever they wish and of course, it's not a fine, it's a contractual charge we agree to simply by entering the car park.

One could suggest such charges are unreasonable or perhaps, more appropriately, extortion applied by unscrupulous operators. However, they are not breaking any laws, simply relying on unsuspecting members of the public making a mistake. The actual charge for 20 minutes is 50p and perhaps a reasonable penalty would be £1.00 (good margin when compared with most businesses) but of course, this wouldn't satisfy their business model.

Out of interest, I checked their records at Companies House and their annual turnover is almost £23 million with a net profit, of over £3.5 million. Not bad considering they are not producing anything, not providing a service and simply behave as a parasite towards the public.

It is also shocking that the car park owners allow such practices.

Naturally, I do not expect a response from the company, how could they, their business model is based on exploiting an unregulated opportunity, made contractually viable by signage.

We cannot of course avoid their car parks and we are simply left with a feeling of annoyance and frustration that our law makers allow such organisations to prosper.

It's an impossible challenge, but wouldn't it be great to deprive them of their income by being more careful and not allowing them to charge such extortionate fees.

You are absolutely disgusting. my husband had an operation at the hospital and was discharged a bit later than expected so I waited outside with my disabled son in the car park as I thought he'd probably struggle walking after general anesthetic. We were not informed that we needed to put any info into a machine at reception and you sent me a parking charge of £100, I appealed stating the facts and you still charged me.
What a disgrace charging people at a hospital ! I didn't see any signs as I was too worried about my husbands op to go checking the lampposts and walls.
I don't know how you sleep at night in fact I hope every one of you gets covered in pustules.

This is worse company I seen so far.
I clearly pay for my parking - send proofs of payment. They without any investigation offer to pay reduce penalty. On email they have sent clearly stated as they believe that I entered the incorrect vehicle registration mark. I always believe as appeal should investigated an answer provided. Unfortunately no answers and dep recovery company nocking our doors. Also I never agreed with this company as they can share my email address with second parties.