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Review summary

Created with AI, based on recent reviews

Evaluating 44 reviews, most reviewers were let down by their experience overall. Many customers reported issues with payment systems, where machines would confirm payment but not provide receipts, or online systems would decline payments despite available funds. This often led to receiving penalty notices weeks later, even when proof of payment was available. Reviewers also found the appeal process problematic, with appeals being ignored, denied with generic responses, or requiring customers to pay fines to avoid higher charges while waiting for a resolution. Some people were dissatisfied with the pricing, finding charges disproportionate for minor overstays or for parking in locations where they believed they had valid permits. Additionally, customers experienced poor response times from customer service, with calls going unanswered and emails being ghosted, especially when trying to resolve payment or appeal issues.

What people talk about most

Payment

Reviewers express significant frustration and dissatisfaction with the payment process, frequently receiving... See more

Location

Reviewers highlight negative aspects of location, with many advising against using these car parks due to... See more

Price

People report negative experiences with price, often receiving unexpected fines despite initial payments.... See more

Claim

Customers express significant disappointment with how their appeals for parking charges are handled, often... See more

Response time

Users describe negative interactions with response times, often citing significant delays in email responses... See more

Reviews shaping this summary

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

AVOID ‼️Watford Church car park. I’m Never using this car park ever again. Best to use the harlequin car park instead! The machine will display that your payment has been received and processed, howev... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

HORRIBLE COMPANY The staff are rude I have over 3k of fines for parking WHERE I LIVE due to a letting agent issue and they would not remove the fines despite proving I LIVE THERE. DISGUSTING COMP... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Horrific customer service. They issued a parking charge due to an ANPR error, merging two separate visits on different days into one long stay. The charge was paid by my lease company without my knowl... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

They are scammers — a fraudulent company. I have received seven parking fines even though I am a member of PureGym Manchester Urban Exchange. Every time I go to the gym, I register my car on th... See more


Company details


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1.2

Bad

TrustScore 1 out of 5

122 reviews

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No history of asking for reviews

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1.2

All reviews

(122)

42 reviews in the last 12 months

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Companies on Trustpilot aren't allowed to offer incentives or pay to hide reviews. Reviews are the opinions of individual users and not of Trustpilot. Read more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Appalling service.

I am a resident at a property where Bay Sentry manage car parking. Not only are there ongoing issues with the barrier, but also with registering and changing vehicles. I must have written to them 5 times or more regarding the latter and get no response whatsoever. Absolute rubbish as far as customer service goes.

October 1, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Scam and unhelpful

Appalling customer service and unfair parking charges. Despite paying for parking, I received a £100 fine and encountered significant obstacles when attempting to appeal. The lack of communication and inflexible deadlines are unacceptable. Numerous similar complaints suggest a pattern of poor practice. I strongly recommend reviewing your procedures to avoid further action.

January 3, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Exploitative Practices of Bay Sentry Solutions and Watson at Hungate Development, York

I have read a lot about the extortionate and unjustified fees that maintenance companies impose on leaseholders, but little has been said about another exploitative practice that is becoming increasingly prevalent: the involvement of private parking companies. These companies, which claim to protect residents from unlawful parking, often target leaseholders themselves as a source of profit.

At the Hungate development in York, Bay Sentry Solutions, the parking company operating within the gated car park, and Watson, the management company, have devised a scheme that ensures residents are fined, even when they park legally. Given that these car parks are secure, there are rarely any genuine "violators." However, Bay Sentry wait for the rare occasion when a resident forgets to display their parking permit due to a car repair or when the permit falls off the dashboard. In these situations, the parking company is quick to issue fines.

What makes this practice even more exploitative is the design flaw in the parking permits. To make matters worse, Bay Sentry and Watson have created a system where, if a permit is exposed to normal environmental conditions (such as sunlight and heat), the handwritten bay number and development name inevitably fade. This leads to a situation where permit holders are fined, even though they are legally parked with a valid permit. When a resident challenges this, Watson insists that the responsibility for ensuring a durable permit lies with the permit holder, not the parking company.

In addition, Watson demands payment for a replacement permit, despite the fact that the original permit is a defective product not fit for purpose. Not only does Watson procrastinate in issuing a new permit, but this delay allows Bay Sentry to fine the resident multiple times. If the resident refuses to pay, Bay Sentry enlists debt collectors, and their so-called legal representative, DBCLegal, takes the matter to court.

Unfortunately, Bay Sentry Solutions and Watson are not isolated cases. Their exploitative, almost criminal practices—more commonly associated with third-world countries—seem to be creeping into the UK. One can only hope that the judicial system has not sunk to their level yet.

December 21, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

CITIPARK WATFORD.is a big scam

CITIPARK WATFORD.is a big scam

I pay for the parking but unfortunately £1 was taken out of my accounts,after I was asked to type my registration number,I thought the full money has taken for the duration of stayed,on the 9th of this month I got a letter from them regarding the Payment for the parking charge notice. and they said is now overdue ,They never sent the initial PCN letter asking to pay, they just charge you £100 from no where ,Even when you try to Appeal its will be rejected ..crazy way to take money out of people..this is a total scam

December 16, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Robbed by scammers

I parked my car in Tariff st in Manchester which is a high crime area and the car park had no lifts working and lots of lights out of action. I paid for my parking in the gloominess of the car park receiving a receipt via email. However I then received a PCN because in the gloom I had pressed the wrong car park, I appealed explaining the gloom and provided my proof payment. They rejected it out of hand. Just a bunch of crooks, avoid like the plague.

November 15, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Got a ticket whilst moving my son into…

Got a ticket whilst moving my son into his new flat in newcastle, I explained this to this company who then suggested I appeal I made the appeal but got no reply from Baysentry who then passed it onto a recovery company without even an email or acknowledgement of my appeal then they denied having received my appeal, Shocking and a Disgraceful company

September 13, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

AWFUL COMPANY!!!!

AWFUL COMPANY!!!!
All they want is your money and will never listen to an appeal. Completely heartless and will automatically reject all appeals. I didn’t even get a written email just a copy and pasted one!!! RIDICULOUS !!!! Even the poor warden appealed on his side for misunderstanding and felt terrible.

November 5, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

DO NOT PARK IN CITY CAR PARK WATFORD.

DO NOT PARK IN CITY CAR PARK WATFORD.
I use city car park for 10 years never had an issue but since it went ticketless I parked there the other day try to pay for my section that was really short the machine would not charge me saying there is nothing to pay few days later I received a fine I send an appeal and never heard back from this company Baysentry I contacted them this morning and they are saying that they send a reply refusing my appeal but I never received it now they are saying that they put me a debit collection agency and I should contact them. Just avoid this car park. I will not pay it and I am whiling to take them to court.

August 24, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Avoid Church car park in Watford

I parked at the Church car park in Watford and entered my car registration and credit card details on the machine. I received a £60 penalty charge notice and see that no charge appeared on my credit card statement. It appears that others have had the same experience.

October 12, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

If there was 0 that’s what you…

If there was 0 that’s what you deserved.So basically I paid for the parking and they sent me a parking notice.I appealed the notice with all the screenshots with the receipt and one from my card and they still rejected me .That’s a scam .Please someone contact the police as I can see everyone complaining about this company..@Baysentry you are a joke I hope one day you’re punished for what you’re doing it .

October 1, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

After Evidence provided they rejected the appeal

I have sent the screen of entering the gym and even appealed with proof that I have attended the gym on that day and eligible for free parking later while coming I have forgot to enter first. Later went back and entered the registration number on the tablet. still they rejected and saying cannot appeal?

September 3, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Absolute joke of a company

Absolute joke of a company. Parked at Dale St Manchester numerous amount of times, then one time the Citipark App inadvertantly made me pay for Tariff St (A stone throw away), so they sent PCN. They automatically reject all appeals in the hope people just pay them. Clearly the fault was out of my control and apparently they own both car parks. Proof was provided.

July 25, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

A crocked bunch of scammers

Think these are scammers. I got a fine from Bay sentry. Odd I paid the ticket. So I appealed. Auto reply told me to upload challenge I did. I paid Citipark (whos car park it was) nothing came back. I chased.
Latest I got a letter from debt collectors - BUT ITS CITIPARK's site!

I'd suggest don't engage at all!

or report to the police

July 27, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

My partner parked for 2 minutes on the…

My partner parked for 2 minutes on the road outside the car park while he waited for my sister and me as he didn’t want us walking into town at night. Now he has received a fine for 2 minutes and he didn’t even turn the engine off. So unfair.

September 21, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

I got a pay £100 or £60 from batsentry…

I got a pay £100 or £60 from batsentry solutions but I have a bank statement with the time and date I paid leaving the car park and carnt get a number to ring them should I ignore till someone comes to my door and show it’s paid that day and shouldn’t have even had a letter or a bill

September 20, 2024
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Barrier free entry/exit not a good system

Recently parked in Church Car Park in waford. Have parked there happily over the years with no issue. However in August they moved to barrier free access. So no ticket issued when you arrive.
Now when you leave you go to the machine and enter your reg number AND THE TIME you arrived (why - who remembers when they parked). Then you pay and drive out

Just recieved a PCN from BaySentry (owned by some of the same people who own CitiPark!). Said we had not paid. TBF when I contacted CitiPark they did provide the proof of payment.

However BaySentry rejected this as apparently had only paid for 1 hour when we had been parked from entry to exit for 1 hour 16 minutes!

I can only believe this is because we entered the incorrect arrival time. But why. Surely the APNR system knows when we arrived I should not have to guess :(

August 28, 2024
Unprompted review

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