PayStay

Blue Mountains City Council installed these EVERYWHERE just about. Even the Woolworths grocery store. It took a while to set up (all the while I had to visit the loo with a prolapsed bladder problem). There is no reason for the pay system to top on using my money when a credit card is being used. Since visiting the area, I have tried to delete… Read more

the app which is the only way to get a refund on the balance being held. It has proved near impossible to do as the app brings up 'error' message when I try to delete the account. What a rort. Why not use a pay as you go credit card tap? There are plenty of those around Sydney.

although notifications are turned on and I receive a notification on parking i receive a message but NO SOUND on leaving. I believe its deliberate as it's a very high tech app. it means that you forget to STOP PARKING when leaving park spot. Over last year has cost me a lot as then ticks on to max.

Terrible. I tried for over 15 minutes to change my credit card on the app and I wasn’t able to do it. I only need to park for 15 minutes. In the end I left. The van poor business in the area are losing businesses because parking is to hard dnd people aren’t staying.

This is the worst parking app in the world, why can’t we just pay for the parking we want to use, why have an auto top up feature that you can’t not use. Very shifty. The council should not allow this crappy service

Parking should cost $8.50 at Killara car park, Sydney. Paystay charged me $10, but this service fee is not explained on any signage at the car park. This is deceptive and misleading conduct. The receipt from Pay stay says $8.50, but $10 taken from my account. Do not download Paystay until they can fix this misleading conduct. You can use the… Read more

council parking meter, nearby, for $8.50, but the Paystay app meter is in the walkway and much more visible. Misleading. Deceptive.

HORRIBLE App & System - Go to pay, says i have an account - Try to reset password, nothing comes through because i never created an account - Try to progress other way to signin - NEUP, that wont either. - Try to progress to pay - NEUP, gotta login SERIOUSLY JUST LET ME GIVE YOU MONEY - WHY DO I NEED AN ACCOUNT TO GIVE YOU MONEY. WHY MAKE IT SO DIFFICULT TO GIVE YOU MONEY! Whoever design this system should lose their job.

Atrocious UI experience on your app WOW! I got stuck trying to login and then add vehicle and then it wouldn't accept my payment method...literally took me over 20mins while my friends had to go into the restaurant and start ordering! Take a leaf out of EasyParks app guys...when it comes to paying for parking it should not be that hard! After… Read more

telling my friends about it when I eventually joined them, we agreed that we'd hate to think what people that are not tech savvy would have to go through.

Paystay is awful. For starters, how are you supposed to pay for parking if you have a flat phone battery or chose not to be connected to the internet? You also have to log in to the website to update a card, update the car reg, and too bad if the login email needs updating, no way to do it, which also means can't update the password, all because… Read more

none of these functions are available on the mobile app. I resent the fact that it is not possible to park in public spots in Melbourne without installing a highly dysfunctional, proprietary app.

I forgot to stop my app when left, the app didn't receive notifications of stopping it. After 4 hours I called paystay asking refund, then provided evidence in email following the staff's instructions, but never received response.

This would have to be the greatest piece of crap payment system ever invented. Add to that the completely useless onkapariga councill forces us to use this crap app to pay for boat launches at the osullivan beach boat ramp. Always a problem topping up my account and can rearly get the payment processed without a problem. In short incompetent rubbish by the council and paystay. L

PayStay is a scam company. Do not install it on your phone, definately do not put your payment info anywhere near it. On a visit to Smith Street, we were force to install this app by Yarra council as the only way to pay for parking on the street. (Forget about the anti-discrimination act) We did this and as soon as we sat down for lunch we… Read more

immediately started seeing fraud on our account. They started billing $100 a month for something call PC guts which is another fake website.

Have reported them to ACCC and we actually had to cancelled our credit cards but please do not install this app or allow them to access your Google wallet.

Also Google offers NO payment protection, they do not honor AML/CTF (financial crime) requirements for Australia so they do not allow cancellation of transactions no matter how obvious the fraud is. Luckily CBA stepped in and cancelled the transactions.

For further information on this scam company look up the name PayStay and ombudsman. PayStay have been involved in council lead scams on false parking fines with Melbourne City council too (the zero vs 0 scam is an example)

Parking apps is the perfect place to scam consumers, even if this app was legit (which it is not the case for PayStay who take it even further than this scam) we've seen instances where substitute QR codes are stuck onto the parking signs directing to fake parking apps (e.g. QR codes can easily be changed this way). Whilst in this case this isn't what happened as I took a photo of the QR code and checked, I point this out as another key scam for parking which the council do nothing to stop.

If you park on the street and can't pay directly with a proper coin based ticket machine then don't park and please complain to the relevant lazy and discriminate local council that expects everyone to own a high end smart phone, have no disability of hearing or speech or any other health issues and not be elderly.

Also watch out in Ballarat for crook parking offers that fake tickets putting in slightly wrong reg numbers (one digit wrong usually such as a 6 not an 8) and hoping you'll pay it when you've legitimately parked. They do this as the ticket can't be matched to the legitimate payment and if the consumer is too scared not to pay it and doubts themself, they'll not realise the deliberate error on the fine.

Wanted to go to a cafe in St Leonard's and found a parking spot. Was forced to sign up to 'Pay and Stay'. I'm a tech nerd and I'm actually pretty good at it but the sign up process is horrendous. After an extremely frustrating 5 minutes attempting to sign up - which required text as well as email verification as well as multiple other steps - I… Read more

got to the payment part and then it crashed. So I got in my car and drive to Leichhardt where the parking restrictions are notoriously terrible, but felt like a dream in comparison. 'Pay and Stay Away' more like. Did the council test this out at all? Great way to ensure businesses in the area fail. No wonder there were so many parking spots available. Isn't new technology meant to help not hinder? What a joke of a system!

This app is a scam – Seems like a scam to me. Every time I open the app it wants to take another $10 from my card. This is despite it being set to only top up when it gets down to $5 and my current balance is $12. Avoid this app at all costs. They can not be trusted with your payment details.

Most recent dangerous scam ridden app – It follows the same pathway as the scam similar apps rolled out in Europe. They are dangerous as criminals can easily change the QR code access and gain access to your finances. Object to councils and every body that has rolled our this dangerous app.

A sham/scam, forcing a fine – Update: I contested the fine successfully in writing, a good outcome in the end 0 Star - PayStay Parking App Terrible experience with PayStay in North Sydney today. The app wouldn't let me create a new account because I apparently used it once 5 years ago with an old email. When I called customer service for help, the rep hung up on me when I… Read more

asked for a complaints form. The worst part is there's no other way to pay for parking - you can't even tap your card. You either get this app working or get a fine. EasyPark is much better. Also, why do we need different parking apps for every council in Sydney? Makes no sense. Don't recommend this app at all. Council needs to fix this mess

Absolutely disgusted that government can force you to use this app – Can not pay without giving lots of personal details. You have to set up an auto recurring charge with $5 minimum recharge balance to park on the streets in crows nest. There is no way of paying and therefore legally street parking in crows nest without providing your data and extra money. It should be illegal for North Sydney Council to use such an intrusive and thieving app. No wonder this council is completely mismanaged and bankrupt.

This app is a scam – Horrible app and forces you to link to one credit card and NO Apple Pay options. I use different cards for work and personal so I don’t want my account to tide to one card, and I don’t want to share my info with PayStay , it also force you to use the app if you you used it once in the past. The council must have made a huge under the table deal… Read more

with PayStay there are heaps better apps out there that allow more payment options and less info sharing.

Pure Hate – Disgraceful! Any council that implements this pay system for parking is a blight on humanity. The app is impossible to setup. Requests upfront payments. Takes 8.25% Charges .34c for an sms. I’m never using it and I will gladly take council to court if fined.

Scam artists – Would do zero stars if I could - absolute scam artists. Unbelievable that the council makes you download this app just to park. They debit your account without authorisation to ensure a ‘minimum balance’. I requested to close my account and they tried to debit my credit card 6 more times. I requested they close my account and delete my credit card details over a month ago and they’ve since tried to debit it again.

Do not use or create an account – Would rate 0 if it was possible. Sign up process is confusing. It takes your money (where the amount is unknown) and does not actually cover you for the parking fee. Tried to sign back in and didn’t register my login. Ended up having to pay at the meter anyway. Please do not use this- stick to the parking meter.

PayStay- no way – Absolute rubbish! Made 3 attempts to pay via the app, wasn't sure if it went through or not and ended up with a fine in the mail. North Sydney council should be ashamed for adopting this app. Don't park on the street in North Sydney.

Horrific app – One of the most horrific apps ever invented. The developers were obviously drunk and also of very low IQ. I honestly can't believe you would go live with such an infuriating piece of junk.

Not-fit for purpose – This app. is not fit for purpose. I cant believe North Sydney council and Willoughby council have adopted this app. WITHOUT doing their due diligence. The reviews on this product itself should have told those councils that the rate payer's money could be spent better elsewhere. This app is rubbish. You click on Sign up with Email - and visually… Read more

nothing happens. You have to ESP powers to know that a form has appeared below on your phone. I entered all my details and payment details and then could not find a way to submit. After spending 15 mins asking help from passers-by who all said that their experience of the app had been terrible, I moved my car, because I could not progress.

Unreasonable Charges and Frustrating System - Feels Like a Scam – Minus starts if I could I recently used the PayStay app enforced by North Sydney Council, and the experience has been nothing short of frustrating. As someone who rarely parks in the area, being forced to register for an app just to park my car is excessive. The app automatically charged me a minimum of $5, which is far more than I needed to pay… Read more

for a short stay. It feels like they are holding on to my money for no reason.

To make matters worse, I was charged an additional $0.34 for a "reminder" that I never requested or needed. What is this charge even for? It seems like a blatant attempt to squeeze more money out of users, and frankly, it feels like a scam.

I also find it concerning that I had to share personal information with this system just to park my car—something that should not be necessary for such a simple transaction.

North Sydney Council, instead of making life easier for residents and visitors, this system is making things worse. I am beyond disappointed and would advise anyone to think twice before using this app. The whole experience feels like a money grab.

2 charges for one parking session - Do not use this app!!! – Wow, zero stars if I could!!! I parked in a 2 hour bay for 1.5 hours. The time was set to expire 1.5 hours after I parked. The charge was $8.10. I get to my car, the notification pops up to say parking is complete. I think that's it, done. Nope! I get another notification over 2 hours later to say my parking has expired. I had a second charge for… Read more

$10.80!!!! This time for 2 hours parking that started 6 minutes after I left the parking bay!!! Wth? The absolute worst.

I feel violated – Paystay maintains a balance which is auto topped up when you use. If you no longer use them and wish to have the balance returned there is multiple emails, requiring multiple bits of sensitive personal information. They then accept and say there is a 30 day wait for refund your balance. Unacceptable terms and conditions and too hard to get your hard earned, returned.

PayStay demand intrusive, unnecessary personal & banking details to close account – I made a request to Paystay to close the account and get a refund of money paid in advance. Paystay parking service then demanded what I consider to be unnecessary information about me and my banking details. I have attached their reply with personal details redacted. Is this a fair and reasonable request to make a simple refund? They do not… Read more

disclose their ABN or ACN on their emails or website. What is the minimum information they require that they do not already have?

Don't use Pay stay for parking – The app has a very poor development that made it difficult to install and use because it fails, but they charge you any time that fails as a new start parking. So your credit balance ( that you set up in the beginning also there is no explanation with vídeo or graphics about how it works, it is not friendly for people from overseas or with… Read more

disability) gets lost in any new start..also they use the “ Term of use “ as an instruction, that is not so clear again about how it works. Your refund takes 30 days .. ( so they can use your money for other things ). It is the only app for parking that uses this automatically tricky system “Top up” You can read all the reviews terrible that they have, some people mention that they charge you 0,29 for each remembers. You can use Easypark or any other that is simple and only you pay for what you use and charge your card in the moment that you leave the parking. The customer service is very well trained to push your questions or complaints and clean his hands.