Words can't possibly describe the hatred I have for these people and the government job they represent. I parked in a red by accident, got out of my car, started walking down the street and looked back and noticed my car was partway in the red. Turned around and before I could say "worthless meter maid" there he was in all his glory. I tried to explain the matter and got a ticket anyways much to my dismay. I tried to fight the ticket because you can by law but I live 100 miles from Berktown so it has to be done through the mail. I sent 3 letters into this place with a copy of my ticket, drivers license, and my reason for fighting the ticket. They claimed not to receive any of these letters and I would have gotten a delivery confirmation number from the USPS but your package needs to be at least 3/4 of an inch thick. So they start tacking on additional fees and the total came to 131 instead of 51. So I finally talked with some supervisor named Kitty and she referred me to some other lady that I had to send faxes to and to make a long story short they denied my right to fight my ticket due to lack of evidence and told me I had 3 days to pay. This is only one of many issues I have with this county, Santa Clara county, and San Benito county regarding parking violations and traffic tickets. I hate these people. I hate the brainless idiots that work there. I hate that our tax dollars pay for these folks to take insubordinate amounts of money from tax paying citizens. I hate that this organization (as Ian S. said) is a government-sanctioned criminal enterprise. Terrorist threats? I got em. Plenty of em. I personally would like to commit horrendous acts of torture to the people that make there living off of this bullshit. I am refusing to return to Berkeley for any reason and you will not see reviews for any other businesses in this area because I refuse to go here ever again. Fuck off Berkeley, I hate you all. read more

I came back to my car with one minute to spare. Yet a meter expired ticket. Who are these assholes? Will they even believe me? Fuck them for making me prove they fucked up. Parking cops are really the worst human beings ever. read more

I agree with a previous reviewer who said this is simply government-sanctioned criminal enterprise. But criminals make more sense and usually have a code of honor. I avoid Berkeley as much as possible after I got a ticket 6 years ago in a loading zone, with a loading zone decal on my bumper (15 minutes to load or unload). Meter maid told me she didn't see me loading and unloading. Um, that's because I was around the corner in the business I was unloading for! Ridiculous, right? But you know you can't argue with them. I fought this with the Berkeley PD and the mayor's office, and all I got what the big jerk-around. Maybe I should have fought it by going to the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, because now I avoid spending my money in Berkeley unless absolutely necessary. Wish there were negative stars. They would get them in abundance! read more

Today a miracle occurred and I have experienced a few, but none quite of this caliber and this needs a big shout out! Generally I use horrible language when interfacing with the meter maids or whatever they now call themselves. I get frustrated and the negative invective just spews forth like those science class experimental volcano projects. Not today!! I am happy to report good news! While searching thru' my wallet to find appropriate coinage, I discovered I needed to make change. I dashed across the street to make a small purchase then scurried back to my car (parked near Kittredge). My heart sank...there was an official looking vehicle NEXT TO MY CAR....what fresh hell could this be?! Turns out the person was looking into the function-ability of the meter. When I explained I had been getting some MORE (note: more...I already had 1 hour and 24 minutes in there) the person informed me that when he was finished, he would just set it to 2 hours credit!!! Without a dime forthcoming from me?? Yep!! I was floored! I was stunned! This is, generally, how I assumed the City of Berkeley simultaneously terrified the citizens and generated revenue. Not today. So, I learned that there ARE good parking control officers out there, and to think positively and not always assume the worst when an official city vehicle is pulled up next to mine. Give them a break. It's a crappy job, and they take a lot of abuse. So, just for today, I am thinking kindly toward these folks. Oh and the 4 rather than 5 stars?? I'm not THAT generous. We all know this was truly an exception to the rule... read more

This place is screwy, i requested to amend my parking ticket correction paperwork, and an officer and the staff gave me a run around that was just odd. i got advice where to get parking council from. I was asked if i was paying my ticket, i mean it was f!!@ wierd. all i asked was that i give them the most accurate information on my first correction form, and if it was the correct form based on this new information. That i had to learn becuase i was unlawfully ticketed. There counter staff will tell you your correction paperwork wont be prossesed for at least a month. On the paperwork it says you better contact within 15 day or your ticket goes up, Then they mail you a notice while your still trying to figure out if its dismissed or not. The notice says, your fine has indeed doubled and will triple in a week or 2, Then you wait on the phone and call there office again, and after more waiting they tell you they need more time to process it and that your fine is on hold until the process is over. They could have fixed there system long ago, and not be mailing people notices that there fine doubled, while its actually being contested and has not. More weirdness if you want my opinion. do us all a favor . If your reading this, research driving without a license , registration. and help teach the rest of us how to do it CORRECTLY. So we can begin the long over due process of seperating us from corperations, contracts, and gov. institutions, or any affiliates. To excersize are god given rights to travel freely as free people, without unessasary paperwork. Lets us learn to take rightfull possesion of our property and not be black mailed into paying fines and fees for registrations and other parking, petty stuff, the city uses to generate more money . All they do anyway, is increase their size , laws, incomes, and departments every year. Then they raise thier fees, licences, registrations, fines, and other. As if property taxes, gasoline and other cost of living expenses were not high enough allready. Kind of like a huge parasites that has been over eating a bit to long. Lets starve it to death, the sooner the better. ;-) Lets us also cultivate knowledge of free energy and devices to get are selves off gasoline and away from other dirty energy providers company and service. These are worthy goals, very much worth striving for, The solutions to them may not be so complicated. 7 months now have passed and still no word on my contested parking ticket. read more

Not only do they write bogus tickets, they make you want to stab yourself in the eye with a rusty fork when you go to dispute them.

This is simply a government-sanctioned criminal enterprise. I understand the need to keep parking rotating and enforce the law. But there is no check on Berkeley Parking and they seem to have a blank check to operate however they want. Two personal incidents: 1. They claimed to never receive a payment, so it of course triples from $36 to $110. Well, I mailed them the check and they cashed it according to my bank. After 3 phone calls and two lunch breaks blown waiting in line, the best they can give me is "a supervisor will get back to you in one to two weeks." It's been two weeks. I expect to continue to fight this, or eventually pay the $110 in addition to the $36 just to make it go away. 2. A meter on University was busted and only gave me 34 minutes for my 4 quarters. Fine, this happens. I called the 800 number on the meter and was hoping for an apology and a promise to fix it. Instead, here is a direct quote: "You are allowed to park there for the allotted time, but you may receive a citation. You are allowed to contest the citation." Smash-n-grab thieves and parking enforcement are just two necessary nuisances that you have to accept when doing business in Berkeley. read more

They wait at your spot for your meter to expire and issue you the ticket! What a way to get terrorized at Berkeley.

I parked on oxford street and parked in a yellow zone (at the time I didn't know this was a loading/unloading zone). I got out of my car and went into a breakfast restaurant and after I ordered I sat on an outside table directly in view of my car...maybe about 10 feet away. A meter maid came (officer Gray) and so I got up to to ask her why she was taking a picture of my car. She rudely tells me to learn what the different parking curb colors mean, then tells me I parked in a loading zone. I told her that I had parked there not more than 2 minutes ago and that I would move my car across the street, which was full of empty parking spots. Then she rudely tells me that I can move my car but I'm still getting a ticket. I didn't argue with her further, but I asked her how much the ticket is...she mumbles $50. I take the ticket and it is a $270 ticket!!!! Are you fucking kidding me. This lady did not listen to reason, was rude, and the cost of the ticket was ridiculous. Really Berkeley...really? read more

I had a parking ticket last January on parked over 2hour zone, which I only parked for 45 minutes for lunch. What happened was officer who write tickets didn't marked the tire or didn't leave the ticket on the window shield. So we never expected to receive the ticket. Three week later the ticket was mailed to my address and I was shocked. What's this? Why? This is called "Drive by ticketing". My daughter and I spend a lot of time to research what we are doing this time. Because we had to prove the specific time that my car was not the area they are claiming. We checked all our receipts and credit card statement that might show we were somewhere else. we finally reviewed our email log and we were able to prove that we are at home to sending mails. Yes I hate to know that our tax money goes to those officers who work on a bullet shit. I feel sorry for the other folks who couldn't fight ticket because they don't have a time to do that. read more

I was passing through Berkeley today and noticed a little comic shop on Claremont. I parked and went inside to take a look around - ten minutes later I came out to a nice little ticket on my windshield. 28.00 for not having a front license plate! First off, where the hell did my license plate go? Did one of the many thousands of bums sitting on the streets smoking their pot and begging for cash decide to steel it or was it the greedy bastards in government themselves? Who knows for sure - but I can tell you that crap city lost any of my future revenue. They made their 28.00 bucks but lost the hundreds I would have spent on future visits. read more