It always happens. You prudently buy tickets to a ballgame you’ve been looking forward to, months in advance. You have everything thought out, all the way down to the tip amount you’ll give the parking attendant on the way out. You’re comfortably sitting in your seat, nachos in one hand, cotton candy in the other and then the unthinkable occurs. Lightning strikes twice…literally…and just like that, the game is canceled. Sure, the game will be re-scheduled for another day, but today was your day and it’s now ruined, your food is ruined and you’re out big bucks from that non-refundable parking spot you paid a premium for. Well, not so fast. You reserved a ParkWhiz space which had Event Protection™. ParkWhiz reservations that come with Event Protection™ are fully refunded if the event is canceled or postponed. At least that’s some saving grace.

Now you might be wondering does this scenario really apply beyond a baseball game? I mean how many musicals have been canceled because of rain. Well, just this past Saturday the Mary Poppins musical at the Cadillac Palace in Chicago was canceled 15 minutes into the performance because of a stage malfunction. It hasn’t yet been determined whether the Poppins patrons’ parking fees (say that 3x fast) would be refunded.

With ParkWhiz and Event Protection™, customers’ credit cards would’ve been refunded within minutes of the breaking news. In fact, just 6 months ago, Lyric Opera of Chicago canceled one of its performances just a few hours before the start because of inclement Chicago weather. Within 20 minutes of notification, all Lyric valet customers received a parking refund from ParkWhiz for that night’s performance.

Event Protection™ is ParkWhiz’s way of providing customers the peace of mind they richly deserve when heading out for a day (or night) of fun!

ParkWhiz.com was recently featured on ABC7 Chicago news. Check it out here…

Greetings Bay Area residents and travelers! ParkWhiz is proud to announce we are officially offering parking information and reservations in San Francisco and surrounding areas. If you are you new to San Francisco or just heading out for a nice evening in the Marina District, check out ParkWhiz BEFORE you leave to find the best place to park.

Perhaps you’re heading to the Orpheum Theatre to watch Wicked or Ruby Skye to see Paul Oakenfold DJ the night away. Either way, ParkWhiz has your parking covered. Here’s where we currently provide parking and will be unveiling new facilities and venues on a daily basis in the coming weeks.

Actors Theatre of SF
American Conservatory Theater
Audium Theatre
Golden Gate Theater
Grand Ballroom Regency Center
Great American Music Hall
Mezzanine SF
Orpheum Theatre
Phoenix Arts Theatre
Post Street Theatre
Ruby Skye
SF Playhouse
The Warfield
Zeum Theatre

Check back for new listings. And let us know what you think! Now you can cross off parking as a reason you missed the event!

We just announced that finding parking near Yawkey Way, famous for housing Fenway Park will be hassle-free starting today. For anyone making the trip to Fenway, make sure and reserve your parking ahead of time. See our press release here…

Editor-in-Chief of PC Magazine, Lance Ulanoff, was on NY1 the other day to discuss ways technology can help you find parking, and he singled out ParkWhiz as his favorite for event parking. Check it out here.

The 2009 baseball season is bearing down upon us fast. With spring training already under way, opening day for most ballclubs is just a few weeks away.

And with opening day comes the hope shared by fans in every stadium across the country: a World Series title for their beloved franchise. Yup, I’m even holding out that this could be the year for my Pirates (who’ve suffered a miserable 16 consecutive straight seasons of losing baseball - ok, I’d settle just for a .500 season). But if the Tampa Rays season last year didn’t inspire confidence that anything is possible, it’s hard to imagine what will.

So good luck to your team this year and if you’re heading out to Wrigley Field or Fenway Park, don’t forget to reserve your parking in advance. For a team like the Cubbies, who’ve suffered for 100+ years without winning a World Series, it can be your salvation to a frustrating year.

Then again, this could be the year…

Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) is rolling the dice by hiking parking rates more than 60% over the past few months. Daily airport rates have gone from $10 daily to $16 this past November at the Big Blue Deck and just a few weeks ago went from $19 to $20 daily at the McNamara Deck. Despite the hike and noticeably fewer cars, revenues for parking at the airport are up.

It’s an interesting strategy employed by the folks at DTW and one that may work, but it certainly won’t endear most patrons, particularly considering the economics times we are in right now. Just 5 years ago parking rates were only $4 daily at the terminals.

If you’re looking for great service and rock-bottom rates, reserve your next airport parking space at Airport Parking at Park ‘N’ Go on Wick Rd. For only $8.54 a day, it’ll feel like you’re “Back to the Future”.

The greatest sporting event of the 21st century (and perhaps 20th) took place a couple of nights ago in Tampa, Florida as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. My fellow co-founder Jon Thornton contends his beloved Giants upset victory of the then 18-0 Patriots last year was the best, but I digress. I admit I was a biased spectator (born/raised in the Steel City circa SB XII), but I’m sure it was a night to remember for sporting fans across the world. The Cardinals played their hearts out in a valiant comeback, but Big Ben was too much as he carried the storied Steelers franchise on his back and got the city “one for the other thumb”.

Leading up to the epic battle, 70,000+ fans packed in to Raymond James Stadium, with thousands more pouring around the city’s local bars to get a taste of the wondrous event that is the Super Bowl. With so many entering the city of Tampa, traffic was deadlocked and parking was at a premium, with many “home entrepreneurs” offering their lawn for parking!

Our traffic at ParkWhiz.com was at an all-time high with many users visiting the website in hopes of finding a place to park. Unfortunately, we probably let the majority of our users down, as we currently have very little parking information for the Tampa area. While we were disappointed we couldn’t help these users, the feedback we received will make ParkWhiz a better product moving forward. In fact, as a direct result of the Super Bowl mania in Tampa, we are currently working on a new solution that will simplify your parking needs.

Stay tuned…

Drivers and parking lot owners - beware. Make sure that the lot you own or park your car in isn’t part of a con scheme to bilk you out of money.

In Milwaukee last month, about a hundred or so concert-goers were taken for a ride in a downtown parking lot as they forked over $10 to 3 men who promptly directed the patrons to a parking space in the lot…the only problem was that the men didn’t work for or own the parking lot. A few hours later, after the men hightailed out of sight, the jested car owners were greeted with a parking ticket from the city of Milwaukee on their windshield.

While the fines were ultimately forgiven, this incident raises a red flag for cash lots. Many lots throughout the country are cash-only or honor-system (where no attendant is present - you pay in a box as you leave). The risk is evident - both the parking lot owner can be swindled of their profit, while the driver may be an unsuspecting victim in a not-so-elaborate scheme.

With ParkWhiz, lot owners need not fret, because everything is electronic. All funds are collected by the ParkWhiz secure server and passed safely through to you via a direct bank deposit. We work to minimize fraud for you through:

* Data encryption
* Address Verification Service
* Card security code
* Verification
* Dispute resolution assistance
* Fighting unwarranted chargebacks
…and more

Buyers also need not worry, as ALL reservations made through the ParkWhiz site are GUARANTEED. You can rest assured that the lot you park in has been confirmed valid, as each lot owner must provide upfront verification of who they are and what parking space they are selling.

This level of convenience, security, and safety surely would have saved the city of Milwaukee and its residents a major headache.

In a move to save money and improve the quality of services provided to the public, many cities are looking to privatize assets they have maintained and operated for decades. Whether it’s privatizing street repairs, vehicle towing, highway toll roads, or even airports, these assets are being sold off or leased to the private sector for billions. Next up…parking meters.

On December 5th, 2008, the City of Chicago privatized its city supply of parking meters. Awarded to Morgan Stanley and its partner LAZ Parking for the hefty sum of $1.15 billion, rates and tickets, previously managed by the city will now be controlled by private parties. (Just 2 years before these 2 companies partnered to purchase the 99-year lease to the city’s (and world’s) largest underground parking structure for $563 million.) With rates scheduled to skyrocket starting in 2009, downtown motorists will be expected to pay $3.50/hr starting January 1st, up 17% and scheduled to rise to $6.50 an hour by 2013.

From the city’s view, this makes economic sense and really, who can blame them? With news of cities filing for bankruptcy, city officials must look to shore up their jurisdiction’s finances as 2009 approaches. But is the move shortsighted? Are cities going too far in “outsourcing” their assets for a quick buck?

While advocates are quick to point out that outsourcing also is sought for performance improvement, as well as minimizing unnecessary liabilities, opponents site long-term impacts that can affect a city. In August of this year, Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, doubled its parking meter rates. Soon after, local merchants began losing business and residents cried foul as business began to pour out of the village. A few weeks later, officials decided to go back in time and reverse the hike.

Personally, I see the pros and cons of privatization. I am a bit weary of privatizing certain city assets and am skeptical if Chicago’s decision to privatize parking in particular will work. Hopefully for the city’s long-term viability (and other cities that look to emulate its decision), it will have a positive impact. One thing is for sure, though - change is coming…and most likely to a city near you.