When Parking Fines Hurt a Business's Reputation: Should Car Parks Be Separate on Google Maps?

Google Maps tips & tricks
, ,
1

I am currently sitting in my local pub, The Dockle Farmhouse in Swindon, I noticed something interesting while reading its Google Maps reviews.

Instead of comments about the food, service, or atmosphere, many of the recent 1-star reviews focused on something completely different: parking fines.

IMG_20260714_210930
IMG_20260714_2109301080Ă—2238 201 KB

IMG_20260714_210903
IMG_20260714_2109031080Ă—2240 242 KB

IMG_20260714_210923
IMG_20260714_2109231080Ă—2216 337 KB

The pub offers free parking for customers, but the car park is managed by a third-party company. If visitors stay longer than the permitted time or forget to register their vehicle, they may receive a parking charge.

The result?

Many frustrated customers leave a 1-star review for the pub, even though the business itself has no control over the parking enforcement or the ability to cancel the charges.

That made me wonder whether Google Maps could represent these situations more clearly.

Is One Rating Telling the Whole Story?

When I look at a restaurant’s rating, I expect it to reflect things like:

  • Food
  • Service
  • Atmosphere
  • Value for money

But should a venue lose stars because of a parking company operating on the same site?

At the same time, parking information is incredibly important. Visitors deserve to know about time limits, registration requirements, and possible parking charges before they arrive.

Could Separate Parking POIs Help?

Would it make sense for independently managed car parks to have their own Google Maps listings?

That could allow:

  • Reviews about the parking experience to stay with the car park.

  • Reviews about the restaurant or pub to reflect the hospitality experience.

  • Clear parking information to remain easy to find without affecting the business’s overall reputation.

It could also encourage more detailed parking information, such as time limits, payment methods, vehicle registration requirements, and accessibility.

What Do You Think?

Have you seen businesses receive poor reviews because of parking problems they don’t actually control?

Should independently managed car parks have their own place on Google Maps, or is the current system the better approach?

I’d love to hear how other Local Guides see this

2

Great question.

If the car park is owned by the pub owners and they decided to hire a business to write parking tickets for a profit, I believe such negative reviews are appropriate.

But if the parking lot is owned by others, they should “own” such negative reviews.

3

There are a few places near to where I live - shopping centres, supermarkets, etc - which have car parks listed separately. These are usually ones where the car park is “managed” (in the loosest sense of the word) by the likes of Parking Eye. The problem is that people will still write one star reviews of the shopping centre/store if they have a negative parking experiece, presumably because it never occurs to them that the car park will be listed separately. Also I don’t think that it occurs to people that the shop or other business doesn’t own or doesn’t control the car park and so blame a business for something that completely beyond their control.

4

Independently of whether the car park is owned by the pub or a third party — and whether it’s paid or has a limited stay — the pub should inform customers clearly. Visible signs or a simple verbal reminder would avoid a lot of frustration. Some visitors will still be unhappy because of the time limits or charges, but at least people would know what to expect.