Avistar O’Hare Airport Parking

Probably a reason they had such a good deal on groupon, it’s the only way they can get people. Just ignored us when we first got there causing us to miss their shuttle to the airport. Even after they saw us it took about five minutes more before they actually did anything for us. Coming home, they were late to pick us up and the guy didn’t help me at all with my luggage. They still get two stars because one of the guys working there was incredibly nice, and the woman seemed nice but way overworked.

Do not use if your flight arrives after 11 PM and before 3 AM. They advertise a shuttle every 10 minutes. I’m standing here in the airport with a group of people who have all been waiting at least 30 minutes. I spoke with Yolanda the cashier. She mentioned that as a cost saving measure the bus only employs one driver at night. Meaning that if you miss the shuttle by a few minutes, you have to wait for the driver to drive to the lot, drop off the passengers, pick up new passengers, drive to the airport, drop them off by the airport then drive to the shuttle area. A 40 minute trip. Unfortunatly Yolanda is not able to at least offer a discount for this massive inconvenience.
I plan on bringing this up with groupon. They stand behind all their purchases even if Avistar doesn’t.
Just an added tidbit. Currently stopped at a Quality Inn. Yes the shuttle moonlights for quality inn. Total time from when I arrived in the shuttle center till I arrived at the avistat 50 minutes. Plus they’ve left my car running since I called them over an hour ago.

I used Avistar for the last 4 days after finding a groupon and I had an excellent experience. The night before my flight I began reading all these negative reviews and was getting so nervous that I could not sleep and ended up leaving 30 mins earlier in case I encountered any of the problems mentioned.
I drove there at 3am and found the lot effortlessly. It was clearly lit and had clear signs and directions on where to pull in. A nice woman came out of the trailer to greet me and the shuttle was warmed up and waiting. She asked if I had any groupons, told me how to arrange the pickup home and had the shuttle driver take my bag and the valet parked my car.
I got on the shuttle and was on the road in literally 5 mins from the minute I pulled into the lot. I know this because we got to ORD in 10 minutes and I was super early!
When I returned, I called when I claimed my baggage per the valet ticket and just had a friend drop me off at the lot. My car was waiting out front, heated up and snow scraped off. I went into the trailer and the guy took my ticket, asked if I had groupons and redeemed them and informed me my entire online reservation price would be automatically refunded onto my card.
I had such a wonderful experience, I felt the need to review. I feel so bad for all the people who had a bad experience but please give this place a chance!

We used avistar last week for 4 days. We found them through groupon. My husband and I were definitely concerned when we saw the dirt parking lot under the tollway and the trailer for an office. My husband went in to drop off the car and was told to wait outside and someone will come. We didn’t know if that meant someone to take our car or what. When the bus pulled up we figured they meant the bus driver. Bus driver was very friendly.
Upon return we had read through Unilocal that it takes 30 minutes or more to get the bus. So as soon as our baggage claim started to deliver bags I called. The man I spoke with named Joe was really polite and said the driver was already on their way. We were at the pick up center no more than 10 minutes later. And we waited. We waited about 45 minutes. Once the bus arrived there were too many people for the bus and people were pushing to get on. I was very concerned that we weren’t going to get on. I am pregnant and was exhausted and just wanted to get home. We just barely got on but we were crammed like sardines. The people back at the lot were nice, we weren’t over charged and actually got a refund. I wouldn’t use them again or recommend them but I’ll keep an eye on this page to see if things changed once their «construction» is done.

Similar experience to Mathias below. I reserved parking through Cheap Airport Parking for $ 24.48 submitting a $ 8.16 payment online with a receipt that specified the balance of $ 16.32 due at the lot. This receipt/​printout was left with the attendants when I dropped my car off.
Upon picking my vehicle up, I was requested to pay a $ 28.00 balance regardless of what my receipt stated. I was extremely baffled that the balance on the receipt wasn’t even considered or honored. The attendants proceeded to tell me effective 1÷1÷16 additional fees, parking fees & taxes would be applied HOWEVER these fees were not disclosed to me during my online reservation, nor when I delivered my vehicle & provided the attendants with my reservation receipt.
The attendants attempted to put me in touch with the General Manager, Aishling, who was not responsive then I finally got through, to another manager Juan who I spoke to. Unfortunately, Juan wouldn’t honor my receipt either instead, he offered me a rate of $ 19.00 which is still $ 3 more than I was expected to pay. At this point, I was extremely irate. I even threatened to write this review to learn, they really didn’t care.
Poor business, poor staff! Will NEVER park with Avistar or recommended them to anyone ever.

Great experience! Service great. Friendly staff. Was worried after reading reviews. We arrived, shuttle was ready to take us to terminal. We waited less than 5 minutes upon our return. Car was heated and waiting when we got back. –1 star for appearance of lot and office.

If we could give them zero stars, we would. Dirt parking lot, pay inside a trailer, shuttle which comes once every 30 minutes, daily charges vs 24 hour charges, and rude staff. Nothing but class — including the shuttle with a piece of paper taped in the window to advertise the company name. There are multiple parking shuttles that will come three times more than this one — we recommend looking into one of those.

You definitely get what you pay for at this remote parking. We purchased a valet deal on Groupon. We returned at 6:30 pm on Dec. 31. Thought this will go just fine. Guess again.
Clearly, someone who took over the business and is making a try at it and I wish them well, but they are so disorganized that we ultimately took our keys, walked the entire lot and found our own car, despite having paid for valet and calling them as soon as we picked up our baggage. We still went through customs and they couldn’t find our car. The office trailer was a mess with papers, pick up tickets and slips scattered all over. Huddling in the construction trailers was unreal, but that where you wait endlessly, so you don’t see the disorder. Customers were totally losing it and rightfully so. Managers we not answering phone calls for assistance from the receptionist/​dispatcher either. I felt bad for her and the lot personnel trying to find customer’s cars.
Then I had to clear the snow and serious ice and traipse our luggage to where we found it. We just drove off the site onto the sidewalk. It was the safest way. Plus they couldn’t find the keys for the car blocking us in. They need some serious help on developing a method/​process and tracking where vehicles are parked.
For the people they employ, I seriously hope they get their act together.

We prebooked an extended stay on their website (19 days) and the total, including taxes was 155.08 for 19 days (Dec20 to Jan7) at their daily rate of 7.70. The voucher we received from their website specifically said that we did not have to pay anything at the lot as all taxes and fees were paid.
When we returned to the lot, our keys were not at the car but I was told to go to the office where I had to pay an additional $ 24.13 random taxes that they added to the total bill. So I was taxed twice and the final price was more expensive than the economy parking.
Don’t go to this lot, it looks cheap but when you return they’ll scam you into paying additional fees that were not disclosed before.

I’ll admit I was conflicted as to whether they deserved 2 stars or 3.
I used this parking lot last month (December 2015) when I went on my honeymoon. We arrived at the parking lot around 2 AM, and it literally was just that, a huge, poorly lit, empty parking lot, one that you could easily miss even being on the lookout for it. We parked our car near the «office building», which was little more than a trailer you often see at construction sites. I had pre-​paid for the parking and handed them my slip. They said we can wait in the smaller or the two buildings until the shuttle is ready. All in all we waited about 15 minutes before we were able to get on the shuttle, and another 10 – 15 minutes before we actually moving, so don’t buy into the «every 10 minutes» they advertise.
The drive over was quick and the driver helped with our bags.
On the return home, we called, just as instructed, and were told the bus would be there in 5 – 6 minutes, having just dropped people off at the departure gates. Because of this, we went outside to wait. What was supposed to be 5 – 6 minutes turned into just shy of half an hour, and after spending a week in Jamaica, our bodies were not yet acclimated back to Illinois weather, so 31 degrees, at night, with a breeze was bitterly freezing, even with winter clothes on.
We get back to the lot and our car is pulled up for us. It takes another 20+ minutes to finish checking out though due to all the people in front of us from the bus, and with such a small «office», many were stuck standing outside again. As I had already paid, all I had to do was hand them the slip and get my keys, a 15 second interaction, but as I said, I had to wait over 20 minutes to do that. Thankfully the car heater warmed up fast on the drive home.
To sum it up, here are the pros and cons of this location:
Pros: Cheap
Cons: Slow
Final thoughts: If you are going to use them, remember you get what you pay for. This is going to be a place where your car is parked out in an open lot, and while you may be lucky, may require you to be outside waiting in that same weather your car will be in.

Be careful if you park here. My family went to Florida over Christmas and New Years. We pre-​paid an agreed upon amount, which was charged to my card prior to parking. Therefore, the 10 days we were away, our parking should have been covered. When we returned, they claimed we owed more because «The City of Chicago raised their taxes along with cook county.» Be forewarned that the price you are quoted, is not the actual price.

This location was terminally understaffed when I went to retrieve my car. I called when I picked up my bag and the representative was very courteous and directed me to the shuttle that was waiting. However, when the full shuttle arrived at the lot most of us wait over 30 mins (I waited almost 45) for our cars. The staff was hustling and trying in vain to deal with (understandably) moody customers. It became clear that there just wasn’t enough employees working. That’s a management issue. Since they take reservations, they know demand and should schedule appropriately. Additionally, a few vars were damaged bc they were parked under and overpass where the city snowplow dumped ice/​snow resulting in broken windshields. Despite the emoplyees attempt to keep the crowds moving, they didn’t stand a chance. The waiting trailer was packed and dirty. I won’t be back.

This place is the absolute worst. That Groupon you’re going to use unfortunately won’t be worth it. We had to wait 30 minutes for the bus to leave the lot causing us to almost miss our flight. They don’t have enough busses for the amount of cars they try to stuff into their pathetic lot. We also had to wait for a bus to pick us up. We counted the pre-​flight parking busses going by as we waited, six total. Use them instead!

We prepaid and had a reservation. They turned us away because they were full. We ended up nearly missing our flight. We missed the checked bag cutoff and had to park in the 35 dollars a day airport parking because the other economy lots were full. Thank god it was a 3 day trip! Lesson learned on avastar parking… avascam parking.

Your yellow bus driver almost hit me. How dare you hire an incompetent driver that carries many lives and doesn’t signal when moving to different lanes! I was all the way to the left lane and this bus came all the way from the right side because he was merging. Then 3 secs later he’s on my right side almost hitting my mirror! I beeped and the driver STILL tried to force himself into the left lane. Although I’m not a legally hired driver. I was a better driver and had to slow down and force myself to move more to the left and almost hit the orange stands they have for constructions! Geeez. What a terrible company.

FYI regarding my last review:
I sent a letter to Maarco, the insurance company, and they actually responded quite quickly. They requested a copy of an invoice from my mechanic.
Luckily I was able to get it fixed and without it costing me, so there is no longer an issue.
I’m still unsure of what transpired with my vehicle while it was parked at Avistar, and for that reason I’d hesitate before parking here again.

USER BEWARE
First off, I was excited to see a deal for this place on Groupon. I understand now why it was the cheapest parking option.
Dropping off the car was no problem. When we arrived back to the airport, we called to see when a shuttle could pick us up…25 minutes later one arrived. (The «convenient» heads up texting option advertised was out of service.) During this time, there were multiple competitor shuttles whizzing past.
When we finally got back to the lot (open lot in the back of a building with construction trailers as HQ) I found my car extremely dirty. I had just vacuumed and washed my car the day before dropping it off. There was dirt all over the driver side. There was also a few layers of dust and dirt covering my entire car. My digital clock was also blank. had someone been messing with it?
Does anyone remember the Ferris Buehler car scene where the parking attendants have some «fun»? — I can only speculate what happened while my vehicle was there.

My family and I have been using Avistar for at least ten years. We were always pleased with the service, but our experiences have not been good the past couple of times we have parked there. We parked there from ⁷⁄₃₁ through ⁸⁄₁₀ and were shocked that the building was completely closed and we had to drive around to the back of the property and do business out of a small trailer. Sorry, but that just seems so shady! We were really wondering if our car was going to be there when we returned! There was also just a skeleton crew of employees and it seemed that there was only one shuttle running at a time. On our way to the airport, they packed us in so tight on the shuttle that there were 6 people standing in the aisle on the way there.
On the way home, we called the number when we got our luggage and waited almost half an hour for the shuttle. During this time, we saw multiple shuttles for a few of their competitors. We will be trying another parking facility next time.
Additionally, it should be noted that Avistar used to drop off at specific airlines at Departures. Now, for some reason, they drop off at the Bus and Transportation Center, which ends up being about a 20 minute schlep through the airport just to get to the point where you check in and drop off your luggage. The driver told us that all parking companies now have to drop off at the Bus and Transportation Center, but I don’t know if that is really true. This change, combined with super long lines at security and the horrific construction re-​route on Mannheim that took us way out of our way nearly caused us to miss our flight. Allow plenty of extra time to get to the airport. We allowed 1 ½ hours and it was barely enough! The moment we got to the gate we were boarding.

Horrible service! Very rude. I called to let them know I needed a shuttle and got an attitude when I asked questions. When arriving at their facilities the woman behind the desk was incompetent and couldn’t handle the «stress» of the front desk. She messed several things up for me and the gentleman in front of me and stated she was NOT sorry to the man. I waited a very long time to get helped and when I finally did I was handed a paper and pen and told to write down my Groupon numbers (2 numbers for each night so 14) but they couldn’t be processed at that time.
They damaged my car with a HUGE scratch. Whoever did it had to have known but did not report it. I found it when I went to get in my car. They acted like I was a problem and it was my fault and were not helpful. No one bothered to apologize. Now, I have to deal with their insurance while they do nothing.
One bright spot was the shuttle driver. While the wait is much longer than the advertised 10 minutes he was very helpful and nice.

I really like the staff members. The company changes names annually but the staff members are the mainstays. Always helpful, pleasant and professional.
About a month ago, the unthinkable happened. The indoor parking roof collapsed on our truck. While it was not news you want to hear close to midnight after returning from vacation, the staff did everything in their power to minimize the inconvenience. We were told of the incident, driven to the a rental car facility and provided a comparable rental vehicle.
I am told Avistar is owned by the owners of Wally Park a/​k/​a Joe’s Airport Parking. Hope this new acquisition includes a new roof. It goes without saying that last year’s patch job is not cutting it.
Location = 3 stars; 7 minutes from airport
Availability = 5 stars; spots are always available
re: Airport drop off = 4 stars; rarely a wait
Value for the money = 4 stars; $ 7-​$ 11 a day
Customer Service/​Staff = 4 stars; long timers
re: Airport Pick up = 2 stars ** usually slow
Comfort on buses = 3 stars; few old & few new buses