Two weeks ago my wife and I went by train from Okehampton Station to Exeter for a shopping trip. This is an absolutely brilliant service with easy parking at the station and fast trains to the Exeter Central Station which is within a short walk of the city shops.

The only draw-back is the over-complicated instructions for bank card payments on the parking payment machine at Okehampton Station which does not take cash for the £2 all day parking charge.

I thought I had followed the instructions, successfully paid by a bank card and taken a ticket slip from the machine only to now receive a Parking Charge Notice from Apcoa Parking which claims to operate the car park for GWR. They have cameras tracking vehicle movements in and out of the car park. A charge of £100 has been imposed which will be reduced to £50 if payment is received within twenty-eight days. Unfortunately, when I checked my bank statement no money had been deducted and I did not keep the parking ticket slip which in error may have been for the short free period. So, I now have a difficult case to argue.

The incident has put me in two minds about using this train service again which is a pity because the GWR conductor on the train was extremely helpful. Seeing us struggling to pay by bank card at yet another machine for the railway tickets he told us to get on the train and he took our fares on his card machine during the journey. There is in my opinion no reason for GWR not to have a cash payment machine at the car park. Also. they should allow the conductor on the train to take bank card payments for car parking. The all day parking charge of £2 is reasonable but the £100 reduced to £50 penalty charge is clearly excessive. So, beware.

Roderick Martin

Tavistock