Traditional services are hard to find...

THREE little words - car parking charges - are pretty much guaranteed to prompt a flood of angry comments on social media whenever they crop up in online news stories, and spark a rash of angry letters when they are reported in print

- PHILIP BOWERN

It's not hard to understand why. At the weekend, I felt the steam almost coming out of my ears when faced with an out-of-order parking machine at a beachside car park. I knew, from bitter experience, that not being able to pay with coins would not excuse me from paying the charge.

The car park is owned by a golf club but, like almost every other patch of privately owned land pressed into service for car parking, the club's owners have turned it over to a private parking firm.

My car registration number had been snapped by the camera when I crossed the line into the car park the clock was ticking and the parking machine, which I had intended to feed with coins, included a phone number. I was being ordered to set up an account, leave my credit card number and pay to park, or face a hefty fine.