Review of Hertz car rental UK

That's standard procedure for car rental in most places, certainly not confined to Hertz. I agree that their contact info in cases of assistance are woeful.

As for tolls in the UK, there are only 23 of which 18 are bridges and all the ones that I have used have clear signage that a toll is payable. Speed cameras are endemic and you are likely to be caught out if prone to speeding.

$37.88 (about £30) also sounds very high for a toll road or bridge, in a car. I don't know any even approaching that kind of level. Even the M6 toll road (very easy to avoid- read the clear road signs and stay on the normal M6) is only £8.90.

The Tamar Bridge or Torpoint Ferry (from Devon to Cornwall) for instance is currently £2.60- paid by cash or card. That can be avoided by driving round through Tavistock- which will take extra time and fuel and you miss the view and the experience.

That applies to any of the rare toll situations in the UK. Use the GPS or computer mapping to find an alternative route to avoid the toll.

Most visitors will not encounter road tolls.

Did the OP think that they could somehow avoid paying the charges for parking violations by being a visitor in a rented car?

Many hotels do not charge for parking, but for those who do it is reasonable to ask for details at check in to stop you from absconding without paying.

This is does confuse me as there are very few tolls in the UK. You will get charged for accidentally entering an area that is bus only. Taxis are allowed to use these routes so it’s not the case that you won’t see any cars going that way so it is not always easy to tell. A new bus gate in my city has issued fines of £500,000 in less than a year.

Parking is rarely free in popular locations. Often there is a limit of say 90 minutes in places like supermarkets and then you will automatically receive a violation notice. Read all signage carefully! It is easy to get caught out and it happens to many of us who live here not just visitors. I got caught out last year about 2 miles from my house in roads I know well. There was a diversion in place and I didn’t follow the only permitted diversion route. That was a £35 fine.

ANPR for tolls has been around for a while. When I've hired cars in the UK the staff do normally flag any nearby tolls, but as noted, tolling is not that common and usually well signposted. It's up to you to do the research upfront.

--"two cases required our registration even before signing in!"
I imagine they have a private parking operator and need to take your details as a legitimate guest so you don't get clamped. Common in hotels, pub car parks etc.

--"two cases required our registration even before signing in!"
I imagine they have a private parking operator and need to take your details as a legitimate guest so you don't get clamped. Common in hotels, pub car parks etc.

That was my thought. The Marriott in Portsmouth requires you to provide them with your car registration plate as their parking control is overseen by a private company and you need to provide it so that you don't receive a parking ticket. Even my local Majestic Wine has a touchscreen terminal at the counter to input your registration for the same reason. Nothing nefarious.

that last high charge translates as about £30. I think you've been in the London Congestion Zone.

many toll roads, bridges/tunnels, etc

but there aren't "many"

You'd have bad luck to get them all and ignore all the copious and clear signage for them. In your home town do you just barrel through the toll areas without paying? What did you think would happen?