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One 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the initial day of a holiday. Moments after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the enormous tree smashed their table and chairs and crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that broke the living room window and harmed the roof. "I was certain the ceiling would cave in," James recalls. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."

If it had fallen moments earlier we would have been critically hurt or fatally wounded

Urgent repairs took a full day after the host hauled the tree off the property, but the shaken couple worried the building might be structurally unsound and decided to reserve a hotel for the remainder of their week-long stay.

The booking platform showed little concern. "We recognize this may have created some inconvenience," stated the first of many identical automated messages before closing the unresolved case with a cheerful "Stay safe. Stay healthy."

The host also showed little concern. "The only incident was you heard a loud noise and observed a tree lying on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to focus on the anxiety and trauma rather than cherishing a special memory."

Peak Season Travel Issues Surface

With the summer season has concluded, countless holiday horror stories are coming to light.

Unlucky travelers report being locked in or unable to enter their rental – when it existed – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it did not. Stories include dirty bedrooms, dangerous equipment and illegal sublets. One shared element unites these ruined holidays: they were reserved through digital reservation services that refused refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has led to a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms showcase worldwide property portfolios on their platforms and promise to satisfy travel dreams on a limited funds.

Customer safeguards, though, have not kept pace with their widespread use.

Regulatory Gaps

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under travel protection regulations, but those who book accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves reliant on their host's cooperation.

Some platforms advertise additional protections, but your agreement is with the individual or company providing the accommodation.

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, ended up paying twice that for a hotel. They have yet to receive notification about whether they are liable for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to refund customers for major issues, the company declared it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host claimed the determination was the platform's.

After 10 weeks of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared the case had dragged on long enough and summarily closed it. The host decided that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be providing a refund either. She suggested that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "turn the event into a positive story."

The platform finally issued a complete reimbursement along with a £500 voucher after inquiries were raised about its health and safety policies.

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to reserve a flat for a two-night stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were left trapped the property for most of their only full day in the city after a security lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host dispatched a repair person, who was could not to help," she says. "Finally they called a locksmith who tried for multiple hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he threw up to our window and we hoisted up a tool and tools. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith banging it from the outside, we finally managed to extract it. It turned out loose screws had blocked the mechanism. By then it was nearly 4pm."

We would have been at serious risk if there had been an emergency while we were trapped, yet the host blamed us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a full refund to compensate her spoiled trip and the anxiety. The booking platform said this was at the decision of the host. The host not only declined, but kept her €250 deposit to cover the new lock. The deposit was eventually returned by the platform but Pocock felt she was owed the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was locked out the London flat he reserved for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the lockbox empty. The owners informed him they were abroad and could not help and advised him to locate alternative accommodation for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months attempting unsuccessfully to get this refunded.

"The platform has essentially said that as the owner won't reply to them there's little they can do," he says. "I don't understand how a business can operate this way with no responsibility. The additional frustration is that the property in question is continues being advertised on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after involvement. The company confirmed the host who had left Philip out of his rental had failed to its questions. When asked why dishonest accommodation providers were not removed, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Rating Processes

Ratings do not always tell the whole story. A recent consumer report highlighted that one platform's standard setup was displaying reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is easy for users to miss a recent flood of reviews cautioning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform responded that customers could readily organize reviews by the newest or worst ratings so as to make their own decision on a property.

The same report stated that listings that had been multiple times reported as scams were not taken down. The platform responded that it relied on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that availability was current.

Regulatory Uncertainty

The issue for travelers who do not get what they paid for is that their contract is with the accommodation provider not the booking platform.

Major platforms promise to help find other accommodation in an crisis, but getting compensation for a interrupted stay is a more difficult battle. Both typically rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The industry needs greater regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms essentially self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute continues is legal action," analysts say. "But against whom? As the contract is between you and the host you'd have to take court proceedings in their country."

They add: "You could argue that the online marketplace didn't manage to look into your complaint thoroughly and try to sue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both companies are based overseas and have significant financial resources."

Government authorities say new customer safety legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer purchases advertised or made on their platforms.

A spokesperson states: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force tough new fines for violations of consumer law to protect people's funds."

They continued: "Businesses selling services to local consumers must comply with local law, and we have bolstered oversight authorities' powers to make sure they face substantial penalties if they do not."