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One 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the initial day of a vacation. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished breakfasting on the terrace, the enormous tree destroyed their table and chairs and damaged their rental car's windscreen.

The rental cottage in Provence, France was covered by branches that broke the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would collapse," James remembers. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been seriously injured or killed."

If it had come down minutes earlier we would have been critically hurt or fatally wounded

Urgent repairs took 24 hours after the host hauled the tree off the property, but the traumatized couple feared the building might be structurally unsound and chose to book a hotel for the rest of their week-long stay.

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We understand this may have caused some disruption," stated the first of many similar automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Stay healthy."

The host also showed little concern. "All that happened was you experienced a loud sound and observed a tree resting on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to remember the anxiety and distress rather than celebrating a special memory."

Summer Vacation Problems Surface

Now that the peak travel period has concluded, numerous holiday horror stories are emerging.

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

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

Consumer protections, however, have not caught up with their widespread use.

Regulatory Loopholes

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under travel protection regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through online booking services find themselves dependent on their host's willingness to help.

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

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves paying twice that for a hotel. They still await notification about whether they are responsible for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to reimburse customers for serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host insisted the determination was the platform's.

After two and a half months of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared the case had continued long enough and abruptly ended it. The host decided that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be providing a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "transform the event into a positive story."

The platform finally issued a full refund along with a £500 voucher after questions were raised about its safety policies.

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to book a flat for a weekend stay in Barcelona. She and her daughter were stuck inside the property for the majority of their single full day in the city after a security lock on the front door failed.

"The host dispatched a repair person, who was unable to help," she says. "Finally they called a locksmith who tried for several hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he threw up to our window and we lifted up a wrench and pliers. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith banging it from the outside, we eventually managed to extract it. It turned out loose screws had blocked the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

We would have been at grave danger if there had been an emergency while we were trapped, yet the host faulted us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a complete reimbursement to make up for her ruined trip and the stress. The booking platform said this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only declined, but withheld her €250 deposit to cover the new lock. The deposit was finally returned by the platform but Pocock felt she was due the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was trapped outside the London flat he reserved for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners told him they were overseas and could not help and suggested him to find somewhere else for the night. He spent an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months attempting in vain to get this refunded.

"The platform has basically said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's nothing they can do," he states. "I don't understand how a business can operate this way with no accountability. The additional frustration is that the property in question is still being advertised on the platform."

The platform reimbursed both customers after involvement. The company verified the host who had locked Philip out of his rental had not responded to its questions. When asked why unscrupulous accommodation providers were not removed, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Rating Processes

Reviews do not always tell the whole story. A previous investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was showing reviews it considered "important." This means that it is easy for users to overlook a current 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 lowest score so as to make their own choice on a property.

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

Legal Grey Area

The problem 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 commit to help find other accommodation in an emergency, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a more difficult struggle. Both typically rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The industry needs greater regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms effectively self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute continues is lawsuits," 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 continue: "One might claim that the online marketplace failed to investigate your complaint thoroughly and try to sue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both companies are based overseas and have deep pockets."

Regulatory bodies say new customer safety legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer transactions advertised or made on their platforms.

A spokesperson states: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have implemented strict new fines for violations of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

They continued: "Companies selling services to local consumers must follow local law, and we have strengthened regulatory authorities' powers to make sure they face substantial penalties if they do not."