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

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

If it had fallen minutes earlier we would have been seriously injured or killed

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

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We recognize this may have caused some inconvenience," stated the first of many similar automated messages before concluding the pending case with a upbeat "Stay safe. Stay healthy."

The host displayed little concern. "The only incident was you experienced a loud sound and saw a tree resting on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You decided to remember the anxiety and distress rather than celebrating a unique memory."

Peak Season Vacation Problems Surface

Now that the summer season has concluded, numerous holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being locked in or locked out their accommodation – if it was real – or abandoned at night in unfamiliar cities when it wasn't. Stories include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and illegal sublets. One shared element connects these spoiled holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has prompted a rise in travelers arranging their own holidays. These companies showcase global property portfolios on their platforms and guarantee to satisfy wanderlust on a limited funds.

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

Regulatory Gaps

Package-deal customers have legal options for holiday disasters under consumer travel regulations, but those who book accommodation through online booking services find themselves dependent on their host's cooperation.

Some platforms advertise additional protections, but your contract is with the person or company offering the accommodation.

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, ended up paying double the amount for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are responsible for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to reimburse customers for serious problems, 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 announced the case had continued long enough and summarily closed it. The host concluded that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be providing a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "turn the event into a positive story."

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

Locked In

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to book a flat for a weekend 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 failed.

"The host dispatched a maintenance man, who was unable to help," she states. "Finally they called a locksmith who tried for multiple hours to access the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he threw up to our window and we hoisted up a wrench and pliers. With us prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we finally managed to extract it. It was discovered loose screws had blocked the mechanism. By then it was nearly 4pm."

We would have been at serious risk if there had been an crisis while we were locked in, yet the host faulted us for using the lock

Pocock requested a complete reimbursement to compensate her spoiled trip and the anxiety. The booking platform said this was at the decision of the host. The host not only refused, but withheld her €250 deposit to pay for 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 booked for £70 when, upon trying 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 paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months attempting unsuccessfully to get this refunded.

"The platform has basically said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's little they can do," he states. "I don't understand how a business can operate this way with no responsibility. The extra disappointment is that the property in question is still being listed on the platform."

The platform reimbursed both customers after intervention. The company confirmed the host who had left Philip out of his rental had not responded to its questions. When asked why dishonest accommodation providers were not delisted, it said customers should read guest feedback to ensure a property was "the right fit."

Review Processes

Reviews do not always tell the complete picture. A previous 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 current flood of reviews warning that a listing is a scam or not available.

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

The same report stated that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not taken down. The platform responded that it depended on hosts to follow its terms and conditions and ensure that booking information was current.

Regulatory Uncertainty

The problem for travelers who do not get what they expected is that their legal agreement is with the accommodation provider not the booking platform.

Major platforms promise to help find other accommodation in an crisis, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a tougher struggle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do what's fair.

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

They add: "You could argue that the online marketplace didn't manage to investigate your complaint thoroughly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are registered overseas and have deep pockets."

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

A spokesperson says: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force strict new financial penalties for violations of consumer law to protect people's money."

They added: "Businesses selling services to domestic consumers must follow national law, and we have bolstered regulatory authorities' powers to make sure they face substantial penalties if they do not."