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A century-old oak tree crashed down on the first day of a holiday. Moments after James and his partner Andrew had finished breakfasting on the terrace, the massive tree destroyed their table and chairs and damaged their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was covered by branches that shattered the living room window and harmed the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."

Had it fallen moments earlier we would have been critically hurt or killed

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

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We recognize this may have created some disruption," stated the first of many similar automated messages before closing the unresolved case with a cheerful "Stay safe. Be well."

The host also showed little concern. "All that happened was you heard a loud noise and observed a tree resting on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You decided to focus on the anxiety and distress rather than celebrating a unique memory."

Peak Season Travel Problems Surface

With the summer season has concluded, countless holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unfortunate travelers report being locked in or unable to enter their rental – when it existed – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Accounts include filthy bedrooms, dangerous equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor connects these spoiled holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The growth of booking websites has led to a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These companies display global property listings on their platforms and guarantee to satisfy wanderlust on a budget.

Customer safeguards, however, have not caught up with their widespread use.

Regulatory Gaps

All-inclusive customers have legal options for holiday disasters under consumer travel regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves dependent on their host's willingness to help.

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

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, ended up paying double the amount for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are responsible for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to reimburse customers for major issues, the company declared it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host claimed the decision was the platform's.

After two and a half months of identical 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 offering a refund either. She suggested that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "turn the event into a beautiful story."

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

Locked In

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 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 states. "Finally they sent 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 lifted up a wrench and pliers. With us prying 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 locked in, yet the host blamed us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a full refund to make up for her ruined trip and the anxiety. The booking platform said this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only refused, but kept her €250 deposit to cover the replacement lock. The deposit was finally returned by the platform but Pocock felt she was owed the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was trapped outside the London flat he reserved for £70 when, upon trying to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners informed him they were abroad and could not help and advised him to locate alternative accommodation for the night. He spent an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months trying in vain 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 function this way with no responsibility. The extra disappointment is that the property in question is continues being listed on the platform."

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

Rating Processes

Ratings do not always tell the whole story. A previous investigation highlighted that one platform's default system was displaying reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is simple for users to overlook a current deluge of reviews warning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform responded that customers could readily sort reviews by the most recent or lowest score so as to make their own choice on a property.

The same report claimed that listings that had been multiple times reported as scams were not taken down. The platform answered that it relied on hosts to abide by its rules and ensure that booking information was current.

Legal Grey Area

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 commit to help find alternative accommodation in an crisis, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a more difficult struggle. Both typically rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The industry needs greater regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Since online platforms effectively police themselves, the only option if the dispute isn't resolved 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 continue: "You could argue that the online marketplace failed to investigate your complaint properly and try to pursue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both firms are registered abroad and have significant financial resources."

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

A spokesperson says: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have implemented strict new fines for violations of consumer law to safeguard people's funds."

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