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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 crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The rental cottage in Provence, France was covered by branches that shattered the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was certain 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 seriously injured or killed

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

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

The host displayed little concern. "The only incident was you experienced a loud sound 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 instead of celebrating a unique memory."

Peak Season Travel Issues Emerge

Now that the summer season has concluded, countless travel nightmare accounts are coming to light.

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their accommodation – if it was real – or left stranded at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Stories include dirty bedrooms, dangerous equipment and unauthorized sublets. One shared element unites these spoiled holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has led to a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms display global property portfolios on their platforms and guarantee to satisfy travel dreams on a budget.

Customer safeguards, though, have not caught up with their popularity.

Regulatory Gaps

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

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

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, ended up paying twice that for a hotel. They still await notification about whether they are responsible for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to reimburse customers for serious problems, the company stated 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 decided that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be offering a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "transform the event into a beautiful story."

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

Locked In

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to reserve 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 malfunctioned.

"The host dispatched a maintenance man, who was unable to help," she states. "They eventually sent a locksmith who attempted 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 finally managed to remove it. It turned out loose screws had blocked the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

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

Pocock asked for a full refund to make up for her spoiled trip and the stress. The booking platform indicated this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only declined, but withheld her €250 deposit to pay for 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 booked for £70 when, upon trying to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners told him they were abroad and could not help and suggested him to locate somewhere else for the night. He spent an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months trying unsuccessfully to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has basically 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 additional disappointment is that the property in question is continues being listed on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after involvement. The company confirmed the host who had left Philip out of his rental had not responded to its inquiries. 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 reveal the complete picture. A previous consumer report highlighted that one platform's default system was showing reviews it considered "important." This means that it is simple for users to overlook a recent deluge of reviews warning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

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

The same report claimed 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 terms and conditions and ensure that availability was up to date.

Legal Uncertainty

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

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

The industry needs more regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Because online platforms effectively police themselves, the only option if the dispute isn't resolved is lawsuits," analysts say. "But against whom? 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 failed to look into your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both firms 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 promoted or made on their platforms.

A representative 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 money."

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