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A century-old oak tree crashed down 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 shattered the living room window and harmed the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would cave in," James recalls. "Had it fallen moments earlier, we could have been critically hurt or killed."

Had it come down 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 traumatized couple feared 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 created some disruption," 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. "All that happened was you experienced a loud sound and observed a tree lying on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to remember the anxiety and distress rather than celebrating a special memory."

Peak Season Travel Issues Emerge

Now that the peak travel period has concluded, countless travel nightmare accounts are emerging.

Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside or unable to enter their accommodation – when it existed – or abandoned at night in unfamiliar cities when it wasn't. Stories include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One shared element connects these ruined holidays: they were reserved through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The expansion of rental platforms has prompted a rise in travelers arranging their own holidays. These companies display worldwide property listings on their websites and guarantee to fulfill travel dreams on a budget.

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

Legal Gaps

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

Some platforms promote additional protections, but your contract is with the person or business 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 spending double the amount 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 approve a refund; the host insisted the decision 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 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 offering a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "turn the event into a beautiful story."

The platform eventually issued a full refund along with a £500 voucher after inquiries were raised about its 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 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 states. "Finally they sent a locksmith who attempted for several hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he tossed 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 eventually managed to extract it. It was discovered unfastened bolts 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 faulted us for using the lock

Pocock requested a full refund to compensate her ruined trip and the anxiety. 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 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 key safe empty. The owners informed him they were abroad and could not help and advised him to find alternative accommodation for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months trying in vain to get this refunded.

"The platform has basically said that as the owner won't reply to them there's nothing they can do," he says. "I don't understand how a business can operate this way with no responsibility. The extra disappointment is that the property in question is continues being advertised on the platform."

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

Rating Processes

Reviews do not always reveal the whole story. A recent consumer report highlighted that one platform's standard setup was showing reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is simple for users to overlook a recent deluge of reviews warning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform responded that customers could easily sort reviews by the newest or lowest score 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 removed. The platform responded that it relied on hosts to follow its terms and conditions and ensure that availability was up to date.

Regulatory Uncertainty

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

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

The sector needs more regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms essentially self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute isn't resolved is lawsuits," experts 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 didn't manage to investigate your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are based abroad and have significant financial resources."

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

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

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