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One century-old oak tree toppled over on the first day of a vacation. Minutes 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 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. "Had it fallen moments earlier, we could have been seriously injured or killed."

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

Emergency repairs took a full day after the host winched the tree off the property, but the traumatized couple worried the building might be structurally unsound and chose to book a hotel for the remainder of their week-long stay.

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We understand this may have created some disruption," stated the first of many identical automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Be well."

The host displayed little concern. "The only incident was you heard a loud noise 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 cherishing a unique memory."

Summer Travel Issues Surface

With the summer season has concluded, countless holiday horror stories are coming to light.

Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their accommodation – when it existed – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it did not. Stories include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and illegal sublets. One common factor connects these ruined holidays: they were reserved through digital reservation services that declined refunds.

The growth of rental platforms has led to a rise in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms display global property listings on their websites and guarantee to fulfill wanderlust on a limited funds.

Consumer protections, however, have not kept pace 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 reliant on their host's cooperation.

Some platforms promote extra protections, but your contract is with the person or company providing 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 twice that for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are liable for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to refund customers for serious problems, the company declared it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host insisted 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 dragged on 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 suggested that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "turn the event into a positive story."

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

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to book 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 safety lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host sent a maintenance man, who was could not to help," she says. "They eventually called a locksmith who tried for several hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to purchase a rope, which he tossed up to our window and we hoisted up a tool and tools. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we eventually managed to remove it. It turned out loose screws had jammed 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 blamed us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a complete reimbursement to compensate her ruined trip and the anxiety. The booking platform said this was at the decision of the host. The host not only declined, but kept her €250 deposit to pay for the replacement 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 reserved for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the lockbox empty. The owners informed him they were overseas and could not help and advised him to locate somewhere else for the night. He spent an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months trying in vain 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 operate this way with no responsibility. The extra disappointment is that the property in question is still being listed on the platform."

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

Rating Processes

Reviews do not always tell the whole story. A previous consumer report highlighted that one platform's default system was showing reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is easy for users to miss a current flood of reviews cautioning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform responded that customers could readily sort 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 multiple times reported as scams were not removed. The platform answered that it depended on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that booking information was up to date.

Regulatory Grey Area

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 promise to help find other accommodation in an crisis, but getting compensation for a disrupted stay is a tougher struggle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The sector needs more regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Since online platforms essentially police themselves, the only course of action if the dispute continues is legal action," 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 look into your complaint thoroughly and try to pursue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are registered abroad and have deep pockets."

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

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

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