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One 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the first day of a vacation. Minutes 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 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 collapse," James remembers. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been critically hurt or killed."

Had it come down moments earlier we would have been seriously injured or killed

Urgent repairs took 24 hours after the host winched the tree off the property, but the traumatized couple feared the building might be unsafe and decided to reserve a hotel for the rest of their week-long stay.

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

The host also showed little concern. "The only incident was you experienced a loud sound and observed a tree lying on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You have chosen to focus on the anxiety and distress instead of celebrating a unique memory."

Summer Vacation Problems Emerge

Now that the peak travel period has concluded, numerous holiday horror stories are emerging.

Unfortunate travelers report being locked in or unable to enter their rental – when it existed – or left stranded at night in unfamiliar cities when it wasn't. Accounts include filthy bedrooms, unsafe equipment and illegal sublets. One common factor unites these ruined holidays: they were booked through digital reservation services that declined refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has prompted a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms display global property portfolios on their websites and promise to fulfill wanderlust on a limited funds.

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

Regulatory Gaps

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

Some platforms promote additional protections, but your agreement is with the individual or business providing the accommodation.

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves spending twice that for a hotel. They have yet to receive notification about whether they are liable for the broken rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to reimburse customers for major issues, 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 identical automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared 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 offering a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "turn the event into a beautiful story."

The platform finally issued a full refund along with a £500 voucher after questions 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 left trapped the property for most of their single full day in the city after a security lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host dispatched a repair person, who was unable to help," she says. "Finally they called a locksmith who attempted for several hours to fix the lock from the outside. He had to purchase a rope, which he threw up to our window and we hoisted up a wrench 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 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 asked for a full refund to compensate her ruined trip and the stress. The booking platform said this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only refused, but withheld her €250 deposit to cover the replacement lock. The deposit was finally returned by the platform but Pocock felt she was due the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was locked out the London flat he booked for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners told him they were abroad 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 trying unsuccessfully to get this reimbursed.

"The platform has essentially said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's little they can do," he states. "I can't comprehend how a business can function this way with no responsibility. The additional frustration is that the property in question is continues being advertised on the platform."

The platform reimbursed both customers after intervention. The company confirmed the host who had locked Philip out of his rental had failed to its questions. 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 Systems

Reviews do not always reveal the complete picture. A recent consumer report highlighted that one platform's standard setup was showing reviews it considered "relevant." This means that it is easy for users to overlook a recent flood of reviews cautioning that a listing is a scam or not available.

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

The same report stated that listings that had been multiple times reported as scams were not removed. The platform answered that it relied on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that availability was current.

Legal Grey Area

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 promise to help find other accommodation in an crisis, but getting payment for a interrupted stay is a tougher battle. Both typically rely on the owner to do the right thing.

The sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Because online platforms essentially self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute isn't resolved is lawsuits," analysts say. "But who against? As the contract is between you and the host you'd have to take court proceedings 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 grey area. Both companies are based abroad and have significant financial resources."

Regulatory bodies say recent consumer protection legislation requires online platforms to "demonstrate professional diligence" in relation to consumer transactions advertised or made on their platforms.

A representative states: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have implemented strict new financial penalties for violations of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

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 severe penalties if they do not."