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A 100-year-old oak tree toppled over on the initial day of a holiday. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the enormous tree smashed their table and chairs and damaged their rental car's windscreen.

The rental cottage in Provence, France was covered by branches that broke the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would collapse," James remembers. "Had it fallen minutes earlier, we could have been seriously injured or fatally wounded."

If it had fallen minutes earlier we would have been critically hurt or killed

Urgent repairs took a full day after the host hauled the tree off the property, but the shaken couple feared the building might be unsafe and chose to book a hotel for the remainder of their week-long stay.

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

The host also showed little concern. "All that happened was you experienced a loud sound and saw a tree lying on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You decided to focus on the worry and distress instead of cherishing a unique memory."

Peak Season Travel Problems Surface

Now that the peak travel period 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. Accounts include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and illegal sublets. One shared element unites these spoiled 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 companies showcase worldwide property listings on their websites and promise to fulfill travel dreams on a limited funds.

Customer safeguards, however, have not kept pace with their popularity.

Legal Gaps

Package-deal customers have legal options for holiday nightmares 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 additional protections, but your agreement is with the person or company offering the accommodation.

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves paying double the amount for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are liable 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 determination was the platform's.

After two and a half months of identical automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform announced the case had continued long enough and abruptly ended it. The host concluded that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be providing a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "transform 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.

Trapped

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 single full day in the city after a security lock on the front door failed.

"The host sent a repair person, who was could not to help," she says. "They eventually sent a locksmith who tried for multiple 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 tool 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 was discovered loose screws had jammed the mechanism. By then it was nearly 4pm."

We would have been at grave danger if there had been an crisis while we were locked in, yet the host faulted us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a full refund to make up for her ruined trip and the stress. 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 due 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 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 attempting in vain to get this refunded.

"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 operate this way with no accountability. The extra disappointment is that the property in question is still being listed on the platform."

The platform reimbursed both customers after involvement. The company confirmed the host who had locked Philip out of his rental had not responded to its questions. When asked why unscrupulous 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 reveal the whole story. 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 readily organize reviews by the most recent or worst ratings so as to make their own choice on a property.

The same report stated that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not taken down. 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 paid for is that their contract 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 more difficult struggle. Both typically rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The industry needs more regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms effectively self-regulate, the only course of action if the dispute isn't resolved is legal action," experts 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 didn't manage to investigate your complaint thoroughly and try to sue them, but this is a grey area. Both companies are registered overseas and have significant financial resources."

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

A spokesperson states: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have implemented tough new fines for breaches of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

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