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One 100-year-old oak tree crashed down on the first day of a vacation. Minutes after James and his partner Andrew had finished eating breakfast on the terrace, the enormous tree destroyed their table and chairs and damaged their rental car's windscreen.

The vacation home in Provence, France was covered by branches that broke the living room window and harmed the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "Had it fallen moments earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."

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

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

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We recognize this may have caused some inconvenience," wrote the first of many identical automated messages before closing the pending case with a upbeat "Keep safe. Be well."

The host also showed little concern. "The only incident was you heard a loud noise and saw a tree lying on the terrace," she replied to the couple's refund request. "You decided to focus on the worry and trauma instead of cherishing a special memory."

Peak Season Travel Issues Surface

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

Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their rental – if it was real – or left stranded at night in strange cities when it did not. Stories include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor unites these ruined holidays: they were reserved through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The growth of rental platforms has prompted a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms showcase global property listings on their websites and guarantee to satisfy travel dreams on a budget.

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

Legal Gaps

All-inclusive customers have legal options for holiday nightmares under consumer travel regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through online booking services find themselves reliant on their host's willingness to help.

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

James and Andrew had spent £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, ended up spending 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 major issues, the company stated it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host claimed the decision was the platform's.

After 10 weeks of identical automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared the case had dragged on 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 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 health and safety policies.

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to book 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 malfunctioned.

"The host dispatched a repair person, who was could not to help," she says. "They eventually called 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 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 extract it. It turned out unfastened bolts had blocked the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

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

Pocock requested a full refund to make up for her spoiled trip and the stress. The booking platform indicated this was at the decision of the host. The host not only declined, but kept her €250 deposit to cover 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 trapped outside the London flat he booked for £70 when, upon trying to check in, he found the lockbox empty. The owners told him they were overseas 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 reimbursed.

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

The platform refunded both customers after involvement. The company verified 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 review guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Rating Systems

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

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

The same report stated that listings that had been repeatedly reported as scams were not taken down. The platform responded that it relied on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that availability was up to date.

Legal Grey Area

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

Major platforms commit to help find alternative accommodation in an crisis, but getting compensation for a disrupted stay is a more difficult struggle. Both typically rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The industry needs greater regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Since 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 legal action in their country."

They add: "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 legal uncertainty. Both companies are based overseas and have significant financial resources."

Regulatory bodies say new customer safety legislation requires online platforms to "exercise professional diligence" in relation to consumer purchases advertised or made on their platforms.

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

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