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A 100-year-old oak tree crashed down on the first day of a vacation. Moments 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 vacation home in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that broke the living room window and harmed the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would cave in," James remembers. "If it had fallen moments earlier, we could have been seriously injured or killed."

Had it fallen moments earlier we would have been seriously injured or fatally wounded

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

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

The host displayed 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 have chosen to focus on the anxiety and trauma rather than cherishing a special memory."

Summer Vacation Problems Surface

Now that the summer season has ended, countless holiday horror stories are coming to light.

Unfortunate travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their rental – if it was real – or abandoned at night in strange cities when it did not. Accounts include filthy bedrooms, dangerous equipment and unauthorized sublets. One shared element connects these ruined holidays: they were booked through online booking platforms that declined refunds.

The growth of booking websites has prompted a rise in travelers arranging their own holidays. These platforms showcase global property listings on their websites and promise to fulfill wanderlust on a limited funds.

Consumer protections, though, have not kept pace with their popularity.

Regulatory Gaps

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

Some platforms advertise additional protections, but your agreement 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 paying double the amount 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 serious problems, the company declared it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host insisted 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 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 positive story."

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

Locked In

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

"The host sent a maintenance man, who was could not to help," she says. "Finally they sent a locksmith who tried for multiple hours to access the lock from the outside. He had to purchase a rope, which he tossed up to our window and we lifted 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 extract 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 crisis while we were locked in, yet the host faulted us for using the lock

Pocock asked for a complete reimbursement to compensate her spoiled 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 trapped outside the London flat he reserved 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 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 unsuccessfully 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 frustration is that the property in question is still being listed on the platform."

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

Review Processes

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

The platform countered that customers could readily sort reviews by the most recent or worst ratings 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 availability was current.

Regulatory Grey Area

The issue 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 promise to help find alternative accommodation in an crisis, but getting compensation for a interrupted stay is a tougher struggle. Both tend to rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The industry needs more regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Since online platforms effectively police themselves, the only course of action if the dispute continues is legal action," 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 failed to look into your complaint properly and try to sue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both firms are based abroad and have significant financial resources."

Government authorities say recent customer safety legislation requires online platforms to "exercise professional diligence" in relation to consumer purchases advertised or made on their platforms.

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

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