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A century-old oak tree toppled over on the first day of a vacation. Moments after James and his partner Andrew had finished breakfasting on the terrace, the enormous tree smashed their table and chairs and crushed their rental car's windscreen.

The rental cottage 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 minutes earlier, we could have been critically hurt or fatally wounded."

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

Urgent repairs took 24 hours after the host winched the tree off the property, but the shaken couple worried the building might be unsafe and decided 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," stated the first of many similar automated messages before concluding the unresolved case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Stay healthy."

The host displayed little concern. "All that happened was you experienced a loud sound and saw a tree resting on the terrace," she responded to the couple's refund request. "You decided to focus on the worry and trauma rather than cherishing a special memory."

Summer Vacation Issues Surface

Now that the summer season has concluded, countless travel nightmare accounts are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being locked in or locked out their rental – if it was real – or abandoned at night in unfamiliar cities when it wasn't. Stories include filthy bedrooms, dangerous equipment and illegal sublets. One common factor unites these spoiled holidays: they were booked through digital reservation services that refused refunds.

The expansion of rental platforms has led to a increase in travelers arranging their own holidays. These companies showcase worldwide property listings on their platforms and promise to satisfy wanderlust on a limited funds.

Consumer protections, however, have not caught up with their popularity.

Regulatory Gaps

Package-deal customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under consumer travel regulations, but those who reserve accommodation through online booking services find themselves dependent on their host's cooperation.

Some platforms advertise extra protections, but your agreement is with the individual or company offering the accommodation.

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the French cottage and when they felt sufficiently endangered to return, found themselves spending twice that for a hotel. They still await information about whether they are liable for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to reimburse customers for serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to agree 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 declared 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 offering a refund either. She suggested that instead the couple celebrate their survival and "transform the event into a beautiful story."

The platform eventually 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 only full day in the city after a security lock on the front door failed.

"The host dispatched a repair person, who was could not to help," she says. "They eventually sent a locksmith who attempted for multiple hours to access the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he threw up to our window and we hoisted up a wrench and pliers. 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 unfastened bolts had jammed the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

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

Pocock asked for a full refund to compensate her spoiled trip and the stress. The booking platform indicated this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only declined, but withheld her €250 deposit to pay for the new 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 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 suggested him to locate somewhere else for the night. He paid an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months attempting 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 don't understand how a business can function this way with no responsibility. The additional disappointment is that the property in question is continues being listed on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after involvement. The company verified 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 "suitable for them."

Rating Systems

Reviews do not always tell the whole story. A previous investigation highlighted that one platform's standard setup was showing reviews it considered "important." This means that it is easy 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 readily organize 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 multiple times reported as scams were not taken down. The platform answered that it relied on hosts to abide by its terms and conditions and ensure that availability was current.

Legal Uncertainty

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 alternative accommodation in an crisis, but getting compensation for a disrupted stay is a tougher struggle. Both typically rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Because online platforms effectively 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: "You could argue that the online marketplace didn't manage to investigate your complaint thoroughly and try to pursue them, but this is a grey area. Both companies are registered abroad and have significant financial resources."

Government authorities say recent consumer protection 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 funds."

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