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

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

If it had come down minutes earlier we would have been seriously injured or fatally wounded

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

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

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

Peak Season Vacation Problems Emerge

Now that the summer season has ended, countless travel nightmare accounts are coming to light.

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or unable to enter their accommodation – if it was real – or left stranded at night in unfamiliar cities when it did not. Accounts include dirty bedrooms, dangerous equipment and illegal sublets. One shared element connects these spoiled holidays: they were reserved through digital reservation services that declined refunds.

The expansion of booking websites has prompted a increase in travelers organizing their own holidays. These companies display worldwide property listings on their websites and promise to satisfy wanderlust on a budget.

Customer safeguards, however, have not caught up with their popularity.

Legal Gaps

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

Some platforms promote extra protections, but your contract 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 too unsafe to return, ended up paying 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 serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to approve a refund; the host claimed the decision 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 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 "turn the event into a positive story."

The platform eventually 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 most of their only full day in the city after a safety lock on the front door malfunctioned.

"The host sent a repair person, who was unable to help," she states. "They eventually called a locksmith who tried 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 tool and pliers. With us prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we finally managed to extract it. It turned out loose screws had blocked the mechanism. By then it was almost 4pm."

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

Pocock requested a complete reimbursement to compensate her spoiled trip and the anxiety. The booking platform indicated this was at the decision of the host. The host not only refused, 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 trapped outside the London flat he booked for £70 when, upon trying to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners told him they were overseas and could not help and advised him to locate somewhere else for the night. He spent an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the following four months attempting in vain 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 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 continues being listed on the platform."

The platform refunded both customers after intervention. The company confirmed the host who had left 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."

Review Processes

Reviews do not always tell the complete picture. 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 recent deluge of reviews warning that a listing is a fraud or not available.

The platform countered that customers could easily organize reviews by the newest or worst ratings so as to make their own decision on a property.

The same report claimed that listings that had been multiple times reported as scams were not removed. The platform responded that it depended on hosts to abide by its rules and ensure that booking information was current.

Regulatory Grey Area

The issue for travelers who do not get what they expected 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 emergency, but getting payment for a interrupted stay is a tougher struggle. Both typically rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The sector needs more regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms effectively self-regulate, the only option 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 court proceedings in their country."

They add: "You could argue that the online marketplace failed to look into your complaint thoroughly and try to pursue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both companies are registered abroad and have significant financial resources."

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

A spokesperson says: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have implemented tough new financial penalties for breaches of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

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