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One century-old oak tree toppled over on the first day of a holiday. Moments 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 vacation home in Provence, France was engulfed by branches that shattered the living room window and harmed the roof. "I was convinced the ceiling would collapse," James recalls. "If it had fallen minutes earlier, we could have been seriously injured or fatally wounded."

Had it come down minutes earlier we would have been critically hurt or fatally wounded

Emergency 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 reserve a hotel for the rest of their week-long stay.

The booking platform remained unperturbed. "We recognize this may have created some inconvenience," wrote the first of many similar automated messages before closing the pending case with a upbeat "Keep safe. Stay healthy."

The host also showed 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 have chosen to focus on the worry and trauma rather than cherishing a unique memory."

Peak Season Vacation Issues Emerge

With the summer season has ended, numerous travel nightmare accounts are emerging.

Unlucky travelers report being trapped inside or locked out their rental – when it existed – or left stranded at night in strange cities when it wasn't. Stories include dirty bedrooms, unsafe equipment and unauthorized sublets. One common factor unites these spoiled holidays: they were reserved through digital reservation services that declined refunds.

The growth of booking websites has led to a rise in travelers organizing their own holidays. These companies display worldwide property portfolios on their websites and guarantee to fulfill wanderlust on a budget.

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

Legal Loopholes

All-inclusive customers have legal recourse for holiday nightmares under travel protection regulations, but those who book 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 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 notification about whether they are liable for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's guarantee program to reimburse customers for serious problems, the company stated it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host claimed the decision was the platform's.

After two and a half months of similar automated messages in response to James's complaint, the platform declared the case had continued long enough and abruptly ended it. The host decided that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be providing a refund either. She suggested that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "turn the event into a beautiful story."

The platform finally issued a complete reimbursement along with a £500 voucher after questions were raised about its 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 stuck inside the property for the majority of their only full day in the city after a safety lock on the front door failed.

"The host dispatched a repair person, who was could not to help," she says. "They eventually called a locksmith who attempted for multiple hours to access the lock from the outside. He had to purchase a rope, which he threw up to our window and we lifted up a wrench and tools. With us levering the lock from the inside and the locksmith banging it from the outside, we finally managed to remove it. It was discovered 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 locked in, yet the host blamed us for using the lock

Pocock requested a complete reimbursement to make up for her ruined trip and the anxiety. The booking platform indicated this was at the discretion of the host. The host not only declined, but withheld her €250 deposit to cover the new lock. The deposit was eventually returned by the platform but Pocock felt she was owed the €446 rental cost.

Another platform customer, Philip, was locked out the London flat he reserved 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 find alternative accommodation for the night. He spent an extra £123 on a hotel room and has spent the intervening four months trying unsuccessfully to get this refunded.

"The platform has basically said that as the owner isn't responding to them there's nothing they can do," he says. "I don't understand how a business can operate this way with no accountability. The extra frustration is that the property in question is continues being listed on the platform."

The platform reimbursed both customers after involvement. The company verified the host who had left Philip out of his rental had failed to its inquiries. When asked why dishonest accommodation providers were not delisted, it said customers should review guest feedback to ensure a property was "suitable for them."

Rating Processes

Ratings do not always tell the complete picture. A previous consumer report highlighted that one platform's standard setup was displaying reviews it considered "important." This means that it is easy for users to miss a recent flood of reviews cautioning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform countered that customers could readily organize reviews by the most recent or lowest score 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 abide by its rules and ensure that booking information was current.

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 promise 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 sector needs greater regulation, according to consumer advocates. "Since online platforms essentially police themselves, the only option 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 continue: "You could argue that the online marketplace didn't manage to look into your complaint properly and try to pursue them, but this is a grey area. Both firms are registered overseas and have significant financial resources."

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

A spokesperson states: "Authorities are on the side of consumers and we have brought into force strict new financial penalties for breaches of consumer law to safeguard people's money."

They added: "Businesses 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."