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

The rental cottage in Provence, France was covered by branches that shattered the living room window and damaged the roof. "I was certain the ceiling would cave in," James recalls. "Had it fallen minutes earlier, we could have been critically hurt or killed."

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

Urgent repairs took 24 hours after the host hauled the tree off the property, but the shaken couple worried the building might be structurally unsound and chose to book a hotel for the rest of their week-long stay.

The booking platform showed little concern. "We recognize this may have created some disruption," wrote the first of many similar automated messages before closing the pending case with a cheerful "Keep safe. Be well."

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

Peak Season Vacation Issues Emerge

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

Unfortunate travelers report being locked in or unable to enter their rental – if it was real – or left stranded at night in strange cities when it did not. Stories include dirty bedrooms, dangerous equipment and unauthorized sublets. One shared element connects these spoiled holidays: they were reserved through online booking platforms that refused refunds.

The expansion of rental platforms has prompted a rise in travelers organizing their own holidays. These platforms display global property listings on their websites and promise to satisfy travel dreams on a limited funds.

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

Regulatory Loopholes

All-inclusive customers have legal recourse for holiday disasters under consumer travel regulations, but those who book accommodation through third-party platforms find themselves reliant on their host's willingness to help.

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

James and Andrew had paid £931 for their week in the Provençal cottage and when they felt too unsafe to return, found themselves paying double the amount for a hotel. They have yet to receive notification about whether they are liable for the damaged rental car. Despite the platform's protection pledge to refund customers for major issues, the company declared it was up to the host to agree a refund; the host insisted the determination was the platform's.

After two and a half months 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 decided that since repairs had cost her €5,000 (£4,350), she would not be providing a refund either. She proposed that instead the couple commemorate their survival and "transform the event into a beautiful story."

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

Trapped

Kim Pocock used a booking platform to reserve a flat for a weekend 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 malfunctioned.

"The host sent a repair person, who was unable to help," she states. "They eventually sent a locksmith who tried for multiple hours to access the lock from the outside. He had to buy a rope, which he tossed up to our window and we hoisted up a wrench and tools. With us prying the lock from the inside and the locksmith hammering it from the outside, we finally managed to remove it. It turned out unfastened bolts had jammed the mechanism. By then it was nearly 4pm."

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

Pocock requested 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 kept her €250 deposit to pay for the replacement lock. The deposit was finally 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 booked for £70 when, upon attempting to check in, he found the key safe empty. The owners informed him they were abroad and could not help and suggested 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 in vain to get this reimbursed.

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

The platform reimbursed both customers after involvement. The company verified the host who had locked Philip out of his rental had failed to its inquiries. 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 Processes

Ratings 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 miss a current deluge of reviews cautioning that a listing is a scam or not available.

The platform countered that customers could readily sort reviews by the newest 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 removed. The platform responded that it relied on hosts to follow its rules and ensure that availability was up to date.

Regulatory 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 commit to help find other accommodation in an emergency, but getting payment for a disrupted stay is a more difficult battle. Both typically rely on the owner to do what's fair.

The sector needs more regulation, according to consumer protection experts. "Since online platforms essentially self-regulate, the only option if the dispute isn't resolved 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 continue: "One might claim that the online marketplace didn't manage to look into your complaint properly and try to pursue them, but this is a legal uncertainty. Both companies are registered overseas and have deep pockets."

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

A representative states: "Government agencies are on the side of consumers and we have implemented tough new financial penalties for violations of consumer law to protect people's money."

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